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Massimo Foti and I are currently actively working on Preserved Tanks in Italy, initially on the PreservedTanks.com website, but also ultimately as a booklet. It is based partly on my original Preserved Italian Tanks booklet, which we are also updating, but mostly from Massimo getting new photos and information from Italian forum members and other contacts. We then research these locations and vehicles to put together the final descriptions and information. As we work on it we will put updates in this thread. A few of these locations are shown elsewhere on this forum, others will have been lost in the 'great crash' a few months back.

If you have any information or photographs (with your own copyright) that could help, please contact us directly:

trevor-larkum at armourarchive.co.uk
massimo at massimocorner.com

The main site is here:

Preserved Tanks in Italy

As we add new locations we will post them here. I'll start by highlighting ones already added in the order they were completed:



Museo Storico dei Carristi, Roma

[img]http://preservedtanks.com/Albums/Italian/5300-Carro%20Armato%20M13%2340/IMG2338_M14_Carristi_FrontLeft_Massimo_c.jpg[/img]

M4 Sherman, M47 Patton, 2x L3/33, M14/41 (shown)




Parco Fauna Orobica, Bergamo

[img]http://preservedtanks.com/Albums/Italian/5400-Semovente%20da%2075%2318/IMG1287_Semovente_Bergamo_FrontLeft_Massimo_c.jpg[/img]

Semovente M42




Museo Memoriale della Libertà, Bologna

[img]http://www.preservedtanks.com/Albums/American/1340-M4%20%28105%29%20Sherman/IMG6276_Sherman_Bologna_FR_MFoti_c.jpg[/img]

M4 (105) Sherman

From last month and early this month:


Parco della Rimembranza, Lonate Pozzolo

[img]http://preservedtanks.com/Albums/Italian/5400-Semovente%20da%2075%2318/IMG6087_SemM40_LonPozz_FL_MFoti_c.jpg[/img]

Semovente M42




Caserma Ugo Mara, Solbiate Olona



M7B1 Priest, M55, L3/38 (shown), L6/40




Temeroli Collection, San Marino



L3/38




Museo di Guerra per la Pace Diego de Henriquez, Trieste

[img]http://preservedtanks.com/Albums/Italian/5400-Semovente%20da%2075%2318/IMG9449_Semovente_Trieste_FL_MFoti_c.jpg[/img]

L3/33, L3 flame, Semovente M41 (shown), StuG III, Marder IIIH, Marder IIIM

Added during the Christmas holidays:


Museo Peppone e Don Camillo, Brescello



M26 Pershing




Piana Delle Orme, Borgo Faiti



Sherman DD, 3 x Sherman, M44, Sexton




War Memorial, Arpaise



M36

Last week:



War Memorial, Marsala

[img]http://preservedtanks.com/Albums/Italian/5400-Semovente%20da%2075%2318/Dig_Semovente1_Marsala_FR_GVaccaro_c.jpg[/img]

Semovente M41




Caserma Salvatore Pisano, Capo Teulada



L3/38, 3 x M47, 2 x Sexton


As before if any one can add information or photographs we would love to hear from them (email addresses are given at the start of the thread). In particular, we have no information on the location of the Marsala Semovente, only that it is in the town somewhere.

Additions this week (including the Sherman 'Cookie', now 'Athena', discussed in the Netherlands Register thread):



Caserma Santa Barbara, Milano

[img]http://preservedtanks.com/Albums/Italian/5400-Semovente%20da%2075%2318/DSCN5500_SemM41_SantaBarbara_FR_DGrioni_c.jpg[/img]

Semovente M41, M4, M7B1 and Sexton




Museo Storico dell'Arma di Cavalleria, Pinerolo



2 x L3/35, M24




Parco Tematico dell’Aviazione, Rimini

[img]http://preservedtanks.com/Albums/Italian/5400-Semovente%20da%2075%2318/MF1_SemM42_Rimini_FL_PSeravalli_c.jpg[/img]

Semovente M42, T-55AM




Price of Peace Monument, Ortona



M4 Sherman

The latest addition.

The cavalry memorial at this location was obviously intended to touch the hardest heart - I've tried to translate it as faithfully as possible.



Caserma A.L. Paglieri, Codroipo

[img]http://preservedtanks.com/Albums/Italian/5300-Carro%20Armato%20M13%2340/Dig_M1542_Codroipo_FL_LNovara5_c.jpg[/img]

M15/42

That unit is called "Pozzuolo del Friuli" due to WW I battle. Days after the austro/german troops broke the front, a few cavalry units fought against them in Pozzuolo del Friuli in order to cover the retreat.

The grandfather of a friend of mine was a squadron commander in 1917 (later on he became "Genova Cavalleria" commander). He was at Pzzuolo del Friuli, and used to describe the battle in a very simple way: "The whole army was retreating behind the Tagliamento river, we instead, were going the other way".

The memorial talks about the old lancers that became tankers in WW II, but it refers to previous battles as well.

Now for something funny, this tank's RN is clearly an easter egg, it's a birth date:
www.preservedtanks.com...t=4&Page=1

Massimo

Massimo,

wouldn't it be possible that the monument was erected on 13/03/1949?

It is maybe the birth date of this monument??

P-O

wouldn't it be possible that the monument was erected on 13/03/1949?

No, back in 1949 the italian army kept every single AFV that was available, including M tanks (mostly handled over to the police). On top of that the tank seems one of those used for static defense lines.

Massimo

It was suggested on a forum that it might be the commander's date - I don't know if that was a guess or based on some knowledge.

Looks like it's just a guess

Massimo

so, who was born on 13/03/1949?? Maybe the guy who repainted the tank?

P-O

Solbiate Olona, updated with Massimo's latest information and photos:



Caserma Ugo Mara, Solbiate Olona



M4A4 Sherman Dozer (shown), M47 Patton, L3/38, L6/40

Trevor

looking at your collection off preserved tanks in Italy, I found this one: preservedtanks.com/Pro...2&Select=4
Its not a M7B1, its a plain M7. I suspect it to be an early version, it has only 1 ring at the pullpit, but its running gear is of the later type.

Michel

Thanks for the heads up, I hadn't spotted that.

I know you're an expert on the Priest so I'm very happy for you to correct my identifications:

Preserved M7 Priests

I guess it's not as simple as M7 = 1 ring, M7B1 = 2 rings, M7B2 = rings? If so, I have a few others misidentified too.