Breda Model 35

Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 modello 35
A 20/65 Breda anti-aircraft gun in Beijing. This example does not have the predictor sight mounted or the muzzle booster fitted on many other examples.
Type	Light anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	Kingdom of Italy
Service history
In service	1935–ca 1985
Used by	Kingdom of Italy Australia Republic of China Ecuador Finland Nazi Germany Slovakia Dominican Republic United Kingdom
Wars	Second Sino-Japanese War, Spanish Civil War, World War II, Ecuadorian–Peruvian War
Production history
Designed	1932
Manufacturer	Breda Meccanica Bresciana
Specifications
Weight	330 kg (730 lb)
Length	3.34 m (10 ft 11 in)
Barrel length	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Crew	3–6
Shell	20×138mmB
Caliber	20 mm (0.79 in)
Barrels	1
Action	Gas-operated
Elevation	-10 degrees to +80
Traverse	360 degrees
Rate of fire	240 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	840 m/s (2,800 ft/s)
Effective firing range	1,500 m (4,900 ft) (against aerial targets)
Maximum firing range	5.5 km (3.4 mi)
Feed system	12 round strip
Sights	Telescopic predictor sight

The Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 modello 35 (Breda), also known as Breda Model 35, was a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun produced by the Società Italiana Ernesto Breda of Brescia company in Italy and used during World War II. It was designed in 1932 and was adopted by the Italian armed forces in 1935. It was the one of two 20-millimetre-calibre anti-aircraft guns used by Italy during World War II, the other being the 20 mm Scotti. Both weapons fired the 20x138mmB cartridge.

Designed as a dual purpose weapon for use against both aircraft and ground targets, it was effective against light tanks, with the armour-piercing round being able to penetrate 30 millimeters of armour at a range of 500 meters. It had a two-wheeled trailer, but due to its structural weakness that limited the towing speed to 20 km/h, the weapon was usually transported on a truck bed instead.

This gun was widely employed by the Regia Marina as a deck-mounted anti-aircraft weapon in most Italian warships, in both single and twin mountings; considered a fairly efficient weapon, in the widespread Model 1935 twin mounting, it shared with the similar Cannone-Mitragliera da 37/54 the operating systems and therefore its flaws, namely the requirement for a strong supporting structure and high vibrations. Of the two single mountings (Model 1939 and 1940), the latter (widely used on small units like corvettes, and MAS), partly corrected these faults and had a better sight; however, overall the Breda 20 mm was considered somewhat inferior to the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon (used by the Regia Marina from 1941). All the mountings had an elevation of -10 to +90 degrees.

In addition to use as an anti-aircraft gun, the Model 35 was mounted as the main armament in several vehicles. It was initially fitted in four Panzer Is converted during the Spanish Civil War, by the Nationalists, in an effort to improve their fighting capability against the Soviet T-26s fielded by the Republican forces. Later the gun was fitted to Fiat L6/40 light tanks and the AB 41 armoured cars.