The Fiat 666 was a heavy truck produced by the Italian

Fiat Veicoli Industriali Fiat Società per Azioni, S.p.A., or ''Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino'' (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin), was an Italian holding company whose original and Core business, core activities were in the automotive industry, and that was s ...

History

The 666, like the corresponding medium-sized

Fiat 626 The Fiat 626 was an Italian medium truck that met specifications for the Italian army and air force for military operations prior to World War II. The Fiat 626 NLM operated in Italian North Africa (1940–1943), Italian East Africa (1940–1941) ...

, was produced from 1940 as "Unified" truck: since 1937, by law, the War Department required all manufacturers of civilian trucks to have standard features regarding weight, number of axles, speed and capacity, in order to simplify logistics in case of requisition by the armed forces. The 626 and the 666, which replaced on assembly lines, respectively, the

Fiat 621 Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...

and Fiat 632, were the first trucks of the Turin with forward control, and with the engine totally contained inside the cabin. The

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

was made of longitudinal members on two axles, with front-wheel steering and twin rear-wheel drive, and a wheelbase and track width of 3.85 meters by 1.84 meters. The truck had a Fiat 366, 6-cylinder 9365 cc, diesel engine, which developed 105 hp at 2000 rpm and was characterized by its innovative layout of guides that allowed a quick and simple replacement from the front. The gearbox had 4 forward speeds and one reverse speed with reduction gearing. Externally, it differed from the

only in size, the shape of the windscreen and the body. The trailers, with 6260 kg capacity (twice the 626), could carry 20 equipped soldiers. Fiat 666nm quadrupedi

The vehicle was produced from 1940 to 1945 in civil and NM (Nafta Military) 666N diesel versions (

nafta The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA ; es, Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte, TLCAN; french: Accord de libre-échange nord-américain, ALÉNA) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that crea ...

) for the armed forces. In 1943, the BM version gasoline was approved for military use, but the armistice prevented production. The civilian version, also available with a

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

, had enormous success, also being produced after the war as the Fiat 666N7, for a total production of 8000.

Military use

The Fiat 666 was largely acquired by the Italian armed forces: the N-RE version for the

Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfre ...

and the N-RA for the

Royal Italian Air Force The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...

were captured in different outfits, such as the Bus, Car, Tanker, Fire Engine, Transport quadrupeds, with portacarri trailers

Viberti Viberti is an Italian manufacturer of trailers and former producer of utility vehicles, buses and mopeds. History The company was founded in 1922 to build civilian and military transport vehicles and was a supplier to the Italian armed forces dur ...

and

Bartoletti Bartoletti is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Bruno Bartoletti (1926–2013), Italian operatic conductor * Gabriele Bartoletti (born 1984), Italian footballer *Susan Campbell Bartoletti Susan Campbell Bartoletti (bo ...

. After the

Armistice of Cassibile The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Brig ...

79 NM were produced for the Germans who occupied the Fiat facilities in north Italy. Among the units supplied to the forces of the

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...

, there is evidence of at least one 666 armored, handcrafted from the arsenal of Piacenza, with a turret armed with a 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun and supplied to the Republican National Guard.

Fiat 665NM

In 1941 a military-wheel drive version of Fiat 666NM diesel was produced. The vehicle maintained maximum commonality with rear-wheel drive versions and went into production for the armed forces in 1942. After the armistice, 2 copies were produced for the Wehrmacht. In 1942 an

armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

version was made, called Fiat 665NM protected or shielded, used against Yugoslav partisans first, and then in northern Italy.

Technical features

References

* ''Gli Autoveicoli tattici e logistici del Regio Esercito Italiano fino al 1943'', vol. II, Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, Nicola Pignato e Filippo Cappellano, 2005. * ''Gli Autoveicoli del Regio Esercito nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale'', Nicola Pignato, Storia Militare.

External links

{{WWIIItalianAFVs, state=collapsed

666 666 may refer to: * 666 (number) * 666 BC, a year * AD 666, a year * The number of the beast, a reference in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament Places * 666 Desdemona, a minor planet in the asteroid belt * U.S. Route 666, an America ...