The cannon da 65/17 model 13 was developed for difficult terrain and bad weather. It was horse drawn and could be disassembled into 5 pieces. A folding gun shield was added in 1935. The gun was in use from 1913. da 65/17 means it had a 65 mm caliber barrel with 17 times its caliber length. It fired low-trajectory shots.
It was also used as main armament in the Fiat 2000 heavy tank, only 2 were made during World War One. As an artillery piece it was used by the Alpini, the mountain troops of the Italian army. It was a light artillery piece but reliable and favored by the infantry as well. It was in use throughout World War Two as a close support weapon and due to its low weight used at the back of trucks in an anti-tank role.
It had an effective firing range of 6,8 Kilometers and fired a 4,3 kilogram shell. It was built by the Royal Army Arsenal of Naples from 1911, in service from 1913 until 1945.
