SPA AS.37

SPA AS.37
Type	Light Truck
Place of origin	ITA
Service history
Used by	Italy
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designed	1937
Manufacturer	FIAT
Produced	1938-1943
No. built	802
Specifications
Mass	3.770 kg
Length	4.670 m
Width	2.020 m
Height	2.650 m
Crew	4
Engine	SPA petrol 4-cylinder of 4053 cm3 developing 52 ch at 2000 rpm
Transmission	4 forward 1 reverse
Suspension	4x4
Operational range	870 km
Maximum speed	50 km/h

The SPA AS.37 was an Italian military vehicle of World War II. The AS.37 Autocarro Sahariano was developed as from 1937 on the frame of the TL.37 artillery tractor and was especially conceived to be employed in the North-African desert. The most outstanding evolutions of this new vehicle were its autonomy by far higher than that of the tractor since it reached 900 km with vacuum, as well as the added water tanks. A.S.37 could transport 8 men and their material in its rear cargo box.

Overview

The military authorities did not judge the problem of desert vehicles urgent, FIAT, supported by Marshal Italo Balbo, Governor of Libya launched its own initiative which resulted in the A.S.37. The first 200 A.S.37 specimens were sent Libya in 1938 and were assigned to Commando LED the Sahara Libico and to Autogruppo della Tripolitania. Marshal Balbo wanted to use A.S.37's for the motorization of the Company Sahariane, which was to have 22 vehicles. In March 1942, 584 A.S.37 were in service, and by April 30, 1943 a total of 802 were in service in North Africa.

The crews of A.S.37 put forth very favorable judgments on these vehicles; their four wheel drive and large diameter wheels prevented them from becoming easily bogged down. The A.S.37 principal defect lay in a silhouette too high and thus too visible.

Bibliography

• Gli Autoveicoli tattici E logistici del Regio Esercito Italiano fino Al 1943, tomo secondo, Stato Maggiore dell' Esercito, Ufficio Storico, Nicola Pignato & Filippo Cappellano, 2005
• Gli Autoveicoli del Regio Esercito nella Assisted Guerra Mondiale, Nicola Pignato, Storia Militare
• Dal TL 37 all ' A.S. 43, It trattore leggero, the autocarro sahariano, I derivati, artigliery, GMT, Nicola Pignato, Filippo Cappellano