7th Bersaglieri Regiment
The 7th Bersaglieri Regiment form part of the Bersaglieri Corps of the Italian Army, originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836.
They compiled an excellent combat record, and can still be recognized by the distinctive helmets, decorated with black plumes.
Second World War
With Italy's entry in the Second World War on June 10th 1940, the 102nd Trento Motorized Division initially forms part of the general reserve but by 20 June, the Armored Corps has moved westward to support the Italian invasion of France. On June 21, the Trento takes up new positions near Cuneo in the 1st Army sector. The Regiment does not take part in the fighting for the Franco-Italian Armistice is signed on June 24. The Regiment remains part of the reserve in Verona and Trento for the remainder of 1940.
The Trento arrives in North Africa in March 1941 and takes part in the Siege of Tobruk. On August 3rd, reinfocements from the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment help the German 104th and 115th Regiments defeat the 2/43rd and 2/28th Battalions, in a final Australian attempt to recover the lost strongpoints outside Tobruk that had fallen into Italian hands in May 1941. As a result of heavy casualties, the 8th Bersaglieri Motorcycle Battalion is disbanded in September 1941.
The 7th Bersaglieri Regiment's successful defence of the Gazala Line on December 15th 1941, was absolutely vital in defeating the British 1st Battalion, Royal East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) and other units from the British-officered 5th Indian Brigade, with over 1,000 British Commonwealth soldiers killed, wounded or captured during the Italo-German counterattack.[1]
The capture of Mersa Matruh and Fuka by the 10th and 11th Battalions from the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment and German 90th Light Division followed, and some 10,000 British Commonwealth prisoners were taken in late June 1942.
During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the 10th Battalion from the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment, although outnumbered and surrounded, played an important part in containing for several days the advance of the Australian 9th Division. The fighting lasted several days, until with the arrival of German reinforcements, the attacking Australians withdrew.[2]
The Regiment is largely destroyed during the final battle of El Alamein but rebuilt during the retreat to Tunisia. Attached to the newly arrived 131st "Centauro" Armoured Division, the units sees action again during the Battle of Kasserine Pass and Battle of El Guettar. The remaining units of the Regiment finally surrender in May 1943.
During the Allied landings in Sicily as part of Operation Husky, the Regiment is still in the process of reforming, but orders are soon issued for the unit to be disbanded with the Italian Armistice signed on September 3 1943.
In 1944, a 7th Bersaglieri Regiment is reformed in Germany as part of RSI Italia Division. The regiment is deployed on Apuane Alps in the winter of 1944-45, surrendering to US troops in April 1945.
References
- ↑ "So, on the afternoon of 15 December, the Ariete with some 30 M13’s and with Bersaglieri motorcycle troops in close support, counterattacked along with the remaining 23 tanks of the 15th Panzer Division, and the attack was successful as the 1st Battalion, The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) and other troops of the 5th Indian Brigade lost over 1,000 men killed, wounded or taken prisoners." The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941
- ↑ "These costly German attacks did succeed in restoring contact with the beleaguered 125th Panzergrenadier Regiment. 90th Light Division later praised the regiment and the Italian X Bersaglieri who clung to their posts even when 'surrounded on all sides, short of ammunition, food and water, unable to evacuate their many wounded; while withstanding 'attacks by an enemy superior in numbers and equipment'. During the morning, many of the German and Italian wounded were evacuated and more supplies brought into the salient." Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein, Niall Barr, p. 380, Random House, 2010