SERAFIMOVICH(Ukraina), 1942 July 30-31.
Italian troops of 120 th Artillery regiment supported by German anti-tank artillery platoons successfully faced the attacks of the russian Infantry supported by T-34 and BT-7 light tanks(light!!!thir weight was comparable to an Ansaldo-SPA M-13, they ran 55 km/h) and B-10 armoured cars.
Italians destroyed or immobilized 31 tanks and 2 armoured cars, Germans 16 tanks.
Some of the Italian guns were judged very powerful and accurate for anti-tank fire: Italian Ansaldo 75/32 and an old French 75/34 Model 75/97/38 from WW1. They both used armour-piercing HEAT hollow-charge shells .
Others ( old 75/27)were not so useful but they were light enough to follow a fast tank and their shells could irreparably damage the track of a T-34 or destroy the armour of a BT-7.
Others ( old Italian 100/17 howitzer and ex-austrian 105/32 ww1 gun) were not anti-tank guns , they were too heavy and their angular speed was too low to follow a quick target as a tank but their HE shells could destroy the tracks of a t-34 and "an immobilized tank is won"( from diario di guerra 120 reggimento artiglieria motorizzato)when Russian crews saw the flash of the old howitzers and heard their voice they kept more than 1000 mts far!( from Diario di Guerra 120 reggimento artiglieria motorizzato).
Howitzer group used also 3 captured Russian 76 mm guns mod. 39 , judged excellent weapons, and Ansaldo-Bohler 47/32 mm guns , 14 mm Russian anti-tank guns, Breda 20 mm machine guns that showed to be unuseful to face a T-34.
HEAT italian shells easily overcame the armour of the T-34. Artiglieri's training was excellent ,they kepr the faith and never stopped their accurate fire also when the russian tanks were 20 mts far!
According to the italian officer's reports Russian tank crews fought bravery but their training was bad.
