At this time, Franco's tanks were mainly Italian light tanks and ultralight tanks, as well as a small number of German tanks. Therefore, in the face of the not powerful Soviet tanks, Franco's army also suffered a big loss, and Franco, who had already gained the upper hand and would soon be able to reach Madrid, now had to suspend the offensive.

The two sides were engaged in fierce battles not only on the ground, but also in the air, with at least 500 fighters lost. At this time, both sides stepped up the procurement of military equipment, and the Dragon Soul Ordnance Consortium was of course still the preferred target. However, both sides have put forward higher demands, such as the fact that they want to buy jet fighters.

Indeed, in the hands of Franco, there were some tanks with poor performance, and mainly Italian ones.

Italy is constrained by national strength and is relatively mediocre in the development of tank technology, but this mediocrity is actually only relative. Italy can only be regarded as a second-rate power, as a European industrialized country that started not too late, Italian-made tanks have achieved good results, but in the thirties, Italian tanks were relatively backward.

In Italy, light and ultralight tanks are favored. This is because, at the beginning of the birth of the tank, Italy's national strength was limited, and the country was full of mountains, which made light tanks very popular with Italians. The simple structure and low cost are suitable for the Italian economy and industrial level, the flexible and light hull is easy to maneuver in the mountains, and the moderate armor protection and firepower are superior for "colonial warfare".

It is precisely for this reason that from the moment the concept of "tank" was accepted, the Italian government and military had a soft spot for light tanks. It is no accident that the "Fiat" 3000, which is the pioneering work of the Italian tank industry, uses the "Renault" FT-17 as a prototype.

Due to Italy's own relatively solid industrial base, the "Fiat" 3000 is not a complete imitation of the "Renault" FT-17. Structurally improved, it also heralded the Italian tank industry would soon usher in its own "era of originality".

After the success of the "Fiat" 3000, the Italians poured great enthusiasm into the cheaper ultralight tank. As a result, throughout the 20-30s of the 20th century, the CV-29/33 series became the most famous Italian mass-produced ultralight tank.

The technical blueprint for the CV-29 is derived from the famous imperial "Carden? Lloyd" ultralight tanks, in 1929 Italy imported 4 "Carden? Lloyd" MKIV. prototype, and at the same time introduced a full set of technical data and production licenses. Italy after a few modifications to the car. Mass production began by Fiat under the name CV29, but after 21 prototypes were built between 1929~1930, it was found that the armor was too weak to resist even 7.62 mm bullets, and the engine power was insufficient. After being strengthened, it was redesignated as CV33 in 1932. The Italian Army expressed its satisfaction with the CV33 and placed a large order for 1,300 units.

It began in 1933 because the level of welding technology in Italy was too poor. In order to increase the output, the upper shell was changed from welding to bolting, and the final shape was CV35. In the Spanish Civil War, the CV33 was put into use in large quantities, and at first it faced the Republican Army, and achieved certain results. Although in the subsequent World War II, this tracked combat vehicle with thin armor and light firepower was almost useless, it served as the most important equipment of the Italian armored forces between the two world wars. The CV29/33 series plays an important role.

Due to the poor economic situation, Italy showed little interest in developing medium and heavy tanks. It was not until the end of 1930 that full-scale war in Europe was inevitable. I hurriedly launched the relevant plan. However, due to the extremely limited technical reserves of the previous period, the series of medium and heavy tanks produced by Italy during World War II were crappy second-rate.

Taking medium tanks as an example, as the first medium tank produced by Italy before the war, the 11-ton Mll/39 is only equivalent to the standard of light tanks of other countries in terms of full combat weight, armor protection level and firepower. Moreover, the body also adopts a backward riveted structure. Of course, the Mll/39 has a certain Italian design character, but this "characteristic" is not a compliment, the main gun of the Mll/39 is semi-fixed in the body, and can only rotate 15 degrees left and right. Another 2 8-mm machine guns served as auxiliary weapons.

This design is a complete casual "improvisation", and it also reflects the inferior technical level of Italy from one side. In addition, the Mll/39 medium tank, although it had a radio station but did not install a radio station, further reduced its battlefield value. Although the Mll/39 medium tank suppressed the British light tanks in the early stages of the African theater, it was completely unable to damage the Matilda.

The subsequent M13/40 medium tank was essentially a "rotating turret model" of the Mll/39, with a total combat weight of 13 tons and an engine power increase from 105 hp to 125 hp, a significant improvement over the Mll/39 medium tank. Combined with a total production of 799 units, the M13/40 medium tank represents the highest level of Italian tank technology in World War II. However, in a horizontal comparison with its counterparts in other countries of the same period, the M13/40 medium tank was still a shabby second-rate crappy product. Its M35 47 mm tank gun was developed from infantry guns, and its armor-piercing ability was seriously insufficient, and the armor plates with a maximum thickness of only 42 mm were connected to the hull by unreliable rivets, which could crack and fall apart when bombarded by medium-caliber grenades.

What's more, although the engine power has increased to 125 horsepower, the total combat weight has also increased to 13 tons, and the unit power actually does not rise but falls, and the maneuverability actually deteriorates.

Therefore, when the news of Germany's secret development of a 30-ton medium tank and a 15-ton light tank reached Italy and Franco, both of them had an idea about the two tanks developed by Dragon Soul Ordnance for Germany. Indeed, these two tanks were so advanced that German government officials took them out to show off to the two allies, Italy and Franco.

At this time, Germany had actually openly developed armaments, and Hitler found that Britain and France only condemned Germany's series of military actions and armament development, and did nothing substantial, so he decided to completely tear up the Treaty of Versailles signed in World War I.

Naturally, at this time, the projects of 30-ton medium tanks and 15-ton light tanks became the focus of world attention. Because once it appears on the battlefield, it can absolutely crush all tanks in the world, because their performance is so advanced that many tank designers think that they cannot be built, but in terms of performance, they are worthy of the name of the king of land warfare. (To be continued.) )