The L3/35 or Carro Veloce CV-35 was an Italian tankette that saw combat before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tankettes. It was the most numerous Italian armoured fighting vehicle and saw service almost everywhere the Italians fought in World War II but proved inadequate for modern warfare, having too thin armour and weak armament of only machine guns. It was cheaply produced but because of its light armaments and armour it was reserved to mostly colonial, policing, reconnaissance, and supply duties. However, given its low production costs, proved to be efficient in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, Spanish Civil War and the Greco-Italian War where it provided reliable support to Italian infantry and disrupted enemy lines.
L3/35 displayed at the South African National Museum of Military History (without machine guns).
L3/35 on display at the Military Museum, Belgrade.
Italian L3/35 in the Balkans, August 1943.
Italian L3/35 in Albania, September 1943.
A tankette is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle that resembles a small tank, roughly the size of a car. It is mainly intended for light infantry support and scouting. Colloquially it may also simply mean a small tank.
A TKS tankette in the Polish Army Museum
A TKS tankette with a human for scale in a 2019 parade in Poland
A Japanese Type 94 tankette
An Italian Carro Leggero 3/35 (L3/35) light tank