The Fiat Tipo 15 is a light military truck produced by Fiat Veicoli Industriali. Introduced in 1911, it was used by the Royal Italian Army in the Italo-Turkish War and the First World War, and was also produced in the Soviet Union as the AMO F-15.
Fiat 15 at a glance
| Production | 1911–1922 |
|---|---|
| Type | light military truck |
| Manufacturer | Fiat Veicoli Industriali |
| Designer | Carlo Cavalli |
| Engine (15, 15 bis) | 3,053 cc four-cylinder petrol |
| Engine (15 ter) | 4,398 cc Fiat 53A petrol |
| Wheels | four-spoke, steel discs on the 15 ter |
| Italian production | 26,714 (15 bis and 15 ter) |
| Licence production | AMO F-15, 6,285 built 1924–1931 |
| Users | Italy, France, United Kingdom, United States, Russia |
based on one source
History of the Fiat 15
Origins
In 1909 the Royal Italian Army asked for a light multi-role truck to transport personnel and materials. The vehicle was designed by Carlo Cavalli and presented by Fiat Veicoli Industriali as the Fiat 15. It introduced a technical novelty for this class of vehicle: a fuel pump replacing the gravity feed used until then.
The truck entered military service in 1911 as the Fiat 15 bis and was heavily used in the Italo-Turkish War, where it earned the nickname Libya because it was intended for service in that colony. In 1913 Fiat added the Fiat 15 Ter with a more powerful engine. When the First World War broke out, production for the armed forces was joined by that of the larger Fiat 18.
Civilian uses
The chassis of the civilian truck was used for buses and for fire engines built for civic fire brigades. From 1918 an armoured car called the Fiat Terni was developed on the chassis of the Fiat 15 Ter and used exclusively in Libya, which gave it the name Fiat Terni-Tripoli.
Technical features
The Fiat 15 chassis ran on four-spoke wheels at the front and the back. Its engine was the 3,053 cc four-cylinder petrol Fiat Brevetti 15/20, innovative at the time for using a fuel pump instead of gravity feed. The 15 bis kept the same engine, while the 15 ter received the more powerful 4,398 cc Fiat 53A petrol engine and steel disc wheels.
Military service in Italy
The Fiat 15 was the stalwart of the first motorisation of the Italian armed forces, and the Royal Army acquired every version in many configurations, including ambulance, workshop and fire engine. Italy was the first country to use the motor vehicle directly in combat. The Fiat 15 bis was used as the basis for the armoured car Fiat Arsenale, employed in the Italo-Turkish War together with the Bianchi. After the war the Fiat-Terni Tripoli bus was built on the chassis of the Fiat 15 ter by the steel mills of Terni.
During the Libyan campaign the squadrons were also motorised with numerous Fiat 15 ter trucks, described at the time as tanks. They carried armour plate and three Schwarzlose machine guns with 15,000 rounds, and were crewed by four men. In 1918 the Italian army counted 8,206 Fiat 15 trucks in its ranks, including 710 in the sanitary version.
France
In 1907 the French Ministry of War had decided to reserve its orders for national manufacturers only. In October 1914 it became clear that national production could not satisfy the needs of the French Army, which had taken delivery of 2,585 vehicles from French makers in 1914. The French government therefore pursued foreign designs, and Fiat supplied the 15 and the 18 for service with the French Army throughout the war. A first order for 500 Fiat 15 trucks came in December 1914, followed by a second order for 600 vehicles in January 1915. On 30 June 1915 there were 635 Fiat 15 trucks in service with the French Army, and on 31 May 1918, 839 trucks were assigned to aviation squadrons.
Other countries and licence production
The Fiat 15 Ter served several other armies during the First World War. The United Kingdom obtained 386 trucks, while the United States received only 200 despite an order for 4,000. Many copies were delivered to Russia, where 1,319 trucks were assembled at the AMO factory in Moscow between 1917 and 1919 from parts supplied by Fiat. The Fiat 15 Ter was then manufactured under licence by AMO as the AMO F-15, with 6,285 trucks built between 1924 and 1931.
Total production in Italy of the Fiat 15 Bis and 15 Ter between 1911 and 1922 was 26,714 units. No figures survive for the civilian base version.
Design and features
- Fuel pump: the Fiat 15 replaced gravity feed with a pump, a novelty for light trucks of the period.
- Two generations: the 15 bis of 1911 and the more powerful 15 ter of 1913.
- Wide range: ambulance, workshop, fire engine, bus and armoured car bodies were all built on the chassis.
- Combat debut: used by Italy in the Italo-Turkish War, one of the first motor vehicles in combat.
- Licence abroad: assembled and then built in Russia as the AMO F-15.
Fiat 15 versions
- Fiat 15: civilian base model, production figures unknown.
- Fiat 15 bis: military version from 1911 with the 3,053 cc engine.
- Fiat 15 ter: 1913 version with the 4,398 cc Fiat 53A engine and steel disc wheels.
- Fiat Terni: armoured car on the 15 ter chassis, used in Libya.
- AMO F-15: Soviet licence version built in Moscow from 1924 to 1931.
The 15 was the smaller companion of the Fiat 18 during the First World War. Other commercial Fiat vehicles of the period, such as the Fiat 520, are covered separately. More cars are in the Fiat collection.
Sources
- Fiat 15, English Wikipedia: design, engines, Italian, French and other wartime service, licence production
