A Few Funny War Stories...
In Spain, the PzKpfw I were popularly known as ‘negrillos’ (blackies), due to their panzer grey overall finish. The Italian CV33 tankettes were nicknamed ‘latas de sardinas’ (sardine tins) for obvious reasons.
Many of the vehicles of Russian origin wore the cyrilic script ‘3HC’ (ZiS=Zavod imeni Stalina=Stalin's factory). Some local ‘expert on Russian affairs’ explained his comrades that the meaning of ‘3HC’ was ‘3-Hermanos-Comunistas’ (3-Brothers-Communist)!
About "3 brothers", Cubans say that CCCP found on soviet products stand for "Cargue Con Cuidado, Pesa" (handle with care, heavy)
The PzKpfw IVGs received from Germany in 1943 were christened ‘Maybachs’ immediately after someone opened the engine deck!. Years later, some of these tanks were sold to Syria. These Syrian IVGs saw combat in the 1967 war against Israel, and it seems that these old workhorses performed decently. So much for the IV supporters!
One surviving T-26 from the last batches sent to Spain in 1938-39 was under restoration several years ago when, after removing the external layers of paint, an original Russian inscription was exposed. It proved that this particular tank had served in Eastern Asia, and probably had seen action against the Japanese in 1938.
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