"Spanish Civil War Improvised Armour – Tiznaos" Topic

"Tiznaos (note that a tiznao is also a sort of fish stew) are the various armoured lorries of the Spanish Civil War. Contemporary photographs illustrate a range of models with designs ranging from from entirely haphazard to streamlined planning. The slogans illustrate that the vast majority belong to the Republic. The majority of builds are unique and relying on the number of different models shown in photographs there must have been several dozen tiznao in use during the Spanish Civil War. They have more of a role in the initial stages of the conflict with columns attempting to establish areas of control or in pacification actions behind the lines. Their limited armour and mobility probably made them a liability to aircraft attack as the war intensified. There is a scene in the Nationalist colour film Defenders of the Faith (about 48 minutes in) that shows a knocked out and burnt AAC-37 (with T26 turret, best guess based on lack of additional road wheels) or Ba6. Nevertheless Bilbao armoured cars were still in service in Spain after the war. The tiznao concept could be seen as the origins of the UNL35 and AAC-37 armoured cars; a mix of commercial chassis and Soviet armoured car design. A column of UNL35s was amongst the Republican force that sought refuge in France as the war drew to a close. These vehicles saw service in the French and later the German armies…."

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