Created in the early 1930s to provide the Italian army with a large-scale light tank, the L3 remained at the forefront of armored units until 1941. Although it played an important role only in the fighting of the Ethiopian campaign and the Spanish Civil War. The "sardine box" later was limited to anti-partisan combat and support of occupation troops after the difficult start of World War II. Produced in large numbers in view of the country's industrial capacity in the 1930s, about 2,000 were made from 1933 until 1938, when production ceased.