Fiat 665NM protetto

The Fiat 665NM protetto (protected) or scudato (shielded) is a wheeled armoured personnel carrier, produced in Italy and employed during World War II by the Royal Italian Army ,the National Republican Army and the Wehrmacht.

History
The vehicle was developed in 1942 from the Arsenale Regio Esercito di Torino in collaboration with the Fiat Veicoli Industriali following the request of the Military Staff for a troop carrier to be awarded to the armoured division on the African front. Ordered 300 copies, the Armistice of Cassibile stopped production in 1943 at 110 pieces, because of the landing of US troops in Tunisia They never arrived on the African front, but were instead assigned to the 154th infantry division "Murge" and 13th infantry division"Re" and used in the Balkans in contrast to the partisan forces. After the armistice both were employed by the forces of the Italian Social Republic and by occupying Wehrmacht forces.

The vehicle, only fire-resistant to small arms fire, it turned out satisfactory for police functions in the occupied territories.

Description
The vehicle is based on the heavy truck Fiat 665 diesel, four-wheel drive version of the Fiat 666. The mechanics remains unchanged, while The modifications involve armor with steel plates of 7.5 mm thick, which ensured the protection against fire of small arms. The driver seat is fully armored, with security doors armored in protection of the radiator and windshield replaced by armored panel with slits, that hosts the driver and the commander. The rear combat compartment preserves the wood sides of the truck body, which are armored internally, while the upper part is constituted by inclined plates and internally provided with eight slits per side and two on the back. The top of the combat compartment is open and is accessed via a rear ladder. The storage compartment can accommodate 20 soldiers, sitting on two benches placed along the sides of the container. The protection is also extended to the fuel tank. Besides individual armament of the infantry, used by the slits, generally every veichle was equipped with a Breda Mod. 30 automatic rifle.