The following WWII report on the Italian 90-mm multipurpose gun was originally printed in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 12, November 19, 1942. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

ITALIAN 90-MM MULTIPURPOSE GUN Shortly before the beginning of the last British offensive in Egypt, the Italians put into service a 90-mm multipurpose gun, whose muzzle velocity, range, and weight were given in the summary of Italian weapons in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 11, p. 45. It is now known that the length of bore is 53 calibers rather than 50, and that the practical rate of fire is 15 to 20 rounds per minute. The gun has a steel monobloc barrel with a detachable breech ring, allowing the barrel to be changed. The weight in action is given as 11,220 pounds. Normally, the gun is tractor-drawn on a four-wheeled Lancia Ro trailer, although a self-propelled model, utilizing a standard Italian tank chassis, has also been reported. In the case of the latter model, the tracks of the tank are apparently locked before the gun opens fire. Since the characteristics of this gun are similar to those of the German 88-mm weapon, a correspondingly similar tactical employment may also be expected.

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