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| Breda 20/65 Modello 1935 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Breda 20/65 Modello 1935 |
| Origin | Kingdom of Italy |
| Type | Anti-aircraft gun |
| Service | 1935–1950s |
| Used by | Kingdom of Italy; Italian Social Republic; German Wehrmacht; Argentine Army; Chilean Army |
| Designer | Società Italiana Ernesto Breda |
| Design date | 1930s |
| Manufacturer | Breda Meccanica Bresciana |
| Production date | 1935–1943 |
| Weight | 390 kg (mobile single mount) |
| Caliber | 20 mm |
| Action | Recoil-operated |
| Rate | 240–300 rounds/min practical |
| Velocity | 830 m/s |
| Feed | 60-round drum magazine |
Breda 20/65 Modello 1935. The Breda 20/65 Modello 1935 is an Italian 20 mm anti-aircraft autocannon developed in the mid-1930s by Società Italiana Ernesto Breda for use by the Regio Esercito and Regia Marina, and later adopted by Axis and Latin American operators during and after World War II. It saw service in numerous campaigns and naval actions, combining a high-velocity 20 mm cartridge with a 60-round drum feed for infantry, naval, and vehicle mounts.
The Breda project originated at Società Italiana Ernesto Breda during the interwar period alongside contemporaries such as the German Rheinmetall and Swiss Oerlikon programs, reflecting trends visible in designs by John Browning and Louis Schmeisser. Italian industrial policy under the Kingdom of Italy prioritized indigenous arms through firms like Breda Meccanica Bresciana and Fiat, influenced by doctrines debated in forums attended by figures from the Regio Esercito and Regia Marina and shaped by experiences from the Spanish Civil War and the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. The resulting Modello 1935 combined a gas- and recoil-operated mechanism with a large 60-round drum developed to meet requirements from the Ministero della Guerra and naval procurement boards, paralleling procurement efforts in the Royal Navy and Kriegsmarine while avoiding direct licensing from Oerlikon.
The cannon fired a 20×138B cartridge with a muzzle velocity around 830 m/s, delivering effective engagement envelopes comparable to contemporary 20 mm autocannons used by the Luftwaffe and Fleet Air Arm. The weapon used a recoil-operated action with selective single-shot and automatic modes and a practical cyclic rate near 500–600 rounds/min, limited in service to 240–300 rounds/min by the 60-round Breda drum and cooling considerations similar to those seen with Hispano-Suiza and Polsten systems. Mounting options ranged from single infantry tripods to twin naval pedestals and vehicle mounts employed by arsenals like Cantieri Navali and Ansaldo; sights and fire-control interfaces were adapted for integration with directors such as the Italian Galileo and German systems captured and reused by the Wehrmacht.
Introduced in 1935, the Breda 20/65 Modello 1935 entered service with the Regia Marina aboard cruisers and destroyers and with the Regio Esercito in anti-aircraft batteries during campaigns in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Balkans where it engaged aircraft from the Royal Air Force, United States Army Air Forces, and Soviet Air Forces. During World War II it was used in convoy escort, anti-torpedo boat defense, and ground support roles in operations involving the Mediterranean Theater, the Battle of Crete, and naval engagements such as escort actions against British Force H. After the 1943 armistice, many pieces were seized by the German Wehrmacht and reissued in coastal defense and Flak roles, while others were captured or exported to Argentina and Chile during postwar rearmament programs influenced by procurement contacts between Breda and Latin American ministries.
Variants included single-foot tripod infantry mounts, twin-gun naval pedestals for destroyers and corvettes, and specialized armored vehicle mounts retrofitted on chassis produced by Fiat and Breda. Modifications pursued during wartime addressed feed reliability, overheating, and mounting stabilization; some field workshops experimented with belt-feed conversions and water-spray cooling inspired by developments in Polish and British autocannon practice, and German workshops sometimes fitted captured units with standardized optics and ammunition belts used by Luftwaffe Flak batteries.
Primary users comprised the Kingdom of Italy armed forces including the Regia Marina and Regio Esercito, followed by the German Wehrmacht post-1943 seizures, and postwar operators such as the Argentine Army and Chilean Army. Engagements involved interactions with combatants including the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, United States Navy, United States Army Air Forces, and Soviet naval and air units during Mediterranean and African campaigns. The Breda saw continued limited coastal and naval service into the early Cold War with Latin American navies, paralleling the service longevity of contemporaries like the Oerlikon 20 mm and Hispano-Suiza 20 mm.
Surviving examples are preserved in military museums and collections including institutions focused on naval and World War II history, where they are displayed alongside artifacts from the Regia Marina, Regio Esercito, and Kriegsmarine. Notable collections with preserved pieces are found in national museums that house Italian military equipment, maritime museums exhibiting Mediterranean naval warfare, and private collections that document interwar and World War II arms procurement, restoration projects similar to those for Oerlikon and Bofors weapons often undertaken by museum conservators and heritage organizations.
Category:20 mm artillery Category:Naval anti-aircraft guns Category:World War II artillery of Italy