The Lancia Ro, Lancia Ro-Ro and Lancia 3Ro were 4x2 heavy trucks built by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

manufacturer

Lancia Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...

from the 1930s through the 1940s for military and civilian use. The 2-cylinder diesel Ro was produced from 1933 to 1939, the 3-cylinder diesel Ro-Ro from 1935 to 1939 and the improved 5-cylinder diesel 3Ro from 1938 to 1947. Ro and 3Ro saw extensive military service during the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Italy and Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethio ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, chiefly as two of the main heavy trucks of 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 Manf ...

Lancia Ro

The Lancia Ro (or 264) was the first of a family of Lancia 4x2 heavy trucks, starting in 1933. The Ro was built with two versions, a three-cylinder

gasoline Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic c ...

(BM) engine or a two-cylinder

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engi ...

(Nm) engine. The Ro was particularly robust truck, considered reliable, requiring little maintenance, and easy to drive. It was the first Italian truck to receive a 4 speed transmission.

Models

Ro NM

The Ro NM (for ''Nafta Militare'' or "diesel, military") military truck was produced in 3,056 units from 1934 to 1938, and eventually replaced by the improved 3Ro. Built by Lancia under license from German firm

Junkers Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (JFM, earlier JCO or JKO in World War I, English: Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works) more commonly Junkers , was a major German aircraft and aircraft engine manufacturer. It was founded there in Dessau, Ge ...

, the ''Tipo 89'' engine fitted to the Ro was a compact , four opposed-piston, straight-two cylinder,

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of ...

. It developed at 1,500 rpm. The transmission used a ''Tipo 126'' 4-speed plus reverse

manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...

complemented by a low range gearing, for a total of 8 forward and 2 reverse speeds.

Ro

From 1933 to 1939 429 civilian Ro trucks were built. This version differed mechanically from the military type mainly for its wider tracks front and rear, as well for the availability of a longer wheelbase alongside the normal version.

Ro BM

From 1934 to 1938 Lancia built 1701 military type Ros fitted with a petrol engine, intended for colonial duty—the Ro BM (364), for ''Benzina Militare'' or "petrol, military". Its ''Tipo 98''

petrol engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends (such as ' ...

was a

side valve A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, a ...

inline-four A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the e ...

, developing at 1,700 rpm.

Ro-Ro

The Lancia Ro-Ro (265) was an improved civilian-only, longer wheelbase () version of the Ro fitted with a Lancia-developed three cylinder version of the Lancia-Junkers two-cylinder diesel. It was built from 1935 to 1939 in 302 examples. The Ro-Ro was powered by a ''Tipo 90'' inline-three cylinders, opposed piston, two-stroke diesel developing at 1,500 rpm.

Service history

From 1934 to 1938 the

acquired 4,757 Lancia Ros which were equipped with pneumatic tires where it was used to transport artillery and light tanks. The Royal Italian Army deployed the

Ro for the first time in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

in 1935–1936. The 228 Ro's sent there gave full satisfaction to the Italian Army. Ro's traveled over roads and tracks in all temperatures; and did not encounter difficulty in the mountain routes where grades can reach 25%. In

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Ro's still proved reliable on roads, but its capacities over ground were very limited. The

Ro was used by Royal Italian Army and

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

in World War II in all theaters of the war.

Lancia 3Ro

The Lancia 3Ro 4x2 heavy truck evolved from the earlier Lancia Ro by receiving a stronger five cylinder engine to replace two and three cylinder engines,

pneumatic tire A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineering), t ...

s and an improved

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission ** ...

; it is best known for its role as one of the main trucks of the

. The Lancia 3 Ro's design was simple, functional and was considered the most reliable heavy truck of the Royal Italian Army in World War II serving in all theatres of the war. Besides the diesel military model, the 3Ro was also built in civilian versions, with petrol and

gas engine A gas engine is an internal combustion engine that runs on a gaseous fuel, such as coal gas, producer gas, biogas, landfill gas or natural gas. In the United Kingdom, the term is unambiguous. In the United States, due to the widespread use of ...

s, as well as in extended wheelbase

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

chassis. Production of the 3Ro chassis began in 1939, continued throughout the Second World War and finally ended in 1949, when it was superseded by the

Lancia Esatau Lancia Esatau is a series of truck and bus chassis produced by Italian manufacturer Lancia Industrial Vehicles from 1947 to 1973. 13,362 examples were produced. Trucks Lancia Esatau truck chassis were produced from 1947 to 1963, when the model ...

Specifications

The 3Ro used a

ladder frame A vehicle frame, also historically known as its ''chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car had a ...

and

leaf spring A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, elliptical spring, or cart spring, i ...

-suspended

solid axle Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by structura ...

s front and rear. Powering diesel 3Ro was a Lancia ''Tipo 102'' straight-five

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-cal ...

, with two parallel

overhead valve An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located be ...

s per cylinder, which developed at 1,860 rpm. Like on the Ro the transmission used a 4-speed plus reverse

gearbox Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), diff ...

complemented by a low range gearing, for a total of 8 forward and 2 reverse speeds. Brakes were servo-assisted, mechanically operated

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

on all four wheels, plus

hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counte ...

emergency hand brake also on all four wheels.

Models

3Ro NM

The 3Ro NM (564B), for ''Nafta Militare'' or "diesel, military", military truck was produced in 9,490 units from 1938 to 1943. It was built with a wheelbase.

3Ro

The civilian 3Ro (564) truck was produced in 1,307 units from 1938 to 1945. Mechanically the chassis was identical to the military version. After the production of a modified civilian 3Ro began, coded 564C. In total between 1936 and 1947 3,336 were made. Autocarro-3-ro-1938-1945 civile

3Ro P and PL

The 3Ro P (266P) and 3Ro PL (266PL) were stretched chassis to serve as basis for buses and coaches, whose wheelbases measured respectively and . Between 1939 and 1949 837 were made. In 1941 some 3Ro 266P were built with a ''Tipo 102C'' natural gas engine, developed from the inline-five diesel, with four valves per cylinder.

3Ro BM

From 1943 to 1945 a total of 408 petrol-engined 3Ro BM (564B), for ''Benzina Militare'' or "petrol, military", were produced. Like the natural gas engine, the ''Tipo 102B'' inline-five petrol was derived from the diesel, with new 16-valve heads.

Esaro

The Lancia Esaro was a shortened version of the 3Ro, produced from 1943 to 1946 in military and civilian versions, with 5-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. At , the Esaro's wheelbase was shorter than the military 3Ro's. Production amounted to 2000 of the petrol variant (made between 1943 and 1946), and just 21 diesels (all made during 1946).

Service history

Over the course of the war many variants of the military 3Ro were made: troop transport, supply transport, 5,000-litre fuel tanker, 4,000-litre water tanker, mobile repair workshop,

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

, and

self-propelled gun Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled ...

. In

and

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

with the top of the cab cut away and lower sideboards the Lancia 3 Ro became well suited for desert warfare serving as a

porting the

Cannone da 90/53 The Cannone da 90/53 was an Italian-designed cannon used both in an anti-aircraft role and as an anti-tank gun during World War II. It was one of the most successful anti-aircraft guns to see service during the conflict. The designation "90/53" ...

as well as the 100/17

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

. German armed forces always in need of supplies and material made use of any Ro and 3Ro as well as any other equipment, Italian or otherwise, that came into their possession. After the Italian

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

of September 8, 1943, the

absorbed commandeered Ro and 3Ro trucks from their former ally. In April 1944 with the Lancia factory in German controlled

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, German armed forces placed an order for 772 3Ro built between January 1944 and February 1945. After the end of the war the 3Ro remained in service in the Italian Army, with the last 3Ro truck being retired in 1964.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *

External links

* https://archive.today/20080421175130/http://aermacchi.ifrance.com/photoscopelancia3.htm (French) * http://www.lancia-historie.de/lkw_3ro.html (German) * http://www.german.o5m6.de/lancia_3ro.html (English) * http://www.kfzderwehrmacht.de/ (German and English) * https://web.archive.org/web/20110721001726/http://ww2armor.jexiste.fr/Files/Axis/Axis/1-Vehicles/Italy/10-Trucks/Lancia-Ro-3Ro/Lancia-Ro-3Ro.htm (French and English) * http://army1914-1945.org.pl/wlochy2/regio-esercito/uzbrojenie-wyposazenie-i-sprzet-regio-esercito/samochody-motocykle-i-pojazdy-specjalne/210-samochod-ciezarowy-lancia-3ro (Polish) * http://army1914-1945.org.pl/wlochy2/regio-esercito/uzbrojenie-wyposazenie-i-sprzet-regio-esercito/pojazdy-bojowe/213-samochod-opancerzony-lancia-3ro-blindato (Polish) {{Lancia industrial vehicles timeline World War II vehicles of Italy Military trucks of Italy Lancia 3 RO Military vehicles introduced in the 1930s Vehicles introduced in 1933

Lancia Ro

Models

Ro NM

Ro

Ro BM

Ro-Ro

Service history

Lancia 3Ro

Specifications

Models

3Ro NM

3Ro

3Ro P and PL

3Ro BM

Esaro

Service history

See also

References

Bibliography

External links