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Bersaglieri Corps

2018-12-07T06:56:59Z

Gentlewind: /* Second World War */

In 1836, Alfonso del la Marmora from the Piedmontese Army (the core of the future Italian Army) created the Bersaglieri, light infantry formations similar to the French ''chasseurs'' and Austrian ''jägers''.

The Bersaglieri were trained to a high physical and marksmanship standard, and like the German ''Waffen SS'' in the Second World War, inspired the ''Regio Esercito'' frontline formations, benefiting from superior weaponry and mobility that encouraged Axis commanders to operate aggressively.

The Bersaglieri, or ”sharpshooters,” still sport distinctive helmets adorned with cock’s feathers.

==First World War==

During the First World War, the 12 Bersaglieri Regiments fought with valour and bravery. 210,000 men served in the Bersaglieri Corps, and during the war 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded. In August 1915 [[Benito Mussolini]] joined the corps and, serving in the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment, saw action in the trenches on the Italian front.

After the war, reforms reduced the number of Bersaglieri battalions to two per regiment. They were converted into bicycle troops to fight alongside cavalry from the ''Celeri'' (fast) divisions, giving the Supreme Command the best formations to operate alongside tanks in the near future.

==Second World War==

When the first Italian Army armoured divisions were formed in 1939, Bersaglieri mobile warfare experience greatly improved. Each armoured and motorized division was allocated one Bersaglieri regiment.

The Bersaglieri regiments expanded to three battalions each during the Second World War, but the ''Comando Surpemo'' (Italian Supreme Command) resisted temptations during wartime to degrade their quality in favour of greater numbers, and volunteers still had to be of above-average height and stamina. The candidates endured intense physical training, just as their forefathers had, and had to qualify as excellent marksmen.

The first Bersaglieri units to see combat in North Africa belonged to the [[10th Bersaglieri Regiment]]. They arrived in Libya in late 1940 as part of the all-volunteers ''Brigata Corazzata Speciale'' (Special Armoured Brigade or BCS) and along with the ''Sabratha'' (Conscript) Division fought well as the Italian rearguard in defence of the Derna–Giovanni Berta defence line, with two British Commonwealth armoured car spearhead units<ref>"On the southern flank a troop of 6th Cavalry carriers attempted to outflank the enemy and was itself ambushed with the loss of seven men and several carriers." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2016</ref><ref>"At dusk on 4 February, after passing through Megara, six of the 11th Hussars' armoured cars that were leading the convoy were ambushed by antitank guns. Three of the vehicles were destroyed anda a number of soldiers were killed or wounded. Several war correspondents were travelling with the Hussars and some were wounded..." An Unqualified Success, Peter Golding, Rosenberg Publishing, 2013</ref> ambushed, the survivors captured and the supporting Australian 2nd/4th Battalion nearly overrun in a strong counterattack<ref>"At one point the 2/4th Battalion was pinned down and almost overrun by a force of about 1,000 enemy infantry. It was only the timely arrival of the Northumberland Fusiliers that checked the Italian attack." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2009</ref> during the final stages of [[Operation Compass]].

In all, six of the 12 Bersaglieri regiments fought in North Africa, compiling an excellent combat record, with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (''"the Desert Fox"'') acknowledging in a Radio Rome interview in late 1942 that, ''The German soldier has impressed the world, however, the Italian Bersaglieri soldier has impressed the German soldier."''

During Rommel's first desert offensive (also known as the first ''Benghazi Derby'') and start of the [[Siege of Tobruk]] in April 1941, Rommel was often critical of his generals as well as the Italian Supreme Command, but praised the Bersaglieri on numerous occasions, such as the encircling action of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment during the [[Battle of El Mechili]] that resulted in the capture of 3,000 British Imperial troops.

That same month, the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment fought successfully in General [[Ugo Cavallero]]'s second spring offensive in Albania during the [[Greco-Italian War]], capturing the Greek fortress of Koritza on April 15th<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM]</ref>, and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment along with the ''Centauro'' Armoured Division defeated the Yugoslavian Army counteroffensive in Albania in the [[Battle for Skutari]] in mid-April 1941.<ref>"For 48 hours the Serbs have been moving in wave upon wave through rain and snow against Scutari, on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, only to be mowed down by Fascist machine-gunners and scattered by Italian airmen, war front advices said. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19410415&id=JHtGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1084,5315859&hl=en Serb Attacks Beaten Off By Italians, Schenectady Gazette, 15 April 1941]</ref><ref>"Their courage, like that of the defenders of the Metaxas line, was to no avail; as so often happens to troops occupying a static position in mobile warfare, the battle was being decided elsewhere; List now detached SS 'Adolf Hitler' from the main axis of advance of XXXXth Corps and sent it forward in the direction of Koritsa. Far from counter-attacking, however, the demoralized Greeks gave way and thus allowed the Italians to occupy the town without resistance on 15 April. With 9th Armoured Division crossing the upper Aliakhmon and reaching Servia on the next day, the British forces on the Olympus found themselves surrounded on both flanks. Following a decision made by Wilson three days earlier they now started falling back across Thessaly to Thermopylae, leaving in their wake 20,000 Greek troops who, being less well endowed with motor vehicles, failed to escape in time and were captured by the Germans." Martin van Crevald, Hitler's Strategy 1940-1941: The Balkan Clue, p. 162, Cambridge University Press, 1973</ref>

During [[Operation Barbarossa]] (the invasion of Russia) in August 1941, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment formed part of the Italian spearheads tasked with securing bridgeheads over the Dnieper and Don Rivers for the German 11th Army, a task which they carried out successfully and suffered heavy casualties defending them during the Russian counterattacks mounted during the [[First Battle of Kiev]].<ref>"From the 20th to the 26th of August Italian Forces have been subjected to extremely fierce Soviet attacks along the Don River. The Bersaglieri, Cavalry and Black Shirts have untiringly repulsed the attacks which wave after wave were launched in the desperate attempt to break through the Italian lines." Il Marco Polo, Issues 13-14, p. 126, Shanghai, 1941</ref>

During [[Operation Crusader]], the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment operating truck-mounted naval guns from the Italian cruiser ''San Giorgio'', played an important part in the defeat of the British 7th Armoured Division in the [[First Battle of Bir el Gubi]] on 19 November 1941.

On 1 November, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment defeated 3 Russian divisions defending [[Rykovo]] and conquered that city.<ref>" Il 1° novembre il 3° bersaglieri conquistò Rykovo; lo stesso giorno la Torino si attestò sul fiume Krinka, in zona Im. Karova-Korsuni, a protezione del fianco meridionale della Celere."La Storia della Dottrina e degli Ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano: t. 1. Da Vittorio Veneto alla 2a. Guerra Mondiale. t. 2. La 2a Guerra Mondiale (1940-1943), Stato maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, 1985</ref>

On December 1st, the ''Trieste'' Division, reinforced by the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, cut off the supply route the 2nd New Zealand Division had established with the Tobruk garrison.

The successful defense of the Gazala Line on the part of the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments on December 15th, was also absolutely vital in the defeat of 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 Imperial troops killed, wounded or captured during Rommel's counterattack.<ref>"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." [http://www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html/6 The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]</ref>

On December 28th, the 25th Bersaglieri Battalion along with the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova & Rassipnoy on the Russian Front.<ref>"The Italo-German force in the Celere Division's sector experienced more success,as German paratroopers captured the stretch of double railroad track at Kulinatskiy, and the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion, captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova, which was below the commanding height at Kurgun Ostriy. The German 318th Regiment captured the village of Greko-Timofeyevskiy from the Rifle Division, while the XXV Bersaglieri Battalion took Rassipnoy." Three Kings: Axis Royal Armies on the Russian Front 1941, Patrick Cloutier, p. 140, 2015</ref>

On June 28th, the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment and supporting tanks from the ''Littorio'' Division surrounded Mersa Matruh, with the British garrison attempting to break out under the cover of darkness largely frustrated. The next day, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment (under Colonel Ugo Scirocco) also met with success when the 10th and 11th Bersaglieri Battalions stormed the British fortress and took 6,500 prisoners in the [[Battle of Mersa Matruh]].

In July 1942 the spearhead of the 8th Italian Army, 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, captured Krasnij Lutsch and Ivanowka with 30,000 Russians (mainly through desertion) falling into Italian hands in the following weeks.<ref>"Ma la gran massa dei prigionieri che in certe fasi delle operazioni affluivano a questi campi rese praticamente difficile, se non impossibile, un sostanziale miglioramento: ricordo, ad esempio, che nei mesi di luglio-agosto del 1942 nel campo di Millerowo, con un'organizzazione logistica molto primitiva, furono concentrati oltre 30.000 prigionieri, con le conseguenze che è facile immaginare." La Guerra al Fronte Russo: il Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia (CSIR), Giovanni Messe, p. 87, Mursia, 2005</ref>

During the [[First Battle of El Alamein]], the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the ''Sabratha'', ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions showed great courage, derailing both the 9th Australian Division advance developing from Tel el Eisa on July 11th and the 2nd New Zealand Division attack against Ruweisat Ridge on July 22nd.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html First Battle of El Alamein COMANDO SUPREMO/ITALY AT WAR]</ref>

During the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment fought especially hard, manning the Italian 47mm and 90mm guns (often confused with the German 88mm ''flak'' guns) and field guns of the ''Littorio'' Armoured Division in defence of El Aqqaqir Ridge, destroying 70 tanks from the British 9th Armoured Brigade in the process.<ref>[http://www.ilprimatonazionale.it/cultura/el-alamein-battaglia-folgore-32837/ El-Alamein: la battaglia che consacrò il valore del soldato italiano]</ref> Berlin Radio acknowledged that in this sector the ''"British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material. The Italians fought till the last man."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>

The Bersaglieri remained a force to be reckoned with during the [[Tunisian Campaign]] and, in early December 1942 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment forced the surrender of 300 Allied paratroopers operating behind Axis lines during the [[Battle of Tebourba]].<ref>"La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”. "La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”." [http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerGiorno.php?year=1942&month=12&day=06 Salmaggi e Pallavisini, Domenica, 6 Dicembre 1942]</ref><ref>[http://collections.civilisations.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5001297 The New York Times, 5 December 1942 (German Military Communique)]</ref>

The Bersaglieri fought again during the [[Battle of Kasserine Pass]] as the Axis spearhead, with the 5th and 7th Bersaglieri Regiments capturing around 2,450 British, American and French troops and covering Rommel's withdrawal. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had special words of praise for the Bersaglieri, with their senior commander, Colonel Luigi Bonfatti killed leading the attack.

On March 3rd, the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment supported by 30 tanks attacked the British lines, hoping to repeat the success at Kasserine Pass.<ref>"On February 22— facing poor terrain for mobile operations, increased Alled resistance, and a lack of cooperation from Arnim— Rommel withdrew artfully to prepare for a similiar operation against General Bernard L. Montgomery's British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line to the east." George S. Patton, Earle Rice, pg. 78, Infobase Publishing, 2009</ref> According to Associated Press war correspondent Don Whitehead:{{cquote|Last night three companies of Italians followed by 30 tanks and lorried infantry attacked the Highlander's advance screen. The Jocks “mowed 'em down”—and didn't lose a man. The tanks and infantry scurried back to the safety of the hills. Half the Italians were killed.<ref>Combat Reporter: Don Whitehead's World War II Diary and Memoirs, pg. 125, Fordham Univ Press, 2006</ref>}}

During the [[Battle of Maknassy Pass]], the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment on March 23rd attacked Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrated the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref> The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>

The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner after putting up a solid defence.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

On March 30th, the US 1st and 9th Infantry Divisions, supported by the US 1st Armoured Division, attacked the Italian defenders on Hill 369 but ran into mines and anti-tank fire, losing five tanks and a rifle company from the 2nd Battalion of Colonel Edwin H. Randle's 47th Infantry Regiment that was forced to surrender.
<ref>"At H-Hour, 6 A.M. March 28th, the 47th was in position to take the day's objective, Hill 369. It fell quickly, but the darkness and poor maps had led the 47th astray to El Hamra Ridge ... The 2nd Battalion 47th had been sent on a flanking movement that might have done the job. But it was caught in a murderous crossfire decimating Company E. The Battalion C.O. and the Communications Officer were captured as were the commander of Company E and 175 of his men." The 9th Infantry Division: Old Reliables, John Sperry, p.11, Turner Publishing Company, 2000</ref>The next day, the disabled tanks were removed, and the 1st and 9th Infantry Divisions attacked again, taking several hundred prisoners. However, an Italian counterattack drove them back from their newly won positions, and by midday they were back where they started from with the loss of nine tanks and two tank destroyers. A further attempt on April 1st also failed, after barely getting started. Private Emil J. Dedonato, an Italo-American, remembers that General George S. Patton ― commander of the US 2nd Army Corps ― drove up to the 47th Regiment's Command Post, furious that the initial attacks against the Italians had failed:{{cquote|Patton was in a huffy mood and stormed over to see Colonel Randle in his Jeep. It was obvious he wasn't pleased with the initial results of the night attack. I'll never forget Colonel Randle's instructions as they moved into El Guettar: "Were we're going you won't need a physic!<ref>[http://www.ww2survivorstories.com/veterans-9th.html 9th Division Veterans]</ref>}}

It was also noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge facing the Free French Division:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old [German] prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref>}}

The 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the Fascist Youth (''Giovani Fascisti'') Regiment fought as part of the 1st Italian Army around Hill 141 during the [[Battle of Tunis]], surrendering on May 13th after defeating all the attacks from the 2nd New Zealand Division,<ref>"On arrival at Enfidaville the 2/5th and 2/6th Queen’s had taken over reserve positions behind the 2nd New Zealand Division, who were holding the low ground on the right of the Takrouna feature, having handed over Takrouna to the 51st (Highland) Division. They were very tired and needed to be relieved. General Montgomery had accepted that to try to outflank the enemy through the hills to the west of Enfidaville was now an unrealistic option, and had decided to switch his efforts to attacking up the coast road towards Hammamet. However, he disappeared off to Cairo on the 23rd April in order to discuss the plans for the invasion of Sicily, leaving Lieut-General Brian Horrocks to ponder the problem." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"The New Zealanders were very apologetic for their lack of success in securing these two features." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"It was their last action for a while, as 25 and 26 Battalions were relieved that night by 169 Infantry Brigade of 56 (L) Division, and 24 Battalion by 152 Infantry Brigade of 51 (H) Division." [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Bard-c15-1.html 2 NZ Division after Takrouna]</ref> British 56th ''Black Cat'' Division<ref>"The New Zealanders around Takrouna estimated that 20,000 enemy were still in front of them, so SRY supported the newly arrived 56 (Black Cat) Division fresh from Syria in an attack on the 11th/12th May. Alas there was no success and many casualties." (Monty's Marauders, Patrick Delaforce Pen and Sword, 2008)</ref> and 1st Free French Division,<ref>"On May 12th this Italian force was still resisting from positions just north of Enfidaville. A French division attacking their right was repulsed and then counterattacked. The Air Force, being called upon for aid, made a strong bombing attack at 1530, supported by all the artillery whose fire could be brought to bear." Finale in Tunisia, Colonel Conrad H. Lanza, Page. 488, The Field Artillery, July 1943</ref> a week after after the complete collapse of the Afrika Korps facing the US 1st Armoured and 3rd Infantry Divisions on May 6th,<ref>Maj. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commanding II Corps, had originally planned to have Truscott's 3rd Division relieve the battle-weary 1st ID. However, as Truscott was moving his division forward to effect that relief, Bradley contacted him on the night of the fifth and told him that General Harmon had requested additional infantry to support his division's attack on a strongly defended German position on the peninsula east of Bizerte, and directed that Truscott send an infantry regiment to the Ferryville area for attachment to the 1st AD. Bradley had also ordered that an infantry regiment from the 9th ID and additional field artillery and antiaircraft join Harmon's division for the attack. Truscott's regiment was to attack the following morning. Truscott joined Harmon at his commando post southeast of Ferryville early the next morning, and after breakfast the two set out on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain how far forward Truscott's force could assemble for the attack. As they traveled they found that Harmon's troopers and their tanks were already in possession of the entire peninsula excepting the high ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, from which there came no sounds of enemy fire. It was obvious to Harmon and Truscott that "the battle in Tunisia was all but done and that no large force would be required to clear the ridge." Dogface Soldier: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr, By Wilson A., Heefner, p. 101, University of Missouri Press, 2010</ref> and poor showing<ref>"Two remarkable features of this Axis debacle were, firstly, that in the end, when the battle had obviously gone against the Axis, the Italians fought better than the Germans. The German morale collapsed completely towards the close of the campaign. Well-armed German units with plenty of ammunition and provisions surrendered in strong defensive positions when they could have fought for many days (weeks or months) longer." The Conquest of Italy, Joseph Montague Kenworthy, p. 17, Hutchinson, 1944</ref> of the attached German 90th Light Infantry Division.<ref>"For an hour the positions held by the 90th Light Infantry were obscured by a pall of smoke. At the end of the bombardment they surrendered. General Von Sponeck ... told General Keightley when he surrendered to him that although only two men had been killed and three wounded during the bombardment the morale of his men had been shattered." Tunisian Battle, John D'Arcy-Dawson, p. 248, Macdonald & Company, Limited, 1943</ref>

In summarizing the experience of General Giovanni Messe's 1st Army, a military expert would write several decades later:{{cquote|Not only should Tunisia have exploded the myth of Hitler's military acumen, it should have discredited the idea that Germans fought better than the Italians, since Messe's 1st Italian Army held out longer than Arnim's 5th German Army and the DAK, even both groups had about six divisions and faced roughly equal Anglo-American forces. Indeed, Hermann Goring division was the first to be scattered on 7 May, DAK the next to break and surrender on 9 May, with the Italian Spezia division closing the gap created by the German collapse and watching still combat-efficient German units march off into captivity on 11 May. Whether it is significant that the German 90th Light division was the first to collapse in Messe's 'Italian' Army, there is no doubt that the Italians fought well and held out longest in Tunisia.<ref>The Second World War: The German war 1939-1942, Jeremy Black, Page 265, Ashgate, 2007</ref>}}

During [[Operation Husky]] (the Allied invasion of Sicily), the 10th, 73rd and 177th Bersaglieri Regiments managed to contain the American armoured advance outside [[Agrigento]], but were eventually overwhelmed by Allied air power. However, resistance from the Bersaglieri was stiff enough to force the US 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions to take on the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment in house-to-house combat in the streets of Agrigento, with US military historian Samuel Eliot Morison acknowledging that ''"The Italians fought manfully for Agrigento".'' <ref>History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Sicily - Salerno - Anzio, January 1943 - June 1944, Samuel Eliot Morison, p. 176, University of Illinois Press, 2001</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:War]] [[Category:World War II]]

Bersaglieri Corps

2018-12-07T06:53:02Z

Gentlewind: /* Second World War */

In 1836, Alfonso del la Marmora from the Piedmontese Army (the core of the future Italian Army) created the Bersaglieri, light infantry formations similar to the French ''chasseurs'' and Austrian ''jägers''.

The Bersaglieri were trained to a high physical and marksmanship standard, and like the German ''Waffen SS'' in the Second World War, inspired the ''Regio Esercito'' frontline formations, benefiting from superior weaponry and mobility that encouraged Axis commanders to operate aggressively.

The Bersaglieri, or ”sharpshooters,” still sport distinctive helmets adorned with cock’s feathers.

==First World War==

During the First World War, the 12 Bersaglieri Regiments fought with valour and bravery. 210,000 men served in the Bersaglieri Corps, and during the war 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded. In August 1915 [[Benito Mussolini]] joined the corps and, serving in the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment, saw action in the trenches on the Italian front.

After the war, reforms reduced the number of Bersaglieri battalions to two per regiment. They were converted into bicycle troops to fight alongside cavalry from the ''Celeri'' (fast) divisions, giving the Supreme Command the best formations to operate alongside tanks in the near future.

==Second World War==

When the first Italian Army armoured divisions were formed in 1939, Bersaglieri mobile warfare experience greatly improved. Each armoured and motorized division was allocated one Bersaglieri regiment.

The Bersaglieri regiments expanded to three battalions each during the Second World War, but the ''Comando Surpemo'' (Italian Supreme Command) resisted temptations during wartime to degrade their quality in favour of greater numbers, and volunteers still had to be of above-average height and stamina. The candidates endured intense physical training, just as their forefathers had, and had to qualify as excellent marksmen.

The first Bersaglieri units to see combat in North Africa belonged to the [[10th Bersaglieri Regiment]]. They arrived in Libya in late 1940 as part of the all-volunteers ''Brigata Corazzata Speciale'' (Special Armoured Brigade or BCS) and along with the ''Sabratha'' (Conscript) Division fought well as the Italian rearguard in defence of the Derna–Giovanni Berta defence line, with two British Commonwealth armoured car spearhead units<ref>"On the southern flank a troop of 6th Cavalry carriers attempted to outflank the enemy and was itself ambushed with the loss of seven men and several carriers." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2016</ref><ref>"At dusk on 4 February, after passing through Megara, six of the 11th Hussars' armoured cars that were leading the convoy were ambushed by antitank guns. Three of the vehicles were destroyed anda a number of soldiers were killed or wounded. Several war correspondents were travelling with the Hussars and some were wounded..." An Unqualified Success, Peter Golding, Rosenberg Publishing, 2013</ref> ambushed, the survivors captured and the supporting Australian 2nd/4th Battalion nearly overrun in a strong counterattack<ref>"At one point the 2/4th Battalion was pinned down and almost overrun by a force of about 1,000 enemy infantry. It was only the timely arrival of the Northumberland Fusiliers that checked the Italian attack." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2009</ref> during the final stages of [[Operation Compass]].

In all, six of the 12 Bersaglieri regiments fought in North Africa, compiling an excellent combat record, with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (''"the Desert Fox"'') acknowledging in a Radio Rome interview in late 1942 that, ''The German soldier has impressed the world, however, the Italian Bersaglieri soldier has impressed the German soldier."''

During Rommel's first desert offensive (also known as the first ''Benghazi Derby'') and start of the [[Siege of Tobruk]] in April 1941, Rommel was often critical of his generals as well as the Italian Supreme Command, but praised the Bersaglieri on numerous occasions, such as the encircling action of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment during the [[Battle of El Mechili]] that resulted in the capture of 3,000 British Imperial troops.

That same month, the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment fought successfully in General [[Ugo Cavallero]]'s second spring offensive in Albania during the [[Greco-Italian War]], capturing the Greek fortress of Koritza on April 15th<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM]</ref>, and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment along with the ''Centauro'' Armoured Division defeated the Yugoslavian Army counteroffensive in Albania in the [[Battle for Skutari]] in mid-April 1941.<ref>"For 48 hours the Serbs have been moving in wave upon wave through rain and snow against Scutari, on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, only to be mowed down by Fascist machine-gunners and scattered by Italian airmen, war front advices said. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19410415&id=JHtGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1084,5315859&hl=en Serb Attacks Beaten Off By Italians, Schenectady Gazette, 15 April 1941]</ref><ref>"Their courage, like that of the defenders of the Metaxas line, was to no avail; as so often happens to troops occupying a static position in mobile warfare, the battle was being decided elsewhere; List now detached SS 'Adolf Hitler' from the main axis of advance of XXXXth Corps and sent it forward in the direction of Koritsa. Far from counter-attacking, however, the demoralized Greeks gave way and thus allowed the Italians to occupy the town without resistance on 15 April. With 9th Armoured Division crossing the upper Aliakhmon and reaching Servia on the next day, the British forces on the Olympus found themselves surrounded on both flanks. Following a decision made by Wilson three days earlier they now started falling back across Thessaly to Thermopylae, leaving in their wake 20,000 Greek troops who, being less well endowed with motor vehicles, failed to escape in time and were captured by the Germans." Martin van Crevald, Hitler's Strategy 1940-1941: The Balkan Clue, p. 162, Cambridge University Press, 1973</ref>

During [[Operation Barbarossa]] (the invasion of Russia) in August 1941, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment formed part of the Italian spearheads tasked with securing bridgeheads over the Dnieper and Don Rivers for the German 11th Army, a task which they carried out successfully and suffered heavy casualties defending them during the Russian counterattacks mounted during the [[First Battle of Kiev]].<ref>"From the 20th to the 26th of August Italian Forces have been subjected to extremely fierce Soviet attacks along the Don River. The Bersaglieri, Cavalry and Black Shirts have untiringly repulsed the attacks which wave after wave were launched in the desperate attempt to break through the Italian lines." Il Marco Polo, Issues 13-14, p. 126, Shanghai, 1941</ref>

During [[Operation Crusader]], the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment operating truck-mounted naval guns from the Italian cruiser ''San Giorgio'', played an important part in the defeat of the British 7th Armoured Division in the [[First Battle of Bir el Gubi]] on 19 November 1941.

On 1 November, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment defeated 3 Russian divisions defending [[Rykovo]] and conquered that city.<ref>" Il 1° novembre il 3° bersaglieri conquistò Rykovo; lo stesso giorno la Torino si attestò sul fiume Krinka, in zona Im. Karova-Korsuni, a protezione del fianco meridionale della Celere."La Storia della Dottrina e degli Ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano: t. 1. Da Vittorio Veneto alla 2a. Guerra Mondiale. t. 2. La 2a Guerra Mondiale (1940-1943), Stato maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, 1985</ref>

On December 1st, the ''Trieste'' Division, reinforced by the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, cut off the supply route the 2nd New Zealand Division had established with the Tobruk garrison.

The successful defense of the Gazala Line on the part of the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments on December 15th, was also absolutely vital in the defeat of 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 Imperial troops killed, wounded or captured during Rommel's counterattack.<ref>"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." [http://www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html/6 The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]</ref>

On December 28th, the 25th Bersaglieri Battalion along with the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova & Rassipnoy on the Russian Front.<ref>"The Italo-German force in the Celere Division's sector experienced more success,as German paratroopers captured the stretch of double railroad track at Kulinatskiy, and the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion, captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova, which was below the commanding height at Kurgun Ostriy. The German 318th Regiment captured the village of Greko-Timofeyevskiy from the Rifle Division, while the XXV Bersaglieri Battalion took Rassipnoy." Three Kings: Axis Royal Armies on the Russian Front 1941, Patrick Cloutier, p. 140, 2015</ref>

On June 28th, the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment and supporting tanks from the ''Littorio'' Division surrounded Mersa Matruh, with the British garrison attempting to break out under the cover of darkness largely frustrated. The next day, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment (under Colonel Ugo Scirocco) also met with success when the 10th and 11th Bersaglieri Battalions stormed the British fortress and took 6,500 prisoners in the [[Battle of Mersa Matruh]].

In July 1942 the spearhead of the 8th Italian Army, 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, captured Krasnij Lutsch and Ivanowka with 30,000 Russians (mainly through desertion) falling into Italian hands in the following weeks.<ref>"Ma la gran massa dei prigionieri che in certe fasi delle operazioni affluivano a questi campi rese praticamente difficile, se non impossibile, un sostanziale miglioramento: ricordo, ad esempio, che nei mesi di luglio-agosto del 1942 nel campo di Millerowo, con un'organizzazione logistica molto primitiva, furono concentrati oltre 30.000 prigionieri, con le conseguenze che è facile immaginare." La Guerra al Fronte Russo: il Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia (CSIR), Giovanni Messe, p. 87, Mursia, 2005</ref>

During the [[First Battle of El Alamein]], the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the ''Sabratha'', ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions showed great courage, derailing both the 9th Australian Division advance developing from Tel el Eisa on July 11th and the 2nd New Zealand Division attack against Ruweisat Ridge on July 22nd.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html First Battle of El Alamein COMANDO SUPREMO/ITALY AT WAR]</ref>

During the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment fought especially hard, manning the Italian 47mm and 90mm guns (often confused with the German 88mm ''flak'' guns) and field guns of the ''Littorio'' Armoured Division in defence of El Aqqaqir Ridge, destroying 70 tanks from the British 9th Armoured Brigade in the process.<ref>[http://www.ilprimatonazionale.it/cultura/el-alamein-battaglia-folgore-32837/ El-Alamein: la battaglia che consacrò il valore del soldato italiano]</ref> Berlin Radio acknowledged that in this sector the ''"British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material. The Italians fought till the last man."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>

The Bersaglieri remained a force to be reckoned with during the [[Tunisian Campaign]] and, in early December 1942 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment forced the surrender of 300 Allied paratroopers operating behind Axis lines during the [[Battle of Tebourba]].<ref>"La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”. "La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”." [http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerGiorno.php?year=1942&month=12&day=06 Salmaggi e Pallavisini, Domenica, 6 Dicembre 1942]</ref><ref>[http://collections.civilisations.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5001297 The New York Times, 5 December 1942 (German Military Communique)]</ref>

The Bersaglieri fought again during the [[Battle of Kasserine Pass]] as the Axis spearhead, with the 5th and 7th Bersaglieri Regiments capturing around 2,450 British, American and French troops and covering Rommel's withdrawal. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had special words of praise for the Bersaglieri, with their senior commander, Colonel Luigi Bonfatti killed leading the attack.

On March 3rd, the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment supported by 30 tanks attacked the British lines, hoping to repeat the success at Kasserine Pass.<ref>"On February 22— facing poor terrain for mobile operations, increased Alled resistance, and a lack of cooperation from Arnim— Rommel withdrew artfully to prepare for a similiar operation against General Bernard L. Montgomery's British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line to the east." George S. Patton, Earle Rice, pg. 78, Infobase Publishing, 2009</ref> According to Associated Press war correspondent Don Whitehead:{{cquote|Last night three companies of Italians followed by 30 tanks and lorried infantry attacked the Highlander's advance screen. The Jocks “mowed 'em down”—and didn't lose a man. The tanks and infantry scurried back to the safety of the hills. Half the Italians were killed.<ref>Combat Reporter: Don Whitehead's World War II Diary and Memoirs, pg. 125, Fordham Univ Press, 2006</ref>}}

During the [[Battle of Maknassy Pass]], the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment on March 23rd attacked Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrated the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref> The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>

The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

On March 30th, the US 1st and 9th Infantry Divisions, supported by the US 1st Armoured Division, attacked the Italian defenders on Hill 369 but ran into mines and anti-tank fire, losing five tanks and a rifle company from the 2nd Battalion of Colonel Edwin H. Randle's 47th Infantry Regiment that was forced to surrender.
<ref>"At H-Hour, 6 A.M. March 28th, the 47th was in position to take the day's objective, Hill 369. It fell quickly, but the darkness and poor maps had led the 47th astray to El Hamra Ridge ... The 2nd Battalion 47th had been sent on a flanking movement that might have done the job. But it was caught in a murderous crossfire decimating Company E. The Battalion C.O. and the Communications Officer were captured as were the commander of Company E and 175 of his men." The 9th Infantry Division: Old Reliables, John Sperry, p.11, Turner Publishing Company, 2000</ref>The next day, the disabled tanks were removed, and the 1st and 9th Infantry Divisions attacked again, taking several hundred prisoners. However, an Italian counterattack drove them back from their newly won positions, and by midday they were back where they started from with the loss of nine tanks and two tank destroyers. A further attempt on April 1st also failed, after barely getting started. Private Emil J. Dedonato, an Italo-American, remembers that General George S. Patton ― commander of the US 2nd Army Corps ― drove up to the 47th Regiment's Command Post, furious that the initial attacks against the Italians had failed:{{cquote|Patton was in a huffy mood and stormed over to see Colonel Randle in his Jeep. It was obvious he wasn't pleased with the initial results of the night attack. I'll never forget Colonel Randle's instructions as they moved into El Guettar: "Were we're going you won't need a physic!<ref>[http://www.ww2survivorstories.com/veterans-9th.html 9th Division Veterans]</ref>}}

It was also noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge facing the Free French Division:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old [German] prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref>}}

The 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the Fascist Youth (''Giovani Fascisti'') Regiment fought as part of the 1st Italian Army around Hill 141 during the [[Battle of Tunis]], surrendering on May 13th after defeating all the attacks from the 2nd New Zealand Division,<ref>"On arrival at Enfidaville the 2/5th and 2/6th Queen’s had taken over reserve positions behind the 2nd New Zealand Division, who were holding the low ground on the right of the Takrouna feature, having handed over Takrouna to the 51st (Highland) Division. They were very tired and needed to be relieved. General Montgomery had accepted that to try to outflank the enemy through the hills to the west of Enfidaville was now an unrealistic option, and had decided to switch his efforts to attacking up the coast road towards Hammamet. However, he disappeared off to Cairo on the 23rd April in order to discuss the plans for the invasion of Sicily, leaving Lieut-General Brian Horrocks to ponder the problem." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"The New Zealanders were very apologetic for their lack of success in securing these two features." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"It was their last action for a while, as 25 and 26 Battalions were relieved that night by 169 Infantry Brigade of 56 (L) Division, and 24 Battalion by 152 Infantry Brigade of 51 (H) Division." [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Bard-c15-1.html 2 NZ Division after Takrouna]</ref> British 56th ''Black Cat'' Division<ref>"The New Zealanders around Takrouna estimated that 20,000 enemy were still in front of them, so SRY supported the newly arrived 56 (Black Cat) Division fresh from Syria in an attack on the 11th/12th May. Alas there was no success and many casualties." (Monty's Marauders, Patrick Delaforce Pen and Sword, 2008)</ref> and 1st Free French Division,<ref>"On May 12th this Italian force was still resisting from positions just north of Enfidaville. A French division attacking their right was repulsed and then counterattacked. The Air Force, being called upon for aid, made a strong bombing attack at 1530, supported by all the artillery whose fire could be brought to bear." Finale in Tunisia, Colonel Conrad H. Lanza, Page. 488, The Field Artillery, July 1943</ref> a week after after the complete collapse of the Afrika Korps facing the US 1st Armoured and 3rd Infantry Divisions on May 6th,<ref>Maj. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commanding II Corps, had originally planned to have Truscott's 3rd Division relieve the battle-weary 1st ID. However, as Truscott was moving his division forward to effect that relief, Bradley contacted him on the night of the fifth and told him that General Harmon had requested additional infantry to support his division's attack on a strongly defended German position on the peninsula east of Bizerte, and directed that Truscott send an infantry regiment to the Ferryville area for attachment to the 1st AD. Bradley had also ordered that an infantry regiment from the 9th ID and additional field artillery and antiaircraft join Harmon's division for the attack. Truscott's regiment was to attack the following morning. Truscott joined Harmon at his commando post southeast of Ferryville early the next morning, and after breakfast the two set out on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain how far forward Truscott's force could assemble for the attack. As they traveled they found that Harmon's troopers and their tanks were already in possession of the entire peninsula excepting the high ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, from which there came no sounds of enemy fire. It was obvious to Harmon and Truscott that "the battle in Tunisia was all but done and that no large force would be required to clear the ridge." Dogface Soldier: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr, By Wilson A., Heefner, p. 101, University of Missouri Press, 2010</ref> and poor showing<ref>"Two remarkable features of this Axis debacle were, firstly, that in the end, when the battle had obviously gone against the Axis, the Italians fought better than the Germans. The German morale collapsed completely towards the close of the campaign. Well-armed German units with plenty of ammunition and provisions surrendered in strong defensive positions when they could have fought for many days (weeks or months) longer." The Conquest of Italy, Joseph Montague Kenworthy, p. 17, Hutchinson, 1944</ref> of the attached German 90th Light Infantry Division.<ref>"For an hour the positions held by the 90th Light Infantry were obscured by a pall of smoke. At the end of the bombardment they surrendered. General Von Sponeck ... told General Keightley when he surrendered to him that although only two men had been killed and three wounded during the bombardment the morale of his men had been shattered." Tunisian Battle, John D'Arcy-Dawson, p. 248, Macdonald & Company, Limited, 1943</ref>

In summarizing the experience of General Giovanni Messe's 1st Army, a military expert would write several decades later:{{cquote|Not only should Tunisia have exploded the myth of Hitler's military acumen, it should have discredited the idea that Germans fought better than the Italians, since Messe's 1st Italian Army held out longer than Arnim's 5th German Army and the DAK, even both groups had about six divisions and faced roughly equal Anglo-American forces. Indeed, Hermann Goring division was the first to be scattered on 7 May, DAK the next to break and surrender on 9 May, with the Italian Spezia division closing the gap created by the German collapse and watching still combat-efficient German units march off into captivity on 11 May. Whether it is significant that the German 90th Light division was the first to collapse in Messe's 'Italian' Army, there is no doubt that the Italians fought well and held out longest in Tunisia.<ref>The Second World War: The German war 1939-1942, Jeremy Black, Page 265, Ashgate, 2007</ref>}}

During [[Operation Husky]] (the Allied invasion of Sicily), the 10th, 73rd and 177th Bersaglieri Regiments managed to contain the American armoured advance outside [[Agrigento]], but were eventually overwhelmed by Allied air power. However, resistance from the Bersaglieri was stiff enough to force the US 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions to take on the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment in house-to-house combat in the streets of Agrigento, with US military historian Samuel Eliot Morison acknowledging that ''"The Italians fought manfully for Agrigento".'' <ref>History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Sicily - Salerno - Anzio, January 1943 - June 1944, Samuel Eliot Morison, p. 176, University of Illinois Press, 2001</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:War]] [[Category:World War II]]

Bersaglieri Corps

2018-12-07T06:45:43Z

Gentlewind: /* Second World War */

In 1836, Alfonso del la Marmora from the Piedmontese Army (the core of the future Italian Army) created the Bersaglieri, light infantry formations similar to the French ''chasseurs'' and Austrian ''jägers''.

The Bersaglieri were trained to a high physical and marksmanship standard, and like the German ''Waffen SS'' in the Second World War, inspired the ''Regio Esercito'' frontline formations, benefiting from superior weaponry and mobility that encouraged Axis commanders to operate aggressively.

The Bersaglieri, or ”sharpshooters,” still sport distinctive helmets adorned with cock’s feathers.

==First World War==

During the First World War, the 12 Bersaglieri Regiments fought with valour and bravery. 210,000 men served in the Bersaglieri Corps, and during the war 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded. In August 1915 [[Benito Mussolini]] joined the corps and, serving in the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment, saw action in the trenches on the Italian front.

After the war, reforms reduced the number of Bersaglieri battalions to two per regiment. They were converted into bicycle troops to fight alongside cavalry from the ''Celeri'' (fast) divisions, giving the Supreme Command the best formations to operate alongside tanks in the near future.

==Second World War==

When the first Italian Army armoured divisions were formed in 1939, Bersaglieri mobile warfare experience greatly improved. Each armoured and motorized division was allocated one Bersaglieri regiment.

The Bersaglieri regiments expanded to three battalions each during the Second World War, but the ''Comando Surpemo'' (Italian Supreme Command) resisted temptations during wartime to degrade their quality in favour of greater numbers, and volunteers still had to be of above-average height and stamina. The candidates endured intense physical training, just as their forefathers had, and had to qualify as excellent marksmen.

The first Bersaglieri units to see combat in North Africa belonged to the [[10th Bersaglieri Regiment]]. They arrived in Libya in late 1940 as part of the all-volunteers ''Brigata Corazzata Speciale'' (Special Armoured Brigade or BCS) and along with the ''Sabratha'' (Conscript) Division fought well as the Italian rearguard in defence of the Derna–Giovanni Berta defence line, with two British Commonwealth armoured car spearhead units<ref>"On the southern flank a troop of 6th Cavalry carriers attempted to outflank the enemy and was itself ambushed with the loss of seven men and several carriers." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2016</ref><ref>"At dusk on 4 February, after passing through Megara, six of the 11th Hussars' armoured cars that were leading the convoy were ambushed by antitank guns. Three of the vehicles were destroyed anda a number of soldiers were killed or wounded. Several war correspondents were travelling with the Hussars and some were wounded..." An Unqualified Success, Peter Golding, Rosenberg Publishing, 2013</ref> ambushed, the survivors captured and the supporting Australian 2nd/4th Battalion nearly overrun in a strong counterattack<ref>"At one point the 2/4th Battalion was pinned down and almost overrun by a force of about 1,000 enemy infantry. It was only the timely arrival of the Northumberland Fusiliers that checked the Italian attack." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2009</ref> during the final stages of [[Operation Compass]].

In all, six of the 12 Bersaglieri regiments fought in North Africa, compiling an excellent combat record, with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (''"the Desert Fox"'') acknowledging in a Radio Rome interview in late 1942 that, ''The German soldier has impressed the world, however, the Italian Bersaglieri soldier has impressed the German soldier."''

During Rommel's first desert offensive (also known as the first ''Benghazi Derby'') and start of the [[Siege of Tobruk]] in April 1941, Rommel was often critical of his generals as well as the Italian Supreme Command, but praised the Bersaglieri on numerous occasions, such as the encircling action of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment during the [[Battle of El Mechili]] that resulted in the capture of 3,000 British Imperial troops.

That same month, the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment fought successfully in General [[Ugo Cavallero]]'s second spring offensive in Albania during the [[Greco-Italian War]], capturing the Greek fortress of Koritza on April 15th<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM]</ref>, and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment along with the ''Centauro'' Armoured Division defeated the Yugoslavian Army counteroffensive in Albania in the [[Battle for Skutari]] in mid-April 1941.<ref>"For 48 hours the Serbs have been moving in wave upon wave through rain and snow against Scutari, on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, only to be mowed down by Fascist machine-gunners and scattered by Italian airmen, war front advices said. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19410415&id=JHtGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1084,5315859&hl=en Serb Attacks Beaten Off By Italians, Schenectady Gazette, 15 April 1941]</ref><ref>"Their courage, like that of the defenders of the Metaxas line, was to no avail; as so often happens to troops occupying a static position in mobile warfare, the battle was being decided elsewhere; List now detached SS 'Adolf Hitler' from the main axis of advance of XXXXth Corps and sent it forward in the direction of Koritsa. Far from counter-attacking, however, the demoralized Greeks gave way and thus allowed the Italians to occupy the town without resistance on 15 April. With 9th Armoured Division crossing the upper Aliakhmon and reaching Servia on the next day, the British forces on the Olympus found themselves surrounded on both flanks. Following a decision made by Wilson three days earlier they now started falling back across Thessaly to Thermopylae, leaving in their wake 20,000 Greek troops who, being less well endowed with motor vehicles, failed to escape in time and were captured by the Germans." Martin van Crevald, Hitler's Strategy 1940-1941: The Balkan Clue, p. 162, Cambridge University Press, 1973</ref>

During [[Operation Barbarossa]] (the invasion of Russia) in August 1941, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment formed part of the Italian spearheads tasked with securing bridgeheads over the Dnieper and Don Rivers for the German 11th Army, a task which they carried out successfully and suffered heavy casualties defending them during the Russian counterattacks mounted during the [[First Battle of Kiev]].<ref>"From the 20th to the 26th of August Italian Forces have been subjected to extremely fierce Soviet attacks along the Don River. The Bersaglieri, Cavalry and Black Shirts have untiringly repulsed the attacks which wave after wave were launched in the desperate attempt to break through the Italian lines." Il Marco Polo, Issues 13-14, p. 126, Shanghai, 1941</ref>

During [[Operation Crusader]], the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment operating truck-mounted naval guns from the Italian cruiser ''San Giorgio'', played an important part in the defeat of the British 7th Armoured Division in the [[First Battle of Bir el Gubi]] on 19 November 1941.

On 1 November, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment defeated 3 Russian divisions defending [[Rykovo]] and conquered that city.<ref>" Il 1° novembre il 3° bersaglieri conquistò Rykovo; lo stesso giorno la Torino si attestò sul fiume Krinka, in zona Im. Karova-Korsuni, a protezione del fianco meridionale della Celere."La Storia della Dottrina e degli Ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano: t. 1. Da Vittorio Veneto alla 2a. Guerra Mondiale. t. 2. La 2a Guerra Mondiale (1940-1943), Stato maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, 1985</ref>

On December 1st, the ''Trieste'' Division, reinforced by the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, cut off the supply route the 2nd New Zealand Division had established with the Tobruk garrison.

The successful defense of the Gazala Line on the part of the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments on December 15th, was also absolutely vital in the defeat of 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 Imperial troops killed, wounded or captured during Rommel's counterattack.<ref>"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." [http://www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html/6 The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]</ref>

On December 28th, the 25th Bersaglieri Battalion along with the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova & Rassipnoy on the Russian Front.<ref>"The Italo-German force in the Celere Division's sector experienced more success,as German paratroopers captured the stretch of double railroad track at Kulinatskiy, and the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion, captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova, which was below the commanding height at Kurgun Ostriy. The German 318th Regiment captured the village of Greko-Timofeyevskiy from the Rifle Division, while the XXV Bersaglieri Battalion took Rassipnoy." Three Kings: Axis Royal Armies on the Russian Front 1941, Patrick Cloutier, p. 140, 2015</ref>

On June 28th, the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment and supporting tanks from the ''Littorio'' Division surrounded Mersa Matruh, with the British garrison attempting to break out under the cover of darkness largely frustrated. The next day, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment (under Colonel Ugo Scirocco) also met with success when the 10th and 11th Bersaglieri Battalions stormed the British fortress and took 6,500 prisoners in the [[Battle of Mersa Matruh]].

In July 1942 the spearhead of the 8th Italian Army, 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, captured Krasnij Lutsch and Ivanowka with 30,000 Russians (mainly through desertion) falling into Italian hands in the following weeks.<ref>"Ma la gran massa dei prigionieri che in certe fasi delle operazioni affluivano a questi campi rese praticamente difficile, se non impossibile, un sostanziale miglioramento: ricordo, ad esempio, che nei mesi di luglio-agosto del 1942 nel campo di Millerowo, con un'organizzazione logistica molto primitiva, furono concentrati oltre 30.000 prigionieri, con le conseguenze che è facile immaginare." La Guerra al Fronte Russo: il Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia (CSIR), Giovanni Messe, p. 87, Mursia, 2005</ref>

During the [[First Battle of El Alamein]], the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the ''Sabratha'', ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions showed great courage, derailing both the 9th Australian Division advance developing from Tel el Eisa on July 11th and the 2nd New Zealand Division attack against Ruweisat Ridge on July 22nd.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html First Battle of El Alamein COMANDO SUPREMO/ITALY AT WAR]</ref>

During the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment fought especially hard, manning the Italian 47mm and 90mm guns (often confused with the German 88mm ''flak'' guns) and field guns of the ''Littorio'' Armoured Division in defence of El Aqqaqir Ridge, destroying 70 tanks from the British 9th Armoured Brigade in the process.<ref>[http://www.ilprimatonazionale.it/cultura/el-alamein-battaglia-folgore-32837/ El-Alamein: la battaglia che consacrò il valore del soldato italiano]</ref> Berlin Radio acknowledged that in this sector the ''"British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material. The Italians fought till the last man."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>

The Bersaglieri remained a force to be reckoned with during the [[Tunisian Campaign]] and, in early December 1942 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment forced the surrender of 300 Allied paratroopers operating behind Axis lines during the [[Battle of Tebourba]].<ref>"La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”. "La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”." [http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerGiorno.php?year=1942&month=12&day=06 Salmaggi e Pallavisini, Domenica, 6 Dicembre 1942]</ref><ref>[http://collections.civilisations.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5001297 The New York Times, 5 December 1942 (German Military Communique)]</ref>

The Bersaglieri fought again during the [[Battle of Kasserine Pass]] as the Axis spearhead, with the 5th and 7th Bersaglieri Regiments capturing around 2,450 British, American and French troops and covering Rommel's withdrawal. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had special words of praise for the Bersaglieri, with their senior commander, Colonel Luigi Bonfatti killed leading the attack.

On March 3rd, the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment supported by 30 tanks attacked the British lines, hoping to repeat the success at Kasserine Pass.<ref>"On February 22— facing poor terrain for mobile operations, increased Alled resistance, and a lack of cooperation from Arnim— Rommel withdrew artfully to prepare for a similiar operation against General Bernard L. Montgomery's British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line to the east." George S. Patton, Earle Rice, pg. 78, Infobase Publishing, 2009</ref> According to Associated Press war correspondent Don Whitehead:{{cquote|Last night three companies of Italians followed by 30 tanks and lorried infantry attacked the Highlander's advance screen. The Jocks “mowed 'em down”—and didn't lose a man. The tanks and infantry scurried back to the safety of the hills. Half the Italians were killed.<ref>Combat Reporter: Don Whitehead's World War II Diary and Memoirs, pg. 125, Fordham Univ Press, 2006</ref>}}

During the [[Battle of Maknassy Pass]], the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment on March 23rd attacked Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrated the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref> The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>

The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

On March 30, the US 1st and 9th Infantry Divisions, supported by the US 1st Armoured Division, attacked the Italian defenders on Hill 369 but ran into mines and anti-tank fire, losing five tanks and a rifle company from the 2nd Battalion of Colonel Edwin H. Randle's 47th Infantry Regiment that was forced to surrender.
<ref>"At H-Hour, 6 A.M. March 28th, the 47th was in position to take the day's objective, Hill 369. It fell quickly, but the darkness and poor maps had led the 47th astray to El Hamra Ridge ... The 2nd Battalion 47th had been sent on a flanking movement that might have done the job. But it was caught in a murderous crossfire decimating Company E. The Battalion C.O. and the Communications Officer were captured as were the commander of Company E and 175 of his men." The 9th Infantry Division: Old Reliables, John Sperry, p.11, Turner Publishing Company, 2000</ref>The next day, the disabled tanks were removed, and the 1st and 9th Infantry Divisions attacked again, taking several hundred prisoners. However, an Italian counterattack drove them back from their newly won positions, and by midday they were back where they started from with the loss of nine tanks and two tank destroyers. A further attempt on April 1st also failed, after barely getting started. Private Emil J. Dedonato, an Italo-American, remembers that Patton drove up to the 47th Regiment's Command Post, furious that the initial attacks against the Italians had failed:{{cquote|Patton was in a huffy mood and stormed over to see Colonel Randle in his Jeep. It was obvious he wasn't pleased with the initial results of the night attack. I'll never forget Colonel Randle's instructions as they moved into El Guettar: "Were we're going you won't need a physic!<ref>[http://www.ww2survivorstories.com/veterans-9th.html 9th Division Veterans]</ref>}}

It was also noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge facing the Free French Division:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old [German] prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref>}}

The 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the Fascist Youth (''Giovani Fascisti'') Regiment fought as part of the 1st Italian Army around Hill 141 during the [[Battle of Tunis]], surrendering on May 13th after defeating all the attacks from the 2nd New Zealand Division,<ref>"On arrival at Enfidaville the 2/5th and 2/6th Queen’s had taken over reserve positions behind the 2nd New Zealand Division, who were holding the low ground on the right of the Takrouna feature, having handed over Takrouna to the 51st (Highland) Division. They were very tired and needed to be relieved. General Montgomery had accepted that to try to outflank the enemy through the hills to the west of Enfidaville was now an unrealistic option, and had decided to switch his efforts to attacking up the coast road towards Hammamet. However, he disappeared off to Cairo on the 23rd April in order to discuss the plans for the invasion of Sicily, leaving Lieut-General Brian Horrocks to ponder the problem." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"The New Zealanders were very apologetic for their lack of success in securing these two features." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"It was their last action for a while, as 25 and 26 Battalions were relieved that night by 169 Infantry Brigade of 56 (L) Division, and 24 Battalion by 152 Infantry Brigade of 51 (H) Division." [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Bard-c15-1.html 2 NZ Division after Takrouna]</ref> British 56th ''Black Cat'' Division<ref>"The New Zealanders around Takrouna estimated that 20,000 enemy were still in front of them, so SRY supported the newly arrived 56 (Black Cat) Division fresh from Syria in an attack on the 11th/12th May. Alas there was no success and many casualties." (Monty's Marauders, Patrick Delaforce Pen and Sword, 2008)</ref> and 1st Free French Division,<ref>"On May 12th this Italian force was still resisting from positions just north of Enfidaville. A French division attacking their right was repulsed and then counterattacked. The Air Force, being called upon for aid, made a strong bombing attack at 1530, supported by all the artillery whose fire could be brought to bear." Finale in Tunisia, Colonel Conrad H. Lanza, Page. 488, The Field Artillery, July 1943</ref> a week after after the complete collapse of the Afrika Korps facing the US 1st Armoured and 3rd Infantry Divisions on May 6th,<ref>Maj. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commanding II Corps, had originally planned to have Truscott's 3rd Division relieve the battle-weary 1st ID. However, as Truscott was moving his division forward to effect that relief, Bradley contacted him on the night of the fifth and told him that General Harmon had requested additional infantry to support his division's attack on a strongly defended German position on the peninsula east of Bizerte, and directed that Truscott send an infantry regiment to the Ferryville area for attachment to the 1st AD. Bradley had also ordered that an infantry regiment from the 9th ID and additional field artillery and antiaircraft join Harmon's division for the attack. Truscott's regiment was to attack the following morning. Truscott joined Harmon at his commando post southeast of Ferryville early the next morning, and after breakfast the two set out on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain how far forward Truscott's force could assemble for the attack. As they traveled they found that Harmon's troopers and their tanks were already in possession of the entire peninsula excepting the high ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, from which there came no sounds of enemy fire. It was obvious to Harmon and Truscott that "the battle in Tunisia was all but done and that no large force would be required to clear the ridge." Dogface Soldier: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr, By Wilson A., Heefner, p. 101, University of Missouri Press, 2010</ref> and poor showing<ref>"Two remarkable features of this Axis debacle were, firstly, that in the end, when the battle had obviously gone against the Axis, the Italians fought better than the Germans. The German morale collapsed completely towards the close of the campaign. Well-armed German units with plenty of ammunition and provisions surrendered in strong defensive positions when they could have fought for many days (weeks or months) longer." The Conquest of Italy, Joseph Montague Kenworthy, p. 17, Hutchinson, 1944</ref> of the attached German 90th Light Infantry Division.<ref>"For an hour the positions held by the 90th Light Infantry were obscured by a pall of smoke. At the end of the bombardment they surrendered. General Von Sponeck ... told General Keightley when he surrendered to him that although only two men had been killed and three wounded during the bombardment the morale of his men had been shattered." Tunisian Battle, John D'Arcy-Dawson, p. 248, Macdonald & Company, Limited, 1943</ref>

In summarizing the experience of General Giovanni Messe's 1st Army, a military expert would write several decades later:{{cquote|Not only should Tunisia have exploded the myth of Hitler's military acumen, it should have discredited the idea that Germans fought better than the Italians, since Messe's 1st Italian Army held out longer than Arnim's 5th German Army and the DAK, even both groups had about six divisions and faced roughly equal Anglo-American forces. Indeed, Hermann Goring division was the first to be scattered on 7 May, DAK the next to break and surrender on 9 May, with the Italian Spezia division closing the gap created by the German collapse and watching still combat-efficient German units march off into captivity on 11 May. Whether it is significant that the German 90th Light division was the first to collapse in Messe's 'Italian' Army, there is no doubt that the Italians fought well and held out longest in Tunisia.<ref>The Second World War: The German war 1939-1942, Jeremy Black, Page 265, Ashgate, 2007</ref>}}

During [[Operation Husky]] (the Allied invasion of Sicily), the 10th, 73rd and 177th Bersaglieri Regiments managed to contain the American armoured advance outside [[Agrigento]], but were eventually overwhelmed by Allied air power. However, resistance from the Bersaglieri was stiff enough to force the US 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions to take on the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment in house-to-house combat in the streets of Agrigento, with US military historian Samuel Eliot Morison acknowledging that ''"The Italians fought manfully for Agrigento".'' <ref>History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Sicily - Salerno - Anzio, January 1943 - June 1944, Samuel Eliot Morison, p. 176, University of Illinois Press, 2001</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:War]] [[Category:World War II]]

Bersaglieri Corps

2018-12-07T06:23:26Z

Gentlewind: /* Second World War */

In 1836, Alfonso del la Marmora from the Piedmontese Army (the core of the future Italian Army) created the Bersaglieri, light infantry formations similar to the French ''chasseurs'' and Austrian ''jägers''.

The Bersaglieri were trained to a high physical and marksmanship standard, and like the German ''Waffen SS'' in the Second World War, inspired the ''Regio Esercito'' frontline formations, benefiting from superior weaponry and mobility that encouraged Axis commanders to operate aggressively.

The Bersaglieri, or ”sharpshooters,” still sport distinctive helmets adorned with cock’s feathers.

==First World War==

During the First World War, the 12 Bersaglieri Regiments fought with valour and bravery. 210,000 men served in the Bersaglieri Corps, and during the war 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded. In August 1915 [[Benito Mussolini]] joined the corps and, serving in the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment, saw action in the trenches on the Italian front.

After the war, reforms reduced the number of Bersaglieri battalions to two per regiment. They were converted into bicycle troops to fight alongside cavalry from the ''Celeri'' (fast) divisions, giving the Supreme Command the best formations to operate alongside tanks in the near future.

==Second World War==

When the first Italian Army armoured divisions were formed in 1939, Bersaglieri mobile warfare experience greatly improved. Each armoured and motorized division was allocated one Bersaglieri regiment.

The Bersaglieri regiments expanded to three battalions each during the Second World War, but the ''Comando Surpemo'' (Italian Supreme Command) resisted temptations during wartime to degrade their quality in favour of greater numbers, and volunteers still had to be of above-average height and stamina. The candidates endured intense physical training, just as their forefathers had, and had to qualify as excellent marksmen.

The first Bersaglieri units to see combat in North Africa belonged to the [[10th Bersaglieri Regiment]]. They arrived in Libya in late 1940 as part of the all-volunteers ''Brigata Corazzata Speciale'' (Special Armoured Brigade or BCS) and along with the ''Sabratha'' (Conscript) Division fought well as the Italian rearguard in defence of the Derna–Giovanni Berta defence line, with two British Commonwealth armoured car spearhead units<ref>"On the southern flank a troop of 6th Cavalry carriers attempted to outflank the enemy and was itself ambushed with the loss of seven men and several carriers." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2016</ref><ref>"At dusk on 4 February, after passing through Megara, six of the 11th Hussars' armoured cars that were leading the convoy were ambushed by antitank guns. Three of the vehicles were destroyed anda a number of soldiers were killed or wounded. Several war correspondents were travelling with the Hussars and some were wounded..." An Unqualified Success, Peter Golding, Rosenberg Publishing, 2013</ref> ambushed, the survivors captured and the supporting Australian 2nd/4th Battalion nearly overrun in a strong counterattack<ref>"At one point the 2/4th Battalion was pinned down and almost overrun by a force of about 1,000 enemy infantry. It was only the timely arrival of the Northumberland Fusiliers that checked the Italian attack." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2009</ref> during the final stages of [[Operation Compass]].

In all, six of the 12 Bersaglieri regiments fought in North Africa, compiling an excellent combat record, with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (''"the Desert Fox"'') acknowledging in a Radio Rome interview in late 1942 that, ''The German soldier has impressed the world, however, the Italian Bersaglieri soldier has impressed the German soldier."''

During Rommel's first desert offensive (also known as the first ''Benghazi Derby'') and start of the [[Siege of Tobruk]] in April 1941, Rommel was often critical of his generals as well as the Italian Supreme Command, but praised the Bersaglieri on numerous occasions, such as the encircling action of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment during the [[Battle of El Mechili]] that resulted in the capture of 3,000 British Imperial troops.

That same month, the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment fought successfully in General [[Ugo Cavallero]]'s second spring offensive in Albania during the [[Greco-Italian War]], capturing the Greek fortress of Koritza on April 15th<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM]</ref>, and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment along with the ''Centauro'' Armoured Division defeated the Yugoslavian Army counteroffensive in Albania in the [[Battle for Skutari]] in mid-April 1941.<ref>"For 48 hours the Serbs have been moving in wave upon wave through rain and snow against Scutari, on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, only to be mowed down by Fascist machine-gunners and scattered by Italian airmen, war front advices said. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19410415&id=JHtGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1084,5315859&hl=en Serb Attacks Beaten Off By Italians, Schenectady Gazette, 15 April 1941]</ref><ref>"Their courage, like that of the defenders of the Metaxas line, was to no avail; as so often happens to troops occupying a static position in mobile warfare, the battle was being decided elsewhere; List now detached SS 'Adolf Hitler' from the main axis of advance of XXXXth Corps and sent it forward in the direction of Koritsa. Far from counter-attacking, however, the demoralized Greeks gave way and thus allowed the Italians to occupy the town without resistance on 15 April. With 9th Armoured Division crossing the upper Aliakhmon and reaching Servia on the next day, the British forces on the Olympus found themselves surrounded on both flanks. Following a decision made by Wilson three days earlier they now started falling back across Thessaly to Thermopylae, leaving in their wake 20,000 Greek troops who, being less well endowed with motor vehicles, failed to escape in time and were captured by the Germans." Martin van Crevald, Hitler's Strategy 1940-1941: The Balkan Clue, p. 162, Cambridge University Press, 1973</ref>

During [[Operation Barbarossa]] (the invasion of Russia) in August 1941, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment formed part of the Italian spearheads tasked with securing bridgeheads over the Dnieper and Don Rivers for the German 11th Army, a task which they carried out successfully and suffered heavy casualties defending them during the Russian counterattacks mounted during the [[First Battle of Kiev]].<ref>"From the 20th to the 26th of August Italian Forces have been subjected to extremely fierce Soviet attacks along the Don River. The Bersaglieri, Cavalry and Black Shirts have untiringly repulsed the attacks which wave after wave were launched in the desperate attempt to break through the Italian lines." Il Marco Polo, Issues 13-14, p. 126, Shanghai, 1941</ref>

During [[Operation Crusader]], the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment operating truck-mounted naval guns from the Italian cruiser ''San Giorgio'', played an important part in the defeat of the British 7th Armoured Division in the [[First Battle of Bir el Gubi]] on 19 November 1941.

On 1 November, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment defeated 3 Russian divisions defending [[Rykovo]] and conquered that city.<ref>" Il 1° novembre il 3° bersaglieri conquistò Rykovo; lo stesso giorno la Torino si attestò sul fiume Krinka, in zona Im. Karova-Korsuni, a protezione del fianco meridionale della Celere."La Storia della Dottrina e degli Ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano: t. 1. Da Vittorio Veneto alla 2a. Guerra Mondiale. t. 2. La 2a Guerra Mondiale (1940-1943), Stato maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, 1985</ref>

On December 1st, the ''Trieste'' Division, reinforced by the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, cut off the supply route the 2nd New Zealand Division had established with the Tobruk garrison.

The successful defense of the Gazala Line on the part of the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments on December 15th, was also absolutely vital in the defeat of 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 Imperial troops killed, wounded or captured during Rommel's counterattack.<ref>"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." [http://www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html/6 The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]</ref>

On December 28th, the 25th Bersaglieri Battalion along with the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova & Rassipnoy on the Russian Front.<ref>"The Italo-German force in the Celere Division's sector experienced more success,as German paratroopers captured the stretch of double railroad track at Kulinatskiy, and the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion, captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova, which was below the commanding height at Kurgun Ostriy. The German 318th Regiment captured the village of Greko-Timofeyevskiy from the Rifle Division, while the XXV Bersaglieri Battalion took Rassipnoy." Three Kings: Axis Royal Armies on the Russian Front 1941, Patrick Cloutier, p. 140, 2015</ref>

On June 28th, the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment and supporting tanks from the ''Littorio'' Division surrounded Mersa Matruh, with the British garrison attempting to break out under the cover of darkness largely frustrated. The next day, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment (under Colonel Ugo Scirocco) also met with success when the 10th and 11th Bersaglieri Battalions stormed the British fortress and took 6,500 prisoners in the [[Battle of Mersa Matruh]].

In July 1942 the spearhead of the 8th Italian Army, 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, captured Krasnij Lutsch and Ivanowka with 30,000 Russians (mainly through desertion) falling into Italian hands in the following weeks.<ref>"Ma la gran massa dei prigionieri che in certe fasi delle operazioni affluivano a questi campi rese praticamente difficile, se non impossibile, un sostanziale miglioramento: ricordo, ad esempio, che nei mesi di luglio-agosto del 1942 nel campo di Millerowo, con un'organizzazione logistica molto primitiva, furono concentrati oltre 30.000 prigionieri, con le conseguenze che è facile immaginare." La Guerra al Fronte Russo: il Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia (CSIR), Giovanni Messe, p. 87, Mursia, 2005</ref>

During the [[First Battle of El Alamein]], the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the ''Sabratha'', ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions showed great courage, derailing both the 9th Australian Division advance developing from Tel el Eisa on July 11th and the 2nd New Zealand Division attack against Ruweisat Ridge on July 22nd.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html First Battle of El Alamein COMANDO SUPREMO/ITALY AT WAR]</ref>

During the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment fought especially hard, manning the Italian 47mm and 90mm guns (often confused with the German 88mm ''flak'' guns) and field guns of the ''Littorio'' Armoured Division in defence of El Aqqaqir Ridge, destroying 70 tanks from the British 9th Armoured Brigade in the process.<ref>[http://www.ilprimatonazionale.it/cultura/el-alamein-battaglia-folgore-32837/ El-Alamein: la battaglia che consacrò il valore del soldato italiano]</ref> Berlin Radio acknowledged that in this sector the ''"British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material. The Italians fought till the last man."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>

The Bersaglieri remained a force to be reckoned with during the [[Tunisian Campaign]] and, in early December 1942 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment forced the surrender of 300 Allied paratroopers operating behind Axis lines during the [[Battle of Tebourba]].<ref>"La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”. "La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”." [http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerGiorno.php?year=1942&month=12&day=06 Salmaggi e Pallavisini, Domenica, 6 Dicembre 1942]</ref><ref>[http://collections.civilisations.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5001297 The New York Times, 5 December 1942 (German Military Communique)]</ref>

The Bersaglieri fought again during the [[Battle of Kasserine Pass]] as the Axis spearhead, with the 5th and 7th Bersaglieri Regiments capturing around 2,450 British, American and French troops and covering Rommel's withdrawal. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had special words of praise for the Bersaglieri, with their senior commander, Colonel Luigi Bonfatti killed leading the attack.

On March 3rd, the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment supported by 30 tanks attacked the British lines, hoping to repeat the success at Kasserine Pass.<ref>"On February 22— facing poor terrain for mobile operations, increased Alled resistance, and a lack of cooperation from Arnim— Rommel withdrew artfully to prepare for a similiar operation against General Bernard L. Montgomery's British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line to the east." George S. Patton, Earle Rice, pg. 78, Infobase Publishing, 2009</ref> According to Associated Press war correspondent Don Whitehead:{{cquote|Last night three companies of Italians followed by 30 tanks and lorried infantry attacked the Highlander's advance screen. The Jocks “mowed 'em down”—and didn't lose a man. The tanks and infantry scurried back to the safety of the hills. Half the Italians were killed.<ref>Combat Reporter: Don Whitehead's World War II Diary and Memoirs, pg. 125, Fordham Univ Press, 2006</ref>}}

During the [[Battle of Maknassy Pass]], the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrated the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref> The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>

The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

It was noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old [German] prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref>}}

The 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the Fascist Youth (''Giovani Fascisti'') Regiment fought as part of the 1st Italian Army around Hill 141 during the [[Battle of Tunis]], surrendering on May 13th after defeating all the attacks from the 2nd New Zealand Division,<ref>"On arrival at Enfidaville the 2/5th and 2/6th Queen’s had taken over reserve positions behind the 2nd New Zealand Division, who were holding the low ground on the right of the Takrouna feature, having handed over Takrouna to the 51st (Highland) Division. They were very tired and needed to be relieved. General Montgomery had accepted that to try to outflank the enemy through the hills to the west of Enfidaville was now an unrealistic option, and had decided to switch his efforts to attacking up the coast road towards Hammamet. However, he disappeared off to Cairo on the 23rd April in order to discuss the plans for the invasion of Sicily, leaving Lieut-General Brian Horrocks to ponder the problem." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"The New Zealanders were very apologetic for their lack of success in securing these two features." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"It was their last action for a while, as 25 and 26 Battalions were relieved that night by 169 Infantry Brigade of 56 (L) Division, and 24 Battalion by 152 Infantry Brigade of 51 (H) Division." [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Bard-c15-1.html 2 NZ Division after Takrouna]</ref> British 56th ''Black Cat'' Division<ref>"The New Zealanders around Takrouna estimated that 20,000 enemy were still in front of them, so SRY supported the newly arrived 56 (Black Cat) Division fresh from Syria in an attack on the 11th/12th May. Alas there was no success and many casualties." (Monty's Marauders, Patrick Delaforce Pen and Sword, 2008)</ref> and 1st Free French Division,<ref>"On May 12th this Italian force was still resisting from positions just north of Enfidaville. A French division attacking their right was repulsed and then counterattacked. The Air Force, being called upon for aid, made a strong bombing attack at 1530, supported by all the artillery whose fire could be brought to bear." Finale in Tunisia, Colonel Conrad H. Lanza, Page. 488, The Field Artillery, July 1943</ref> a week after after the complete collapse of the Afrika Korps facing the US 1st Armoured and 3rd Infantry Divisions on May 6th,<ref>Maj. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commanding II Corps, had originally planned to have Truscott's 3rd Division relieve the battle-weary 1st ID. However, as Truscott was moving his division forward to effect that relief, Bradley contacted him on the night of the fifth and told him that General Harmon had requested additional infantry to support his division's attack on a strongly defended German position on the peninsula east of Bizerte, and directed that Truscott send an infantry regiment to the Ferryville area for attachment to the 1st AD. Bradley had also ordered that an infantry regiment from the 9th ID and additional field artillery and antiaircraft join Harmon's division for the attack. Truscott's regiment was to attack the following morning. Truscott joined Harmon at his commando post southeast of Ferryville early the next morning, and after breakfast the two set out on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain how far forward Truscott's force could assemble for the attack. As they traveled they found that Harmon's troopers and their tanks were already in possession of the entire peninsula excepting the high ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, from which there came no sounds of enemy fire. It was obvious to Harmon and Truscott that "the battle in Tunisia was all but done and that no large force would be required to clear the ridge." Dogface Soldier: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr, By Wilson A., Heefner, p. 101, University of Missouri Press, 2010</ref> and poor showing<ref>"Two remarkable features of this Axis debacle were, firstly, that in the end, when the battle had obviously gone against the Axis, the Italians fought better than the Germans. The German morale collapsed completely towards the close of the campaign. Well-armed German units with plenty of ammunition and provisions surrendered in strong defensive positions when they could have fought for many days (weeks or months) longer." The Conquest of Italy, Joseph Montague Kenworthy, p. 17, Hutchinson, 1944</ref> of the attached German 90th Light Infantry Division.<ref>"For an hour the positions held by the 90th Light Infantry were obscured by a pall of smoke. At the end of the bombardment they surrendered. General Von Sponeck ... told General Keightley when he surrendered to him that although only two men had been killed and three wounded during the bombardment the morale of his men had been shattered." Tunisian Battle, John D'Arcy-Dawson, p. 248, Macdonald & Company, Limited, 1943</ref>

In summarizing the experience of General Giovanni Messe's 1st Army, a military expert would write several decades later:{{cquote|Not only should Tunisia have exploded the myth of Hitler's military acumen, it should have discredited the idea that Germans fought better than the Italians, since Messe's 1st Italian Army held out longer than Arnim's 5th German Army and the DAK, even both groups had about six divisions and faced roughly equal Anglo-American forces. Indeed, Hermann Goring division was the first to be scattered on 7 May, DAK the next to break and surrender on 9 May, with the Italian Spezia division closing the gap created by the German collapse and watching still combat-efficient German units march off into captivity on 11 May. Whether it is significant that the German 90th Light division was the first to collapse in Messe's 'Italian' Army, there is no doubt that the Italians fought well and held out longest in Tunisia.<ref>The Second World War: The German war 1939-1942, Jeremy Black, Page 265, Ashgate, 2007</ref>}}

During [[Operation Husky]] (the Allied invasion of Sicily), the 10th, 73rd and 177th Bersaglieri Regiments managed to contain the American armoured advance outside [[Agrigento]], but were eventually overwhelmed by Allied air power. However, resistance from the Bersaglieri was stiff enough to force the US 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions to take on the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment in house-to-house combat in the streets of Agrigento, with US military historian Samuel Eliot Morison acknowledging that ''"The Italians fought manfully for Agrigento".'' <ref>History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Sicily - Salerno - Anzio, January 1943 - June 1944, Samuel Eliot Morison, p. 176, University of Illinois Press, 2001</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:War]] [[Category:World War II]]

Bersaglieri Corps

2018-12-07T06:19:21Z

Gentlewind: /* Second World War */

In 1836, Alfonso del la Marmora from the Piedmontese Army (the core of the future Italian Army) created the Bersaglieri, light infantry formations similar to the French ''chasseurs'' and Austrian ''jägers''.

The Bersaglieri were trained to a high physical and marksmanship standard, and like the German ''Waffen SS'' in the Second World War, inspired the ''Regio Esercito'' frontline formations, benefiting from superior weaponry and mobility that encouraged Axis commanders to operate aggressively.

The Bersaglieri, or ”sharpshooters,” still sport distinctive helmets adorned with cock’s feathers.

==First World War==

During the First World War, the 12 Bersaglieri Regiments fought with valour and bravery. 210,000 men served in the Bersaglieri Corps, and during the war 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded. In August 1915 [[Benito Mussolini]] joined the corps and, serving in the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment, saw action in the trenches on the Italian front.

After the war, reforms reduced the number of Bersaglieri battalions to two per regiment. They were converted into bicycle troops to fight alongside cavalry from the ''Celeri'' (fast) divisions, giving the Supreme Command the best formations to operate alongside tanks in the near future.

==Second World War==

When the first Italian Army armoured divisions were formed in 1939, Bersaglieri mobile warfare experience greatly improved. Each armoured and motorized division was allocated one Bersaglieri regiment.

The Bersaglieri regiments expanded to three battalions each during the Second World War, but the ''Comando Surpemo'' (Italian Supreme Command) resisted temptations during wartime to degrade their quality in favour of greater numbers, and volunteers still had to be of above-average height and stamina. The candidates endured intense physical training, just as their forefathers had, and had to qualify as excellent marksmen.

The first Bersaglieri units to see combat in North Africa belonged to the [[10th Bersaglieri Regiment]]. They arrived in Libya in late 1940 as part of the all-volunteers ''Brigata Corazzata Speciale'' (Special Armoured Brigade or BCS) and along with the ''Sabratha'' (Conscript) Division fought well as the Italian rearguard in defence of the Derna–Giovanni Berta defence line, with two British Commonwealth armoured car spearhead units<ref>"On the southern flank a troop of 6th Cavalry carriers attempted to outflank the enemy and was itself ambushed with the loss of seven men and several carriers." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2016</ref><ref>"At dusk on 4 February, after passing through Megara, six of the 11th Hussars' armoured cars that were leading the convoy were ambushed by antitank guns. Three of the vehicles were destroyed anda a number of soldiers were killed or wounded. Several war correspondents were travelling with the Hussars and some were wounded..." An Unqualified Success, Peter Golding, Rosenberg Publishing, 2013</ref> ambushed, the survivors captured and the supporting Australian 2nd/4th Battalion nearly overrun in a strong counterattack<ref>"At one point the 2/4th Battalion was pinned down and almost overrun by a force of about 1,000 enemy infantry. It was only the timely arrival of the Northumberland Fusiliers that checked the Italian attack." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2009</ref> during the final stages of [[Operation Compass]].

In all, six of the 12 Bersaglieri regiments fought in North Africa, compiling an excellent combat record, with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (''"the Desert Fox"'') acknowledging in a Radio Rome interview in late 1942 that, ''The German soldier has impressed the world, however, the Italian Bersaglieri soldier has impressed the German soldier."''

During Rommel's first desert offensive (also known as the first ''Benghazi Derby'') and start of the [[Siege of Tobruk]] in April 1941, Rommel was often critical of his generals as well as the Italian Supreme Command, but praised the Bersaglieri on numerous occasions, such as the encircling action of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment during the [[Battle of El Mechili]] that resulted in the capture of 3,000 British Imperial troops.

That same month, the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment fought successfully in General [[Ugo Cavallero]]'s second spring offensive in Albania during the [[Greco-Italian War]], capturing the Greek fortress of Koritza on April 15th<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM]</ref>, and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment along with the ''Centauro'' Armoured Division defeated the Yugoslavian Army counteroffensive in Albania in the [[Battle for Skutari]] in mid-April 1941.<ref>"For 48 hours the Serbs have been moving in wave upon wave through rain and snow against Scutari, on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, only to be mowed down by Fascist machine-gunners and scattered by Italian airmen, war front advices said. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19410415&id=JHtGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1084,5315859&hl=en Serb Attacks Beaten Off By Italians, Schenectady Gazette, 15 April 1941]</ref><ref>"Their courage, like that of the defenders of the Metaxas line, was to no avail; as so often happens to troops occupying a static position in mobile warfare, the battle was being decided elsewhere; List now detached SS 'Adolf Hitler' from the main axis of advance of XXXXth Corps and sent it forward in the direction of Koritsa. Far from counter-attacking, however, the demoralized Greeks gave way and thus allowed the Italians to occupy the town without resistance on 15 April. With 9th Armoured Division crossing the upper Aliakhmon and reaching Servia on the next day, the British forces on the Olympus found themselves surrounded on both flanks. Following a decision made by Wilson three days earlier they now started falling back across Thessaly to Thermopylae, leaving in their wake 20,000 Greek troops who, being less well endowed with motor vehicles, failed to escape in time and were captured by the Germans." Martin van Crevald, Hitler's Strategy 1940-1941: The Balkan Clue, p. 162, Cambridge University Press, 1973</ref>

During [[Operation Barbarossa]] (the invasion of Russia) in August 1941, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment formed part of the Italian spearheads tasked with securing bridgeheads over the Dnieper and Don Rivers for the German 11th Army, a task which they carried out successfully and suffered heavy casualties defending them during the Russian counterattacks mounted during the [[First Battle of Kiev]].<ref>"From the 20th to the 26th of August Italian Forces have been subjected to extremely fierce Soviet attacks along the Don River. The Bersaglieri, Cavalry and Black Shirts have untiringly repulsed the attacks which wave after wave were launched in the desperate attempt to break through the Italian lines." Il Marco Polo, Issues 13-14, p. 126, Shanghai, 1941</ref>

During [[Operation Crusader]], the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment operating truck-mounted naval guns from the Italian cruiser ''San Giorgio'', played an important part in the defeat of the British 7th Armoured Division in the [[First Battle of Bir el Gubi]] on 19 November 1941.

On 1 November, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment defeated 3 Russian divisions defending [[Rykovo]] and conquered that city.<ref>" Il 1° novembre il 3° bersaglieri conquistò Rykovo; lo stesso giorno la Torino si attestò sul fiume Krinka, in zona Im. Karova-Korsuni, a protezione del fianco meridionale della Celere."La Storia della Dottrina e degli Ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano: t. 1. Da Vittorio Veneto alla 2a. Guerra Mondiale. t. 2. La 2a Guerra Mondiale (1940-1943), Stato maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, 1985</ref>

On 1 December, the ''Trieste'' Division, reinforced by the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, cut off the supply route the 2nd New Zealand Division had established with the Tobruk garrison.

The successful defense of the Gazala Line on the part of the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments on 15 December, was also absolutely vital in the defeat of 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 Imperial troops killed, wounded or captured during Rommel's counterattack.<ref>"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." [http://www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html/6 The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]</ref>

On 28 December, the 25th Bersaglieri Battalion along with the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova & Rassipnoy on the Russian Front.<ref>"The Italo-German force in the Celere Division's sector experienced more success,as German paratroopers captured the stretch of double railroad track at Kulinatskiy, and the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion, captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova, which was below the commanding height at Kurgun Ostriy. The German 318th Regiment captured the village of Greko-Timofeyevskiy from the Rifle Division, while the XXV Bersaglieri Battalion took Rassipnoy." Three Kings: Axis Royal Armies on the Russian Front 1941, Patrick Cloutier, p. 140, 2015</ref>

On 28 June, the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment and supporting tanks from the ''Littorio'' Division surrounded Mersa Matruh, with the British garrison attempting to break out under the cover of darkness largely frustrated. The next day, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment (under Colonel Ugo Scirocco) also met with success when the 10th and 11th Bersaglieri Battalions stormed the British fortress and took 6,500 prisoners in the [[Battle of Mersa Matruh]].

In July 1942 the spearhead of the 8th Italian Army, 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, captured Krasnij Lutsch and Ivanowka with 30,000 Russians (mainly through desertion) falling into Italian hands in the following weeks.<ref>"Ma la gran massa dei prigionieri che in certe fasi delle operazioni affluivano a questi campi rese praticamente difficile, se non impossibile, un sostanziale miglioramento: ricordo, ad esempio, che nei mesi di luglio-agosto del 1942 nel campo di Millerowo, con un'organizzazione logistica molto primitiva, furono concentrati oltre 30.000 prigionieri, con le conseguenze che è facile immaginare." La Guerra al Fronte Russo: il Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia (CSIR), Giovanni Messe, p. 87, Mursia, 2005</ref>

During the [[First Battle of El Alamein]], the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the ''Sabratha'', ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions showed great courage, derailing both the 9th Australian Division advance developing from Tel el Eisa on 11 July and the 2nd New Zealand Division attack against Ruweisat Ridge on 22 July.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html First Battle of El Alamein COMANDO SUPREMO/ITALY AT WAR]</ref>

During the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment fought especially hard, manning the Italian 47mm and 90mm guns (often confused with the German 88mm ''flak'' guns) and field guns of the ''Littorio'' Armoured Division in defence of El Aqqaqir Ridge, destroying 70 tanks from the British 9th Armoured Brigade in the process.<ref>[http://www.ilprimatonazionale.it/cultura/el-alamein-battaglia-folgore-32837/ El-Alamein: la battaglia che consacrò il valore del soldato italiano]</ref> Berlin Radio acknowledged that in this sector the ''"British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material. The Italians fought till the last man."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>

The Bersaglieri remained a force to be reckoned with during the [[Tunisian Campaign]] and, in early December 1942 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment forced the surrender of 300 Allied paratroopers operating behind Axis lines during the [[Battle of Tebourba]].<ref>"La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”. "La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”." [http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerGiorno.php?year=1942&month=12&day=06 Salmaggi e Pallavisini, Domenica, 6 Dicembre 1942]</ref><ref>[http://collections.civilisations.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5001297 The New York Times, 5 December 1942 (German Military Communique)]</ref>

The Bersaglieri fought again during the [[Battle of Kasserine Pass]] as the Axis spearhead, with the 5th and 7th Bersaglieri Regiments capturing around 2,450 British, American and French troops and covering Rommel's withdrawal. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had special words of praise for the Bersaglieri, with their senior commander, Colonel Luigi Bonfatti killed leading the attack.

On 3 March, the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment supported by 30 tanks attacked the British lines, hoping to repeat the success at Kasserine Pass.<ref>"On February 22— facing poor terrain for mobile operations, increased Alled resistance, and a lack of cooperation from Arnim— Rommel withdrew artfully to prepare for a similiar operation against General Bernard L. Montgomery's British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line to the east." George S. Patton, Earle Rice, pg. 78, Infobase Publishing, 2009</ref> According to Associated Press war correspondent Don Whitehead:{{cquote|Last night three companies of Italians followed by 30 tanks and lorried infantry attacked the Highlander's advance screen. The Jocks “mowed 'em down”—and didn't lose a man. The tanks and infantry scurried back to the safety of the hills. Half the Italians were killed.<ref>Combat Reporter: Don Whitehead's World War II Diary and Memoirs, pg. 125, Fordham Univ Press, 2006</ref>}}

During the [[Battle of Maknassy Pass]], the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrated the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref> The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>

The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

It was noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old [German] prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref>}}

The 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the Fascist Youth (''Giovani Fascisti'') Regiment fought as part of the 1st Italian Army around Hill 141 during the [[Battle of Tunis]], surrendering on May 13th after defeating all the attacks from the 2nd New Zealand Division,<ref>"On arrival at Enfidaville the 2/5th and 2/6th Queen’s had taken over reserve positions behind the 2nd New Zealand Division, who were holding the low ground on the right of the Takrouna feature, having handed over Takrouna to the 51st (Highland) Division. They were very tired and needed to be relieved. General Montgomery had accepted that to try to outflank the enemy through the hills to the west of Enfidaville was now an unrealistic option, and had decided to switch his efforts to attacking up the coast road towards Hammamet. However, he disappeared off to Cairo on the 23rd April in order to discuss the plans for the invasion of Sicily, leaving Lieut-General Brian Horrocks to ponder the problem." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"The New Zealanders were very apologetic for their lack of success in securing these two features." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"It was their last action for a while, as 25 and 26 Battalions were relieved that night by 169 Infantry Brigade of 56 (L) Division, and 24 Battalion by 152 Infantry Brigade of 51 (H) Division." [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Bard-c15-1.html 2 NZ Division after Takrouna]</ref> British 56th ''Black Cat'' Division<ref>"The New Zealanders around Takrouna estimated that 20,000 enemy were still in front of them, so SRY supported the newly arrived 56 (Black Cat) Division fresh from Syria in an attack on the 11th/12th May. Alas there was no success and many casualties." (Monty's Marauders, Patrick Delaforce Pen and Sword, 2008)</ref> and 1st Free French Division,<ref>"On May 12th this Italian force was still resisting from positions just north of Enfidaville. A French division attacking their right was repulsed and then counterattacked. The Air Force, being called upon for aid, made a strong bombing attack at 1530, supported by all the artillery whose fire could be brought to bear." Finale in Tunisia, Colonel Conrad H. Lanza, Page. 488, The Field Artillery, July 1943</ref> a week after after the complete collapse of the Afrika Korps facing the US 1st Armoured and 3rd Infantry Divisions on May 6th,<ref>Maj. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commanding II Corps, had originally planned to have Truscott's 3rd Division relieve the battle-weary 1st ID. However, as Truscott was moving his division forward to effect that relief, Bradley contacted him on the night of the fifth and told him that General Harmon had requested additional infantry to support his division's attack on a strongly defended German position on the peninsula east of Bizerte, and directed that Truscott send an infantry regiment to the Ferryville area for attachment to the 1st AD. Bradley had also ordered that an infantry regiment from the 9th ID and additional field artillery and antiaircraft join Harmon's division for the attack. Truscott's regiment was to attack the following morning. Truscott joined Harmon at his commando post southeast of Ferryville early the next morning, and after breakfast the two set out on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain how far forward Truscott's force could assemble for the attack. As they traveled they found that Harmon's troopers and their tanks were already in possession of the entire peninsula excepting the high ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, from which there came no sounds of enemy fire. It was obvious to Harmon and Truscott that "the battle in Tunisia was all but done and that no large force would be required to clear the ridge." Dogface Soldier: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr, By Wilson A., Heefner, p. 101, University of Missouri Press, 2010</ref> and poor showing<ref>"Two remarkable features of this Axis debacle were, firstly, that in the end, when the battle had obviously gone against the Axis, the Italians fought better than the Germans. The German morale collapsed completely towards the close of the campaign. Well-armed German units with plenty of ammunition and provisions surrendered in strong defensive positions when they could have fought for many days (weeks or months) longer." The Conquest of Italy, Joseph Montague Kenworthy, p. 17, Hutchinson, 1944</ref> of the attached German 90th Light Infantry Division.<ref>"For an hour the positions held by the 90th Light Infantry were obscured by a pall of smoke. At the end of the bombardment they surrendered. General Von Sponeck ... told General Keightley when he surrendered to him that although only two men had been killed and three wounded during the bombardment the morale of his men had been shattered." Tunisian Battle, John D'Arcy-Dawson, p. 248, Macdonald & Company, Limited, 1943</ref>

In summarizing the experience of General Giovanni Messe's 1st Army, a military expert would write several decades later:{{cquote|Not only should Tunisia have exploded the myth of Hitler's military acumen, it should have discredited the idea that Germans fought better than the Italians, since Messe's 1st Italian Army held out longer than Arnim's 5th German Army and the DAK, even both groups had about six divisions and faced roughly equal Anglo-American forces. Indeed, Hermann Goring division was the first to be scattered on 7 May, DAK the next to break and surrender on 9 May, with the Italian Spezia division closing the gap created by the German collapse and watching still combat-efficient German units march off into captivity on 11 May. Whether it is significant that the German 90th Light division was the first to collapse in Messe's 'Italian' Army, there is no doubt that the Italians fought well and held out longest in Tunisia.<ref>The Second World War: The German war 1939-1942, Jeremy Black, Page 265, Ashgate, 2007</ref>}}

During [[Operation Husky]] (the Allied invasion of Sicily), the 10th, 73rd and 177th Bersaglieri Regiments managed to contain the American armoured advance outside [[Agrigento]], but were eventually overwhelmed by Allied air power. However, resistance from the Bersaglieri was stiff enough to force the US 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions to take on the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment in house-to-house combat in the streets of Agrigento, with US military historian Samuel Eliot Morison acknowledging that ''"The Italians fought manfully for Agrigento".'' <ref>History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Sicily - Salerno - Anzio, January 1943 - June 1944, Samuel Eliot Morison, p. 176, University of Illinois Press, 2001</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:War]] [[Category:World War II]]

Bersaglieri Corps

2018-12-07T06:15:20Z

Gentlewind: /* Second World War */

In 1836, Alfonso del la Marmora from the Piedmontese Army (the core of the future Italian Army) created the Bersaglieri, light infantry formations similar to the French ''chasseurs'' and Austrian ''jägers''.

The Bersaglieri were trained to a high physical and marksmanship standard, and like the German ''Waffen SS'' in the Second World War, inspired the ''Regio Esercito'' frontline formations, benefiting from superior weaponry and mobility that encouraged Axis commanders to operate aggressively.

The Bersaglieri, or ”sharpshooters,” still sport distinctive helmets adorned with cock’s feathers.

==First World War==

During the First World War, the 12 Bersaglieri Regiments fought with valour and bravery. 210,000 men served in the Bersaglieri Corps, and during the war 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded. In August 1915 [[Benito Mussolini]] joined the corps and, serving in the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment, saw action in the trenches on the Italian front.

After the war, reforms reduced the number of Bersaglieri battalions to two per regiment. They were converted into bicycle troops to fight alongside cavalry from the ''Celeri'' (fast) divisions, giving the Supreme Command the best formations to operate alongside tanks in the near future.

==Second World War==

When the first Italian Army armoured divisions were formed in 1939, Bersaglieri mobile warfare experience greatly improved. Each armoured and motorized division was allocated one Bersaglieri regiment.

The Bersaglieri regiments expanded to three battalions each during the Second World War, but the ''Comando Surpemo'' (Italian Supreme Command) resisted temptations during wartime to degrade their quality in favour of greater numbers, and volunteers still had to be of above-average height and stamina. The candidates endured intense physical training, just as their forefathers had, and had to qualify as excellent marksmen.

The first Bersaglieri units to see combat in North Africa belonged to the [[10th Bersaglieri Regiment]]. They arrived in Libya in late 1940 as part of the all-volunteers ''Brigata Corazzata Speciale'' (Special Armoured Brigade or BCS) and along with the ''Sabratha'' (Conscript) Division fought well as the Italian rearguard in defence of the Derna–Giovanni Berta defence line, with two British Commonwealth armoured car spearhead units<ref>"On the southern flank a troop of 6th Cavalry carriers attempted to outflank the enemy and was itself ambushed with the loss of seven men and several carriers." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2016</ref><ref>"At dusk on 4 February, after passing through Megara, six of the 11th Hussars' armoured cars that were leading the convoy were ambushed by antitank guns. Three of the vehicles were destroyed anda a number of soldiers were killed or wounded. Several war correspondents were travelling with the Hussars and some were wounded..." An Unqualified Success, Peter Golding, Rosenberg Publishing, 2013</ref> ambushed, the survivors captured and the supporting Australian 2nd/4th Battalion nearly overrun in a strong counterattack<ref>"At one point the 2/4th Battalion was pinned down and almost overrun by a force of about 1,000 enemy infantry. It was only the timely arrival of the Northumberland Fusiliers that checked the Italian attack." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2009</ref> during the final stages of [[Operation Compass]].

In all, six of the 12 Bersaglieri regiments fought in North Africa, compiling an excellent combat record, with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (''"the Desert Fox"'') acknowledging in a Radio Rome interview in late 1942 that, ''The German soldier has impressed the world, however, the Italian Bersaglieri soldier has impressed the German soldier."''

During Rommel's first desert offensive (also known as the first ''Benghazi Derby'') and start of the [[Siege of Tobruk]] in April 1941, Rommel was often critical of his generals as well as the Italian Supreme Command, but praised the Bersaglieri on numerous occasions, such as the encircling action of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment during the [[Battle of El Mechili]] that resulted in the capture of 3,000 British Imperial troops.

That same month, the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment fought successfully in General [[Ugo Cavallero]]'s second spring offensive in Albania during the [[Greco-Italian War]], capturing the Greek fortress of Koritza on April 15th<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM]</ref>, and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment along with the ''Centauro'' Armoured Division defeated the Yugoslavian Army counteroffensive in Albania in the [[Battle for Skutari]] in mid-April 1941.<ref>"For 48 hours the Serbs have been moving in wave upon wave through rain and snow against Scutari, on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, only to be mowed down by Fascist machine-gunners and scattered by Italian airmen, war front advices said. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19410415&id=JHtGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1084,5315859&hl=en Serb Attacks Beaten Off By Italians, Schenectady Gazette, 15 April 1941]</ref><ref>"Their courage, like that of the defenders of the Metaxas line, was to no avail; as so often happens to troops occupying a static position in mobile warfare, the battle was being decided elsewhere; List now detached SS 'Adolf Hitler' from the main axis of advance of XXXXth Corps and sent it forward in the direction of Koritsa. Far from counter-attacking, however, the demoralized Greeks gave way and thus allowed the Italians to occupy the town without resistance on 15 April. With 9th Armoured Division crossing the upper Aliakhmon and reaching Servia on the next day, the British forces on the Olympus found themselves surrounded on both flanks. Following a decision made by Wilson three days earlier they now started falling back across Thessaly to Thermopylae, leaving in their wake 20,000 Greek troops who, being less well endowed with motor vehicles, failed to escape in time and were captured by the Germans." Martin van Crevald, Hitler's Strategy 1940-1941: The Balkan Clue, p. 162, Cambridge University Press, 1973</ref>

During [[Operation Barbarossa]] (the invasion of Russia) in August 1941, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment formed part of the Italian spearheads tasked with securing bridgeheads over the Dnieper and Don Rivers for the German 11th Army, a task which they carried out successfully and suffered heavy casualties defending them during the Russian counterattacks mounted during the [[First Battle of Kiev]].<ref>"From the 20th to the 26th of August Italian Forces have been subjected to extremely fierce Soviet attacks along the Don River. The Bersaglieri, Cavalry and Black Shirts have untiringly repulsed the attacks which wave after wave were launched in the desperate attempt to break through the Italian lines." Il Marco Polo, Issues 13-14, p. 126, Shanghai, 1941</ref>

During [[Operation Crusader]], the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment operating truck-mounted naval guns from the Italian cruiser ''San Giorgio'', played an important part in the defeat of the British 7th Armoured Division in the [[First Battle of Bir el Gubi]] on 19 November 1941.

On 1 November, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment defeated 3 Russian divisions defending [[Rykovo]] and conquered that city.<ref>" Il 1° novembre il 3° bersaglieri conquistò Rykovo; lo stesso giorno la Torino si attestò sul fiume Krinka, in zona Im. Karova-Korsuni, a protezione del fianco meridionale della Celere."La Storia della Dottrina e degli Ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano: t. 1. Da Vittorio Veneto alla 2a. Guerra Mondiale. t. 2. La 2a Guerra Mondiale (1940-1943), Stato maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, 1985</ref>

On 1 December, the ''Trieste'' Division, reinforced by the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, cut off the supply route the 2nd New Zealand Division had established with the Tobruk garrison.

The successful defense of the Gazala Line on the part of the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments on 15 December, was also absolutely vital in the defeat of 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 Imperial troops killed, wounded or captured during Rommel's counterattack.<ref>"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." [http://www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html/6 The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]</ref>

On 28 December, the 25th Bersaglieri Battalion along with the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova & Rassipnoy on the Russian Front.<ref>"The Italo-German force in the Celere Division's sector experienced more success,as German paratroopers captured the stretch of double railroad track at Kulinatskiy, and the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion, captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova, which was below the commanding height at Kurgun Ostriy. The German 318th Regiment captured the village of Greko-Timofeyevskiy from the Rifle Division, while the XXV Bersaglieri Battalion took Rassipnoy." Three Kings: Axis Royal Armies on the Russian Front 1941, Patrick Cloutier, p. 140, 2015</ref>

On 28 June, the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment and supporting tanks from the ''Littorio'' Division surrounded Mersa Matruh, with the British garrison attempting to break out under the cover of darkness largely frustrated. The next day, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment also met with success when the 10th and 11th Bersaglieri Battalions stormed the British fortress and took 6,500 prisoners in the [[Battle of Mersa Matruh]].

In July 1942 the spearhead of the 8th Italian Army, 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, captured Krasnij Lutsch and Ivanowka with 30,000 Russians (mainly through desertion) falling into Italian hands in the following weeks.<ref>"Ma la gran massa dei prigionieri che in certe fasi delle operazioni affluivano a questi campi rese praticamente difficile, se non impossibile, un sostanziale miglioramento: ricordo, ad esempio, che nei mesi di luglio-agosto del 1942 nel campo di Millerowo, con un'organizzazione logistica molto primitiva, furono concentrati oltre 30.000 prigionieri, con le conseguenze che è facile immaginare." La Guerra al Fronte Russo: il Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia (CSIR), Giovanni Messe, p. 87, Mursia, 2005</ref>

During the [[First Battle of El Alamein]], the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the ''Sabratha'', ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions showed great courage, derailing both the 9th Australian Division advance developing from Tel el Eisa on 11 July and the 2nd New Zealand Division attack against Ruweisat Ridge on 22 July.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html First Battle of El Alamein COMANDO SUPREMO/ITALY AT WAR]</ref>

During the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment fought especially hard, manning the Italian 47mm and 90mm guns (often confused with the German 88mm ''flak'' guns) and field guns of the ''Littorio'' Armoured Division in defence of El Aqqaqir Ridge, destroying 70 tanks from the British 9th Armoured Brigade in the process.<ref>[http://www.ilprimatonazionale.it/cultura/el-alamein-battaglia-folgore-32837/ El-Alamein: la battaglia che consacrò il valore del soldato italiano]</ref> Berlin Radio acknowledged that in this sector the ''"British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material. The Italians fought till the last man."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>

The Bersaglieri remained a force to be reckoned with during the [[Tunisian Campaign]] and, in early December 1942 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment forced the surrender of 300 Allied paratroopers operating behind Axis lines during the [[Battle of Tebourba]].<ref>"La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”. "La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”." [http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerGiorno.php?year=1942&month=12&day=06 Salmaggi e Pallavisini, Domenica, 6 Dicembre 1942]</ref><ref>[http://collections.civilisations.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5001297 The New York Times, 5 December 1942 (German Military Communique)]</ref>

The Bersaglieri fought again during the [[Battle of Kasserine Pass]] as the Axis spearhead, with the 5th and 7th Bersaglieri Regiments capturing around 2,450 British, American and French troops and covering Rommel's withdrawal. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had special words of praise for the Bersaglieri, with their senior commander, Colonel Luigi Bonfatti killed leading the attack.

On 3 March, the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment supported by 30 tanks attacked the British lines, hoping to repeat the success at Kasserine Pass.<ref>"On February 22— facing poor terrain for mobile operations, increased Alled resistance, and a lack of cooperation from Arnim— Rommel withdrew artfully to prepare for a similiar operation against General Bernard L. Montgomery's British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line to the east." George S. Patton, Earle Rice, pg. 78, Infobase Publishing, 2009</ref> According to Associated Press war correspondent Don Whitehead:{{cquote|Last night three companies of Italians followed by 30 tanks and lorried infantry attacked the Highlander's advance screen. The Jocks “mowed 'em down”—and didn't lose a man. The tanks and infantry scurried back to the safety of the hills. Half the Italians were killed.<ref>Combat Reporter: Don Whitehead's World War II Diary and Memoirs, pg. 125, Fordham Univ Press, 2006</ref>}}

During the [[Battle of Maknassy Pass]], the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrated the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref> The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>

The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

It was noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old [German] prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref>}}

The 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the Fascist Youth (''Giovani Fascisti'') Regiment fought as part of the 1st Italian Army around Hill 141 during the [[Battle of Tunis]], surrendering on May 13th after defeating all the attacks from the 2nd New Zealand Division,<ref>"On arrival at Enfidaville the 2/5th and 2/6th Queen’s had taken over reserve positions behind the 2nd New Zealand Division, who were holding the low ground on the right of the Takrouna feature, having handed over Takrouna to the 51st (Highland) Division. They were very tired and needed to be relieved. General Montgomery had accepted that to try to outflank the enemy through the hills to the west of Enfidaville was now an unrealistic option, and had decided to switch his efforts to attacking up the coast road towards Hammamet. However, he disappeared off to Cairo on the 23rd April in order to discuss the plans for the invasion of Sicily, leaving Lieut-General Brian Horrocks to ponder the problem." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"The New Zealanders were very apologetic for their lack of success in securing these two features." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"It was their last action for a while, as 25 and 26 Battalions were relieved that night by 169 Infantry Brigade of 56 (L) Division, and 24 Battalion by 152 Infantry Brigade of 51 (H) Division." [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Bard-c15-1.html 2 NZ Division after Takrouna]</ref> British 56th ''Black Cat'' Division<ref>"The New Zealanders around Takrouna estimated that 20,000 enemy were still in front of them, so SRY supported the newly arrived 56 (Black Cat) Division fresh from Syria in an attack on the 11th/12th May. Alas there was no success and many casualties." (Monty's Marauders, Patrick Delaforce Pen and Sword, 2008)</ref> and 1st Free French Division,<ref>"On May 12th this Italian force was still resisting from positions just north of Enfidaville. A French division attacking their right was repulsed and then counterattacked. The Air Force, being called upon for aid, made a strong bombing attack at 1530, supported by all the artillery whose fire could be brought to bear." Finale in Tunisia, Colonel Conrad H. Lanza, Page. 488, The Field Artillery, July 1943</ref> a week after after the complete collapse of the Afrika Korps facing the US 1st Armoured and 3rd Infantry Divisions on May 6th,<ref>Maj. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commanding II Corps, had originally planned to have Truscott's 3rd Division relieve the battle-weary 1st ID. However, as Truscott was moving his division forward to effect that relief, Bradley contacted him on the night of the fifth and told him that General Harmon had requested additional infantry to support his division's attack on a strongly defended German position on the peninsula east of Bizerte, and directed that Truscott send an infantry regiment to the Ferryville area for attachment to the 1st AD. Bradley had also ordered that an infantry regiment from the 9th ID and additional field artillery and antiaircraft join Harmon's division for the attack. Truscott's regiment was to attack the following morning. Truscott joined Harmon at his commando post southeast of Ferryville early the next morning, and after breakfast the two set out on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain how far forward Truscott's force could assemble for the attack. As they traveled they found that Harmon's troopers and their tanks were already in possession of the entire peninsula excepting the high ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, from which there came no sounds of enemy fire. It was obvious to Harmon and Truscott that "the battle in Tunisia was all but done and that no large force would be required to clear the ridge." Dogface Soldier: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr, By Wilson A., Heefner, p. 101, University of Missouri Press, 2010</ref> and poor showing<ref>"Two remarkable features of this Axis debacle were, firstly, that in the end, when the battle had obviously gone against the Axis, the Italians fought better than the Germans. The German morale collapsed completely towards the close of the campaign. Well-armed German units with plenty of ammunition and provisions surrendered in strong defensive positions when they could have fought for many days (weeks or months) longer." The Conquest of Italy, Joseph Montague Kenworthy, p. 17, Hutchinson, 1944</ref> of the attached German 90th Light Infantry Division.<ref>"For an hour the positions held by the 90th Light Infantry were obscured by a pall of smoke. At the end of the bombardment they surrendered. General Von Sponeck ... told General Keightley when he surrendered to him that although only two men had been killed and three wounded during the bombardment the morale of his men had been shattered." Tunisian Battle, John D'Arcy-Dawson, p. 248, Macdonald & Company, Limited, 1943</ref>

In summarizing the experience of General Giovanni Messe's 1st Army, a military expert would write several decades later:{{cquote|Not only should Tunisia have exploded the myth of Hitler's military acumen, it should have discredited the idea that Germans fought better than the Italians, since Messe's 1st Italian Army held out longer than Arnim's 5th German Army and the DAK, even both groups had about six divisions and faced roughly equal Anglo-American forces. Indeed, Hermann Goring division was the first to be scattered on 7 May, DAK the next to break and surrender on 9 May, with the Italian Spezia division closing the gap created by the German collapse and watching still combat-efficient German units march off into captivity on 11 May. Whether it is significant that the German 90th Light division was the first to collapse in Messe's 'Italian' Army, there is no doubt that the Italians fought well and held out longest in Tunisia.<ref>The Second World War: The German war 1939-1942, Jeremy Black, Page 265, Ashgate, 2007</ref>}}

During [[Operation Husky]] (the Allied invasion of Sicily), the 10th, 73rd and 177th Bersaglieri Regiments managed to contain the American armoured advance outside [[Agrigento]], but were eventually overwhelmed by Allied air power. However, resistance from the Bersaglieri was stiff enough to force the US 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions to take on the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment in house-to-house combat in the streets of Agrigento, with US military historian Samuel Eliot Morison acknowledging that ''"The Italians fought manfully for Agrigento".'' <ref>History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Sicily - Salerno - Anzio, January 1943 - June 1944, Samuel Eliot Morison, p. 176, University of Illinois Press, 2001</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:War]] [[Category:World War II]]

Bersaglieri Corps

2018-12-07T06:12:38Z

Gentlewind: /* Second World War */

In 1836, Alfonso del la Marmora from the Piedmontese Army (the core of the future Italian Army) created the Bersaglieri, light infantry formations similar to the French ''chasseurs'' and Austrian ''jägers''.

The Bersaglieri were trained to a high physical and marksmanship standard, and like the German ''Waffen SS'' in the Second World War, inspired the ''Regio Esercito'' frontline formations, benefiting from superior weaponry and mobility that encouraged Axis commanders to operate aggressively.

The Bersaglieri, or ”sharpshooters,” still sport distinctive helmets adorned with cock’s feathers.

==First World War==

During the First World War, the 12 Bersaglieri Regiments fought with valour and bravery. 210,000 men served in the Bersaglieri Corps, and during the war 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded. In August 1915 [[Benito Mussolini]] joined the corps and, serving in the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment, saw action in the trenches on the Italian front.

After the war, reforms reduced the number of Bersaglieri battalions to two per regiment. They were converted into bicycle troops to fight alongside cavalry from the ''Celeri'' (fast) divisions, giving the Supreme Command the best formations to operate alongside tanks in the near future.

==Second World War==

When the first Italian Army armoured divisions were formed in 1939, Bersaglieri mobile warfare experience greatly improved. Each armoured and motorized division was allocated one Bersaglieri regiment.

The Bersaglieri regiments expanded to three battalions each during the Second World War, but the ''Comando Surpemo'' (Italian Supreme Command) resisted temptations during wartime to degrade their quality in favour of greater numbers, and volunteers still had to be of above-average height and stamina. The candidates endured intense physical training, just as their forefathers had, and had to qualify as excellent marksmen.

The first Bersaglieri units to see combat in North Africa belonged to the [[10th Bersaglieri Regiment]]. They arrived in Libya in late 1940 as part of the all-volunteers ''Brigata Corazzata Speciale'' (Special Armoured Brigade or BCS) and along with the ''Sabratha'' (Conscript) Division fought well as the Italian rearguard in defence of the Derna–Giovanni Berta defence line, with two British Commonwealth armoured car spearhead units<ref>"On the southern flank a troop of 6th Cavalry carriers attempted to outflank the enemy and was itself ambushed with the loss of seven men and several carriers." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2016</ref><ref>"At dusk on 4 February, after passing through Megara, six of the 11th Hussars' armoured cars that were leading the convoy were ambushed by antitank guns. Three of the vehicles were destroyed anda a number of soldiers were killed or wounded. Several war correspondents were travelling with the Hussars and some were wounded..." An Unqualified Success, Peter Golding, Rosenberg Publishing, 2013</ref> ambushed, the survivors captured and the supporting Australian 2nd/4th Battalion nearly overrun in a strong counterattack<ref>"At one point the 2/4th Battalion was pinned down and almost overrun by a force of about 1,000 enemy infantry. It was only the timely arrival of the Northumberland Fusiliers that checked the Italian attack." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2009</ref> during the final stages of [[Operation Compass]].

In all, six of the 12 Bersaglieri regiments fought in North Africa, compiling an excellent combat record, with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (''"the Desert Fox"'') acknowledging in a Radio Rome interview in late 1942 that, ''The German soldier has impressed the world, however, the Italian Bersaglieri soldier has impressed the German soldier."''

During Rommel's first desert offensive (also known as the first ''Benghazi Derby'') and start of the [[Siege of Tobruk]] in April 1941, Rommel was often critical of his generals as well as the Italian Supreme Command, but praised the Bersaglieri on numerous occasions, such as the encircling action of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment during the [[Battle of El Mechili]] that resulted in the capture of 3,000 British Imperial troops.

That same month, the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment fought successfully in General [[Ugo Cavallero]]'s second spring offensive in Albania during the [[Greco-Italian War]], capturing the Greek fortress of Koritza on April 15th<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM]</ref>, and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment along with the ''Centauro'' Armoured Division defeated the Yugoslavian Army counteroffensive in Albania in the [[Battle for Skutari]] in mid-April 1941.<ref>"For 48 hours the Serbs have been moving in wave upon wave through rain and snow against Scutari, on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, only to be mowed down by Fascist machine-gunners and scattered by Italian airmen, war front advices said. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19410415&id=JHtGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1084,5315859&hl=en Serb Attacks Beaten Off By Italians, Schenectady Gazette, 15 April 1941]</ref><ref>"Their courage, like that of the defenders of the Metaxas line, was to no avail; as so often happens to troops occupying a static position in mobile warfare, the battle was being decided elsewhere; List now detached SS 'Adolf Hitler' from the main axis of advance of XXXXth Corps and sent it forward in the direction of Koritsa. Far from counter-attacking, however, the demoralized Greeks gave way and thus allowed the Italians to occupy the town without resistance on 15 April. With 9th Armoured Division crossing the upper Aliakhmon and reaching Servia on the next day, the British forces on the Olympus found themselves surrounded on both flanks. Following a decision made by Wilson three days earlier they now started falling back across Thessaly to Thermopylae, leaving in their wake 20,000 Greek troops who, being less well endowed with motor vehicles, failed to escape in time and were captured by the Germans." Martin van Crevald, Hitler's Strategy 1940-1941: The Balkan Clue, p. 162, Cambridge University Press, 1973</ref>

During [[Operation Barbarossa]] (the invasion of Russia) in August 1941, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment formed part of the Italian spearheads tasked with securing bridgeheads over the Dnieper and Don Rivers for the German 11th Army, a task which they carried out successfully and suffered heavy casualties defending them during the Russian counterattacks mounted during the [[First Battle of Kiev]].<ref>"From the 20th to the 26th of August Italian Forces have been subjected to extremely fierce Soviet attacks along the Don River. The Bersaglieri, Cavalry and Black Shirts have untiringly repulsed the attacks which wave after wave were launched in the desperate attempt to break through the Italian lines." Il Marco Polo, Issues 13-14, p. 126, Shanghai, 1941</ref>

During [[Operation Crusader]], the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment operating truck-mounted naval guns from the Italian cruiser ''San Giorgio'', played an important part in the defeat of the British 7th Armoured Division in the [[First Battle of Bir el Gubi]] on 19 November 1941.

On 1 November, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment defeated 3 Russian divisions defending [[Rykovo]] and conquered that city.<ref>" Il 1° novembre il 3° bersaglieri conquistò Rykovo; lo stesso giorno la Torino si attestò sul fiume Krinka, in zona Im. Karova-Korsuni, a protezione del fianco meridionale della Celere."La Storia della Dottrina e degli Ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano: t. 1. Da Vittorio Veneto alla 2a. Guerra Mondiale. t. 2. La 2a Guerra Mondiale (1940-1943), Stato maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, 1985</ref>

On 1 December, the ''Trieste'' Division, reinforced by the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, cut off the supply route the 2nd New Zealand Division had established with the Tobruk garrison.

The successful defense of the Gazala Line on the part of the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments on 15 December, was also absolutely vital in the defeat of 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 Imperial troops killed, wounded or captured during Rommel's counterattack.<ref>"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." [http://www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html/6 The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]</ref>

On 28 December, the 25th Bersaglieri Battalion along with the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova & Rassipnoy on the Russian Front.<ref>"The Italo-German force in the Celere Division's sector experienced more success,as German paratroopers captured the stretch of double railroad track at Kulinatskiy, and the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion, captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova, which was below the commanding height at Kurgun Ostriy. The German 318th Regiment captured the village of Greko-Timofeyevskiy from the Rifle Division, while the XXV Bersaglieri Battalion took Rassipnoy." Three Kings: Axis Royal Armies on the Russian Front 1941, Patrick Cloutier, p. 140, 2015</ref>

On 28 June, the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment and supporting tanks from the ''Littorio'' Division surrounded Mersa Matruh, with the British garrison attempting to break out under the cover of darkness largely frustrated. The next day, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment also met with success when the 10th and 11th Bersaglieri Battalions stormed the British fortress and took 6,500 prisoners in the [[Battle of Mersa Matruh]].

In July 1942 the spearhead of the 8th Italian Army, 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, captured Krasnij Lutsch and Ivanowka with 30,000 Russians (mainly through desertion) falling into Italian hands in the following weeks.<ref>"Ma la gran massa dei prigionieri che in certe fasi delle operazioni affluivano a questi campi rese praticamente difficile, se non impossibile, un sostanziale miglioramento: ricordo, ad esempio, che nei mesi di luglio-agosto del 1942 nel campo di Millerowo, con un'organizzazione logistica molto primitiva, furono concentrati oltre 30.000 prigionieri, con le conseguenze che è facile immaginare." La Guerra al Fronte Russo: il Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia (CSIR), Giovanni Messe, p. 87, Mursia, 2005</ref>

During the [[First Battle of El Alamein]], the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the ''Sabratha'', ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions showed great courage, derailing both the 9th Australian Division advance developing from Tel el Eisa on 11 July and the 2nd New Zealand Division attack against Ruweisat Ridge on 22 July.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html First Battle of El Alamein COMANDO SUPREMO/ITALY AT WAR]</ref>

During the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment fought especially hard, manning the Italian 47mm and 90mm guns (often confused with the German 88mm ''flak'' guns) and field guns of the ''Littorio'' Armoured Division in defence of El Aqqaqir Ridge, destroying 70 tanks from the British 9th Armoured Brigade in the process.<ref>[http://www.ilprimatonazionale.it/cultura/el-alamein-battaglia-folgore-32837/ El-Alamein: la battaglia che consacrò il valore del soldato italiano]</ref> Berlin Radio acknowledged that in this sector the ''"British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material. The Italians fought till the last man."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>

The Bersaglieri remained a force to be reckoned with during the [[Tunisian Campaign]] and, in early December 1942 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment forced the surrender of 300 Allied paratroopers operating behind Axis lines during the [[Battle of Tebourba]].<ref>"La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”. "La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”." [http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerGiorno.php?year=1942&month=12&day=06 Salmaggi e Pallavisini, Domenica, 6 Dicembre 1942]</ref><ref>[http://collections.civilisations.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5001297 The New York Times, 5 December 1942 (German Military Communique)]</ref>

The Bersaglieri fought again during the [[Battle of Kasserine Pass]] as the Axis spearhead, with the 5th and 7th Bersaglieri Regiments capturing around 2,450 British, American and French troops and covering Rommel's withdrawal. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had special words of praise for the Bersaglieri, with their senior commander, Colonel Luigi Bonfatti killed leading the attack.

On 3 March, the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment supported by 30 tanks attacked the British lines, hoping to repeat the success at Kasserine Pass.<ref>"On February 22— facing poor terrain for mobile operations, increased Alled resistance, and a lack of cooperation from Arnim— Rommel withdrew artfully to prepare for a similiar operation against General Bernard L. Montgomery's British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line to the east." George S. Patton, Earle Rice, pg. 78, Infobase Publishing, 2009</ref> According to Associated Press war correspondent Don Whitehead:{{cquote|Last night three companies of Italians followed by 30 tanks and lorried infantry attacked the Highlander's advance screen. The Jocks “mowed 'em down”—and didn't lose a man. The tanks and infantry scurried back to the safety of the hills. Half the Italians were killed.<ref>Combat Reporter: Don Whitehead's World War II Diary and Memoirs, pg. 125, Fordham Univ Press, 2006</ref>}}

During the [[Battle of Maknassy Pass]], the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrated the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref> The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>

The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

It was noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old [German] prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref>}}

The 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the Fascist Youth (''Giovani Fascisti'') Regiment fought as part of the 1st Italian Army around Hill 141 during the [[Battle of Tunis]], surrendering on May 13th after defeating all the attacks from the 2nd New Zealand Division,<ref>"On arrival at Enfidaville the 2/5th and 2/6th Queen’s had taken over reserve positions behind the 2nd New Zealand Division, who were holding the low ground on the right of the Takrouna feature, having handed over Takrouna to the 51st (Highland) Division. They were very tired and needed to be relieved. General Montgomery had accepted that to try to outflank the enemy through the hills to the west of Enfidaville was now an unrealistic option, and had decided to switch his efforts to attacking up the coast road towards Hammamet. However, he disappeared off to Cairo on the 23rd April in order to discuss the plans for the invasion of Sicily, leaving Lieut-General Brian Horrocks to ponder the problem." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"The New Zealanders were very apologetic for their lack of success in securing these two features." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"It was their last action for a while, as 25 and 26 Battalions were relieved that night by 169 Infantry Brigade of 56 (L) Division, and 24 Battalion by 152 Infantry Brigade of 51 (H) Division." [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Bard-c15-1.html 2 NZ Division after Takrouna]</ref> British 56th ''Black Cat'' Division<ref>"The New Zealanders around Takrouna estimated that 20,000 enemy were still in front of them, so SRY supported the newly arrived 56 (Black Cat) Division fresh from Syria in an attack on the 11th/12th May. Alas there was no success and many casualties." (Monty's Marauders, Patrick Delaforce Pen and Sword, 2008)</ref> and 1st Free French Division,<ref>"On May 12th this Italian force was still resisting from positions just north of Enfidaville. A French division attacking their right was repulsed and then counterattacked. The Air Force, being called upon for aid, made a strong bombing attack at 1530, supported by all the artillery whose fire could be brought to bear." Finale in Tunisia, Colonel Conrad H. Lanza, Page. 488, The Field Artillery, July 1943</ref> a week after after the complete collapse of the Afrika Korps facing the US 1st Armoured and 3rd Infantry Divisions on 6 May,<ref>Maj. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commanding II Corps, had originally planned to have Truscott's 3rd Division relieve the battle-weary 1st ID. However, as Truscott was moving his division forward to effect that relief, Bradley contacted him on the night of the fifth and told him that General Harmon had requested additional infantry to support his division's attack on a strongly defended German position on the peninsula east of Bizerte, and directed that Truscott send an infantry regiment to the Ferryville area for attachment to the 1st AD. Bradley had also ordered that an infantry regiment from the 9th ID and additional field artillery and antiaircraft join Harmon's division for the attack. Truscott's regiment was to attack the following morning. Truscott joined Harmon at his commando post southeast of Ferryville early the next morning, and after breakfast the two set out on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain how far forward Truscott's force could assemble for the attack. As they traveled they found that Harmon's troopers and their tanks were already in possession of the entire peninsula excepting the high ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, from which there came no sounds of enemy fire. It was obvious to Harmon and Truscott that "the battle in Tunisia was all but done and that no large force would be required to clear the ridge." Dogface Soldier: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr, By Wilson A., Heefner, p. 101, University of Missouri Press, 2010</ref> and poor showing<ref>"Two remarkable features of this Axis debacle were, firstly, that in the end, when the battle had obviously gone against the Axis, the Italians fought better than the Germans. The German morale collapsed completely towards the close of the campaign. Well-armed German units with plenty of ammunition and provisions surrendered in strong defensive positions when they could have fought for many days (weeks or months) longer." The Conquest of Italy, Joseph Montague Kenworthy, p. 17, Hutchinson, 1944</ref> of the attached German 90th Light Infantry Division.<ref>"For an hour the positions held by the 90th Light Infantry were obscured by a pall of smoke. At the end of the bombardment they surrendered. General Von Sponeck ... told General Keightley when he surrendered to him that although only two men had been killed and three wounded during the bombardment the morale of his men had been shattered." Tunisian Battle, John D'Arcy-Dawson, p. 248, Macdonald & Company, Limited, 1943</ref>

In summarizing the experience of General Giovanni Messe's 1st Army, a military expert would write several decades later:{{cquote|Not only should Tunisia have exploded the myth of Hitler's military acumen, it should have discredited the idea that Germans fought better than the Italians, since Messe's 1st Italian Army held out longer than Arnim's 5th German Army and the DAK, even both groups had about six divisions and faced roughly equal Anglo-American forces. Indeed, Hermann Goring division was the first to be scattered on 7 May, DAK the next to break and surrender on 9 May, with the Italian Spezia division closing the gap created by the German collapse and watching still combat-efficient German units march off into captivity on 11 May. Whether it is significant that the German 90th Light division was the first to collapse in Messe's 'Italian' Army, there is no doubt that the Italians fought well and held out longest in Tunisia.<ref>The Second World War: The German war 1939-1942, Jeremy Black, Page 265, Ashgate, 2007</ref>}}

During [[Operation Husky]] (the Allied invasion of Sicily), the 10th, 73rd and 177th Bersaglieri Regiments managed to contain the American armoured advance outside [[Agrigento]], but were eventually overwhelmed by Allied air power. However, resistance from the Bersaglieri was stiff enough to force the US 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions to take on the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment in house-to-house combat in the streets of Agrigento, with US military historian Samuel Eliot Morison acknowledging that ''"The Italians fought manfully for Agrigento".'' <ref>History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Sicily - Salerno - Anzio, January 1943 - June 1944, Samuel Eliot Morison, p. 176, University of Illinois Press, 2001</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:War]] [[Category:World War II]]

Bersaglieri Corps

2018-12-07T06:06:50Z

Gentlewind: /* Second World War */

In 1836, Alfonso del la Marmora from the Piedmontese Army (the core of the future Italian Army) created the Bersaglieri, light infantry formations similar to the French ''chasseurs'' and Austrian ''jägers''.

The Bersaglieri were trained to a high physical and marksmanship standard, and like the German ''Waffen SS'' in the Second World War, inspired the ''Regio Esercito'' frontline formations, benefiting from superior weaponry and mobility that encouraged Axis commanders to operate aggressively.

The Bersaglieri, or ”sharpshooters,” still sport distinctive helmets adorned with cock’s feathers.

==First World War==

During the First World War, the 12 Bersaglieri Regiments fought with valour and bravery. 210,000 men served in the Bersaglieri Corps, and during the war 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded. In August 1915 [[Benito Mussolini]] joined the corps and, serving in the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment, saw action in the trenches on the Italian front.

After the war, reforms reduced the number of Bersaglieri battalions to two per regiment. They were converted into bicycle troops to fight alongside cavalry from the ''Celeri'' (fast) divisions, giving the Supreme Command the best formations to operate alongside tanks in the near future.

==Second World War==

When the first Italian Army armoured divisions were formed in 1939, Bersaglieri mobile warfare experience greatly improved. Each armoured and motorized division was allocated one Bersaglieri regiment.

The Bersaglieri regiments expanded to three battalions each during the Second World War, but the ''Comando Surpemo'' (Italian Supreme Command) resisted temptations during wartime to degrade their quality in favour of greater numbers, and volunteers still had to be of above-average height and stamina. The candidates endured intense physical training, just as their forefathers had, and had to qualify as excellent marksmen.

The first Bersaglieri units to see combat in North Africa belonged to the [[10th Bersaglieri Regiment]]. They arrived in Libya in late 1940 as part of the all-volunteers ''Brigata Corazzata Speciale'' (Special Armoured Brigade or BCS) and along with the ''Sabratha'' (Conscript) Division fought well as the Italian rearguard in defence of the Derna–Giovanni Berta defence line, with two British Commonwealth armoured car spearhead units<ref>"On the southern flank a troop of 6th Cavalry carriers attempted to outflank the enemy and was itself ambushed with the loss of seven men and several carriers." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2016</ref><ref>"At dusk on 4 February, after passing through Megara, six of the 11th Hussars' armoured cars that were leading the convoy were ambushed by antitank guns. Three of the vehicles were destroyed anda a number of soldiers were killed or wounded. Several war correspondents were travelling with the Hussars and some were wounded..." An Unqualified Success, Peter Golding, Rosenberg Publishing, 2013</ref> ambushed, the survivors captured and the supporting Australian 2nd/4th Battalion nearly overrun in a strong counterattack<ref>"At one point the 2/4th Battalion was pinned down and almost overrun by a force of about 1,000 enemy infantry. It was only the timely arrival of the Northumberland Fusiliers that checked the Italian attack." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2009</ref> during the final stages of [[Operation Compass]].

In all, six of the 12 Bersaglieri regiments fought in North Africa, compiling an excellent combat record, with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (''"the Desert Fox"'') acknowledging in a Radio Rome interview in late 1942 that, ''The German soldier has impressed the world, however, the Italian Bersaglieri soldier has impressed the German soldier."''

During Rommel's first desert offensive (also known as the first ''Benghazi Derby'') and start of the [[Siege of Tobruk]] in April 1941, Rommel was often critical of his generals as well as the Italian Supreme Command, but praised the Bersaglieri on numerous occasions, such as the encircling action of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment during the [[Battle of El Mechili]] that resulted in the capture of 3,000 British Imperial troops.

That same month, the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment fought successfully in General [[Ugo Cavallero]]'s second spring offensive in Albania during the [[Greco-Italian War]], capturing the Greek fortress of Koritza on April 15th<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM]</ref>, and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment along with the ''Centauro'' Armoured Division defeated the Yugoslavian Army counteroffensive in Albania in the [[Battle for Skutari]] in mid-April 1941.<ref>"For 48 hours the Serbs have been moving in wave upon wave through rain and snow against Scutari, on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, only to be mowed down by Fascist machine-gunners and scattered by Italian airmen, war front advices said. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19410415&id=JHtGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1084,5315859&hl=en Serb Attacks Beaten Off By Italians, Schenectady Gazette, 15 April 1941]</ref><ref>"Their courage, like that of the defenders of the Metaxas line, was to no avail; as so often happens to troops occupying a static position in mobile warfare, the battle was being decided elsewhere; List now detached SS 'Adolf Hitler' from the main axis of advance of XXXXth Corps and sent it forward in the direction of Koritsa. Far from counter-attacking, however, the demoralized Greeks gave way and thus allowed the Italians to occupy the town without resistance on 15 April. With 9th Armoured Division crossing the upper Aliakhmon and reaching Servia on the next day, the British forces on the Olympus found themselves surrounded on both flanks. Following a decision made by Wilson three days earlier they now started falling back across Thessaly to Thermopylae, leaving in their wake 20,000 Greek troops who, being less well endowed with motor vehicles, failed to escape in time and were captured by the Germans." Martin van Crevald, Hitler's Strategy 1940-1941: The Balkan Clue, p. 162, Cambridge University Press, 1973</ref>

During [[Operation Barbarossa]] (the invasion of Russia) in August 1941, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment formed part of the Italian spearheads tasked with securing bridgeheads over the Dnieper and Don Rivers for the German 11th Army, a task which they carried out successfully and suffered heavy casualties defending them during the Russian counterattacks mounted during the [[First Battle of Kiev]].<ref>"From the 20th to the 26th of August Italian Forces have been subjected to extremely fierce Soviet attacks along the Don River. The Bersaglieri, Cavalry and Black Shirts have untiringly repulsed the attacks which wave after wave were launched in the desperate attempt to break through the Italian lines." Il Marco Polo, Issues 13-14, p. 126, Shanghai, 1941</ref>

During [[Operation Crusader]], the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment operating truck-mounted naval guns from the Italian cruiser ''San Giorgio'', played an important part in the defeat of the British 7th Armoured Division in the [[First Battle of Bir el Gubi]] on 19 November 1941.

On 1 November, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment defeated 3 Russian divisions defending [[Rykovo]] and conquered that city.<ref>" Il 1° novembre il 3° bersaglieri conquistò Rykovo; lo stesso giorno la Torino si attestò sul fiume Krinka, in zona Im. Karova-Korsuni, a protezione del fianco meridionale della Celere."La Storia della Dottrina e degli Ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano: t. 1. Da Vittorio Veneto alla 2a. Guerra Mondiale. t. 2. La 2a Guerra Mondiale (1940-1943), Stato maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, 1985</ref>

On 1 December, the ''Trieste'' Division, reinforced by the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, cut off the supply route the 2nd New Zealand Division had established with the Tobruk garrison.

The successful defense of the Gazala Line on the part of the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments on 15 December, was also absolutely vital in the defeat of 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 Imperial troops killed, wounded or captured during Rommel's counterattack.<ref>"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." [http://www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html/6 The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]</ref>

On 28 December, the 25th Bersaglieri Battalion along with the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova & Rassipnoy on the Russian Front.<ref>"The Italo-German force in the Celere Division's sector experienced more success,as German paratroopers captured the stretch of double railroad track at Kulinatskiy, and the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion, captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova, which was below the commanding height at Kurgun Ostriy. The German 318th Regiment captured the village of Greko-Timofeyevskiy from the Rifle Division, while the XXV Bersaglieri Battalion took Rassipnoy." Three Kings: Axis Royal Armies on the Russian Front 1941, Patrick Cloutier, p. 140, 2015</ref>

On 28 June, the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment and supporting tanks from the ''Littorio'' Division surrounded Mersa Matruh, with the British garrison attempting to break out under the cover of darkness largely frustrated. The next day, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment also met with success when the 10th and 11th Bersaglieri Battalions stormed the British fortress and took 6,500 prisoners in the [[Battle of Mersa Matruh]].

In July 1942 the spearhead of the 8th Italian Army, 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, captured Krasnij Lutsch and Ivanowka with 30,000 Russians (mainly through desertion) falling into Italian hands in the following weeks.<ref>"Ma la gran massa dei prigionieri che in certe fasi delle operazioni affluivano a questi campi rese praticamente difficile, se non impossibile, un sostanziale miglioramento: ricordo, ad esempio, che nei mesi di luglio-agosto del 1942 nel campo di Millerowo, con un'organizzazione logistica molto primitiva, furono concentrati oltre 30.000 prigionieri, con le conseguenze che è facile immaginare." La Guerra al Fronte Russo: il Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia (CSIR), Giovanni Messe, p. 87, Mursia, 2005</ref>

During the [[First Battle of El Alamein]], the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the ''Sabratha'', ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions showed great courage, derailing both the 9th Australian Division advance developing from Tel el Eisa on 11 July and the 2nd New Zealand Division attack against Ruweisat Ridge on 22 July.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html First Battle of El Alamein COMANDO SUPREMO/ITALY AT WAR]</ref>

During the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment fought especially hard, manning the Italian 47mm and 90mm guns (often confused with the German 88mm ''flak'' guns) and field guns of the ''Littorio'' Armoured Division in defence of El Aqqaqir Ridge, destroying 70 tanks from the British 9th Armoured Brigade in the process.<ref>[http://www.ilprimatonazionale.it/cultura/el-alamein-battaglia-folgore-32837/ El-Alamein: la battaglia che consacrò il valore del soldato italiano]</ref> Berlin Radio acknowledged that in this sector the ''"British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material. The Italians fought till the last man."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>

The Bersaglieri remained a force to be reckoned with during the [[Tunisian Campaign]] and, in early December 1942 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment forced the surrender of 300 Allied paratroopers operating behind Axis lines during the [[Battle of Tebourba]].<ref>"La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”. "La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”." [http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerGiorno.php?year=1942&month=12&day=06 Salmaggi e Pallavisini, Domenica, 6 Dicembre 1942]</ref><ref>[http://collections.civilisations.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5001297 The New York Times, 5 December 1942 (German Military Communique)]</ref>

The Bersaglieri fought again during the [[Battle of Kasserine Pass]] as the Axis spearhead, with the 5th and 7th Bersaglieri Regiments capturing around 2,450 British, American and French troops and covering Rommel's withdrawal. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had special words of praise for the Bersaglieri, with their senior commander, Colonel Luigi Bonfatti killed leading the attack.

On 3 March, the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment supported by 30 tanks attacked the British lines, hoping to repeat the success at Kasserine Pass.<ref>"On February 22— facing poor terrain for mobile operations, increased Alled resistance, and a lack of cooperation from Arnim— Rommel withdrew artfully to prepare for a similiar operation against General Bernard L. Montgomery's British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line to the east." George S. Patton, Earle Rice, pg. 78, Infobase Publishing, 2009</ref> According to Associated Press war correspondent Don Whitehead:{{cquote|Last night three companies of Italians followed by 30 tanks and lorried infantry attacked the Highlander's advance screen. The Jocks “mowed 'em down”—and didn't lose a man. The tanks and infantry scurried back to the safety of the hills. Half the Italians were killed.<ref>Combat Reporter: Don Whitehead's World War II Diary and Memoirs, pg. 125, Fordham Univ Press, 2006</ref>}}

During the [[Battle of Maknassy Pass]], the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attack Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrate the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref> The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>

The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

It was noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old [German] prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref>}}

The 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the Fascist Youth (''Giovani Fascisti'') Regiment fought as part of the 1st Italian Army around Hill 141 during the [[Battle of Tunis]], surrendering on May 13th after defeating all the attacks from the 2nd New Zealand Division,<ref>"On arrival at Enfidaville the 2/5th and 2/6th Queen’s had taken over reserve positions behind the 2nd New Zealand Division, who were holding the low ground on the right of the Takrouna feature, having handed over Takrouna to the 51st (Highland) Division. They were very tired and needed to be relieved. General Montgomery had accepted that to try to outflank the enemy through the hills to the west of Enfidaville was now an unrealistic option, and had decided to switch his efforts to attacking up the coast road towards Hammamet. However, he disappeared off to Cairo on the 23rd April in order to discuss the plans for the invasion of Sicily, leaving Lieut-General Brian Horrocks to ponder the problem." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"The New Zealanders were very apologetic for their lack of success in securing these two features." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"It was their last action for a while, as 25 and 26 Battalions were relieved that night by 169 Infantry Brigade of 56 (L) Division, and 24 Battalion by 152 Infantry Brigade of 51 (H) Division." [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Bard-c15-1.html 2 NZ Division after Takrouna]</ref> British 56th ''Black Cat'' Division<ref>"The New Zealanders around Takrouna estimated that 20,000 enemy were still in front of them, so SRY supported the newly arrived 56 (Black Cat) Division fresh from Syria in an attack on the 11th/12th May. Alas there was no success and many casualties." (Monty's Marauders, Patrick Delaforce Pen and Sword, 2008)</ref> and 1st Free French Division,<ref>"On May 12th this Italian force was still resisting from positions just north of Enfidaville. A French division attacking their right was repulsed and then counterattacked. The Air Force, being called upon for aid, made a strong bombing attack at 1530, supported by all the artillery whose fire could be brought to bear." Finale in Tunisia, Colonel Conrad H. Lanza, Page. 488, The Field Artillery, July 1943</ref> a week after after the complete collapse of the Afrika Korps facing the US 1st Armoured and 3rd Infantry Divisions on 6 May,<ref>Maj. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commanding II Corps, had originally planned to have Truscott's 3rd Division relieve the battle-weary 1st ID. However, as Truscott was moving his division forward to effect that relief, Bradley contacted him on the night of the fifth and told him that General Harmon had requested additional infantry to support his division's attack on a strongly defended German position on the peninsula east of Bizerte, and directed that Truscott send an infantry regiment to the Ferryville area for attachment to the 1st AD. Bradley had also ordered that an infantry regiment from the 9th ID and additional field artillery and antiaircraft join Harmon's division for the attack. Truscott's regiment was to attack the following morning. Truscott joined Harmon at his commando post southeast of Ferryville early the next morning, and after breakfast the two set out on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain how far forward Truscott's force could assemble for the attack. As they traveled they found that Harmon's troopers and their tanks were already in possession of the entire peninsula excepting the high ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, from which there came no sounds of enemy fire. It was obvious to Harmon and Truscott that "the battle in Tunisia was all but done and that no large force would be required to clear the ridge." Dogface Soldier: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr, By Wilson A., Heefner, p. 101, University of Missouri Press, 2010</ref> and poor showing<ref>"Two remarkable features of this Axis debacle were, firstly, that in the end, when the battle had obviously gone against the Axis, the Italians fought better than the Germans. The German morale collapsed completely towards the close of the campaign. Well-armed German units with plenty of ammunition and provisions surrendered in strong defensive positions when they could have fought for many days (weeks or months) longer." The Conquest of Italy, Joseph Montague Kenworthy, p. 17, Hutchinson, 1944</ref> of the attached German 90th Light Infantry Division.<ref>"For an hour the positions held by the 90th Light Infantry were obscured by a pall of smoke. At the end of the bombardment they surrendered. General Von Sponeck ... told General Keightley when he surrendered to him that although only two men had been killed and three wounded during the bombardment the morale of his men had been shattered." Tunisian Battle, John D'Arcy-Dawson, p. 248, Macdonald & Company, Limited, 1943</ref>

In summarizing the experience of General Giovanni Messe's 1st Army, a military expert would write several decades later:{{cquote|Not only should Tunisia have exploded the myth of Hitler's military acumen, it should have discredited the idea that Germans fought better than the Italians, since Messe's 1st Italian Army held out longer than Arnim's 5th German Army and the DAK, even both groups had about six divisions and faced roughly equal Anglo-American forces. Indeed, Hermann Goring division was the first to be scattered on 7 May, DAK the next to break and surrender on 9 May, with the Italian Spezia division closing the gap created by the German collapse and watching still combat-efficient German units march off into captivity on 11 May. Whether it is significant that the German 90th Light division was the first to collapse in Messe's 'Italian' Army, there is no doubt that the Italians fought well and held out longest in Tunisia.<ref>The Second World War: The German war 1939-1942, Jeremy Black, Page 265, Ashgate, 2007</ref>}}

During [[Operation Husky]] (the Allied invasion of Sicily), the 10th, 73rd and 177th Bersaglieri Regiments managed to contain the American armoured advance outside [[Agrigento]], but were eventually overwhelmed by Allied air power. However, resistance from the Bersaglieri was stiff enough to force the US 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions to take on the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment in house-to-house combat in the streets of Agrigento, with US military historian Samuel Eliot Morison acknowledging that ''"The Italians fought manfully for Agrigento".'' <ref>History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Sicily - Salerno - Anzio, January 1943 - June 1944, Samuel Eliot Morison, p. 176, University of Illinois Press, 2001</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:War]] [[Category:World War II]]

Bersaglieri Corps

2018-12-07T06:03:18Z

Gentlewind: /* Second World War */

In 1836, Alfonso del la Marmora from the Piedmontese Army (the core of the future Italian Army) created the Bersaglieri, light infantry formations similar to the French ''chasseurs'' and Austrian ''jägers''.

The Bersaglieri were trained to a high physical and marksmanship standard, and like the German ''Waffen SS'' in the Second World War, inspired the ''Regio Esercito'' frontline formations, benefiting from superior weaponry and mobility that encouraged Axis commanders to operate aggressively.

The Bersaglieri, or ”sharpshooters,” still sport distinctive helmets adorned with cock’s feathers.

==First World War==

During the First World War, the 12 Bersaglieri Regiments fought with valour and bravery. 210,000 men served in the Bersaglieri Corps, and during the war 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded. In August 1915 [[Benito Mussolini]] joined the corps and, serving in the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment, saw action in the trenches on the Italian front.

After the war, reforms reduced the number of Bersaglieri battalions to two per regiment. They were converted into bicycle troops to fight alongside cavalry from the ''Celeri'' (fast) divisions, giving the Supreme Command the best formations to operate alongside tanks in the near future.

==Second World War==

When the first Italian Army armoured divisions were formed in 1939, Bersaglieri mobile warfare experience greatly improved. Each armoured and motorized division was allocated one Bersaglieri regiment.

The Bersaglieri regiments expanded to three battalions each during the Second World War, but the ''Comando Surpemo'' (Italian Supreme Command) resisted temptations during wartime to degrade their quality in favour of greater numbers, and volunteers still had to be of above-average height and stamina. The candidates endured intense physical training, just as their forefathers had, and had to qualify as excellent marksmen.

The first Bersaglieri units to see combat in North Africa belonged to the [[10th Bersaglieri Regiment]]. They arrived in Libya in late 1940 as part of the all-volunteers ''Brigata Corazzata Speciale'' (Special Armoured Brigade or BCS) and along with the ''Sabratha'' (Conscript) Division fought well as the Italian rearguard in defence of the Derna–Giovanni Berta defence line, with two British Commonwealth armoured car spearhead units<ref>"On the southern flank a troop of 6th Cavalry carriers attempted to outflank the enemy and was itself ambushed with the loss of seven men and several carriers." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2016</ref><ref>"At dusk on 4 February, after passing through Megara, six of the 11th Hussars' armoured cars that were leading the convoy were ambushed by antitank guns. Three of the vehicles were destroyed anda a number of soldiers were killed or wounded. Several war correspondents were travelling with the Hussars and some were wounded..." An Unqualified Success, Peter Golding, Rosenberg Publishing, 2013</ref> ambushed, the survivors captured and the supporting Australian 2nd/4th Battalion nearly overrun in a strong counterattack<ref>"At one point the 2/4th Battalion was pinned down and almost overrun by a force of about 1,000 enemy infantry. It was only the timely arrival of the Northumberland Fusiliers that checked the Italian attack." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2009</ref> during the final stages of [[Operation Compass]].

In all, six of the 12 Bersaglieri regiments fought in North Africa, compiling an excellent combat record, with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (''"the Desert Fox"'') acknowledging in a Radio Rome interview in late 1942 that, ''The German soldier has impressed the world, however, the Italian Bersaglieri soldier has impressed the German soldier."''

During Rommel's first desert offensive (also known as the first ''Benghazi Derby'') and start of the [[Siege of Tobruk]] in April 1941, Rommel was often critical of his generals as well as the Italian Supreme Command, but praised the Bersaglieri on numerous occasions, such as the encircling action of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment during the [[Battle of El Mechili]] that resulted in the capture of 3,000 British Imperial troops.

That same month, the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment fought successfully in General [[Ugo Cavallero]]'s second spring offensive in Albania during the [[Greco-Italian War]], capturing the Greek fortress of Koritza on April 15th<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM]</ref>, and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment along with the ''Centauro'' Armoured Division defeated the Yugoslavian Army counteroffensive in Albania in the [[Battle for Skutari]] in mid-April 1941.<ref>"For 48 hours the Serbs have been moving in wave upon wave through rain and snow against Scutari, on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, only to be mowed down by Fascist machine-gunners and scattered by Italian airmen, war front advices said. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19410415&id=JHtGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1084,5315859&hl=en Serb Attacks Beaten Off By Italians, Schenectady Gazette, 15 April 1941]</ref><ref>"Their courage, like that of the defenders of the Metaxas line, was to no avail; as so often happens to troops occupying a static position in mobile warfare, the battle was being decided elsewhere; List now detached SS 'Adolf Hitler' from the main axis of advance of XXXXth Corps and sent it forward in the direction of Koritsa. Far from counter-attacking, however, the demoralized Greeks gave way and thus allowed the Italians to occupy the town without resistance on 15 April. With 9th Armoured Division crossing the upper Aliakhmon and reaching Servia on the next day, the British forces on the Olympus found themselves surrounded on both flanks. Following a decision made by Wilson three days earlier they now started falling back across Thessaly to Thermopylae, leaving in their wake 20,000 Greek troops who, being less well endowed with motor vehicles, failed to escape in time and were captured by the Germans." Martin van Crevald, Hitler's Strategy 1940-1941: The Balkan Clue, p. 162, Cambridge University Press, 1973</ref>

During [[Operation Barbarossa]] (the invasion of Russia) in August 1941, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment formed part of the Italian spearheads tasked with securing bridgeheads over the Dnieper and Don Rivers for the German 11th Army, a task which they carried out successfully and suffered heavy casualties defending them during the Russian counterattacks mounted during the [[First Battle of Kiev]].<ref>"From the 20th to the 26th of August Italian Forces have been subjected to extremely fierce Soviet attacks along the Don River. The Bersaglieri, Cavalry and Black Shirts have untiringly repulsed the attacks which wave after wave were launched in the desperate attempt to break through the Italian lines." Il Marco Polo, Issues 13-14, p. 126, Shanghai, 1941</ref>

During [[Operation Crusader]], the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment operating truck-mounted naval guns from the Italian cruiser ''San Giorgio'', played an important part in the defeat of the British 7th Armoured Division in the [[First Battle of Bir el Gubi]] on 19 November 1941.

On 1 November, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment defeated 3 Russian divisions defending [[Rykovo]] and conquered that city.<ref>" Il 1° novembre il 3° bersaglieri conquistò Rykovo; lo stesso giorno la Torino si attestò sul fiume Krinka, in zona Im. Karova-Korsuni, a protezione del fianco meridionale della Celere."La Storia della Dottrina e degli Ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano: t. 1. Da Vittorio Veneto alla 2a. Guerra Mondiale. t. 2. La 2a Guerra Mondiale (1940-1943), Stato maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, 1985</ref>

On 1 December, the ''Trieste'' Division, reinforced by the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, cut off the supply route the 2nd New Zealand Division had established with the Tobruk garrison.

The successful defense of the Gazala Line on the part of the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments on 15 December, was also absolutely vital in the defeat of 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 Imperial troops killed, wounded or captured during Rommel's counterattack.<ref>"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." [http://www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html/6 The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]</ref>

On 28 December, the 25th Bersaglieri Battalion along with the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova & Rassipnoy on the Russian Front.<ref>"The Italo-German force in the Celere Division's sector experienced more success,as German paratroopers captured the stretch of double railroad track at Kulinatskiy, and the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion, captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova, which was below the commanding height at Kurgun Ostriy. The German 318th Regiment captured the village of Greko-Timofeyevskiy from the Rifle Division, while the XXV Bersaglieri Battalion took Rassipnoy." Three Kings: Axis Royal Armies on the Russian Front 1941, Patrick Cloutier, p. 140, 2015</ref>

On 28 June, the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment and supporting tanks from the ''Littorio'' Division surrounded Mersa Matruh, with the British garrison attempting to break out under the cover of darkness largely frustrated. The next day, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment also met with success when the 10th and 11th Bersaglieri Battalions stormed the British fortress and took 6,500 prisoners in the [[Battle of Mersa Matruh]].

In July 1942 the spearhead of the 8th Italian Army, 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, captured Krasnij Lutsch and Ivanowka with 30,000 Russians (mainly through desertion) falling into Italian hands in the following weeks.<ref>"Ma la gran massa dei prigionieri che in certe fasi delle operazioni affluivano a questi campi rese praticamente difficile, se non impossibile, un sostanziale miglioramento: ricordo, ad esempio, che nei mesi di luglio-agosto del 1942 nel campo di Millerowo, con un'organizzazione logistica molto primitiva, furono concentrati oltre 30.000 prigionieri, con le conseguenze che è facile immaginare." La Guerra al Fronte Russo: il Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia (CSIR), Giovanni Messe, p. 87, Mursia, 2005</ref>

During the [[First Battle of El Alamein]], the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the ''Sabratha'', ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions showed great courage, derailing both the 9th Australian Division advance developing from Tel el Eisa on 11 July and the 2nd New Zealand Division attack against Ruweisat Ridge on 22 July.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html First Battle of El Alamein COMANDO SUPREMO/ITALY AT WAR]</ref>

During the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment fought especially hard, manning the Italian 47mm and 90mm guns (often confused with the German 88mm ''flak'' guns) and field guns of the ''Littorio'' Armoured Division in defence of El Aqqaqir Ridge, destroying 70 tanks from the British 9th Armoured Brigade in the process.<ref>[http://www.ilprimatonazionale.it/cultura/el-alamein-battaglia-folgore-32837/ El-Alamein: la battaglia che consacrò il valore del soldato italiano]</ref> Berlin Radio acknowledged that in this sector the ''"British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material. The Italians fought till the last man."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>

The Bersaglieri remained a force to be reckoned with during the [[Tunisian Campaign]] and, in early December 1942 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment forced the surrender of 300 Allied paratroopers operating behind Axis lines during the [[Battle of Tebourba]].<ref>"La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”. "La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”." [http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerGiorno.php?year=1942&month=12&day=06 Salmaggi e Pallavisini, Domenica, 6 Dicembre 1942]</ref><ref>[http://collections.civilisations.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5001297 The New York Times, 5 December 1942 (German Military Communique)]</ref>

The Bersaglieri fought again during the [[Battle of Kasserine Pass]] as the Axis spearhead, with the 5th and 7th Bersaglieri Regiments capturing around 2,450 British, American and French troops and covering Rommel's withdrawal. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had special words of praise for the Bersaglieri, with their senior commander, Colonel Luigi Bonfatti killed leading the attack.

On 3 March, the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment supported by 30 tanks attacked the British lines, hoping to repeat the success at Kasserine Pass.<ref>"On February 22— facing poor terrain for mobile operations, increased Alled resistance, and a lack of cooperation from Arnim— Rommel withdrew artfully to prepare for a similiar operation against General Bernard L. Montgomery's British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line to the east." George S. Patton, Earle Rice, pg. 78, Infobase Publishing, 2009</ref> According to Associated Press war correspondent Don Whitehead:{{cquote|Last night three companies of Italians followed by 30 tanks and lorried infantry attacked the Highlander's advance screen. The Jocks “mowed 'em down”—and didn't lose a man. The tanks and infantry scurried back to the safety of the hills. Half the Italians were killed.<ref>Combat Reporter: Don Whitehead's World War II Diary and Memoirs, pg. 125, Fordham Univ Press, 2006</ref>}}

During the [[Battle of Maknassy Pass]], the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attack Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrate the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref> The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>

The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

It was noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old [German] prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref>}}

The 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the Fascist Youth (''Giovani Fascisti'') Regiment fought as part of the 1st Italian Army around Hill 141 during the [[Battle of Tunis]], surrendering on 13 May after defeating all the attacks from the 2nd New Zealand Division,<ref>"On arrival at Enfidaville the 2/5th and 2/6th Queen’s had taken over reserve positions behind the 2nd New Zealand Division, who were holding the low ground on the right of the Takrouna feature, having handed over Takrouna to the 51st (Highland) Division. They were very tired and needed to be relieved. General Montgomery had accepted that to try to outflank the enemy through the hills to the west of Enfidaville was now an unrealistic option, and had decided to switch his efforts to attacking up the coast road towards Hammamet. However, he disappeared off to Cairo on the 23rd April in order to discuss the plans for the invasion of Sicily, leaving Lieut-General Brian Horrocks to ponder the problem." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"The New Zealanders were very apologetic for their lack of success in securing these two features." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"It was their last action for a while, as 25 and 26 Battalions were relieved that night by 169 Infantry Brigade of 56 (L) Division, and 24 Battalion by 152 Infantry Brigade of 51 (H) Division." [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Bard-c15-1.html 2 NZ Division after Takrouna]</ref> British 56th ''Black Cat'' Division<ref>"The New Zealanders around Takrouna estimated that 20,000 enemy were still in front of them, so SRY supported the newly arrived 56 (Black Cat) Division fresh from Syria in an attack on the 11th/12th May. Alas there was no success and many casualties." (Monty's Marauders, Patrick Delaforce Pen and Sword, 2008)</ref> and 1st Free French Division,<ref>"On May 12th this Italian force was still resisting from positions just north of Enfidaville. A French division attacking their right was repulsed and then counterattacked. The Air Force, being called upon for aid, made a strong bombing attack at 1530, supported by all the artillery whose fire could be brought to bear." Finale in Tunisia, Colonel Conrad H. Lanza, Page. 488, The Field Artillery, July 1943</ref> a week after after the complete collapse of the Afrika Korps facing the US 1st Armoured and 3rd Infantry Divisions on 6 May,<ref>Maj. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commanding II Corps, had originally planned to have Truscott's 3rd Division relieve the battle-weary 1st ID. However, as Truscott was moving his division forward to effect that relief, Bradley contacted him on the night of the fifth and told him that General Harmon had requested additional infantry to support his division's attack on a strongly defended German position on the peninsula east of Bizerte, and directed that Truscott send an infantry regiment to the Ferryville area for attachment to the 1st AD. Bradley had also ordered that an infantry regiment from the 9th ID and additional field artillery and antiaircraft join Harmon's division for the attack. Truscott's regiment was to attack the following morning. Truscott joined Harmon at his commando post southeast of Ferryville early the next morning, and after breakfast the two set out on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain how far forward Truscott's force could assemble for the attack. As they traveled they found that Harmon's troopers and their tanks were already in possession of the entire peninsula excepting the high ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, from which there came no sounds of enemy fire. It was obvious to Harmon and Truscott that "the battle in Tunisia was all but done and that no large force would be required to clear the ridge." Dogface Soldier: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr, By Wilson A., Heefner, p. 101, University of Missouri Press, 2010</ref> and poor showing<ref>"Two remarkable features of this Axis debacle were, firstly, that in the end, when the battle had obviously gone against the Axis, the Italians fought better than the Germans. The German morale collapsed completely towards the close of the campaign. Well-armed German units with plenty of ammunition and provisions surrendered in strong defensive positions when they could have fought for many days (weeks or months) longer." The Conquest of Italy, Joseph Montague Kenworthy, p. 17, Hutchinson, 1944</ref> of the attached German 90th Light Infantry Division.<ref>"For an hour the positions held by the 90th Light Infantry were obscured by a pall of smoke. At the end of the bombardment they surrendered. General Von Sponeck ... told General Keightley when he surrendered to him that although only two men had been killed and three wounded during the bombardment the morale of his men had been shattered." Tunisian Battle, John D'Arcy-Dawson, p. 248, Macdonald & Company, Limited, 1943</ref>

In summarizing the experience of General Giovanni Messe's 1st Army, a military expert would write several decades later:{{cquote|Not only should Tunisia have exploded the myth of Hitler's military acumen, it should have discredited the idea that Germans fought better than the Italians, since Messe's 1st Italian Army held out longer than Arnim's 5th German Army and the DAK, even both groups had about six divisions and faced roughly equal Anglo-American forces. Indeed, Hermann Goring division was the first to be scattered on 7 May, DAK the next to break and surrender on 9 May, with the Italian Spezia division closing the gap created by the German collapse and watching still combat-efficient German units march off into captivity on 11 May. Whether it is significant that the German 90th Light division was the first to collapse in Messe's 'Italian' Army, there is no doubt that the Italians fought well and held out longest in Tunisia.<ref>The Second World War: The German war 1939-1942, Jeremy Black, Page 265, Ashgate, 2007</ref>}}

During [[Operation Husky]] (the Allied invasion of Sicily), the 10th, 73rd and 177th Bersaglieri Regiments managed to contain the American armoured advance outside [[Agrigento]], but were eventually overwhelmed by Allied air power. However, resistance from the Bersaglieri was stiff enough to force the US 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions to take on the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment in house-to-house combat in the streets of Agrigento, with US military historian Samuel Eliot Morison acknowledging that ''"The Italians fought manfully for Agrigento".'' <ref>History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Sicily - Salerno - Anzio, January 1943 - June 1944, Samuel Eliot Morison, p. 176, University of Illinois Press, 2001</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:War]] [[Category:World War II]]

Bersaglieri Corps

2018-12-07T05:58:03Z

Gentlewind: /* Second World War */

In 1836, Alfonso del la Marmora from the Piedmontese Army (the core of the future Italian Army) created the Bersaglieri, light infantry formations similar to the French ''chasseurs'' and Austrian ''jägers''.

The Bersaglieri were trained to a high physical and marksmanship standard, and like the German ''Waffen SS'' in the Second World War, inspired the ''Regio Esercito'' frontline formations, benefiting from superior weaponry and mobility that encouraged Axis commanders to operate aggressively.

The Bersaglieri, or ”sharpshooters,” still sport distinctive helmets adorned with cock’s feathers.

==First World War==

During the First World War, the 12 Bersaglieri Regiments fought with valour and bravery. 210,000 men served in the Bersaglieri Corps, and during the war 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded. In August 1915 [[Benito Mussolini]] joined the corps and, serving in the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment, saw action in the trenches on the Italian front.

After the war, reforms reduced the number of Bersaglieri battalions to two per regiment. They were converted into bicycle troops to fight alongside cavalry from the ''Celeri'' (fast) divisions, giving the Supreme Command the best formations to operate alongside tanks in the near future.

==Second World War==

When the first Italian Army armoured divisions were formed in 1939, Bersaglieri mobile warfare experience greatly improved. Each armoured and motorized division was allocated one Bersaglieri regiment.

The Bersaglieri regiments expanded to three battalions each during the Second World War, but the ''Comando Surpemo'' (Italian Supreme Command) resisted temptations during wartime to degrade their quality in favour of greater numbers, and volunteers still had to be of above-average height and stamina. The candidates endured intense physical training, just as their forefathers had, and had to qualify as excellent marksmen.

The first Bersaglieri units to see combat in North Africa belonged to the [[10th Bersaglieri Regiment]]. They arrived in Libya in late 1940 as part of the all-volunteers ''Brigata Corazzata Speciale'' (Special Armoured Brigade or BCS) and along with the ''Sabratha'' (Conscript) Division fought well as the Italian rearguard in defence of the Derna–Giovanni Berta defence line, with two British Commonwealth armoured car spearhead units<ref>"On the southern flank a troop of 6th Cavalry carriers attempted to outflank the enemy and was itself ambushed with the loss of seven men and several carriers." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2016</ref><ref>"At dusk on 4 February, after passing through Megara, six of the 11th Hussars' armoured cars that were leading the convoy were ambushed by antitank guns. Three of the vehicles were destroyed anda a number of soldiers were killed or wounded. Several war correspondents were travelling with the Hussars and some were wounded..." An Unqualified Success, Peter Golding, Rosenberg Publishing, 2013</ref> ambushed, the survivors captured and the supporting Australian 2nd/4th Battalion nearly overrun in a strong counterattack<ref>"At one point the 2/4th Battalion was pinned down and almost overrun by a force of about 1,000 enemy infantry. It was only the timely arrival of the Northumberland Fusiliers that checked the Italian attack." The Western Desert Campaign, 1940-41, Glenn Wahlert, Big Sky Publishing, 2009</ref> during the final stages of [[Operation Compass]].

In all, six of the 12 Bersaglieri regiments fought in North Africa, compiling an excellent combat record, with Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (''"the Desert Fox"'') acknowledging in a Radio Rome interview in late 1942 that, ''The German soldier has impressed the world, however, the Italian Bersaglieri soldier has impressed the German soldier."''

During Rommel's first desert offensive (also known as the first ''Benghazi Derby'') and start of the [[Siege of Tobruk]] in April 1941, Rommel was often critical of his generals as well as the Italian Supreme Command, but praised the Bersaglieri on numerous occasions, such as the encircling action of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment during the [[Battle of El Mechili]] that resulted in the capture of 3,000 British Imperial troops.

That same month, the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment fought successfully in General [[Ugo Cavallero]]'s second spring offensive during the [[Greco-Italian War]], capturing the Greek fortress of Koritza on April 15th<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM]</ref>, and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment along with the ''Centauro'' Armoured Division defeated the Yugoslavian Army counteroffensive in Albania in the [[Battle for Skutari]] in mid-April 1941.<ref>"For 48 hours the Serbs have been moving in wave upon wave through rain and snow against Scutari, on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, only to be mowed down by Fascist machine-gunners and scattered by Italian airmen, war front advices said. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19410415&id=JHtGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ucMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1084,5315859&hl=en Serb Attacks Beaten Off By Italians, Schenectady Gazette, 15 April 1941]</ref>

During [[Operation Barbarossa]] (the invasion of Russia) in August 1941, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment formed part of the Italian spearheads tasked with securing bridgeheads over the Dnieper and Don Rivers for the German 11th Army, a task which they carried out successfully and suffered heavy casualties defending them during the Russian counterattacks mounted during the [[First Battle of Kiev]].<ref>"From the 20th to the 26th of August Italian Forces have been subjected to extremely fierce Soviet attacks along the Don River. The Bersaglieri, Cavalry and Black Shirts have untiringly repulsed the attacks which wave after wave were launched in the desperate attempt to break through the Italian lines." Il Marco Polo, Issues 13-14, p. 126, Shanghai, 1941</ref>

During [[Operation Crusader]], the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment operating truck-mounted naval guns from the Italian cruiser ''San Giorgio'', played an important part in the defeat of the British 7th Armoured Division in the [[First Battle of Bir el Gubi]] on 19 November 1941.

On 1 November, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment defeated 3 Russian divisions defending [[Rykovo]] and conquered that city.<ref>" Il 1° novembre il 3° bersaglieri conquistò Rykovo; lo stesso giorno la Torino si attestò sul fiume Krinka, in zona Im. Karova-Korsuni, a protezione del fianco meridionale della Celere."La Storia della Dottrina e degli Ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano: t. 1. Da Vittorio Veneto alla 2a. Guerra Mondiale. t. 2. La 2a Guerra Mondiale (1940-1943), Stato maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, 1985</ref>

On 1 December, the ''Trieste'' Division, reinforced by the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, cut off the supply route the 2nd New Zealand Division had established with the Tobruk garrison.

The successful defense of the Gazala Line on the part of the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments on 15 December, was also absolutely vital in the defeat of 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 Imperial troops killed, wounded or captured during Rommel's counterattack.<ref>"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." [http://www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html/6 The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]</ref>

On 28 December, the 25th Bersaglieri Battalion along with the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova & Rassipnoy on the Russian Front.<ref>"The Italo-German force in the Celere Division's sector experienced more success,as German paratroopers captured the stretch of double railroad track at Kulinatskiy, and the 63rd Blackshirt Battalion, captured Kolkhoz Voroshilova, which was below the commanding height at Kurgun Ostriy. The German 318th Regiment captured the village of Greko-Timofeyevskiy from the Rifle Division, while the XXV Bersaglieri Battalion took Rassipnoy." Three Kings: Axis Royal Armies on the Russian Front 1941, Patrick Cloutier, p. 140, 2015</ref>

On 28 June, the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment and supporting tanks from the ''Littorio'' Division surrounded Mersa Matruh, with the British garrison attempting to break out under the cover of darkness largely frustrated. The next day, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment also met with success when the 10th and 11th Bersaglieri Battalions stormed the British fortress and took 6,500 prisoners in the [[Battle of Mersa Matruh]].

In July 1942 the spearhead of the 8th Italian Army, 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, captured Krasnij Lutsch and Ivanowka with 30,000 Russians (mainly through desertion) falling into Italian hands in the following weeks.<ref>"Ma la gran massa dei prigionieri che in certe fasi delle operazioni affluivano a questi campi rese praticamente difficile, se non impossibile, un sostanziale miglioramento: ricordo, ad esempio, che nei mesi di luglio-agosto del 1942 nel campo di Millerowo, con un'organizzazione logistica molto primitiva, furono concentrati oltre 30.000 prigionieri, con le conseguenze che è facile immaginare." La Guerra al Fronte Russo: il Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia (CSIR), Giovanni Messe, p. 87, Mursia, 2005</ref>

During the [[First Battle of El Alamein]], the 7th and 9th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the ''Sabratha'', ''Trento'' and ''Trieste'' Divisions showed great courage, derailing both the 9th Australian Division advance developing from Tel el Eisa on 11 July and the 2nd New Zealand Division attack against Ruweisat Ridge on 22 July.<ref>[http://www.comandosupremo.com/1elalamein.html First Battle of El Alamein COMANDO SUPREMO/ITALY AT WAR]</ref>

During the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], the 12th Bersaglieri Regiment fought especially hard, manning the Italian 47mm and 90mm guns (often confused with the German 88mm ''flak'' guns) and field guns of the ''Littorio'' Armoured Division in defence of El Aqqaqir Ridge, destroying 70 tanks from the British 9th Armoured Brigade in the process.<ref>[http://www.ilprimatonazionale.it/cultura/el-alamein-battaglia-folgore-32837/ El-Alamein: la battaglia che consacrò il valore del soldato italiano]</ref> Berlin Radio acknowledged that in this sector the ''"British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material. The Italians fought till the last man."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>

The Bersaglieri remained a force to be reckoned with during the [[Tunisian Campaign]] and, in early December 1942 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment forced the surrender of 300 Allied paratroopers operating behind Axis lines during the [[Battle of Tebourba]].<ref>"La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”. "La sua prima brillante azione risale al 2 dicembre, quando reparti del XVI° catturarono un folto gruppo di paracadutisti inglesi e americani del Col. Raff, in un’ardita azione di rastrellamento nella zona di Donar Cheti, facendo meritare al Reggimento un encomio del comando della Divisione “Superga”." [http://cinquantamila.corriere.it/storyTellerGiorno.php?year=1942&month=12&day=06 Salmaggi e Pallavisini, Domenica, 6 Dicembre 1942]</ref><ref>[http://collections.civilisations.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=5001297 The New York Times, 5 December 1942 (German Military Communique)]</ref>

The Bersaglieri fought again during the [[Battle of Kasserine Pass]] as the Axis spearhead, with the 5th and 7th Bersaglieri Regiments capturing around 2,450 British, American and French troops and covering Rommel's withdrawal. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had special words of praise for the Bersaglieri, with their senior commander, Colonel Luigi Bonfatti killed leading the attack.

On 3 March, the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment supported by 30 tanks attacked the British lines, hoping to repeat the success at Kasserine Pass.<ref>"On February 22— facing poor terrain for mobile operations, increased Alled resistance, and a lack of cooperation from Arnim— Rommel withdrew artfully to prepare for a similiar operation against General Bernard L. Montgomery's British Eighth Army on the Mareth Line to the east." George S. Patton, Earle Rice, pg. 78, Infobase Publishing, 2009</ref> According to Associated Press war correspondent Don Whitehead:{{cquote|Last night three companies of Italians followed by 30 tanks and lorried infantry attacked the Highlander's advance screen. The Jocks “mowed 'em down”—and didn't lose a man. The tanks and infantry scurried back to the safety of the hills. Half the Italians were killed.<ref>Combat Reporter: Don Whitehead's World War II Diary and Memoirs, pg. 125, Fordham Univ Press, 2006</ref>}}

During the [[Battle of Maknassy Pass]], the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attack Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrate the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref> The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>

The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

It was noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old [German] prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref>}}

The 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th Bersaglieri Regiments along with the Fascist Youth (''Giovani Fascisti'') Regiment fought as part of the 1st Italian Army around Hill 141 during the [[Battle of Tunis]], surrendering on 13 May after defeating all the attacks from the 2nd New Zealand Division,<ref>"On arrival at Enfidaville the 2/5th and 2/6th Queen’s had taken over reserve positions behind the 2nd New Zealand Division, who were holding the low ground on the right of the Takrouna feature, having handed over Takrouna to the 51st (Highland) Division. They were very tired and needed to be relieved. General Montgomery had accepted that to try to outflank the enemy through the hills to the west of Enfidaville was now an unrealistic option, and had decided to switch his efforts to attacking up the coast road towards Hammamet. However, he disappeared off to Cairo on the 23rd April in order to discuss the plans for the invasion of Sicily, leaving Lieut-General Brian Horrocks to ponder the problem." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"The New Zealanders were very apologetic for their lack of success in securing these two features." [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/ww2/middle_east/qme025.shtml Enfidaville]</ref><ref>"It was their last action for a while, as 25 and 26 Battalions were relieved that night by 169 Infantry Brigade of 56 (L) Division, and 24 Battalion by 152 Infantry Brigade of 51 (H) Division." [http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Bard-c15-1.html 2 NZ Division after Takrouna]</ref> British 56th ''Black Cat'' Division<ref>"The New Zealanders around Takrouna estimated that 20,000 enemy were still in front of them, so SRY supported the newly arrived 56 (Black Cat) Division fresh from Syria in an attack on the 11th/12th May. Alas there was no success and many casualties." (Monty's Marauders, Patrick Delaforce Pen and Sword, 2008)</ref> and 1st Free French Division,<ref>"On May 12th this Italian force was still resisting from positions just north of Enfidaville. A French division attacking their right was repulsed and then counterattacked. The Air Force, being called upon for aid, made a strong bombing attack at 1530, supported by all the artillery whose fire could be brought to bear." Finale in Tunisia, Colonel Conrad H. Lanza, Page. 488, The Field Artillery, July 1943</ref> a week after after the complete collapse of the Afrika Korps facing the US 1st Armoured and 3rd Infantry Divisions on 6 May,<ref>Maj. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commanding II Corps, had originally planned to have Truscott's 3rd Division relieve the battle-weary 1st ID. However, as Truscott was moving his division forward to effect that relief, Bradley contacted him on the night of the fifth and told him that General Harmon had requested additional infantry to support his division's attack on a strongly defended German position on the peninsula east of Bizerte, and directed that Truscott send an infantry regiment to the Ferryville area for attachment to the 1st AD. Bradley had also ordered that an infantry regiment from the 9th ID and additional field artillery and antiaircraft join Harmon's division for the attack. Truscott's regiment was to attack the following morning. Truscott joined Harmon at his commando post southeast of Ferryville early the next morning, and after breakfast the two set out on a reconnaissance mission to ascertain how far forward Truscott's force could assemble for the attack. As they traveled they found that Harmon's troopers and their tanks were already in possession of the entire peninsula excepting the high ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, from which there came no sounds of enemy fire. It was obvious to Harmon and Truscott that "the battle in Tunisia was all but done and that no large force would be required to clear the ridge." Dogface Soldier: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr, By Wilson A., Heefner, p. 101, University of Missouri Press, 2010</ref> and poor showing<ref>"Two remarkable features of this Axis debacle were, firstly, that in the end, when the battle had obviously gone against the Axis, the Italians fought better than the Germans. The German morale collapsed completely towards the close of the campaign. Well-armed German units with plenty of ammunition and provisions surrendered in strong defensive positions when they could have fought for many days (weeks or months) longer." The Conquest of Italy, Joseph Montague Kenworthy, p. 17, Hutchinson, 1944</ref> of the attached German 90th Light Infantry Division.<ref>"For an hour the positions held by the 90th Light Infantry were obscured by a pall of smoke. At the end of the bombardment they surrendered. General Von Sponeck ... told General Keightley when he surrendered to him that although only two men had been killed and three wounded during the bombardment the morale of his men had been shattered." Tunisian Battle, John D'Arcy-Dawson, p. 248, Macdonald & Company, Limited, 1943</ref>

In summarizing the experience of General Giovanni Messe's 1st Army, a military expert would write several decades later:{{cquote|Not only should Tunisia have exploded the myth of Hitler's military acumen, it should have discredited the idea that Germans fought better than the Italians, since Messe's 1st Italian Army held out longer than Arnim's 5th German Army and the DAK, even both groups had about six divisions and faced roughly equal Anglo-American forces. Indeed, Hermann Goring division was the first to be scattered on 7 May, DAK the next to break and surrender on 9 May, with the Italian Spezia division closing the gap created by the German collapse and watching still combat-efficient German units march off into captivity on 11 May. Whether it is significant that the German 90th Light division was the first to collapse in Messe's 'Italian' Army, there is no doubt that the Italians fought well and held out longest in Tunisia.<ref>The Second World War: The German war 1939-1942, Jeremy Black, Page 265, Ashgate, 2007</ref>}}

During [[Operation Husky]] (the Allied invasion of Sicily), the 10th, 73rd and 177th Bersaglieri Regiments managed to contain the American armoured advance outside [[Agrigento]], but were eventually overwhelmed by Allied air power. However, resistance from the Bersaglieri was stiff enough to force the US 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions to take on the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment in house-to-house combat in the streets of Agrigento, with US military historian Samuel Eliot Morison acknowledging that ''"The Italians fought manfully for Agrigento".'' <ref>History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Sicily - Salerno - Anzio, January 1943 - June 1944, Samuel Eliot Morison, p. 176, University of Illinois Press, 2001</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

[[Category:War]] [[Category:World War II]]

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-07T00:21:20Z

Gentlewind: /* Operation Crusader */

The 25th ''Bologna'' Infantry Division was a major infantry formation of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army) during World War II. It was stationed in Tripolitania and was sent to Libya for further operations during the Italian invasion of Egypt. It saw extensive action in North Africa until it was finally destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein. It comprised the 39th and 40th Infantry Regiments and 205th Artillery Regiment.

==Siege of Tobruk==

During the Siege of Tobruk, the besieging troops were in the main part Italian units belonging to the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division and ''Trieste'' Motorized Division from the XXnd Motorised Corps, in support of the the ''Pavia'', ''Bologna'', and ''Brescia'' Infantry Divisions from the XXIst Infantry Corps. The sector manned by the ''Bologna'' Division consisted of several strongpoints manned by infantry and artillery battalions, all protected by extensive minefields.

The Italians, during the [[Battle of the Salient]], had overrun most of the Australian positions lost outside Tobruk on May 1st 1941. Combat engineers under Lieutenant Francesco Tuci and Second Lieutenant Ernesto Betti, supported by Italian flamethrower tanks, had helped the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment capture several of the Australian strongpoints.<ref>[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/firefly1002000/tobruk.html&date=2009-10-25+22:14:28 THE EARLY ATTEMPTS and SEIGE]</ref>

Lieutenant Tuci was posthumously awarded the ''Medaglia D'Argento'' (the Silver Medal, Italy's second highest military award for bravery, in helping his platoon of engineers fight off an Australian counterattack.<ref>"La sera del 29 il 1° plotone della 3a, agli ordini del Sototenente Ernesto Betti, andò in azione con un gruppo comandato dal Tenente dei Bersaglieri Melis. Questo reparto era costituito di un plotone Arditi dell'8° Bersaglieri e di 2 carri M13. Guastatori aprirono un varco nel campo minato protetto da filo spinato, antistante la Ridotto R3, I'assaltarono e la conquistarono utilizzando lanciafiamme e cariche cubiche ... Un commento al Bollettino di Guerra, trasmesso alle 13:00 del 10 maggio, informava che reparti del Genio Guastatori avevano espugnato 5 fortini della cerchia di Tobruk." Genio Guastatori, Silvestri Angioni Lombardi , p. 47, Edizioni R.E.I., 2015</ref>

On May 3rd, the Australian 18th Brigade launched a counterattack but were only able to recapture one lost strongpoint in Italian hands. The Italian flamethrower attacks had dented Australian morale, with 30 Australian defenders reportedly evacuated in the first week of May suffering from self-inflicted-wounds.<ref>"More disturbing was the large number of self-inflicted wound (SIW) cases. During a single week in May the division reported thirty SIW cases..." Armies of Empire: The 9th Australian and 50th British Divisions in Battle 1939–1945, Allan Converse, p. 86, Cambridge University Press, 2011</ref>
That month, an underground "war neurosis clinic" was built in Tobruk and placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair, in order to treat 207 Australians needing psychological treatment in the aftermath of the Battle of The Salient.<ref>"In May 1941 a 'war neurosis clinic' of 70 beds was established in an underground concrete shelter in the city. Of the 204 admissions treated by Lt Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair 61% were reported as serving with fighting units... " Shell Shock to PTSD: Military Psychiatry from 1900 to the Gulf War, Edgar Jones, Simon Wessely, p. 67, Psychology Press, 2005</ref>

==Operation Crusader==

On November 21st 1941, the ''Bologna'' Division brought to a halt a strong British advance through its positions as part of [[Operation Crusader]].<ref>"The front was a series of strongpoints and not continuous trench lines. One was the Tugun position held by the Bologna infantry division, anything but an elite formation. The New Zealand Official History states, "The more elaborate attack on Tugun went in at 3 p.m. and gained perhaps half the position, together with 250 Italians and many light field guns; but the Italians in the western half could not be dislodged and the base of the break-out area remained on this account uncomfortably narrow." The Official History goes on to comment on the "...strong Italian opposition at Tugun as part of the reason for the decision to halt the sortie at this time." Rommel's North Africa Campaign: September 1940-November 1942, Page 110, Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani, Combined Books, 1994</ref> The British forces involved (2nd/''King''’s Own, 2nd/''Black Watch'', 2nd/''Queen''’s and 4th Royal Tank Regiment with Matilda tanks) overran part of the ''Bologna'' defences, but the attacks were eventually stopped by the Italian defenders. In summing up the experience of the 2nd Battalion ''The Black Watch'' in the attack, the ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' noted that:{{cquote|The superlative élan of the Black Watch in the attack had been equalled by the remarkable persistence of the defence in the face of formidable tank-and-infantry pressure.<ref>The Relief of Tobruk, W. E. Murphy, Pg 93, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1961</ref>}}

On November 23rd, the ''Bologna'' Division again withstood another strong British attack from Tobruk aimed at spilling into the area of Sidi Rezegh, and the defenders bought sufficient time to allow the [[17th Pavia Infantry Division]] to mount an effective counter-attack and derail the British advance, as a German narrative later recorded:{{cquote|After a sudden artillery concentration the garrison of Fortress Tobruk, supported by sixty tanks, made an attack on the direction of Bel Hamid at noon, intending at long last unite with the main offence group. The Italian siege front around the fortress tried to offer a defence in the confusion but was forced to relinquish numerous strong points in the encirclement front about Bir Bu Assaten to superior enemy forces. The Italian "Pavia" Division was committed for a counterattack and managed to seal off the enemy breakthrough. <ref>German Experiences in Desert Warfare During World War II, Generalmajor Major Alfred Toppe (et al), Combat Studies Institute/Combined Arms Research Library, 1952</ref>}}

The ''Bologna'' defences now extended some 8 miles, and on November 25th, the thinly spread-out division was assaulted again by 50 British tanks and forced to withdraw some distance, although not before the German ''Böttcher'' Group had inflicted considerable losses on the British tanks. The British advance had been hours earlier derailed by the timely arrival of crack Italian reinforcements in the form of a Bersaglieri battalion of the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"When the New Zealanders attacked again after the onset of darkness, they were able to take Balhamed in the course of the night. Early in the morning of 26 November, a portion of the Tobruk garrison, supported by 50 tanks, broke out once again. A crisis arose when El Duda fell. It was only through a bitter and bravely conducted immediate counterattack by the Bersaglieri of the Trieste Division that the positions in the north could be held." Das Afrika Korps: Erwin Rommel and the Germans in Africa, 1941-43, By Franz Kurowski, pg. 117, Stackpole Books, 2010</ref>

The ''Bologna'' defenders were gradually pushed back to their ''Leopard'' strongpoint, covering their retreat with mines and machine-gun nests, but by the end of the month the Tobruk breakout was judged a success among the British commanders.

Despite the Elite German 90th Light Division withdrawing early from the Tobruk sector on December 4th, the ''Bologna'' Division held out for nearly another week when trucks were finally assigned to give them some support under the cover of darkness of December 8th.

A further assault, this time by the Polish Carpathian Brigade (SBSK) supported by tanks and artillery, was required against the stubborn Italian defenders in the form of the rearguard of the ''Brescia'' Division dug in on White-Knoll, before the Axis siege of Tobruk was finally declared over on December 10th.

During Operation Crusader, 24 year-old Corporal Reginaldo Rossi of the 39th Bologna Infantry Regiment, won posthumously the ''Medaglia d’Argento al Valore Militare'', Italy’s second-highest military decoration. His Silver Medal for Valour citation reads:{{cquote|As an anti-tank gunner, he was an example to all for his discipline and the care and maintenance he took of the units weapons. In the bloody and arduous combat that took place against numerous armoured vehicles, he showed complete and total disregard to the danger present and with absolute calmness, he stuck to his gun that he refused to abandon, even when he found himself surrounded by the enemy.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html Hit by German and Italian anti-tank guns]</ref>}}

An Australian historian, when writing about the Italian role during Operation Crusader, concluded that:{{cquote|The Axis units fought well, including the Italian Divisioni 'Ariete' and 'Bologna' - a 'semi-motorized' formation.<ref>El Alamein: The Battle That Turned the Tide of the Second World War, Bryn Hammond, p. 27, Osprey Publishing, 2012</ref>}}

==El Alamein==

In July 1942, the ''Bologna'' Division recovering at El Gazala was ordered forward to reinforce the El Alamein front. Lacking transports, the Italian infantry duly marched some 400 miles, being congratulated in person by Benito Mussolini in their long trek to the new Axis frontlines. On the night of August 25th, the ''Bologna'' suffered a defeat when its forward posts were overrun in a night attack involving Maori troops from the New Zealand 28th Battalion, with the New Zealanders admitting losing 25 killed, wounded or captured in their surprise attack.

During the Battle of Alam el Halfa, the ''Bologna'' and supporting German 433rd Infantry Regiment struck back, overrunning several Indian, South African and New Zealand units defending Ruweisat Ridge, capturing Point 211 with 70 British soldiers falling into Italian hands.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420901&id=dbpRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D2oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5917,6800448&hl=en ROMMEL OPENS DRIVE IN EGYPT]</ref>

Cyril Falls, a noted British military historian, later confirmed the Italian success:{{cquote|In the centre of the British front a good Italian division, the Bologna, delivered a strong attack on the Ruweisat Ridge, and a considerable counter-attack was required to expel it from the footing it gained.<ref>AFTERMATH OF WAR: THE EIGHT ARMY FROM ALAMEIN TO THE SANGRO. The Illustrated London news, Volume 212, Issues 5672-5684, p. 262, The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd., 1948</ref>}}

On October 23rd, General Georg Stumme, acting commander of the Afrika Korps, personally presented German decorations to a number of officers and NCOs of the ''Bologna'' Division and attached combat sappers.<ref>"General Stumme spent the morning presentinng German decorations to some Italians of the Bologna infantry division and an engineering battalion." Alamein, Stephen Bungay, p. ? Aurum Press, 2013</ref>

During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the ''Bologna'' Division and two supporting battalions from the German ''Ramcke'' Parachute Brigade held firm in the initial Allied advance, capturing 40 British soldiers attacking Ruweisat Ridge.<ref>"On Ruweisat Ridge the enemy achieved temporary success, the Ramcke Parachute Brigade and the Bologna Division claiming to have taken 40 prisoners, but by dawn the Indians had restored the situation." War in the Desert, Neil D. Orpen, Pg 398, Purnell, 1971</ref>

On November 4th, the final Allied attacks were made. The British 1st, 7th and 10th Armoured Divisions (under Major-General Gatehouse) penetrated through the Axis lines while heading towards Fuka. These attacks saw the destruction of the ''Ariete'' and ''Littorio'' Armoured Divisions, and the ''Bologna'' and ''Trieste'' Infantry Division. <ref>"On the morning of 4 November, however, 'a strong armoured force' of the British 7th Armoured Division penetrated the XXIst Corps' position and the Trento and Bologna Divisons gave ground." Germany and the Second World War: Volume 6: The Global War, Horst Boog, Werner Rahn, Reinhard Stumpf, Bernd Wegner, OUP Oxford, 2001</ref>

Private Sid Martindale from the 1st Battalion, The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, recalled the carnage inflicted in the ''Bologna'' Division:{{cquote|The more we advanced the more we realized that the Italians did not have much fight on them after putting up a strong resistance to our overwhelming advance and they started surrendering to our lead troops in droves. There was not much action to see but we came across lots of burnt out Italian tanks that had been destroyed by our tanks. I had never seen a battlefield before and the site of so many dead was sickening. <ref>The Italian Army In North Africa, Walter S. Zapotoczny, Fonthill Media, 2018</ref>}}

The remnants of the ''Bologna'' and ''Trento'' Divisions tried to fight their way out of the British encirclement, marching in the desert without water, food or transport before surrendering exhausted and suffering from severe dehydration. It was reported that Colonel Alfredo Dall'Olio, acting commander of the ''Bologna'', surrendered saying: ''"We have ceased firing not because we haven't the desire but because we have spent every round."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>In a final act of defiance, no one in what remained of the ''Bologna'' Division raised their hands.

US War correspondent Harry Zinder from ''TIME Magazine'' noted that the Italians fought better than had been reported and had also covered the German retreat:{{cquote|It was a terrific letdown by their German allies. They had fought a good fight. In the south, the famed Folgore parachute division fought to the last round of ammunition. Two armoured divisions and a motorised division, which had been interspersed among the German formations, thought they would be allowed to retire gracefully with Rommel's 21st, 15th and 90 Light. But even that was denied them. When it became obvious to Rommel that there would be little chance to hold anything between El Daba and the frontier, his Panzers dissolved, disintegrated and turned tail, leaving the Italians to fight a rear-guard action. <ref>Battlefronts: A PINT OF WATER PER MAN, Time Magazine, 16 November 1942</ref>}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Italian History]]

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-07T00:19:10Z

Gentlewind: /* Operation Crusader */

The 25th ''Bologna'' Infantry Division was a major infantry formation of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army) during World War II. It was stationed in Tripolitania and was sent to Libya for further operations during the Italian invasion of Egypt. It saw extensive action in North Africa until it was finally destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein. It comprised the 39th and 40th Infantry Regiments and 205th Artillery Regiment.

==Siege of Tobruk==

During the Siege of Tobruk, the besieging troops were in the main part Italian units belonging to the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division and ''Trieste'' Motorized Division from the XXnd Motorised Corps, in support of the the ''Pavia'', ''Bologna'', and ''Brescia'' Infantry Divisions from the XXIst Infantry Corps. The sector manned by the ''Bologna'' Division consisted of several strongpoints manned by infantry and artillery battalions, all protected by extensive minefields.

The Italians, during the [[Battle of the Salient]], had overrun most of the Australian positions lost outside Tobruk on May 1st 1941. Combat engineers under Lieutenant Francesco Tuci and Second Lieutenant Ernesto Betti, supported by Italian flamethrower tanks, had helped the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment capture several of the Australian strongpoints.<ref>[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/firefly1002000/tobruk.html&date=2009-10-25+22:14:28 THE EARLY ATTEMPTS and SEIGE]</ref>

Lieutenant Tuci was posthumously awarded the ''Medaglia D'Argento'' (the Silver Medal, Italy's second highest military award for bravery, in helping his platoon of engineers fight off an Australian counterattack.<ref>"La sera del 29 il 1° plotone della 3a, agli ordini del Sototenente Ernesto Betti, andò in azione con un gruppo comandato dal Tenente dei Bersaglieri Melis. Questo reparto era costituito di un plotone Arditi dell'8° Bersaglieri e di 2 carri M13. Guastatori aprirono un varco nel campo minato protetto da filo spinato, antistante la Ridotto R3, I'assaltarono e la conquistarono utilizzando lanciafiamme e cariche cubiche ... Un commento al Bollettino di Guerra, trasmesso alle 13:00 del 10 maggio, informava che reparti del Genio Guastatori avevano espugnato 5 fortini della cerchia di Tobruk." Genio Guastatori, Silvestri Angioni Lombardi , p. 47, Edizioni R.E.I., 2015</ref>

On May 3rd, the Australian 18th Brigade launched a counterattack but were only able to recapture one lost strongpoint in Italian hands. The Italian flamethrower attacks had dented Australian morale, with 30 Australian defenders reportedly evacuated in the first week of May suffering from self-inflicted-wounds.<ref>"More disturbing was the large number of self-inflicted wound (SIW) cases. During a single week in May the division reported thirty SIW cases..." Armies of Empire: The 9th Australian and 50th British Divisions in Battle 1939–1945, Allan Converse, p. 86, Cambridge University Press, 2011</ref>
That month, an underground "war neurosis clinic" was built in Tobruk and placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair, in order to treat 207 Australians needing psychological treatment in the aftermath of the Battle of The Salient.<ref>"In May 1941 a 'war neurosis clinic' of 70 beds was established in an underground concrete shelter in the city. Of the 204 admissions treated by Lt Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair 61% were reported as serving with fighting units... " Shell Shock to PTSD: Military Psychiatry from 1900 to the Gulf War, Edgar Jones, Simon Wessely, p. 67, Psychology Press, 2005</ref>

==Operation Crusader==

On November 21st 1941, the ''Bologna'' Division brought to a halt a strong British advance through its positions as part of [[Operation Crusader]].<ref>"The front was a series of strongpoints and not continuous trench lines. One was the Tugun position held by the Bologna infantry division, anything but an elite formation. The New Zealand Official History states, "The more elaborate attack on Tugun went in at 3 p.m. and gained perhaps half the position, together with 250 Italians and many light field guns; but the Italians in the western half could not be dislodged and the base of the break-out area remained on this account uncomfortably narrow." The Official History goes on to comment on the "...strong Italian opposition at Tugun as part of the reason for the decision to halt the sortie at this time." Rommel's North Africa Campaign: September 1940-November 1942, Page 110, Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani, Combined Books, 1994</ref> The British forces involved (2nd/''King''’s Own, 2nd/''Black Watch'', 2nd/''Queen''’s and 4th Royal Tank Regiment with Matilda tanks) overran part of the ''Bologna'' defences, but the attacks were eventually stopped by the Italian defenders. In summing up the experience of the 2nd Battalion ''The Black Watch'' in the attack, the ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' noted that:{{cquote|The superlative élan of the Black Watch in the attack had been equalled by the remarkable persistence of the defence in the face of formidable tank-and-infantry pressure.<ref>The Relief of Tobruk, W. E. Murphy, Pg 93, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1961</ref>}}

On November 23rd, the ''Bologna'' Division again withstood another strong British attack from Tobruk aimed at spilling into the area of Sidi Rezegh, and the defenders bought sufficient time to allow the [[17th Pavia Infantry Division]] to mount an effective counter-attack and derail the British advance, as a German narrative later recorded:{{cquote|After a sudden artillery concentration the garrison of Fortress Tobruk, supported by sixty tanks, made an attack on the direction of Bel Hamid at noon, intending at long last unite with the main offence group. The Italian siege front around the fortress tried to offer a defence in the confusion but was forced to relinquish numerous strong points in the encirclement front about Bir Bu Assaten to superior enemy forces. The Italian "Pavia" Division was committed for a counterattack and managed to seal off the enemy breakthrough. <ref>German Experiences in Desert Warfare During World War II, Generalmajor Major Alfred Toppe (et al), Combat Studies Institute/Combined Arms Research Library, 1952</ref>}}

The ''Bologna'' defences now extended some 8 miles, and on November 25th, the thinly spread-out division was assaulted again by 50 British tanks and forced to withdraw some distance, although not before the German ''Böttcher'' Group had inflicted considerable losses on the British tanks. The British advance had been hours earlier derailed by the timely arrival of crack Italian reinforcements in the form of a Bersaglieri battalion of the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"When the New Zealanders attacked again after the onset of darkness, they were able to take Balhamed in the course of the night. Early in the morning of 26 November, a portion of the Tobruk garrison, supported by 50 tanks, broke out once again. A crisis arose when El Duda fell. It was only through a bitter and bravely conducted immediate counterattack by the Bersaglieri of the Trieste Division that the positions in the north could be held." Das Afrika Korps: Erwin Rommel and the Germans in Africa, 1941-43, By Franz Kurowski, pg. 117, Stackpole Books, 2010</ref>

The ''Bologna'' defenders were gradually pushed back to their ''Leopard'' strongpoint, covering their retreat with mines and machine-gun nests, but by the end of the month the Tobruk breakout was judged a success among the British commanders.

Despite the Elite German 90th Light Division withdrawing early from the Tobruk sector on December 4th, the ''Bologna'' Division held out for nearly another week when trucks were finally assigned to give them some support under the cover of darkness of December 8th.

A further assault, this time by the Polish Carpathian Brigade (SBSK) supported by tanks and artillery, was required against the stubborn Italian defenders in the form of the rearguard of the ''Brescia'' Division dug in on the White-Knoll, before the Axis siege of Tobruk was finally declared over on December 10th.

During Operation Crusader, 24 year-old Corporal Reginaldo Rossi of the 39th Bologna Infantry Regiment, won posthumously the ''Medaglia d’Argento al Valore Militare'', Italy’s second-highest military decoration. His Silver Medal for Valour citation reads:{{cquote|As an anti-tank gunner, he was an example to all for his discipline and the care and maintenance he took of the units weapons. In the bloody and arduous combat that took place against numerous armoured vehicles, he showed complete and total disregard to the danger present and with absolute calmness, he stuck to his gun that he refused to abandon, even when he found himself surrounded by the enemy.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html Hit by German and Italian anti-tank guns]</ref>}}

An Australian historian, when writing about the Italian role during Operation Crusader, concluded that:{{cquote|The Axis units fought well, including the Italian Divisioni 'Ariete' and 'Bologna' - a 'semi-motorized' formation.<ref>El Alamein: The Battle That Turned the Tide of the Second World War, Bryn Hammond, p. 27, Osprey Publishing, 2012</ref>}}

==El Alamein==

In July 1942, the ''Bologna'' Division recovering at El Gazala was ordered forward to reinforce the El Alamein front. Lacking transports, the Italian infantry duly marched some 400 miles, being congratulated in person by Benito Mussolini in their long trek to the new Axis frontlines. On the night of August 25th, the ''Bologna'' suffered a defeat when its forward posts were overrun in a night attack involving Maori troops from the New Zealand 28th Battalion, with the New Zealanders admitting losing 25 killed, wounded or captured in their surprise attack.

During the Battle of Alam el Halfa, the ''Bologna'' and supporting German 433rd Infantry Regiment struck back, overrunning several Indian, South African and New Zealand units defending Ruweisat Ridge, capturing Point 211 with 70 British soldiers falling into Italian hands.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420901&id=dbpRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D2oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5917,6800448&hl=en ROMMEL OPENS DRIVE IN EGYPT]</ref>

Cyril Falls, a noted British military historian, later confirmed the Italian success:{{cquote|In the centre of the British front a good Italian division, the Bologna, delivered a strong attack on the Ruweisat Ridge, and a considerable counter-attack was required to expel it from the footing it gained.<ref>AFTERMATH OF WAR: THE EIGHT ARMY FROM ALAMEIN TO THE SANGRO. The Illustrated London news, Volume 212, Issues 5672-5684, p. 262, The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd., 1948</ref>}}

On October 23rd, General Georg Stumme, acting commander of the Afrika Korps, personally presented German decorations to a number of officers and NCOs of the ''Bologna'' Division and attached combat sappers.<ref>"General Stumme spent the morning presentinng German decorations to some Italians of the Bologna infantry division and an engineering battalion." Alamein, Stephen Bungay, p. ? Aurum Press, 2013</ref>

During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the ''Bologna'' Division and two supporting battalions from the German ''Ramcke'' Parachute Brigade held firm in the initial Allied advance, capturing 40 British soldiers attacking Ruweisat Ridge.<ref>"On Ruweisat Ridge the enemy achieved temporary success, the Ramcke Parachute Brigade and the Bologna Division claiming to have taken 40 prisoners, but by dawn the Indians had restored the situation." War in the Desert, Neil D. Orpen, Pg 398, Purnell, 1971</ref>

On November 4th, the final Allied attacks were made. The British 1st, 7th and 10th Armoured Divisions (under Major-General Gatehouse) penetrated through the Axis lines while heading towards Fuka. These attacks saw the destruction of the ''Ariete'' and ''Littorio'' Armoured Divisions, and the ''Bologna'' and ''Trieste'' Infantry Division. <ref>"On the morning of 4 November, however, 'a strong armoured force' of the British 7th Armoured Division penetrated the XXIst Corps' position and the Trento and Bologna Divisons gave ground." Germany and the Second World War: Volume 6: The Global War, Horst Boog, Werner Rahn, Reinhard Stumpf, Bernd Wegner, OUP Oxford, 2001</ref>

Private Sid Martindale from the 1st Battalion, The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, recalled the carnage inflicted in the ''Bologna'' Division:{{cquote|The more we advanced the more we realized that the Italians did not have much fight on them after putting up a strong resistance to our overwhelming advance and they started surrendering to our lead troops in droves. There was not much action to see but we came across lots of burnt out Italian tanks that had been destroyed by our tanks. I had never seen a battlefield before and the site of so many dead was sickening. <ref>The Italian Army In North Africa, Walter S. Zapotoczny, Fonthill Media, 2018</ref>}}

The remnants of the ''Bologna'' and ''Trento'' Divisions tried to fight their way out of the British encirclement, marching in the desert without water, food or transport before surrendering exhausted and suffering from severe dehydration. It was reported that Colonel Alfredo Dall'Olio, acting commander of the ''Bologna'', surrendered saying: ''"We have ceased firing not because we haven't the desire but because we have spent every round."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>In a final act of defiance, no one in what remained of the ''Bologna'' Division raised their hands.

US War correspondent Harry Zinder from ''TIME Magazine'' noted that the Italians fought better than had been reported and had also covered the German retreat:{{cquote|It was a terrific letdown by their German allies. They had fought a good fight. In the south, the famed Folgore parachute division fought to the last round of ammunition. Two armoured divisions and a motorised division, which had been interspersed among the German formations, thought they would be allowed to retire gracefully with Rommel's 21st, 15th and 90 Light. But even that was denied them. When it became obvious to Rommel that there would be little chance to hold anything between El Daba and the frontier, his Panzers dissolved, disintegrated and turned tail, leaving the Italians to fight a rear-guard action. <ref>Battlefronts: A PINT OF WATER PER MAN, Time Magazine, 16 November 1942</ref>}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Italian History]]

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-07T00:15:30Z

Gentlewind: /* Operation Crusader */

The 25th ''Bologna'' Infantry Division was a major infantry formation of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army) during World War II. It was stationed in Tripolitania and was sent to Libya for further operations during the Italian invasion of Egypt. It saw extensive action in North Africa until it was finally destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein. It comprised the 39th and 40th Infantry Regiments and 205th Artillery Regiment.

==Siege of Tobruk==

During the Siege of Tobruk, the besieging troops were in the main part Italian units belonging to the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division and ''Trieste'' Motorized Division from the XXnd Motorised Corps, in support of the the ''Pavia'', ''Bologna'', and ''Brescia'' Infantry Divisions from the XXIst Infantry Corps. The sector manned by the ''Bologna'' Division consisted of several strongpoints manned by infantry and artillery battalions, all protected by extensive minefields.

The Italians, during the [[Battle of the Salient]], had overrun most of the Australian positions lost outside Tobruk on May 1st 1941. Combat engineers under Lieutenant Francesco Tuci and Second Lieutenant Ernesto Betti, supported by Italian flamethrower tanks, had helped the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment capture several of the Australian strongpoints.<ref>[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/firefly1002000/tobruk.html&date=2009-10-25+22:14:28 THE EARLY ATTEMPTS and SEIGE]</ref>

Lieutenant Tuci was posthumously awarded the ''Medaglia D'Argento'' (the Silver Medal, Italy's second highest military award for bravery, in helping his platoon of engineers fight off an Australian counterattack.<ref>"La sera del 29 il 1° plotone della 3a, agli ordini del Sototenente Ernesto Betti, andò in azione con un gruppo comandato dal Tenente dei Bersaglieri Melis. Questo reparto era costituito di un plotone Arditi dell'8° Bersaglieri e di 2 carri M13. Guastatori aprirono un varco nel campo minato protetto da filo spinato, antistante la Ridotto R3, I'assaltarono e la conquistarono utilizzando lanciafiamme e cariche cubiche ... Un commento al Bollettino di Guerra, trasmesso alle 13:00 del 10 maggio, informava che reparti del Genio Guastatori avevano espugnato 5 fortini della cerchia di Tobruk." Genio Guastatori, Silvestri Angioni Lombardi , p. 47, Edizioni R.E.I., 2015</ref>

On May 3rd, the Australian 18th Brigade launched a counterattack but were only able to recapture one lost strongpoint in Italian hands. The Italian flamethrower attacks had dented Australian morale, with 30 Australian defenders reportedly evacuated in the first week of May suffering from self-inflicted-wounds.<ref>"More disturbing was the large number of self-inflicted wound (SIW) cases. During a single week in May the division reported thirty SIW cases..." Armies of Empire: The 9th Australian and 50th British Divisions in Battle 1939–1945, Allan Converse, p. 86, Cambridge University Press, 2011</ref>
That month, an underground "war neurosis clinic" was built in Tobruk and placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair, in order to treat 207 Australians needing psychological treatment in the aftermath of the Battle of The Salient.<ref>"In May 1941 a 'war neurosis clinic' of 70 beds was established in an underground concrete shelter in the city. Of the 204 admissions treated by Lt Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair 61% were reported as serving with fighting units... " Shell Shock to PTSD: Military Psychiatry from 1900 to the Gulf War, Edgar Jones, Simon Wessely, p. 67, Psychology Press, 2005</ref>

==Operation Crusader==

On November 21st 1941, the ''Bologna'' Division brought to a halt a strong British advance through its positions as part of [[Operation Crusader]].<ref>"The front was a series of strongpoints and not continuous trench lines. One was the Tugun position held by the Bologna infantry division, anything but an elite formation. The New Zealand Official History states, "The more elaborate attack on Tugun went in at 3 p.m. and gained perhaps half the position, together with 250 Italians and many light field guns; but the Italians in the western half could not be dislodged and the base of the break-out area remained on this account uncomfortably narrow." The Official History goes on to comment on the "...strong Italian opposition at Tugun as part of the reason for the decision to halt the sortie at this time." Rommel's North Africa Campaign: September 1940-November 1942, Page 110, Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani, Combined Books, 1994</ref> The British forces involved (2nd/''King''’s Own, 2nd/''Black Watch'', 2nd/''Queen''’s and 4th Royal Tank Regiment with Matilda tanks) overran part of the ''Bologna'' defences, but the attacks were eventually stopped by the Italian defenders. In summing up the experience of the 2nd Battalion ''The Black Watch'' in the attack, the ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' noted that:{{cquote|The superlative élan of the Black Watch in the attack had been equalled by the remarkable persistence of the defence in the face of formidable tank-and-infantry pressure.<ref>The Relief of Tobruk, W. E. Murphy, Pg 93, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1961</ref>}}

On November 23rd, the ''Bologna'' Division again withstood another strong British attack from Tobruk aimed at spilling into the area of Sidi Rezegh, and the defenders bought sufficient time to allow the [[17th Pavia Infantry Division]] to mount an effective counter-attack and derail the British advance, as a German narrative later recorded:{{cquote|After a sudden artillery concentration the garrison of Fortress Tobruk, supported by sixty tanks, made an attack on the direction of Bel Hamid at noon, intending at long last unite with the main offence group. The Italian siege front around the fortress tried to offer a defence in the confusion but was forced to relinquish numerous strong points in the encirclement front about Bir Bu Assaten to superior enemy forces. The Italian "Pavia" Division was committed for a counterattack and managed to seal off the enemy breakthrough. <ref>German Experiences in Desert Warfare During World War II, Generalmajor Major Alfred Toppe (et al), Combat Studies Institute/Combined Arms Research Library, 1952</ref>}}

The ''Bologna'' defences now extended some 8 miles, and on November 25th, the thinly spread-out division was assaulted again by 50 British tanks and forced to withdraw some distance, although not before the German ''Böttcher'' Group had inflicted considerable losses on the British tanks. The British advance had been hours earlier derailed by the timely arrival of crack Italian reinforcements in the form of a Bersaglieri battalion of the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"When the New Zealanders attacked again after the onset of darkness, they were able to take Balhamed in the course of the night. Early in the morning of 26 November, a portion of the Tobruk garrison, supported by 50 tanks, broke out once again. A crisis arose when El Duda fell. It was only through a bitter and bravely conducted immediate counterattack by the Bersaglieri of the Trieste Division that the positions in the north could be held." Das Afrika Korps: Erwin Rommel and the Germans in Africa, 1941-43, By Franz Kurowski, pg. 117, Stackpole Books, 2010</ref>

The ''Bologna''defenders were gradually pushed back to the ''Leopard'' strongpoint, covering their retreat with mines and machine-gun nests, but by the end of the month the Tobruk breakout was judged a success among the British commanders.

Despite the Elite German 90th Light Division withdrawing early from the Tobruk sector on December 4th, the ''Bologna'' Division held out over the next week when trucks were finally assigned to give them some support under the cover of darkness of December 8th.

A further assault, this time by the Polish Carpathian Brigade (SBSK) supported by tanks and artillery, was required against the stubborn Italian defenders in the form of the rearguard of the ''Brescia'' Division dug in on the White-Knoll, before the Axis siege of Tobruk was finally declared over on December 10th.

During Operation Crusader, 24 year-old Corporal Reginaldo Rossi of the 39th Bologna Infantry Regiment, won posthumously the ''Medaglia d’Argento al Valore Militare'', Italy’s second-highest military decoration. His Silver Medal for Valour citation reads:{{cquote|As an anti-tank gunner, he was an example to all for his discipline and the care and maintenance he took of the units weapons. In the bloody and arduous combat that took place against numerous armoured vehicles, he showed complete and total disregard to the danger present and with absolute calmness, he stuck to his gun that he refused to abandon, even when he found himself surrounded by the enemy.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html Hit by German and Italian anti-tank guns]</ref>}}

An Australian historian, when writing about the Italian role during Operation Crusader, concluded that:{{cquote|The Axis units fought well, including the Italian Divisioni 'Ariete' and 'Bologna' - a 'semi-motorized' formation.<ref>El Alamein: The Battle That Turned the Tide of the Second World War, Bryn Hammond, p. 27, Osprey Publishing, 2012</ref>}}

==El Alamein==

In July 1942, the ''Bologna'' Division recovering at El Gazala was ordered forward to reinforce the El Alamein front. Lacking transports, the Italian infantry duly marched some 400 miles, being congratulated in person by Benito Mussolini in their long trek to the new Axis frontlines. On the night of August 25th, the ''Bologna'' suffered a defeat when its forward posts were overrun in a night attack involving Maori troops from the New Zealand 28th Battalion, with the New Zealanders admitting losing 25 killed, wounded or captured in their surprise attack.

During the Battle of Alam el Halfa, the ''Bologna'' and supporting German 433rd Infantry Regiment struck back, overrunning several Indian, South African and New Zealand units defending Ruweisat Ridge, capturing Point 211 with 70 British soldiers falling into Italian hands.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420901&id=dbpRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D2oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5917,6800448&hl=en ROMMEL OPENS DRIVE IN EGYPT]</ref>

Cyril Falls, a noted British military historian, later confirmed the Italian success:{{cquote|In the centre of the British front a good Italian division, the Bologna, delivered a strong attack on the Ruweisat Ridge, and a considerable counter-attack was required to expel it from the footing it gained.<ref>AFTERMATH OF WAR: THE EIGHT ARMY FROM ALAMEIN TO THE SANGRO. The Illustrated London news, Volume 212, Issues 5672-5684, p. 262, The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd., 1948</ref>}}

On October 23rd, General Georg Stumme, acting commander of the Afrika Korps, personally presented German decorations to a number of officers and NCOs of the ''Bologna'' Division and attached combat sappers.<ref>"General Stumme spent the morning presentinng German decorations to some Italians of the Bologna infantry division and an engineering battalion." Alamein, Stephen Bungay, p. ? Aurum Press, 2013</ref>

During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the ''Bologna'' Division and two supporting battalions from the German ''Ramcke'' Parachute Brigade held firm in the initial Allied advance, capturing 40 British soldiers attacking Ruweisat Ridge.<ref>"On Ruweisat Ridge the enemy achieved temporary success, the Ramcke Parachute Brigade and the Bologna Division claiming to have taken 40 prisoners, but by dawn the Indians had restored the situation." War in the Desert, Neil D. Orpen, Pg 398, Purnell, 1971</ref>

On November 4th, the final Allied attacks were made. The British 1st, 7th and 10th Armoured Divisions (under Major-General Gatehouse) penetrated through the Axis lines while heading towards Fuka. These attacks saw the destruction of the ''Ariete'' and ''Littorio'' Armoured Divisions, and the ''Bologna'' and ''Trieste'' Infantry Division. <ref>"On the morning of 4 November, however, 'a strong armoured force' of the British 7th Armoured Division penetrated the XXIst Corps' position and the Trento and Bologna Divisons gave ground." Germany and the Second World War: Volume 6: The Global War, Horst Boog, Werner Rahn, Reinhard Stumpf, Bernd Wegner, OUP Oxford, 2001</ref>

Private Sid Martindale from the 1st Battalion, The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, recalled the carnage inflicted in the ''Bologna'' Division:{{cquote|The more we advanced the more we realized that the Italians did not have much fight on them after putting up a strong resistance to our overwhelming advance and they started surrendering to our lead troops in droves. There was not much action to see but we came across lots of burnt out Italian tanks that had been destroyed by our tanks. I had never seen a battlefield before and the site of so many dead was sickening. <ref>The Italian Army In North Africa, Walter S. Zapotoczny, Fonthill Media, 2018</ref>}}

The remnants of the ''Bologna'' and ''Trento'' Divisions tried to fight their way out of the British encirclement, marching in the desert without water, food or transport before surrendering exhausted and suffering from severe dehydration. It was reported that Colonel Alfredo Dall'Olio, acting commander of the ''Bologna'', surrendered saying: ''"We have ceased firing not because we haven't the desire but because we have spent every round."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>In a final act of defiance, no one in what remained of the ''Bologna'' Division raised their hands.

US War correspondent Harry Zinder from ''TIME Magazine'' noted that the Italians fought better than had been reported and had also covered the German retreat:{{cquote|It was a terrific letdown by their German allies. They had fought a good fight. In the south, the famed Folgore parachute division fought to the last round of ammunition. Two armoured divisions and a motorised division, which had been interspersed among the German formations, thought they would be allowed to retire gracefully with Rommel's 21st, 15th and 90 Light. But even that was denied them. When it became obvious to Rommel that there would be little chance to hold anything between El Daba and the frontier, his Panzers dissolved, disintegrated and turned tail, leaving the Italians to fight a rear-guard action. <ref>Battlefronts: A PINT OF WATER PER MAN, Time Magazine, 16 November 1942</ref>}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Italian History]]

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-07T00:08:11Z

Gentlewind: /* Operation Crusader */

The 25th ''Bologna'' Infantry Division was a major infantry formation of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army) during World War II. It was stationed in Tripolitania and was sent to Libya for further operations during the Italian invasion of Egypt. It saw extensive action in North Africa until it was finally destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein. It comprised the 39th and 40th Infantry Regiments and 205th Artillery Regiment.

==Siege of Tobruk==

During the Siege of Tobruk, the besieging troops were in the main part Italian units belonging to the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division and ''Trieste'' Motorized Division from the XXnd Motorised Corps, in support of the the ''Pavia'', ''Bologna'', and ''Brescia'' Infantry Divisions from the XXIst Infantry Corps. The sector manned by the ''Bologna'' Division consisted of several strongpoints manned by infantry and artillery battalions, all protected by extensive minefields.

The Italians, during the [[Battle of the Salient]], had overrun most of the Australian positions lost outside Tobruk on May 1st 1941. Combat engineers under Lieutenant Francesco Tuci and Second Lieutenant Ernesto Betti, supported by Italian flamethrower tanks, had helped the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment capture several of the Australian strongpoints.<ref>[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/firefly1002000/tobruk.html&date=2009-10-25+22:14:28 THE EARLY ATTEMPTS and SEIGE]</ref>

Lieutenant Tuci was posthumously awarded the ''Medaglia D'Argento'' (the Silver Medal, Italy's second highest military award for bravery, in helping his platoon of engineers fight off an Australian counterattack.<ref>"La sera del 29 il 1° plotone della 3a, agli ordini del Sototenente Ernesto Betti, andò in azione con un gruppo comandato dal Tenente dei Bersaglieri Melis. Questo reparto era costituito di un plotone Arditi dell'8° Bersaglieri e di 2 carri M13. Guastatori aprirono un varco nel campo minato protetto da filo spinato, antistante la Ridotto R3, I'assaltarono e la conquistarono utilizzando lanciafiamme e cariche cubiche ... Un commento al Bollettino di Guerra, trasmesso alle 13:00 del 10 maggio, informava che reparti del Genio Guastatori avevano espugnato 5 fortini della cerchia di Tobruk." Genio Guastatori, Silvestri Angioni Lombardi , p. 47, Edizioni R.E.I., 2015</ref>

On May 3rd, the Australian 18th Brigade launched a counterattack but were only able to recapture one lost strongpoint in Italian hands. The Italian flamethrower attacks had dented Australian morale, with 30 Australian defenders reportedly evacuated in the first week of May suffering from self-inflicted-wounds.<ref>"More disturbing was the large number of self-inflicted wound (SIW) cases. During a single week in May the division reported thirty SIW cases..." Armies of Empire: The 9th Australian and 50th British Divisions in Battle 1939–1945, Allan Converse, p. 86, Cambridge University Press, 2011</ref>
That month, an underground "war neurosis clinic" was built in Tobruk and placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair, in order to treat 207 Australians needing psychological treatment in the aftermath of the Battle of The Salient.<ref>"In May 1941 a 'war neurosis clinic' of 70 beds was established in an underground concrete shelter in the city. Of the 204 admissions treated by Lt Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair 61% were reported as serving with fighting units... " Shell Shock to PTSD: Military Psychiatry from 1900 to the Gulf War, Edgar Jones, Simon Wessely, p. 67, Psychology Press, 2005</ref>

==Operation Crusader==

On November 21st 1941, the ''Bologna'' Division brought to a halt a strong British advance through its positions as part of [[Operation Crusader]].<ref>"The front was a series of strongpoints and not continuous trench lines. One was the Tugun position held by the Bologna infantry division, anything but an elite formation. The New Zealand Official History states, "The more elaborate attack on Tugun went in at 3 p.m. and gained perhaps half the position, together with 250 Italians and many light field guns; but the Italians in the western half could not be dislodged and the base of the break-out area remained on this account uncomfortably narrow." The Official History goes on to comment on the "...strong Italian opposition at Tugun as part of the reason for the decision to halt the sortie at this time." Rommel's North Africa Campaign: September 1940-November 1942, Page 110, Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani, Combined Books, 1994</ref> The British forces involved (2nd/King’s Own, 2nd/Black Watch, 2nd/Queen’s and 4th RTR with Matilda tanks) overran part of the ''Bologna'' defences, but the attacks were eventually stopped by the Italian defenders. In summing up the experience of the 2nd Battalion ''The Black Watch'' in the attack, the ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' noted that:{{cquote|The superlative élan of the Black Watch in the attack had been equalled by the remarkable persistence of the defence in the face of formidable tank-and-infantry pressure.<ref>The Relief of Tobruk, W. E. Murphy, Pg 93, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1961</ref>}}

On November 23rd, the ''Bologna'' Division again withstood another strong British attack from Tobruk aimed at penetrating into the area of Sidi Rezegh, and the defenders bought sufficient time to allow the [[17th ''Pavia'' Infantry Division]] to mount an effective counter-attack and derail the British advance, as a German narrative later recorded:{{cquote|After a sudden artillery concentration the garrison of Fortress Tobruk, supported by sixty tanks, made an attack on the direction of Bel Hamid at noon, intending at long last unite with the main offence group. The Italian siege front around the fortress tried to offer a defence in the confusion but was forced to relinquish numerous strong points in the encirclement front about Bir Bu Assaten to superior enemy forces. The Italian "Pavia" Division was committed for a counterattack and managed to seal off the enemy breakthrough. <ref>German Experiences in Desert Warfare During World War II, Generalmajor Major Alfred Toppe (et al), Combat Studies Institute/Combined Arms Research Library, 1952</ref>}}

The ''Bologna'' defences now extended some 8 miles, and on November 25th, the thinly spread-out division was assaulted by 50 British tanks and forced to withdraw some distance, although not before the German ''Böttcher'' Group had inflicted considerable losses on the British tanks. The British advance had been hours earlier derailed by the timely arrival of Italian reinforcements in the form of a Bersaglieri battalion of the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"When the New Zealanders attacked again after the onset of darkness, they were able to take Balhamed in the course of the night. Early in the morning of 26 November, a portion of the Tobruk garrison, supported by 50 tanks, broke out once again. A crisis arose when El Duda fell. It was only through a bitter and bravely conducted immediate counterattack by the Bersaglieri of the Trieste Division that the positions in the north could be held." Das Afrika Korps: Erwin Rommel and the Germans in Africa, 1941-43, By Franz Kurowski, pg. 117, Stackpole Books, 2010</ref>

The ''Bologna''defenders were gradually pushed back to the ''Leopard'' strongpoint, covering their retreat with mines and machine-gun nests, but by the end of the month the Tobruk breakout was judged a success among the British commanders.

Despite the Elite German 90th Light Division withdrawing early from the Tobruk sector on December 4th, the ''Bologna'' Division held out over the next week when trucks were finally assigned to give them some support under the cover of darkness of December 8th.

A further assault, this time by the Polish Carpathian Brigade (SBSK) supported by tanks and artillery, was required against the Italian forward defences of the ''Brescia'' Division on the White-Knoll stronghold, before the siege of Tobruk was finally lifted on December 10th.

During Operation Crusader, 24 year-old Corporal Reginaldo Rossi of the 39th Bologna Infantry Regiment, won posthumously the ''Medaglia d’Argento al Valore Militare'', Italy’s second-highest military decoration. His Silver Medal for Valour citation reads:{{cquote|As an anti-tank gunner, he was an example to all for his discipline and the care and maintenance he took of the units weapons. In the bloody and arduous combat that took place against numerous armoured vehicles, he showed complete and total disregard to the danger present and with absolute calmness, he stuck to his gun that he refused to abandon, even when he found himself surrounded by the enemy.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html Hit by German and Italian anti-tank guns]</ref>}}

An Australian historian, when writing about the Italian role during Operation Crusader, concluded that:{{cquote|The Axis units fought well, including the Italian Divisioni 'Ariete' and 'Bologna' - a 'semi-motorized' formation.<ref>El Alamein: The Battle That Turned the Tide of the Second World War, Bryn Hammond, p. 27, Osprey Publishing, 2012</ref>}}

==El Alamein==

In July 1942, the ''Bologna'' Division recovering at El Gazala was ordered forward to reinforce the El Alamein front. Lacking transports, the Italian infantry duly marched some 400 miles, being congratulated in person by Benito Mussolini in their long trek to the new Axis frontlines. On the night of August 25th, the ''Bologna'' suffered a defeat when its forward posts were overrun in a night attack involving Maori troops from the New Zealand 28th Battalion, with the New Zealanders admitting losing 25 killed, wounded or captured in their surprise attack.

During the Battle of Alam el Halfa, the ''Bologna'' and supporting German 433rd Infantry Regiment struck back, overrunning several Indian, South African and New Zealand units defending Ruweisat Ridge, capturing Point 211 with 70 British soldiers falling into Italian hands.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420901&id=dbpRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D2oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5917,6800448&hl=en ROMMEL OPENS DRIVE IN EGYPT]</ref>

Cyril Falls, a noted British military historian, later confirmed the Italian success:{{cquote|In the centre of the British front a good Italian division, the Bologna, delivered a strong attack on the Ruweisat Ridge, and a considerable counter-attack was required to expel it from the footing it gained.<ref>AFTERMATH OF WAR: THE EIGHT ARMY FROM ALAMEIN TO THE SANGRO. The Illustrated London news, Volume 212, Issues 5672-5684, p. 262, The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd., 1948</ref>}}

On October 23rd, General Georg Stumme, acting commander of the Afrika Korps, personally presented German decorations to a number of officers and NCOs of the ''Bologna'' Division and attached combat sappers.<ref>"General Stumme spent the morning presentinng German decorations to some Italians of the Bologna infantry division and an engineering battalion." Alamein, Stephen Bungay, p. ? Aurum Press, 2013</ref>

During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the ''Bologna'' Division and two supporting battalions from the German ''Ramcke'' Parachute Brigade held firm in the initial Allied advance, capturing 40 British soldiers attacking Ruweisat Ridge.<ref>"On Ruweisat Ridge the enemy achieved temporary success, the Ramcke Parachute Brigade and the Bologna Division claiming to have taken 40 prisoners, but by dawn the Indians had restored the situation." War in the Desert, Neil D. Orpen, Pg 398, Purnell, 1971</ref>

On November 4th, the final Allied attacks were made. The British 1st, 7th and 10th Armoured Divisions (under Major-General Gatehouse) penetrated through the Axis lines while heading towards Fuka. These attacks saw the destruction of the ''Ariete'' and ''Littorio'' Armoured Divisions, and the ''Bologna'' and ''Trieste'' Infantry Division. <ref>"On the morning of 4 November, however, 'a strong armoured force' of the British 7th Armoured Division penetrated the XXIst Corps' position and the Trento and Bologna Divisons gave ground." Germany and the Second World War: Volume 6: The Global War, Horst Boog, Werner Rahn, Reinhard Stumpf, Bernd Wegner, OUP Oxford, 2001</ref>

Private Sid Martindale from the 1st Battalion, The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, recalled the carnage inflicted in the ''Bologna'' Division:{{cquote|The more we advanced the more we realized that the Italians did not have much fight on them after putting up a strong resistance to our overwhelming advance and they started surrendering to our lead troops in droves. There was not much action to see but we came across lots of burnt out Italian tanks that had been destroyed by our tanks. I had never seen a battlefield before and the site of so many dead was sickening. <ref>The Italian Army In North Africa, Walter S. Zapotoczny, Fonthill Media, 2018</ref>}}

The remnants of the ''Bologna'' and ''Trento'' Divisions tried to fight their way out of the British encirclement, marching in the desert without water, food or transport before surrendering exhausted and suffering from severe dehydration. It was reported that Colonel Alfredo Dall'Olio, acting commander of the ''Bologna'', surrendered saying: ''"We have ceased firing not because we haven't the desire but because we have spent every round."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>In a final act of defiance, no one in what remained of the ''Bologna'' Division raised their hands.

US War correspondent Harry Zinder from ''TIME Magazine'' noted that the Italians fought better than had been reported and had also covered the German retreat:{{cquote|It was a terrific letdown by their German allies. They had fought a good fight. In the south, the famed Folgore parachute division fought to the last round of ammunition. Two armoured divisions and a motorised division, which had been interspersed among the German formations, thought they would be allowed to retire gracefully with Rommel's 21st, 15th and 90 Light. But even that was denied them. When it became obvious to Rommel that there would be little chance to hold anything between El Daba and the frontier, his Panzers dissolved, disintegrated and turned tail, leaving the Italians to fight a rear-guard action. <ref>Battlefronts: A PINT OF WATER PER MAN, Time Magazine, 16 November 1942</ref>}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Italian History]]

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T23:59:17Z

Gentlewind: /* El Alamein */

The 25th ''Bologna'' Infantry Division was a major infantry formation of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army) during World War II. It was stationed in Tripolitania and was sent to Libya for further operations during the Italian invasion of Egypt. It saw extensive action in North Africa until it was finally destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein. It comprised the 39th and 40th Infantry Regiments and 205th Artillery Regiment.

==Siege of Tobruk==

During the Siege of Tobruk, the besieging troops were in the main part Italian units belonging to the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division and ''Trieste'' Motorized Division from the XXnd Motorised Corps, in support of the the ''Pavia'', ''Bologna'', and ''Brescia'' Infantry Divisions from the XXIst Infantry Corps. The sector manned by the ''Bologna'' Division consisted of several strongpoints manned by infantry and artillery battalions, all protected by extensive minefields.

The Italians, during the [[Battle of the Salient]], had overrun most of the Australian positions lost outside Tobruk on May 1st 1941. Combat engineers under Lieutenant Francesco Tuci and Second Lieutenant Ernesto Betti, supported by Italian flamethrower tanks, had helped the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment capture several of the Australian strongpoints.<ref>[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/firefly1002000/tobruk.html&date=2009-10-25+22:14:28 THE EARLY ATTEMPTS and SEIGE]</ref>

Lieutenant Tuci was posthumously awarded the ''Medaglia D'Argento'' (the Silver Medal, Italy's second highest military award for bravery, in helping his platoon of engineers fight off an Australian counterattack.<ref>"La sera del 29 il 1° plotone della 3a, agli ordini del Sototenente Ernesto Betti, andò in azione con un gruppo comandato dal Tenente dei Bersaglieri Melis. Questo reparto era costituito di un plotone Arditi dell'8° Bersaglieri e di 2 carri M13. Guastatori aprirono un varco nel campo minato protetto da filo spinato, antistante la Ridotto R3, I'assaltarono e la conquistarono utilizzando lanciafiamme e cariche cubiche ... Un commento al Bollettino di Guerra, trasmesso alle 13:00 del 10 maggio, informava che reparti del Genio Guastatori avevano espugnato 5 fortini della cerchia di Tobruk." Genio Guastatori, Silvestri Angioni Lombardi , p. 47, Edizioni R.E.I., 2015</ref>

On May 3rd, the Australian 18th Brigade launched a counterattack but were only able to recapture one lost strongpoint in Italian hands. The Italian flamethrower attacks had dented Australian morale, with 30 Australian defenders reportedly evacuated in the first week of May suffering from self-inflicted-wounds.<ref>"More disturbing was the large number of self-inflicted wound (SIW) cases. During a single week in May the division reported thirty SIW cases..." Armies of Empire: The 9th Australian and 50th British Divisions in Battle 1939–1945, Allan Converse, p. 86, Cambridge University Press, 2011</ref>
That month, an underground "war neurosis clinic" was built in Tobruk and placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair, in order to treat 207 Australians needing psychological treatment in the aftermath of the Battle of The Salient.<ref>"In May 1941 a 'war neurosis clinic' of 70 beds was established in an underground concrete shelter in the city. Of the 204 admissions treated by Lt Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair 61% were reported as serving with fighting units... " Shell Shock to PTSD: Military Psychiatry from 1900 to the Gulf War, Edgar Jones, Simon Wessely, p. 67, Psychology Press, 2005</ref>

==Operation Crusader==

On November 21st 1941, the ''Bologna'' Division brought to a halt a strong British advance through its positions as part of [[Operation Crusader]].<ref>"The front was a series of strongpoints and not continuous trench lines. One was the Tugun position held by the Bologna infantry division, anything but an elite formation. The New Zealand Official History states, "The more elaborate attack on Tugun went in at 3 p.m. and gained perhaps half the position, together with 250 Italians and many light field guns; but the Italians in the western half could not be dislodged and the base of the break-out area remained on this account uncomfortably narrow." The Official History goes on to comment on the "...strong Italian opposition at Tugun as part of the reason for the decision to halt the sortie at this time." Rommel's North Africa Campaign: September 1940-November 1942, Page 110, Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani, Combined Books, 1994</ref> The British forces involved (2nd/King’s Own, 2nd/Black Watch, 2nd/Queen’s and 4th RTR with Matilda tanks) overran part of the ''Bologna'' defences, but the attacks were eventually stopped by the Italian defenders. In summing up the experience of the 2nd Battalion ''The Black Watch'' in the attack, the ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' noted that:{{cquote|The superlative élan of the Black Watch in the attack had been equalled by the remarkable persistence of the defence in the face of formidable tank-and-infantry pressure.<ref>The Relief of Tobruk, W. E. Murphy, Pg 93, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1961</ref>}}

On November 23rd, the ''Bologna'' Division again withstood another strong British attack from Tobruk aimed at penetrating into the area of Sidi Rezegh, and the defenders bought sufficient time to allow the [[17th ''Pavia'' Infantry Division]] to mount an effective counter-attack and derail the British advance, as a German narrative later recorded:{{cquote|After a sudden artillery concentration the garrison of Fortress Tobruk, supported by sixty tanks, made an attack on the direction of Bel Hamid at noon, intending at long last unite with the main offence group. The Italian siege front around the fortress tried to offer a defence in the confusion but was forced to relinquish numerous strong points in the encirclement front about Bir Bu Assaten to superior enemy forces. The Italian "Pavia" Division was committed for a counterattack and managed to seal off the enemy breakthrough. <ref>German Experiences in Desert Warfare During World War II, Generalmajor Major Alfred Toppe (et al), Combat Studies Institute/Combined Arms Research Library, 1952</ref>}}

The ''Bologna'' defences now extended some 8 miles, and on November 25th, the thinly spread-out division was assaulted by 50 British tanks and forced to withdraw some distance, although not before the German ''Böttcher'' Group had inflicted severe losses on the British tanks. The British advance had been derailed by the timely arrival of Italian reinforcements in the form of a Bersaglieri battalion of the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"When the New Zealanders attacked again after the onset of darkness, they were able to take Balhamed in the course of the night. Early in the morning of 26 November, a portion of the Tobruk garrison, supported by 50 tanks, broke out once again. A crisis arose when El Duda fell. It was only through a bitter and bravely conducted immediate counterattack by the Bersaglieri of the Trieste Division that the positions in the north could be held." Das Afrika Korps: Erwin Rommel and the Germans in Africa, 1941-43, By Franz Kurowski, pg. 117, Stackpole Books, 2010</ref>

The ''Bologna''defenders were gradually pushed back to the ''Leopard'' strongpoint, covering their retreat with mines and machine-gun nests, but by the end of the month the Tobruk breakout was judged a success among the British commanders.

Despite the Elite German 90th Light Division withdrawing early from the Tobruk sector on December 4th, the ''Bologna'' Division held out until December 8th when trucks were finally assigned to give them some support under the cover of darkness.

A further assault by the Polish Carpathian Brigade (SBSK), supported by tanks and artillery, was required against the forward defences of the ''Brescia'' Division on the White-Knoll stronghold, before the siege of Tobruk was finally lifted on December 10th.

During Operation Crusader, 24 year-old Corporal Reginaldo Rossi of the 39th Bologna Infantry Regiment, won posthumously the ''Medaglia d’Argento al Valore Militare'', Italy’s second-highest military decoration. His Silver Medal for Valour citation reads:{{cquote|As an anti-tank gunner, he was an example to all for his discipline and the care and maintenance he took of the units weapons. In the bloody and arduous combat that took place against numerous armoured vehicles, he showed complete and total disregard to the danger present and with absolute calmness, he stuck to his gun that he refused to abandon, even when he found himself surrounded by the enemy.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html Hit by German and Italian anti-tank guns]</ref>}}

An Australian historian, when writing about the Italian role during Operation Crusader, concluded that:{{cquote|The Axis units fought well, including the Italian Disivioni 'Ariete' and 'Bologna' - a 'semi-motorized' formation.<ref>El Alamein: The Battle That Turned the Tide of the Second World War, Bryn Hammond, p. 27, Osprey Publishing, 2012</ref>}}

==El Alamein==

In July 1942, the ''Bologna'' Division recovering at El Gazala was ordered forward to reinforce the El Alamein front. Lacking transports, the Italian infantry duly marched some 400 miles, being congratulated in person by Benito Mussolini in their long trek to the new Axis frontlines. On the night of August 25th, the ''Bologna'' suffered a defeat when its forward posts were overrun in a night attack involving Maori troops from the New Zealand 28th Battalion, with the New Zealanders admitting losing 25 killed, wounded or captured in their surprise attack.

During the Battle of Alam el Halfa, the ''Bologna'' and supporting German 433rd Infantry Regiment struck back, overrunning several Indian, South African and New Zealand units defending Ruweisat Ridge, capturing Point 211 with 70 British soldiers falling into Italian hands.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420901&id=dbpRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D2oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5917,6800448&hl=en ROMMEL OPENS DRIVE IN EGYPT]</ref>

Cyril Falls, a noted British military historian, later confirmed the Italian success:{{cquote|In the centre of the British front a good Italian division, the Bologna, delivered a strong attack on the Ruweisat Ridge, and a considerable counter-attack was required to expel it from the footing it gained.<ref>AFTERMATH OF WAR: THE EIGHT ARMY FROM ALAMEIN TO THE SANGRO. The Illustrated London news, Volume 212, Issues 5672-5684, p. 262, The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd., 1948</ref>}}

On October 23rd, General Georg Stumme, acting commander of the Afrika Korps, personally presented German decorations to a number of officers and NCOs of the ''Bologna'' Division and attached combat sappers.<ref>"General Stumme spent the morning presentinng German decorations to some Italians of the Bologna infantry division and an engineering battalion." Alamein, Stephen Bungay, p. ? Aurum Press, 2013</ref>

During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the ''Bologna'' Division and two supporting battalions from the German ''Ramcke'' Parachute Brigade held firm in the initial Allied advance, capturing 40 British soldiers attacking Ruweisat Ridge.<ref>"On Ruweisat Ridge the enemy achieved temporary success, the Ramcke Parachute Brigade and the Bologna Division claiming to have taken 40 prisoners, but by dawn the Indians had restored the situation." War in the Desert, Neil D. Orpen, Pg 398, Purnell, 1971</ref>

On November 4th, the final Allied attacks were made. The British 1st, 7th and 10th Armoured Divisions (under Major-General Gatehouse) penetrated through the Axis lines while heading towards Fuka. These attacks saw the destruction of the ''Ariete'' and ''Littorio'' Armoured Divisions, and the ''Bologna'' and ''Trieste'' Infantry Division. <ref>"On the morning of 4 November, however, 'a strong armoured force' of the British 7th Armoured Division penetrated the XXIst Corps' position and the Trento and Bologna Divisons gave ground." Germany and the Second World War: Volume 6: The Global War, Horst Boog, Werner Rahn, Reinhard Stumpf, Bernd Wegner, OUP Oxford, 2001</ref>

Private Sid Martindale from the 1st Battalion, The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, recalled the carnage inflicted in the ''Bologna'' Division:{{cquote|The more we advanced the more we realized that the Italians did not have much fight on them after putting up a strong resistance to our overwhelming advance and they started surrendering to our lead troops in droves. There was not much action to see but we came across lots of burnt out Italian tanks that had been destroyed by our tanks. I had never seen a battlefield before and the site of so many dead was sickening. <ref>The Italian Army In North Africa, Walter S. Zapotoczny, Fonthill Media, 2018</ref>}}

The remnants of the ''Bologna'' and ''Trento'' Divisions tried to fight their way out of the British encirclement, marching in the desert without water, food or transport before surrendering exhausted and suffering from severe dehydration. It was reported that Colonel Alfredo Dall'Olio, acting commander of the ''Bologna'', surrendered saying: ''"We have ceased firing not because we haven't the desire but because we have spent every round."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>In a final act of defiance, no one in what remained of the ''Bologna'' Division raised their hands.

US War correspondent Harry Zinder from ''TIME Magazine'' noted that the Italians fought better than had been reported and had also covered the German retreat:{{cquote|It was a terrific letdown by their German allies. They had fought a good fight. In the south, the famed Folgore parachute division fought to the last round of ammunition. Two armoured divisions and a motorised division, which had been interspersed among the German formations, thought they would be allowed to retire gracefully with Rommel's 21st, 15th and 90 Light. But even that was denied them. When it became obvious to Rommel that there would be little chance to hold anything between El Daba and the frontier, his Panzers dissolved, disintegrated and turned tail, leaving the Italians to fight a rear-guard action. <ref>Battlefronts: A PINT OF WATER PER MAN, Time Magazine, 16 November 1942</ref>}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Italian History]]

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T23:53:25Z

Gentlewind: /* El Alamein */

The 25th ''Bologna'' Infantry Division was a major infantry formation of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army) during World War II. It was stationed in Tripolitania and was sent to Libya for further operations during the Italian invasion of Egypt. It saw extensive action in North Africa until it was finally destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein. It comprised the 39th and 40th Infantry Regiments and 205th Artillery Regiment.

==Siege of Tobruk==

During the Siege of Tobruk, the besieging troops were in the main part Italian units belonging to the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division and ''Trieste'' Motorized Division from the XXnd Motorised Corps, in support of the the ''Pavia'', ''Bologna'', and ''Brescia'' Infantry Divisions from the XXIst Infantry Corps. The sector manned by the ''Bologna'' Division consisted of several strongpoints manned by infantry and artillery battalions, all protected by extensive minefields.

The Italians, during the [[Battle of the Salient]], had overrun most of the Australian positions lost outside Tobruk on May 1st 1941. Combat engineers under Lieutenant Francesco Tuci and Second Lieutenant Ernesto Betti, supported by Italian flamethrower tanks, had helped the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment capture several of the Australian strongpoints.<ref>[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/firefly1002000/tobruk.html&date=2009-10-25+22:14:28 THE EARLY ATTEMPTS and SEIGE]</ref>

Lieutenant Tuci was posthumously awarded the ''Medaglia D'Argento'' (the Silver Medal, Italy's second highest military award for bravery, in helping his platoon of engineers fight off an Australian counterattack.<ref>"La sera del 29 il 1° plotone della 3a, agli ordini del Sototenente Ernesto Betti, andò in azione con un gruppo comandato dal Tenente dei Bersaglieri Melis. Questo reparto era costituito di un plotone Arditi dell'8° Bersaglieri e di 2 carri M13. Guastatori aprirono un varco nel campo minato protetto da filo spinato, antistante la Ridotto R3, I'assaltarono e la conquistarono utilizzando lanciafiamme e cariche cubiche ... Un commento al Bollettino di Guerra, trasmesso alle 13:00 del 10 maggio, informava che reparti del Genio Guastatori avevano espugnato 5 fortini della cerchia di Tobruk." Genio Guastatori, Silvestri Angioni Lombardi , p. 47, Edizioni R.E.I., 2015</ref>

On May 3rd, the Australian 18th Brigade launched a counterattack but were only able to recapture one lost strongpoint in Italian hands. The Italian flamethrower attacks had dented Australian morale, with 30 Australian defenders reportedly evacuated in the first week of May suffering from self-inflicted-wounds.<ref>"More disturbing was the large number of self-inflicted wound (SIW) cases. During a single week in May the division reported thirty SIW cases..." Armies of Empire: The 9th Australian and 50th British Divisions in Battle 1939–1945, Allan Converse, p. 86, Cambridge University Press, 2011</ref>
That month, an underground "war neurosis clinic" was built in Tobruk and placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair, in order to treat 207 Australians needing psychological treatment in the aftermath of the Battle of The Salient.<ref>"In May 1941 a 'war neurosis clinic' of 70 beds was established in an underground concrete shelter in the city. Of the 204 admissions treated by Lt Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair 61% were reported as serving with fighting units... " Shell Shock to PTSD: Military Psychiatry from 1900 to the Gulf War, Edgar Jones, Simon Wessely, p. 67, Psychology Press, 2005</ref>

==Operation Crusader==

On November 21st 1941, the ''Bologna'' Division brought to a halt a strong British advance through its positions as part of [[Operation Crusader]].<ref>"The front was a series of strongpoints and not continuous trench lines. One was the Tugun position held by the Bologna infantry division, anything but an elite formation. The New Zealand Official History states, "The more elaborate attack on Tugun went in at 3 p.m. and gained perhaps half the position, together with 250 Italians and many light field guns; but the Italians in the western half could not be dislodged and the base of the break-out area remained on this account uncomfortably narrow." The Official History goes on to comment on the "...strong Italian opposition at Tugun as part of the reason for the decision to halt the sortie at this time." Rommel's North Africa Campaign: September 1940-November 1942, Page 110, Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani, Combined Books, 1994</ref> The British forces involved (2nd/King’s Own, 2nd/Black Watch, 2nd/Queen’s and 4th RTR with Matilda tanks) overran part of the ''Bologna'' defences, but the attacks were eventually stopped by the Italian defenders. In summing up the experience of the 2nd Battalion ''The Black Watch'' in the attack, the ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' noted that:{{cquote|The superlative élan of the Black Watch in the attack had been equalled by the remarkable persistence of the defence in the face of formidable tank-and-infantry pressure.<ref>The Relief of Tobruk, W. E. Murphy, Pg 93, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1961</ref>}}

On November 23rd, the ''Bologna'' Division again withstood another strong British attack from Tobruk aimed at penetrating into the area of Sidi Rezegh, and the defenders bought sufficient time to allow the [[17th ''Pavia'' Infantry Division]] to mount an effective counter-attack and derail the British advance, as a German narrative later recorded:{{cquote|After a sudden artillery concentration the garrison of Fortress Tobruk, supported by sixty tanks, made an attack on the direction of Bel Hamid at noon, intending at long last unite with the main offence group. The Italian siege front around the fortress tried to offer a defence in the confusion but was forced to relinquish numerous strong points in the encirclement front about Bir Bu Assaten to superior enemy forces. The Italian "Pavia" Division was committed for a counterattack and managed to seal off the enemy breakthrough. <ref>German Experiences in Desert Warfare During World War II, Generalmajor Major Alfred Toppe (et al), Combat Studies Institute/Combined Arms Research Library, 1952</ref>}}

The ''Bologna'' defences now extended some 8 miles, and on November 25th, the thinly spread-out division was assaulted by 50 British tanks and forced to withdraw some distance, although not before the German ''Böttcher'' Group had inflicted severe losses on the British tanks. The British advance had been derailed by the timely arrival of Italian reinforcements in the form of a Bersaglieri battalion of the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"When the New Zealanders attacked again after the onset of darkness, they were able to take Balhamed in the course of the night. Early in the morning of 26 November, a portion of the Tobruk garrison, supported by 50 tanks, broke out once again. A crisis arose when El Duda fell. It was only through a bitter and bravely conducted immediate counterattack by the Bersaglieri of the Trieste Division that the positions in the north could be held." Das Afrika Korps: Erwin Rommel and the Germans in Africa, 1941-43, By Franz Kurowski, pg. 117, Stackpole Books, 2010</ref>

The ''Bologna''defenders were gradually pushed back to the ''Leopard'' strongpoint, covering their retreat with mines and machine-gun nests, but by the end of the month the Tobruk breakout was judged a success among the British commanders.

Despite the Elite German 90th Light Division withdrawing early from the Tobruk sector on December 4th, the ''Bologna'' Division held out until December 8th when trucks were finally assigned to give them some support under the cover of darkness.

A further assault by the Polish Carpathian Brigade (SBSK), supported by tanks and artillery, was required against the forward defences of the ''Brescia'' Division on the White-Knoll stronghold, before the siege of Tobruk was finally lifted on December 10th.

During Operation Crusader, 24 year-old Corporal Reginaldo Rossi of the 39th Bologna Infantry Regiment, won posthumously the ''Medaglia d’Argento al Valore Militare'', Italy’s second-highest military decoration. His Silver Medal for Valour citation reads:{{cquote|As an anti-tank gunner, he was an example to all for his discipline and the care and maintenance he took of the units weapons. In the bloody and arduous combat that took place against numerous armoured vehicles, he showed complete and total disregard to the danger present and with absolute calmness, he stuck to his gun that he refused to abandon, even when he found himself surrounded by the enemy.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html Hit by German and Italian anti-tank guns]</ref>}}

An Australian historian, when writing about the Italian role during Operation Crusader, concluded that:{{cquote|The Axis units fought well, including the Italian Disivioni 'Ariete' and 'Bologna' - a 'semi-motorized' formation.<ref>El Alamein: The Battle That Turned the Tide of the Second World War, Bryn Hammond, p. 27, Osprey Publishing, 2012</ref>}}

==El Alamein==

In July 1942, the ''Bologna'' Division recovering at El Gazala was ordered forward to reinforce the El Alamein front. Lacking transports, the Italian infantry duly marched some 400 miles, being congratulated in person by Benito Mussolini in their long trek to the new Axis frontlines. On the night of August 25th, the ''Bologna'' suffered a defeat when its forward posts were overrun in a night attack involving Maori troops from the New Zealand 28th Battalion, with the New Zealanders admitting losing 25 killed, wounded or captured in their surprise attack.

During the Battle of Alam el Halfa, the ''Bologna'' and supporting German 433rd Infantry Regiment struck back, overrunning several Indian, South African and New Zealand units defending Ruweisat Ridge, capturing Point 211 with 70 British soldiers falling into Italian hands.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420901&id=dbpRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D2oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5917,6800448&hl=en ROMMEL OPENS DRIVE IN EGYPT]</ref>

Cyril Falls, a noted British military historian, later confirmed the Italian success:{{cquote|In the centre of the British front a good Italian division, the Bologna, delivered a strong attack on the Ruweisat Ridge, and a considerable counter-attack was required to expel it from the footing it gained.<ref>AFTERMATH OF WAR: THE EIGHT ARMY FROM ALAMEIN TO THE SANGRO. The Illustrated London news, Volume 212, Issues 5672-5684, p. 262, The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd., 1948</ref>}}

On October 23rd, General Georg Stumme, acting commander of the Afrika Korps, personally presented German decorations to a number of officers and NCOS of the ''Bologna'' Division and attached combat sappers.<ref>"General Stumme spent the morning presentinng German decorations to some Italians of the Bologna infantry division and an engineering battalion." Alamein, Stephen Bungay, p. ? Aurum Press, 2013</ref>

During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the ''Bologna'' Division and two supporting battalions from the German ''Ramcke'' Parachute Brigade held firm in the initial Allied advance, capturing 40 British soldiers attacking Ruweisat Ridge.

On November 4th, the final Allied attacks were made. The British 1st, 7th and 10th Armoured Divisions (under Major-General Gatehouse) penetrated through the Axis lines while heading towards Fuka. These attacks saw the destruction of the ''Ariete'' and ''Littorio'' Armoured Divisions, and the ''Bologna'' and ''Trieste'' Infantry Division. <ref>"On the morning of 4 November, however, 'a strong armoured force' of the British 7th Armoured Division penetrated the XXIst Corps' position and the Trento and Bologna Divisons gave ground." Germany and the Second World War: Volume 6: The Global War, Horst Boog, Werner Rahn, Reinhard Stumpf, Bernd Wegner, OUP Oxford, 2001</ref>

Private Sid Martindale from the 1st Battalion, The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, recalled the carnage inflicted in the ''Bologna'' Division:{{cquote|The more we advanced the more we realized that the Italians did not have much fight on them after putting up a strong resistance to our overwhelming advance and they started surrendering to our lead troops in droves. There was not much action to see but we came across lots of burnt out Italian tanks that had been destroyed by our tanks. I had never seen a battlefield before and the site of so many dead was sickening. <ref>The Italian Army In North Africa, Walter S. Zapotoczny, Fonthill Media, 2018</ref>}}

The remnants of the ''Bologna'' and ''Trento'' Divisions tried to fight their way out of the British encirclement, marching in the desert without water, food or transport before surrendering exhausted and suffering from severe dehydration. It was reported that Colonel Alfredo Dall'Olio, acting commander of the ''Bologna'', surrendered saying: ''"We have ceased firing not because we haven't the desire but because we have spent every round."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>In a final act of defiance, no one in what remained of the ''Bologna'' Division raised their hands.

US War correspondent Harry Zinder from ''TIME Magazine'' noted that the Italians fought better than had been reported and had also covered the German retreat:{{cquote|It was a terrific letdown by their German allies. They had fought a good fight. In the south, the famed Folgore parachute division fought to the last round of ammunition. Two armoured divisions and a motorised division, which had been interspersed among the German formations, thought they would be allowed to retire gracefully with Rommel's 21st, 15th and 90 Light. But even that was denied them. When it became obvious to Rommel that there would be little chance to hold anything between El Daba and the frontier, his Panzers dissolved, disintegrated and turned tail, leaving the Italians to fight a rear-guard action. <ref>Battlefronts: A PINT OF WATER PER MAN, Time Magazine, 16 November 1942</ref>}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Italian History]]

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T21:50:46Z

Gentlewind:

The 25th ''Bologna'' Infantry Division was a major infantry formation of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army) during World War II. It was stationed in Tripolitania and was sent to Libya for further operations during the Italian invasion of Egypt. It saw extensive action in North Africa until it was finally destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein. It comprised the 39th and 40th Infantry Regiments and 205th Artillery Regiment.

==Siege of Tobruk==

During the Siege of Tobruk, the besieging troops were in the main part Italian units belonging to the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division and ''Trieste'' Motorized Division from the XXnd Motorised Corps, in support of the the ''Pavia'', ''Bologna'', and ''Brescia'' Infantry Divisions from the XXIst Infantry Corps. The sector manned by the ''Bologna'' Division consisted of several strongpoints manned by infantry and artillery battalions, all protected by extensive minefields.

The Italians, during the [[Battle of the Salient]], had overrun most of the Australian positions lost outside Tobruk on May 1st 1941. Combat engineers under Lieutenant Francesco Tuci and Second Lieutenant Ernesto Betti, supported by Italian flamethrower tanks, had helped the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment capture several of the Australian strongpoints.<ref>[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/firefly1002000/tobruk.html&date=2009-10-25+22:14:28 THE EARLY ATTEMPTS and SEIGE]</ref>

Lieutenant Tuci was posthumously awarded the ''Medaglia D'Argento'' (the Silver Medal, Italy's second highest military award for bravery, in helping his platoon of engineers fight off an Australian counterattack.<ref>"La sera del 29 il 1° plotone della 3a, agli ordini del Sototenente Ernesto Betti, andò in azione con un gruppo comandato dal Tenente dei Bersaglieri Melis. Questo reparto era costituito di un plotone Arditi dell'8° Bersaglieri e di 2 carri M13. Guastatori aprirono un varco nel campo minato protetto da filo spinato, antistante la Ridotto R3, I'assaltarono e la conquistarono utilizzando lanciafiamme e cariche cubiche ... Un commento al Bollettino di Guerra, trasmesso alle 13:00 del 10 maggio, informava che reparti del Genio Guastatori avevano espugnato 5 fortini della cerchia di Tobruk." Genio Guastatori, Silvestri Angioni Lombardi , p. 47, Edizioni R.E.I., 2015</ref>

On May 3rd, the Australian 18th Brigade launched a counterattack but were only able to recapture one lost strongpoint in Italian hands. The Italian flamethrower attacks had dented Australian morale, with 30 Australian defenders reportedly evacuated in the first week of May suffering from self-inflicted-wounds.<ref>"More disturbing was the large number of self-inflicted wound (SIW) cases. During a single week in May the division reported thirty SIW cases..." Armies of Empire: The 9th Australian and 50th British Divisions in Battle 1939–1945, Allan Converse, p. 86, Cambridge University Press, 2011</ref>
That month, an underground "war neurosis clinic" was built in Tobruk and placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair, in order to treat 207 Australians needing psychological treatment in the aftermath of the Battle of The Salient.<ref>"In May 1941 a 'war neurosis clinic' of 70 beds was established in an underground concrete shelter in the city. Of the 204 admissions treated by Lt Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair 61% were reported as serving with fighting units... " Shell Shock to PTSD: Military Psychiatry from 1900 to the Gulf War, Edgar Jones, Simon Wessely, p. 67, Psychology Press, 2005</ref>

==Operation Crusader==

On November 21st 1941, the ''Bologna'' Division brought to a halt a strong British advance through its positions as part of [[Operation Crusader]].<ref>"The front was a series of strongpoints and not continuous trench lines. One was the Tugun position held by the Bologna infantry division, anything but an elite formation. The New Zealand Official History states, "The more elaborate attack on Tugun went in at 3 p.m. and gained perhaps half the position, together with 250 Italians and many light field guns; but the Italians in the western half could not be dislodged and the base of the break-out area remained on this account uncomfortably narrow." The Official History goes on to comment on the "...strong Italian opposition at Tugun as part of the reason for the decision to halt the sortie at this time." Rommel's North Africa Campaign: September 1940-November 1942, Page 110, Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani, Combined Books, 1994</ref> The British forces involved (2nd/King’s Own, 2nd/Black Watch, 2nd/Queen’s and 4th RTR with Matilda tanks) overran part of the ''Bologna'' defences, but the attacks were eventually stopped by the Italian defenders. In summing up the experience of the 2nd Battalion ''The Black Watch'' in the attack, the ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' noted that:{{cquote|The superlative élan of the Black Watch in the attack had been equalled by the remarkable persistence of the defence in the face of formidable tank-and-infantry pressure.<ref>The Relief of Tobruk, W. E. Murphy, Pg 93, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1961</ref>}}

On November 23rd, the ''Bologna'' Division again withstood another strong British attack from Tobruk aimed at penetrating into the area of Sidi Rezegh, and the defenders bought sufficient time to allow the [[17th ''Pavia'' Infantry Division]] to mount an effective counter-attack and derail the British advance, as a German narrative later recorded:{{cquote|After a sudden artillery concentration the garrison of Fortress Tobruk, supported by sixty tanks, made an attack on the direction of Bel Hamid at noon, intending at long last unite with the main offence group. The Italian siege front around the fortress tried to offer a defence in the confusion but was forced to relinquish numerous strong points in the encirclement front about Bir Bu Assaten to superior enemy forces. The Italian "Pavia" Division was committed for a counterattack and managed to seal off the enemy breakthrough. <ref>German Experiences in Desert Warfare During World War II, Generalmajor Major Alfred Toppe (et al), Combat Studies Institute/Combined Arms Research Library, 1952</ref>}}

The ''Bologna'' defences now extended some 8 miles, and on November 25th, the thinly spread-out division was assaulted by 50 British tanks and forced to withdraw some distance, although not before the German ''Böttcher'' Group had inflicted severe losses on the British tanks. The British advance had been derailed by the timely arrival of Italian reinforcements in the form of a Bersaglieri battalion of the ''Trieste'' Division.<ref>"When the New Zealanders attacked again after the onset of darkness, they were able to take Balhamed in the course of the night. Early in the morning of 26 November, a portion of the Tobruk garrison, supported by 50 tanks, broke out once again. A crisis arose when El Duda fell. It was only through a bitter and bravely conducted immediate counterattack by the Bersaglieri of the Trieste Division that the positions in the north could be held." Das Afrika Korps: Erwin Rommel and the Germans in Africa, 1941-43, By Franz Kurowski, pg. 117, Stackpole Books, 2010</ref>

The ''Bologna''defenders were gradually pushed back to the ''Leopard'' strongpoint, covering their retreat with mines and machine-gun nests, but by the end of the month the Tobruk breakout was judged a success among the British commanders.

Despite the Elite German 90th Light Division withdrawing early from the Tobruk sector on December 4th, the ''Bologna'' Division held out until December 8th when trucks were finally assigned to give them some support under the cover of darkness.

A further assault by the Polish Carpathian Brigade (SBSK), supported by tanks and artillery, was required against the forward defences of the ''Brescia'' Division on the White-Knoll stronghold, before the siege of Tobruk was finally lifted on December 10th.

During Operation Crusader, 24 year-old Corporal Reginaldo Rossi of the 39th Bologna Infantry Regiment, won posthumously the ''Medaglia d’Argento al Valore Militare'', Italy’s second-highest military decoration. His Silver Medal for Valour citation reads:{{cquote|As an anti-tank gunner, he was an example to all for his discipline and the care and maintenance he took of the units weapons. In the bloody and arduous combat that took place against numerous armoured vehicles, he showed complete and total disregard to the danger present and with absolute calmness, he stuck to his gun that he refused to abandon, even when he found himself surrounded by the enemy.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html Hit by German and Italian anti-tank guns]</ref>}}

An Australian historian, when writing about the Italian role during Operation Crusader, concluded that:{{cquote|The Axis units fought well, including the Italian Disivioni 'Ariete' and 'Bologna' - a 'semi-motorized' formation.<ref>El Alamein: The Battle That Turned the Tide of the Second World War, Bryn Hammond, p. 27, Osprey Publishing, 2012</ref>}}

==El Alamein==

In July 1942, the ''Bologna'' Division recovering at El Gazala was ordered forward to reinforce the El Alamein front. Lacking transports, the Italian infantry duly marched some 400 miles, being congratulated in person by Benito Mussolini in their long trek to the new Axis frontlines. On the night of August 25th, the ''Bologna'' suffered a defeat when its forward posts were overrun in a night attack involving Maori troops from the New Zealand 28th Battalion, with the New Zealanders admitting losing 25 killed, wounded or captured in their surprise attack.

During the Battle of Alam el Halfa, the ''Bologna'' and supporting German 433rd Infantry Regiment struck back, overrunning several Indian, South African and New Zealand units defending Ruweisat Ridge, capturing Point 211 with 70 British soldiers falling into Italian hands.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420901&id=dbpRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D2oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5917,6800448&hl=en ROMMEL OPENS DRIVE IN EGYPT]</ref>

Cyril Falls, a noted British military historian, later confirmed the Italian success:{{cquote|In the centre of the British front a good Italian division, the Bologna, delivered a strong attack on the Ruweisat Ridge, and a considerable counter-attack was required to expel it from the footing it gained.<ref>AFTERMATH OF WAR: THE EIGHT ARMY FROM ALAMEIN TO THE SANGRO. The Illustrated London news, Volume 212, Issues 5672-5684, p. 262, The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd., 1948</ref>}}

On October 23rd, General Georg Stumme, acting commander of the Afrika Korps, personally presented German decorations to a number of officers and NCOS of the ''Bologna'' Division and attached combat sappers.<ref>"General Stumme spent the morning presentinng German decorations to some Italians of the Bologna infantry division and an engineering battalion." Alamein, Stephen Bungay, p. ? Aurum Press, 2013</ref>

During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the ''Bologna'' Division and two supporting battalions from the German ''Ramcke'' Parachute Brigade held firm in the initial Allied advance, capturing 40 British soldiers attacking Ruweisat Ridge.

On November 4th, the final Allied attacks were made. The British 1st, 7th and 10th Armoured Divisions (under Major-General Gatehouse) penetrated through the Axis lines while heading towards Fuka. These attacks saw the destruction of the ''Ariete'' and ''Littorio'' Armoured Divisions, and the ''Bologna'' and ''Trieste'' Infantry Division. "On the morning of 4 November, however, 'a strong armoured force' of the British 7th Armoured Division penetrated the XXIst Corps' position and the Trento and Bologna Divisons gave ground." <ref>Germany and the Second World War: Volume 6: The Global War, Horst Boog, Werner Rahn, Reinhard Stumpf, Bernd Wegner, OUP Oxford, 2001</ref>

Private Sid Martindale from the 1st Battalion, The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, recalled the carnage inflicted in the ''Bologna'' Division:{{cquote|The more we advanced the more we realized that the Italians did not have much fight on them after putting up a strong resistance to our overwhelming advance and they started surrendering to our lead troops in droves. There was not much action to see but we came across lots of burnt out Italian tanks that had been destroyed by our tanks. I had never seen a battlefield before and the site of so many dead was sickening. <ref>The Italian Army In North Africa, Walter S. Zapotoczny, Fonthill Media, 2018</ref>}}

The remnants of the ''Bologna'' and ''Trento'' Divisions tried to fight their way out of the British encirclement, marching in the desert without water, food or transport before surrendering exhausted and suffering from severe dehydration. It was reported that Colonel Alfredo Dall'Olio, acting commander of the ''Bologna'', surrendered saying: ''"We have ceased firing not because we haven't the desire but because we have spent every round."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>In a final act of defiance, no one in what remained of the ''Bologna'' Division raised their hands.

US War correspondent Harry Zinder from ''TIME Magazine'' noted that the Italians fought better than had been reported and had covered the German retreat:{{cquote|
It was a terrific letdown by their German allies. They had fought a good fight. In the south, the famed Folgore parachute division fought to the last round of ammunition. Two armoured divisions and a motorised division, which had been interspersed among the German formations, thought they would be allowed to retire gracefully with Rommel's 21st, 15th and 90 Light. But even that was denied them. When it became obvious to Rommel that there would be little chance to hold anything between El Daba and the frontier, his Panzers dissolved, disintegrated and turned tail, leaving the Italians to fight a rear-guard action. <ref>Battlefronts: A PINT OF WATER PER MAN, Time Magazine, 16 November 1942</ref>}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Italian History]]

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T21:19:01Z

Gentlewind:

The 25th ''Bologna'' Infantry Division was a major infantry formation of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army) during World War II. It was stationed in Tripolitania and was sent to Libya for further operations during the Italian invasion of Egypt. It saw extensive action in North Africa until it was finally destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein. It comprised the 39th and 40th Infantry Regiments and 205th Artillery Regiment.

==Siege of Tobruk==

During the Siege of Tobruk, the besieging troops were in the main part Italian units belonging to the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division and ''Trieste'' Motorized Division from the XXnd Motorised Corps, in support of the the ''Pavia'', ''Bologna'', and ''Brescia'' Infantry Divisions from the XXIst Infantry Corps. The sector manned by the ''Bologna'' Division consisted of several strongpoints manned by infantry and artillery battalions, all protected by extensive minefields.

The Italians, during the [[Battle of the Salient]], had overrun most of the Australian positions lost outside Tobruk on May 1st 1941. Combat engineers under Lieutenant Francesco Tuci and Second Lieutenant Ernesto Betti, supported by Italian flamethrower tanks, had helped the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment capture several of the Australian strongpoints.<ref>[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/firefly1002000/tobruk.html&date=2009-10-25+22:14:28 THE EARLY ATTEMPTS and SEIGE]</ref>

Lieutenant Tuci was posthumously awarded the ''Medaglia D'Argento'' (the Silver Medal, Italy's second highest military award for bravery, in helping his platoon of engineers fight off an Australian counterattack.<ref>"La sera del 29 il 1° plotone della 3a, agli ordini del Sototenente Ernesto Betti, andò in azione con un gruppo comandato dal Tenente dei Bersaglieri Melis. Questo reparto era costituito di un plotone Arditi dell'8° Bersaglieri e di 2 carri M13. Guastatori aprirono un varco nel campo minato protetto da filo spinato, antistante la Ridotto R3, I'assaltarono e la conquistarono utilizzando lanciafiamme e cariche cubiche ... Un commento al Bollettino di Guerra, trasmesso alle 13:00 del 10 maggio, informava che reparti del Genio Guastatori avevano espugnato 5 fortini della cerchia di Tobruk." Genio Guastatori, Silvestri Angioni Lombardi , p. 47, Edizioni R.E.I., 2015</ref>

On May 3rd, the Australian 18th Brigade launched a counterattack but were only able to recapture one lost strongpoint in Italian hands. The Italian flamethrower attacks had dented Australian morale, with 30 Australian defenders reportedly evacuated in the first week of May suffering from self-inflicted-wounds.<ref>"More disturbing was the large number of self-inflicted wound (SIW) cases. During a single week in May the division reported thirty SIW cases..." Armies of Empire: The 9th Australian and 50th British Divisions in Battle 1939–1945, Allan Converse, p. 86, Cambridge University Press, 2011</ref>
That month, an underground "war neurosis clinic" was built in Tobruk and placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair, in order to treat 207 Australians needing psychological treatment in the aftermath of the Battle of The Salient.<ref>"In May 1941 a 'war neurosis clinic' of 70 beds was established in an underground concrete shelter in the city. Of the 204 admissions treated by Lt Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair 61% were reported as serving with fighting units... " Shell Shock to PTSD: Military Psychiatry from 1900 to the Gulf War, Edgar Jones, Simon Wessely, p. 67, Psychology Press, 2005</ref>

==Operation Crusader==

On November 21st 1941, the ''Bologna'' Division brought to a halt a strong British advance through its positions as part of [[Operation Crusader]].<ref>"The front was a series of strongpoints and not continuous trench lines. One was the Tugun position held by the Bologna infantry division, anything but an elite formation. The New Zealand Official History states, "The more elaborate attack on Tugun went in at 3 p.m. and gained perhaps half the position, together with 250 Italians and many light field guns; but the Italians in the western half could not be dislodged and the base of the break-out area remained on this account uncomfortably narrow." The Official History goes on to comment on the "...strong Italian opposition at Tugun as part of the reason for the decision to halt the sortie at this time." Rommel's North Africa Campaign: September 1940-November 1942, Page 110, Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani, Combined Books, 1994</ref> The British forces involved (2nd/King’s Own, 2nd/Black Watch, 2nd/Queen’s and 4th RTR with Matilda tanks) overran part of the ''Bologna'' defences, but the attacks were eventually stopped by the Italian defenders. In summing up the experience of the 2nd Battalion ''The Black Watch'' in the attack, the ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' noted that:{{cquote|The superlative élan of the Black Watch in the attack had been equalled by the remarkable persistence of the defence in the face of formidable tank-and-infantry pressure.<ref>The Relief of Tobruk, W. E. Murphy, Pg 93, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1961</ref>}}

On November 23rd, the ''Bologna'' Division again withstood another strong British attack from Tobruk aimed at penetrating into the area of Sidi Rezegh, and the defenders bought sufficient time to allow the [[17th ''Pavia'' Infantry Division]] to mount an effective counter-attack and derail the British advance, as a German narrative later recorded:{{cquote|After a sudden artillery concentration the garrison of Fortress Tobruk, supported by sixty tanks, made an attack on the direction of Bel Hamid at noon, intending at long last unite with the main offence group. The Italian siege front around the fortress tried to offer a defence in the confusion but was forced to relinquish numerous strong points in the encirclement front about Bir Bu Assaten to superior enemy forces. The Italian "Pavia" Division was committed for a counterattack and managed to seal off the enemy breakthrough. <ref>German Experiences in Desert Warfare During World War II, Generalmajor Major Alfred Toppe (et al), Combat Studies Institute/Combined Arms Research Library, 1952</ref>}}

During Operation Crusader, 24 year-old Corporal Reginaldo Rossi of the 39th Bologna Infantry Regiment, won posthumously the ''Medaglia d’Argento al Valore Militare'', Italy’s second-highest military decoration. His Silver Medal for Valour citation reads:{{cquote|As an anti-tank gunner, he was an example to all for his discipline and the care and maintenance he took of the units weapons. In the bloody and arduous combat that took place against numerous armoured vehicles, he showed complete and total disregard to the danger present and with absolute calmness, he stuck to his gun that he refused to abandon, even when he found himself surrounded by the enemy.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html Hit by German and Italian anti-tank guns]</ref>
</ref>}}

==El Alamein==

In July 1942, the ''Bologna'' Division recovering at El Gazala was ordered forward to reinforce the El Alamein front. Lacking transports, the Italian infantry duly marched some 400 miles, being congratulated in person by Benito Mussolini in their long trek to the new Axis frontlines. On the night of August 25th, the ''Bologna'' suffered a defeat when its forward posts were overrun in a night attack from tough Maori troops from the New Zealand 28th Battalion, with the New Zealanders admitting losing 25 killed, wounded or captured in their surprise attack.

During the Battle of Alam el Halfa, the Bologna and supporting German 433rd Infantry Regiment stuck back, overrunning several Indian, South African and New Zealand units defending Ruweisat Ridge, capturing Point 211 with 70 British soldiers falling into Italian hands.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420901&id=dbpRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D2oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5917,6800448&hl=en ROMMEL OPENS DRIVE IN EGYPT]</ref>

Cyril Falls, a noted British military historian, later confirmed the Italian success:{{cquote|In the centre of the British front a good Italian division, the Bologna, delivered a strong attack on the Ruweisat Ridge, and a considerable counter-attack was required to expel it from the footing it gained.<ref>AFTERMATH OF WAR: THE EIGHT ARMY FROM ALAMEIN TO THE SANGRO. The Illustrated London news, Volume 212, Issues 5672-5684, p. 262, The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd., 1948</ref>}}

During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the ''Bologna'' Division and two supporting battalions from the German ''Ramcke'' Parachute Brigade held firm in the initial Allied advance, capturing 40 British soldiers attacking Ruweisat Ridge.

On November 4th, the final Allied attacks were made. The British 1st, 7th and 10th Armoured Divisions (under Major-General Gatehouse) penetrated through the Axis lines while heading towards Fuka. These attacks saw the destruction of the ''Ariete'' and ''Littorio'' Armoured Divisions, and the ''Bologna'' and ''Trieste'' Infantry Division. "On the morning of 4 November, however, 'a strong armoured force' of the British 7th Armoured Division penetrated the XXIst Corps' position and the Trento and Bologna Divisons gave ground." <ref>Germany and the Second World War: Volume 6: The Global War, Horst Boog, Werner Rahn, Reinhard Stumpf, Bernd Wegner, OUP Oxford, 2001</ref>

Private Sid Martindale from the 1st Battalion, The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, recalled the carnage inflicted in the ''Bologna'' Division:{{cquote|The more we advanced the more we realized that the Italians did not have much fight on them after putting up a strong resistance to our overwhelming advance and they started surrendering to our lead troops in droves. There was not much action to see but we came across lots of burnt out Italian tanks that had been destroyed by our tanks. I had never seen a battlefield before and the site of so many dead was sickening. <ref>The Italian Army In North Africa, Walter S. Zapotoczny, Fonthill Media, 2018</ref>}}

The remnants of the ''Bologna'' and ''Trento'' Divisions tried to fight their way out of the British encirclement, marching in the desert without water, food or transport before surrendering exhausted and suffering from severe dehydration. It was reported that Colonel Alfredo Dall'Olio, acting commander of the ''Bologna'', surrendered saying: ''"We have ceased firing not because we haven't the desire but because we have spent every round."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>In a final act of defiance, no one in what remained of the ''Bologna'' Division raised their hands.

US War correspondent Harry Zinder from ''TIME Magazine'' noted that the Italians fought better than had been reported and had covered the German retreat:{{cquote|
It was a terrific letdown by their German allies. They had fought a good fight. In the south, the famed Folgore parachute division fought to the last round of ammunition. Two armoured divisions and a motorised division, which had been interspersed among the German formations, thought they would be allowed to retire gracefully with Rommel's 21st, 15th and 90 Light. But even that was denied them. When it became obvious to Rommel that there would be little chance to hold anything between El Daba and the frontier, his Panzers dissolved, disintegrated and turned tail, leaving the Italians to fight a rear-guard action. <ref>Battlefronts: A PINT OF WATER PER MAN, Time Magazine, 16 November 1942</ref>}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Italian History]]

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T21:10:18Z

Gentlewind: /* El Alamein */

The 25th ''Bologna'' Infantry Division was a major infantry formation of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army) during World War II. It was stationed in Tripolitania and was sent to Libya for further operations during the Italian invasion of Egypt. It saw extensive action in North Africa until it was finally destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein. It comprised the 39th and 40th Infantry Regiments and 205th Artillery Regiment.

==Siege of Tobruk==

During the Siege of Tobruk, the besieging troops were in the main part Italian units belonging to the ''Ariete'' Armoured Division and ''Trieste'' Motorized Division from the XXnd Motorised Corps, in support of the the ''Pavia'', ''Bologna'', and ''Brescia'' Infantry Divisions from the XXIst Infantry Corps. The sector manned by the ''Bologna'' Division consisted of several strongpoints manned by infantry and artillery battalions, all protected by extensive minefields.

The Italians, during the [[Battle of the Salient]], had overrun most of the Australian positions lost outside Tobruk on May 1st 1941. Combat engineers under Lieutenant Francesco Tuci and Second Lieutenant Ernesto Betti, supported by Italian flamethrower tanks, had helped the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment capture several of the Australian strongpoints.<ref>[http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/firefly1002000/tobruk.html&date=2009-10-25+22:14:28 THE EARLY ATTEMPTS and SEIGE]</ref>

Lieutenant Tuci was posthumously awarded the ''Medaglia D'Argento'' (the Silver Medal, Italy's second highest military award for bravery, in helping his platoon of engineers fight off an Australian counterattack.<ref>"La sera del 29 il 1° plotone della 3a, agli ordini del Sototenente Ernesto Betti, andò in azione con un gruppo comandato dal Tenente dei Bersaglieri Melis. Questo reparto era costituito di un plotone Arditi dell'8° Bersaglieri e di 2 carri M13. Guastatori aprirono un varco nel campo minato protetto da filo spinato, antistante la Ridotto R3, I'assaltarono e la conquistarono utilizzando lanciafiamme e cariche cubiche ... Un commento al Bollettino di Guerra, trasmesso alle 13:00 del 10 maggio, informava che reparti del Genio Guastatori avevano espugnato 5 fortini della cerchia di Tobruk." Genio Guastatori, Silvestri Angioni Lombardi , p. 47, Edizioni R.E.I., 2015</ref>

On May 3rd, the Australian 18th Brigade launched a counterattack but were only able to recapture one lost strongpoint in Italian hands. The Italian flamethrower attacks had dented Australian morale, with 30 Australian defenders reportedly evacuated in the first week of May suffering from self-inflicted-wounds.<ref>"More disturbing was the large number of self-inflicted wound (SIW) cases. During a single week in May the division reported thirty SIW cases..." Armies of Empire: The 9th Australian and 50th British Divisions in Battle 1939–1945, Allan Converse, p. 86, Cambridge University Press, 2011</ref>
That month, an underground "war neurosis clinic" was built in Tobruk and placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair, in order to treat 207 Australians needing psychological treatment in the aftermath of the Battle of The Salient.<ref>"In May 1941 a 'war neurosis clinic' of 70 beds was established in an underground concrete shelter in the city. Of the 204 admissions treated by Lt Colonel E.L. Cooper and Captain A.J.M Sinclair 61% were reported as serving with fighting units... " Shell Shock to PTSD: Military Psychiatry from 1900 to the Gulf War, Edgar Jones, Simon Wessely, p. 67, Psychology Press, 2005</ref>

==Operation Crusader==

On November 21st 1941, the ''Bologna'' Division brought to a halt a strong British advance through its positions as part of [[Operation Crusader]].<ref>"The front was a series of strongpoints and not continuous trench lines. One was the Tugun position held by the Bologna infantry division, anything but an elite formation. The New Zealand Official History states, "The more elaborate attack on Tugun went in at 3 p.m. and gained perhaps half the position, together with 250 Italians and many light field guns; but the Italians in the western half could not be dislodged and the base of the break-out area remained on this account uncomfortably narrow." The Official History goes on to comment on the "...strong Italian opposition at Tugun as part of the reason for the decision to halt the sortie at this time." Rommel's North Africa Campaign: September 1940-November 1942, Page 110, Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani, Combined Books, 1994</ref> The British forces involved (2nd/King’s Own, 2nd/Black Watch, 2nd/Queen’s and 4th RTR with Matilda tanks) overran part of the ''Bologna'' defences, but the attacks were eventually stopped by the Italian defenders. In summing up the experience of the 2nd Battalion ''The Black Watch'' in the attack, the ''Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War'' noted that:{{cquote|The superlative élan of the Black Watch in the attack had been equalled by the remarkable persistence of the defence in the face of formidable tank-and-infantry pressure.<ref>The Relief of Tobruk, W. E. Murphy, Pg 93, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1961</ref>}}

On November 23rd, the ''Bologna'' Division again withstood another strong British attack from Tobruk aimed at penetrating into the area of Sidi Rezegh, and the defenders bought sufficient time to allow the [[17th ''Pavia'' Infantry Division]] to mount an effective counter-attack and derail the British advance, as a German narrative later recorded:{{cquote|After a sudden artillery concentration the garrison of Fortress Tobruk, supported by sixty tanks, made an attack on the direction of Bel Hamid at noon, intending at long last unite with the main offence group. The Italian siege front around the fortress tried to offer a defence in the confusion but was forced to relinquish numerous strong points in the encirclement front about Bir Bu Assaten to superior enemy forces. The Italian "Pavia" Division was committed for a counterattack and managed to seal off the enemy breakthrough. <ref>German Experiences in Desert Warfare During World War II, Generalmajor Major Alfred Toppe (et al), Combat Studies Institute/Combined Arms Research Library, 1952</ref>}}

==El Alamein==

In July 1942, the ''Bologna'' Division recovering at El Gazala was ordered forward to reinforce the El Alamein front. Lacking transports, the Italian infantry duly marched some 400 miles, being congratulated in person by Benito Mussolini in their long trek to the new Axis frontlines. On the night of August 25th, the ''Bologna'' suffered a defeat when its forward posts were overrun in a night attack from tough Maori troops from the New Zealand 28th Battalion, with the New Zealanders admitting losing 25 killed, wounded or captured in their surprise attack.

During the Battle of Alam el Halfa, the Bologna and supporting German 433rd Infantry Regiment stuck back, overrunning several Indian, South African and New Zealand units defending Ruweisat Ridge, capturing Point 211 with 70 British soldiers falling into Italian hands.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420901&id=dbpRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D2oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5917,6800448&hl=en ROMMEL OPENS DRIVE IN EGYPT]</ref>

Cyril Falls, a noted British military historian, later confirmed the Italian success:{{cquote|In the centre of the British front a good Italian division, the Bologna, delivered a strong attack on the Ruweisat Ridge, and a considerable counter-attack was required to expel it from the footing it gained.<ref>AFTERMATH OF WAR: THE EIGHT ARMY FROM ALAMEIN TO THE SANGRO. The Illustrated London news, Volume 212, Issues 5672-5684, p. 262, The Illustrated London News & Sketch Ltd., 1948</ref>}}

During the Second Battle of El Alamein, the ''Bologna'' Division and two supporting battalions from the German ''Ramcke'' Parachute Brigade held firm in the initial Allied advance, capturing 40 British soldiers attacking Ruweisat Ridge.

On November 4th, the final Allied attacks were made. The British 1st, 7th and 10th Armoured Divisions (under Major-General Gatehouse) penetrated through the Axis lines while heading towards Fuka. These attacks saw the destruction of the ''Ariete'' and ''Littorio'' Armoured Divisions, and the ''Bologna'' and ''Trieste'' Infantry Division. "On the morning of 4 November, however, 'a strong armoured force' of the British 7th Armoured Division penetrated the XXIst Corps' position and the Trento and Bologna Divisons gave ground." <ref>Germany and the Second World War: Volume 6: The Global War, Horst Boog, Werner Rahn, Reinhard Stumpf, Bernd Wegner, OUP Oxford, 2001</ref>

Private Sid Martindale from the 1st Battalion, The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, recalled the carnage inflicted in the Bologna Infantry Division:{{cquote|The more we advanced the more we realized that the Italians did not have much fight on them after putting up a strong resistance to our overwhelming advance and they started surrendering to our lead troops in droves. There was not much action to see but we came across lots of burnt out Italian tanks that had been destroyed by our tanks. I had never seen a battlefield before and the site of so many dead was sickening. <ref>The Italian Army In North Africa, Walter S. Zapotoczny, Fonthill Media, 2018</ref>}}

The remnants of the ''Bologna'' and ''Trento'' Divisions tried to fight their way out of the British encirclement, marching in the desert without water, food or transport before surrendering exhausted and suffering from severe dehydration. It was reported that Colonel Alfredo Dall'Olio, acting commander of the Bologna, surrendered saying: ''"We have ceased firing not because we haven't the desire but because we have spent every round."''<ref>Rolling Thunder: A Century of Tank Warfare, Philip Kaplan, p. 139, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref>In a final act of defiance, no one in what remained of the ''Bologna'' Division raised their hands.

US War correspondent Harry Zinder from ''TIME Magazine'' noted that the Italians fought better than had been expected and had covered the German retreat:{{cquote|
It was a terrific letdown by their German allies. They had fought a good fight. In the south, the famed Folgore parachute division fought to the last round of ammunition. Two armoured divisions and a motorised division, which had been interspersed among the German formations, thought they would be allowed to retire gracefully with Rommel's 21st, 15th and 90 Light. But even that was denied them. When it became obvious to Rommel that there would be little chance to hold anything between El Daba and the frontier, his Panzers dissolved, disintegrated and turned tail, leaving the Italians to fight a rear-guard action. <ref>Battlefronts: A PINT OF WATER PER MAN, Time Magazine, 16 November 1942</ref>}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Italian History]]

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T20:57:38Z

Gentlewind:

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T20:46:15Z

Gentlewind: /* Operation Crusader */

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T20:32:39Z

Gentlewind: /* Siege of Tobruk */

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T20:23:11Z

Gentlewind:

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T20:16:17Z

Gentlewind:

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T20:02:41Z

Gentlewind:

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T19:56:51Z

Gentlewind:

25th "Bologna" Infantry Division

2018-12-06T19:54:33Z

Gentlewind: Created page with " ==References== <references/> Category:World War II Category:Italian History == External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo..."

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Italian History]]

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110815092044/www.comandosupremo.com/bologna-division.html The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December, 1941]

Operation Winter Storm (Gothic Line)

2018-11-26T21:20:31Z

Gentlewind:

Operation ''Wintergewitter'' (Winter Storm) was an offensive conducted by Italian RSI and Austrian forces against American forces dug in on the west side of the Gothic Line. Often referred to as the Battle of Garfagnana or ''Offensiva di Natale'' ("Christmas" Offensive), the attack resulted in an Axis tactical victory against the Allies. The battle lasted from 26 December 1944 to 10 February 1945.

On 13 October, Italian ''Waffen SS'' units fighting alongside German units defeat American attempts to capture Bologna city. The Americans suffer 15,700 casualties & call off their assaults.

The US 92nd ''Buffalo'' Infantry Division was expected to launch a major offensive on Christmas Day in support of the renewed Allied attacks against the Axis defenders dug in and around Bologna. The attack was cancelled due to the surprise Axis counteroffensive.<ref>[http://www.historynet.com/african-american-92nd-infantry-division-fought-in-italy-during-world-war-ii.htm African American 92nd Infantry Division Fought in Italy During World War II]</ref>

==Operation Wintergewitter==

On 13 December, as part of the planned Axis offensive, an experienced Italan night-fightin patrol penetrated through the US platoons guarding Vergemoli and Gallicano in an unsuccessful attempt to blow up the concrete bridge at Farnaci and cut off the American retreat and reinforcements.

From 26–31 December, as part of Marshal Rodolfo Graziani's Operation Winter Storm (planned and promoted in conjunction with Benito Mussolini<ref>"Italian government, then at Brescia, reported that Mussolini had urged on Hitler the argument that an attack on the weakly-held western sector of the Allied front in Italy by two Italian and two German divisions would, by advancing to the Arno and cutting of Eighth Army, give the Axis a much-needed military success." British Intelligence in the Second World War, Francis Harry Hinsley, p. 357, Cambridge University Press, 1979</ref>), the ''Monte Rosa'' (Alpine) and ''San Marco'' (Marine) Divisions under General Mario Carloni, with supporting Austrian Gebirgsjäger (mountain) units attacked and overran the forward battalions of the US 92nd ''Buffalo'' Infantry Division (under General Edward Almond) entrenched along the Serchio Valley, with the Italians forming and commanding two of the three Axis Spearheads involved.

The Axis force advanced in three columns on the night of 25 December. The first column moved toward Vergemoli-Calomini, the second toward Treppignana-Castelvecchio, with the third advancing toward Sommocolonia-Barga. The soldiers from the 2nd Battalion (US 366th Regiment) at Sommocolonia were hit first, with several forward platoon positions overrun and Bebbio and Scarpello captured. The American battalion had no option but to withdraw toward Coreglia.

Around 4 in the morning on 26 December, a company of American soldiers from the 92nd US Infantry Division and Italian Communist Partisans in Sommocolonia (a village of 200 inhabitants) reported coming under heavy enemy mortar fire. 29-year-old Lieutenant John R Fox, an artillery officer, reported seeing the narrows streets of Sommocolonia filled with soldiers from the Austrian 4th Gebirgsjäger (Mountain) Battalion. The attacking Austrian soldiers expected little resistance as many Black American troops had been reported in the area. However, the ''Buffalo'' soldiers put up a tough fight in Sommocolonia.

By 9 in the morning, house-to-house combat was reported taking place in Sommocolonia. The outnumbered American soldiers and Communist Partisans, soon reported that they could, at best, only slow down the enemy attacks.

Orders to retreat were transmitted from US headquarters in Barga, but by that time, two thirds of the American and Communist defenders were killed or wounded. With the American and Partisan wounded dragged inside, the Austrians started burning houses in Sommocolonia.

The US field artillery at Barga provided fire support for the Somocolonia defenders, with Lieutenant Fox radioing the co-ordinates. With Axis infantry reinforcing the attack, several men at Barga heard Fox’s last call for smokescreen to cover the escape of the surviving American soldiers and Communist Partisans. Heavy artillery fire then rained down on Fox's position. The US artillery commander hesitated at first in firing directly on his position, but Lieutenant Fox had his way and was killed soon after. Of the Somocolonia defenders, only 18 Americans made it back to the lines of the US 5th Army.

In the fighting on 26 December, Austrian mountain troops also captured Fornaci from the Americans, and the Italians captured the village of Molazzano but failed to take Brucciano.

On the night of 26/27 December, the surviving civilians from Sommocolonia were rounded up by the Austrians and suspected Communist Partisans and sympathizers detained. The local Italian priest later told of seeing Lieutenant Fox’s body in the rubble, along with the bodies of about 100 Austrian soldiers. About 50 American soldiers and 30 Communist Partisans were killed in the defence of Sommocolonia.

On 27 December, Austrian troops renewed their advance and captured Pian di Coreglia, while Italian troops captured the village of Calavorno.

On 27 and 28 December, with the US 92nd ''Buffalo'' Division falling back or digging in all along the 9-kilometre frontline, around-the-clock bombings and strafing missions from 1,000 US P-47 Thunderbolts, Mustang fighters, Mitchell bombers and British Commonwealth Spitfires, Kittyhawks, finally halting the Axis advance.

US War Correspondent Sid Feder would report the Allied air power that halted the Axis offensive:

''Strong Allied air and ground forces were thrown into battle today in an effort to halt the German assault on a six-mile front in the Serchio river valley, where American doughboys have been driven from the important road town of Barga in two days of fierce fighting. The Germans declared that the U.S. 92nd division had been knocked back "some kilometres", which evidently was aimed at the vital Allied supply port of Livorno (Leghorn) ... The Allied tactical air forces hurled the full fury of their bombs, cannon and machineguns against the attacking enemy, with well over 1,000 warplanes participating in the headlong strikes against troop concentrations, gun posts, occupied buildings and road junctions in the battle area. American Thunderbolt and Mustang fighters and Mitchell medium bombers were joined by British and South African Spitfires and Kittyhawks in the blistering assault. Many fires and explosions were seen around Barga and two towns in the immediate northwest, Castelnuovo and Gallicano.'' <ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19441229&id=iZ8gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iWgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1156,6521430&hl=enGERMANS GERMANS PUSH AHEAD ON WEST COAST OF ITALY]</ref>

Despite Allied air superiority, a number of Italian rifle companies and platoons advance 10 kilometres or more and reach the outskirts of the Spa Town of Bagni Di Lucca and the ''Monte Rosa'' and reinforcements from the ''San Marco'' and ''Italia'' Divisions would successfully defend their forward positions in the Serchio Valley for several days, weeks or months.

Although the Axis offensive had pushed back the Americans by about 25 kilometers, Allied air power and reinforcements from the 8th Indian Infantry Division halted the offensive.

The Italian and Austrian units would form a new defensive line about 2 kilometers south of the original Axis line, bringing back large amounts of captured weapons, food, equipment, and 300 POWs.

==Aftermath==

Generals Mark Clark and Lucian Truscott would be at a loss explaining the defeat of the 92nd Buffalo Division, claiming that several crack German ''Gebirgsjäger'' Battalions had overrun the US 366th and 370th Infantry Regiments. The two participating Austrian Mountain Battalions, in fact would come under heavy criticism from the Italian commanders for taking too long in clearing Sommocolonia.

In February 1945, the 92nd Infantry Division again came up against ''RSI'' units. This time Bersaglieri battalions from the ''Italia'' Division. The Italians successfully halted the American advance. The Americans admit losing 22 tanks from the 758th Tank Battalion and suffering more than 1,100 killed, wounded or captured (including 56 officers) in the fighting for Mount Della Stella and Cinquale Canal.

After the war, Sommocolonia’s residents built a peace memorial to honour Lieutenant John R Fox and all the civilians and Allied and Axis soldiers that died in the battle. The villagers even named one of the streets in Sommocolonia after the ''Buffalo'' Division of which Fox was a member.

n 1997, Lieutenant Fox was posthumously awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] for his actions on 26 December 1944, that helped stop the Axis drive from spilling into Livorno.

In July 2002, Antonio Nardini (president of the Lucca Historical Society) that fought against the ''Buffalo'' soldiers in Operation Winter Storm recognized the bravery of Lieutenant Fox in an interview with Alessandra Stanley from the New York Times, ''"His gesture may have been futile, but he acted like a real soldier."''

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:World War II Battles]]

Greco-Italian War

2018-11-26T19:52:07Z

Gentlewind: /* German invasion */

The '''Greco-Italian War''' was one of the many conflicts in [[Europe]] that were part of [[World War II]]. On October 28, 1940, [[Italy|Italian]] dictator [[Mussolini]] demanded [[Greece]] surrender. Prime Minister [[Ioannis Metaxas]] refused, saying simply "okhi" ([[Greek]] for "no"). Italian troops invaded, starting the war. With numerically inferior forces, Greek General [[Alexander Papagos]] was able to repel the invaders before winter set in.

Even though the Italians had a large air force and navy, the ''Comando Supremo'' (Italian Supreme Command) failed to deploy all of the available combat aircraft and elite parachute and marine forces behind Greek lines, attacks that could have tied down a good part of the 15 Greek battalions sent to defend the Pindus sector.

In April 1941 Italy's [[Axis]] allies joined the invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia, with the Greek in Army n Albania forced to abandon all gains in the face of a new Italian spring offensive under General [[Ugo Cavallero]] and orders from Athens to halt the German advance through Greece.

The German divisions broke the northern Greece defences in three days and reached the city of Athens a few weeks later, on 27 April.

==Italian invasion==

Employing a massive invasion force of eight divisions, with full compliments of artillery, armour, and the warplanes of the ''Regia Aeronautica'', which were launched from Albania, the Italians advanced along the Greek coast and mountain passes towards Kalpaki.

Despite fierce Greek resistance, the invaders established a bridgehead over the Kalamas River. However, rapidly rising rivers and mud tracks slowed down the Italian advance, with the Greek defenders falling back into fortified positions.

==Greek invasion of Albania==

Much fighting took place in November, during the Greek Army invasion of Albania. The most significant and bloody setback for the Italian invaders took place during the Battle of Pindus near Kalamas River in late October and early November 1940, when the advance of the ''Julia'' Alpine Division was halted and elite Italian [[Bersaglieri]] and Greek [[Evzones]] battalions fought bitterly at the foot of Mount Morova.

On 6 November, Italian Foreign Minister [[Galeazzo Ciano]] assured Mussolini that the Italian forces dug in and around Koritza (Korçë) would be able to halt the Greeks.

On 8 November, with General Ubaldo Soddu reporting the complete disintegration of General Sebastiano Visconti Prasca's forces and Ciano proven wrong, Mussolini scrapped the invasion of Greece in favour of defensive operations in Albania and ordered that the Italian Army in Albania be urgently strengthened to seventeen divisions.

On 14 November, the 214,000-strong Greek Army in Abania seized the initiative. Italian reinforcements were rushed forward to restore the broken lines, often without supporting air cover and artillery support.

On 20 December, the Italian Army in Albania were nearly defeated. The Greek Army continued to attack, knowing that the Italians were disorganized. The Italian invaders were back at the original positions north of Himara, Kalarat and Benca.

In December, for his part in the failed invasion General Pietro Badoglio was fired and replaced by General Ugo Cavallero as commander of forces in the Greek-Albanian theater of operations. Cavallero mounted a solid defense in the winter of December–February though his ''Primamera'' Offensive failed to defeat Greeks in March.

==Stalemate==

In February 1941 with the Greek offensive in central Albania (near Tepelene and Kelcyrebulk) against the ''Ferrara'' and ''Julia'' Divisions defeated, it was clear in Athens and the British Middle East Command in Egypt that without British Commonwealth reinforcements, the Greek gains in Albania could be lost, or Greece conquered in a German invasion for the Greek commanders had left the main defences along the Metaxas Line in northern Greece seriously undermanned in favour of operations in Albania.

That month, General Ugo Cavallero reinforced his positions in Albania with a total of 28 divisions (comprising 4 Alpine, 1 Armoured and 23 Infantry divisions), totalling 526,000 men. On 9 March, he launched the Spring Offensive with seven divisions in an attack aimed at advancing through the Vijose River and Mount Tommorit. The 14 Greek divisions in Albania lost some ground in the initial fighting, but the offensive was called off on 25 March due to heavy casualties and Greek counterattacks.

==German invasion==

At the start of Operation ''Marita'' (the German invasion of Greece) which began on April 6, 1941, the bulk of the Greek Army was fighting in Albania, with the Italians preparing a second spring offensive. The German Army invaded through Bulgaria overrunning the undermanned Metaxas Line. Despite being reinforced with two entire Elite Greek Evzones Regiments, the Greek Army in Albania, which was already suffering from poor morale, proved unable to defend Klisura and Koritza from the attacking 4th Bersaglieri Regiment.<ref>"… generals Pitsikas and Bakos … warned of ‘a danger of a complete collapse’ of the army’s morale. Papagos at first was inclined to dismiss the fears”. The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941, John Carr, p. 218, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref><ref>"More seriously, outbreaks of mutiny occurred in the 5th (Cretan) and 6th Divisions. A few dozen deserters were caught at the Mertzani Bridge on the border and promptly executed, but that didn’t stop the rot. Amid these signs of an army’s disintegration, on 14 April Major General Katsimitros of the much-bloodied 8th Division appealed to Pitsikas to consider an armistice with the Germans merely to keep some of the army intact.” The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941, John Carr, p. 219, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref><ref>"“All efforts at regaining control with the 5th Greek Division failed and … its divisional commander was sacked .. and by morning 16 April what was left of the division was an unorganised mass in the vicinity of Petrani-Fourka.” Swastika over the Acropolis: Re-interpreting the Nazi Invasion of Greece in World War II, p. 258, Craig Stockings, Eleanor Hancock, BRILL, 2013</ref>

The Montreal Gazette reported the capture of the important Greek fortress:{{cquote|About 25 miles south of Lake Ochrid, Koritza is a road junction whence a road leads eastwards to Florina, hinge of the present British-Greek line confronting the Axis armies. Fast columns of Bersaglieri on motor cycles and in armored cars entered Koritza at 12.30 p.m. today and captured "numerous prisoners and arms of every kind including several batteries of cannon," it was claimed.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM, April 15, 1941]</ref>}}

Lieutenant-Colonel Guglielmo Scognamiglio, Commanding Officer of the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment, was killed in the [[Second Battle of Ponte Perati]] and posthumously awarded the Gold Medal For Military Valour, the Italian equivalent of the American Medal of Honor.<ref>[http://www.combattentiliberazione.it/movm-dal-1935-al-7-sett-1943/scognamiglio-guglielmo SCOGNAMIGLIO Guglielmo]</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Achille Lauro, a Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, 139th Infantry Regiment from the Bari Division was also killed in the fighting for Perati Bridge on 22 April and posthumously awarded the Gold Medal For Military Valour<ref>[http://www.quirinale.it/onorificenze/insigniti/13130 LAURO Achille]</ref>, testament of the bravery of the Greek soldiers.

On 17 April, British General Henry Maitland Wilson wrote that Greek defeatism, ''"was now getting widespread"''. That evening the Greek Prime Minister, Alexander Korizis, retired into his study and shot himself after telling the Greek King II that ''"he felt he had failed him in the task entrusted to him"''.

Between 20 and 22 April 1941, Australian, British and New Zealand units dug in on the Thermopylae Line with orders to halt the German advance across the plain from Lamia. At that moment Australian General Iven Mackay was confident that Thermopylae Pass could be held for a considerable time. Brigadier George Alan Vasey addressed the Australian 6th Division — ''"Here you bloody well are and here you bloody well stay!"'' But despite the determination of the British Commonwealth soldiers, the defence of Greece and Albania was collapsing.

On 23 April, the Greek Army surrendered and King George II fled Greece to set up a Government-in-exile in Egypt.

On 26 April, the Germans carried out paratroop operations to cut off the British withdrawal, seizing the bridge over the Corinth Canal. However, the British troops under General Wilson managed to fight their way through the paratroopers.

The invasion of Greece was completed when the German Army reached the southern shore in Peloponese on 30 April, ending the evacuation of Allied forces and resulting in the capture of 10,000 British Commonwealth troops.<ref>"Australia sent 17,125 troops to Greece, 2030 of whom were taken prisoner and 814 either killed or wounded. In total, approximately 10,000 Allied troops were taken prisoner in Greece." Diggers and Greeks: The Australian Campaigns in Greece and Crete, Maria Hill, p. 311, UNSW Press, 2010</ref> The defeat of Greece was completed with the capture of Crete a month later.

==Operation ''Demon''==

The Allied evacuations during Operation ''Demon'' began on 24 April and over 50,000 troops were removed over five successive nights, although all of the tanks from the British 1st Armoured Division were abandoned. Many of the Allied units escaped largely owing to the bravery of the Greek Navy.

British naval losses were 2 destroyers and 4 merchant ships, with the Greeks losing 4 destroyers and 43 merchant ships.

==Aftermath==

The Italian losses amounted to 13,755 killed, 50,874 wounded and 25,067 captured or missing. Italian losses during the second spring offensive in April were 1,000 killed and 4,000 wounded.<ref>[http://digilander.libero.it/lacorsainfinita/guerra2/40/greciabers.htm CAMPAGNA DI GRECIA]</ref> German losses in the invasion of Greece were 1,500 killed (including 200 Luftwaffe pilots) and 3,700 wounded.

The Greeks suffered 13,408 killed, 42,485 wounded and 270,000 captured.
<ref>"The Greek Army sustained 13,408 killed, 42,485 wounded, and 270,000 prisoners." World War II: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection (5 volumes), Spencer C. Tucker, p. 735, UNSW Press, 2016</ref> The British forces reported losing 12,000 killed, wounded or captured.

Some historians argue that Operation ''Marita'' was decisive in determining the outcome of the Second World War, resulting in the delay of ''Operation Barbarossa'' (the German invasion of Russia) and the defeat of the Axis powers. Others hold that the British decision to reinforce Greece allowed the ''Afrika Korps'' to cross the Mediterranean Sea and prolong the North African Campaign. Nevertheless, the Axis occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia and resulting anti-partisan operations, deeply affected the Axis war effort in North Africa and the Eastern Front.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:World War II Battles]]

Greco-Italian War

2018-11-26T19:51:18Z

Gentlewind: /* German invasion */

The '''Greco-Italian War''' was one of the many conflicts in [[Europe]] that were part of [[World War II]]. On October 28, 1940, [[Italy|Italian]] dictator [[Mussolini]] demanded [[Greece]] surrender. Prime Minister [[Ioannis Metaxas]] refused, saying simply "okhi" ([[Greek]] for "no"). Italian troops invaded, starting the war. With numerically inferior forces, Greek General [[Alexander Papagos]] was able to repel the invaders before winter set in.

Even though the Italians had a large air force and navy, the ''Comando Supremo'' (Italian Supreme Command) failed to deploy all of the available combat aircraft and elite parachute and marine forces behind Greek lines, attacks that could have tied down a good part of the 15 Greek battalions sent to defend the Pindus sector.

In April 1941 Italy's [[Axis]] allies joined the invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia, with the Greek in Army n Albania forced to abandon all gains in the face of a new Italian spring offensive under General [[Ugo Cavallero]] and orders from Athens to halt the German advance through Greece.

The German divisions broke the northern Greece defences in three days and reached the city of Athens a few weeks later, on 27 April.

==Italian invasion==

Employing a massive invasion force of eight divisions, with full compliments of artillery, armour, and the warplanes of the ''Regia Aeronautica'', which were launched from Albania, the Italians advanced along the Greek coast and mountain passes towards Kalpaki.

Despite fierce Greek resistance, the invaders established a bridgehead over the Kalamas River. However, rapidly rising rivers and mud tracks slowed down the Italian advance, with the Greek defenders falling back into fortified positions.

==Greek invasion of Albania==

Much fighting took place in November, during the Greek Army invasion of Albania. The most significant and bloody setback for the Italian invaders took place during the Battle of Pindus near Kalamas River in late October and early November 1940, when the advance of the ''Julia'' Alpine Division was halted and elite Italian [[Bersaglieri]] and Greek [[Evzones]] battalions fought bitterly at the foot of Mount Morova.

On 6 November, Italian Foreign Minister [[Galeazzo Ciano]] assured Mussolini that the Italian forces dug in and around Koritza (Korçë) would be able to halt the Greeks.

On 8 November, with General Ubaldo Soddu reporting the complete disintegration of General Sebastiano Visconti Prasca's forces and Ciano proven wrong, Mussolini scrapped the invasion of Greece in favour of defensive operations in Albania and ordered that the Italian Army in Albania be urgently strengthened to seventeen divisions.

On 14 November, the 214,000-strong Greek Army in Abania seized the initiative. Italian reinforcements were rushed forward to restore the broken lines, often without supporting air cover and artillery support.

On 20 December, the Italian Army in Albania were nearly defeated. The Greek Army continued to attack, knowing that the Italians were disorganized. The Italian invaders were back at the original positions north of Himara, Kalarat and Benca.

In December, for his part in the failed invasion General Pietro Badoglio was fired and replaced by General Ugo Cavallero as commander of forces in the Greek-Albanian theater of operations. Cavallero mounted a solid defense in the winter of December–February though his ''Primamera'' Offensive failed to defeat Greeks in March.

==Stalemate==

In February 1941 with the Greek offensive in central Albania (near Tepelene and Kelcyrebulk) against the ''Ferrara'' and ''Julia'' Divisions defeated, it was clear in Athens and the British Middle East Command in Egypt that without British Commonwealth reinforcements, the Greek gains in Albania could be lost, or Greece conquered in a German invasion for the Greek commanders had left the main defences along the Metaxas Line in northern Greece seriously undermanned in favour of operations in Albania.

That month, General Ugo Cavallero reinforced his positions in Albania with a total of 28 divisions (comprising 4 Alpine, 1 Armoured and 23 Infantry divisions), totalling 526,000 men. On 9 March, he launched the Spring Offensive with seven divisions in an attack aimed at advancing through the Vijose River and Mount Tommorit. The 14 Greek divisions in Albania lost some ground in the initial fighting, but the offensive was called off on 25 March due to heavy casualties and Greek counterattacks.

==German invasion==

At the start of Operation ''Marita'' (the German invasion of Greece) which began on April 6, 1941, the bulk of the Greek Army was fighting in Albania, with the Italians preparing a second spring offensive. The German Army invaded through Bulgaria overrunning the undermanned Metaxas Line. Despite being reinforced with two entire Elite Greek Evzones Regiments, the Greek Army in Albania, which was already suffering from poor morale, proved unable to defend Klisura and Koritza from the attacking 4th Bersaglieri Regiment.<ref>"… generals Pitsikas and Bakos … warned of ‘a danger of a complete collapse’ of the army’s morale. Papagos at first was inclined to dismiss the fears”. The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941, John Carr, p. 218, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref><ref>"More seriously, outbreaks of mutiny occurred in the 5th (Cretan) and 6th Divisions. A few dozen deserters were caught at the Mertzani Bridge on the border and promptly executed, but that didn’t stop the rot. Amid these signs of an army’s disintegration, on 14 April Major General Katsimitros of the much-bloodied 8th Division appealed to Pitsikas to consider an armistice with the Germans merely to keep some of the army intact.” The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941, John Carr, p. 219, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref><ref>"“All efforts at regaining control with the 5th Greek Division failed and … its divisional commander was sacked .. and by morning 16 April what was left of the division was an unorganised mass in the vicinity of Petrani-Fourka.” Swastika over the Acropolis: Re-interpreting the Nazi Invasion of Greece in World War II, p. 258, Craig Stockings, Eleanor Hancock, BRILL, 2013</ref>

The Montreal Gazette reported the capture of the important Greek fortress:{{cquote|About 25 miles south of Lake Ochrid, Koritza is a road junction whence a road leads eastwards to Florina, hinge of the present British-Greek line confronting the Axis armies. Fast columns of Bersaglieri on motor cycles and in armored cars entered Koritza at 12.30 p.m. today and captured "numerous prisoners and arms of every kind including several batteries of cannon," it was claimed.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM, April 15, 1941]</ref>}}

Lieutenant-Colonel Guglielmo Scognamiglio, Commanding Officer of the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment, was killed in the [[Second Battle of Ponte Perati]] and posthumously awarded the Gold Medal For Military Valour, the Italian equivalent of the American Medal of Honor.<ref>[http://www.combattentiliberazione.it/movm-dal-1935-al-7-sett-1943/scognamiglio-guglielmo SCOGNAMIGLIO Guglielmo]</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Achille Lauro, a Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, 139th Infantry Regiment from the Bari Division was also in the fighting for Perati Bridge on 22 April and posthumously awarded the Gold Medal For Military Valour<ref>[http://www.quirinale.it/onorificenze/insigniti/13130 LAURO Achille]</ref>, testament of the bravery of the Greek soldiers.

On 17 April, British General Henry Maitland Wilson wrote that Greek defeatism, ''"was now getting widespread"''. That evening the Greek Prime Minister, Alexander Korizis, retired into his study and shot himself after telling the Greek King II that ''"he felt he had failed him in the task entrusted to him"''.

Between 20 and 22 April 1941, Australian, British and New Zealand units dug in on the Thermopylae Line with orders to halt the German advance across the plain from Lamia. At that moment Australian General Iven Mackay was confident that Thermopylae Pass could be held for a considerable time. Brigadier George Alan Vasey addressed the Australian 6th Division — ''"Here you bloody well are and here you bloody well stay!"'' But despite the determination of the British Commonwealth soldiers, the defence of Greece and Albania was collapsing.

On 23 April, the Greek Army surrendered and King George II fled Greece to set up a Government-in-exile in Egypt.

On 26 April, the Germans carried out paratroop operations to cut off the British withdrawal, seizing the bridge over the Corinth Canal. However, the British troops under General Wilson managed to fight their way through the paratroopers.

The invasion of Greece was completed when the German Army reached the southern shore in Peloponese on 30 April, ending the evacuation of Allied forces and resulting in the capture of 10,000 British Commonwealth troops.<ref>"Australia sent 17,125 troops to Greece, 2030 of whom were taken prisoner and 814 either killed or wounded. In total, approximately 10,000 Allied troops were taken prisoner in Greece." Diggers and Greeks: The Australian Campaigns in Greece and Crete, Maria Hill, p. 311, UNSW Press, 2010</ref> The defeat of Greece was completed with the capture of Crete a month later.

==Operation ''Demon''==

The Allied evacuations during Operation ''Demon'' began on 24 April and over 50,000 troops were removed over five successive nights, although all of the tanks from the British 1st Armoured Division were abandoned. Many of the Allied units escaped largely owing to the bravery of the Greek Navy.

British naval losses were 2 destroyers and 4 merchant ships, with the Greeks losing 4 destroyers and 43 merchant ships.

==Aftermath==

The Italian losses amounted to 13,755 killed, 50,874 wounded and 25,067 captured or missing. Italian losses during the second spring offensive in April were 1,000 killed and 4,000 wounded.<ref>[http://digilander.libero.it/lacorsainfinita/guerra2/40/greciabers.htm CAMPAGNA DI GRECIA]</ref> German losses in the invasion of Greece were 1,500 killed (including 200 Luftwaffe pilots) and 3,700 wounded.

The Greeks suffered 13,408 killed, 42,485 wounded and 270,000 captured.
<ref>"The Greek Army sustained 13,408 killed, 42,485 wounded, and 270,000 prisoners." World War II: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection (5 volumes), Spencer C. Tucker, p. 735, UNSW Press, 2016</ref> The British forces reported losing 12,000 killed, wounded or captured.

Some historians argue that Operation ''Marita'' was decisive in determining the outcome of the Second World War, resulting in the delay of ''Operation Barbarossa'' (the German invasion of Russia) and the defeat of the Axis powers. Others hold that the British decision to reinforce Greece allowed the ''Afrika Korps'' to cross the Mediterranean Sea and prolong the North African Campaign. Nevertheless, the Axis occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia and resulting anti-partisan operations, deeply affected the Axis war effort in North Africa and the Eastern Front.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:World War II Battles]]

Greco-Italian War

2018-11-26T19:34:08Z

Gentlewind: /* German invasion */

The '''Greco-Italian War''' was one of the many conflicts in [[Europe]] that were part of [[World War II]]. On October 28, 1940, [[Italy|Italian]] dictator [[Mussolini]] demanded [[Greece]] surrender. Prime Minister [[Ioannis Metaxas]] refused, saying simply "okhi" ([[Greek]] for "no"). Italian troops invaded, starting the war. With numerically inferior forces, Greek General [[Alexander Papagos]] was able to repel the invaders before winter set in.

Even though the Italians had a large air force and navy, the ''Comando Supremo'' (Italian Supreme Command) failed to deploy all of the available combat aircraft and elite parachute and marine forces behind Greek lines, attacks that could have tied down a good part of the 15 Greek battalions sent to defend the Pindus sector.

In April 1941 Italy's [[Axis]] allies joined the invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia, with the Greek in Army n Albania forced to abandon all gains in the face of a new Italian spring offensive under General [[Ugo Cavallero]] and orders from Athens to halt the German advance through Greece.

The German divisions broke the northern Greece defences in three days and reached the city of Athens a few weeks later, on 27 April.

==Italian invasion==

Employing a massive invasion force of eight divisions, with full compliments of artillery, armour, and the warplanes of the ''Regia Aeronautica'', which were launched from Albania, the Italians advanced along the Greek coast and mountain passes towards Kalpaki.

Despite fierce Greek resistance, the invaders established a bridgehead over the Kalamas River. However, rapidly rising rivers and mud tracks slowed down the Italian advance, with the Greek defenders falling back into fortified positions.

==Greek invasion of Albania==

Much fighting took place in November, during the Greek Army invasion of Albania. The most significant and bloody setback for the Italian invaders took place during the Battle of Pindus near Kalamas River in late October and early November 1940, when the advance of the ''Julia'' Alpine Division was halted and elite Italian [[Bersaglieri]] and Greek [[Evzones]] battalions fought bitterly at the foot of Mount Morova.

On 6 November, Italian Foreign Minister [[Galeazzo Ciano]] assured Mussolini that the Italian forces dug in and around Koritza (Korçë) would be able to halt the Greeks.

On 8 November, with General Ubaldo Soddu reporting the complete disintegration of General Sebastiano Visconti Prasca's forces and Ciano proven wrong, Mussolini scrapped the invasion of Greece in favour of defensive operations in Albania and ordered that the Italian Army in Albania be urgently strengthened to seventeen divisions.

On 14 November, the 214,000-strong Greek Army in Abania seized the initiative. Italian reinforcements were rushed forward to restore the broken lines, often without supporting air cover and artillery support.

On 20 December, the Italian Army in Albania were nearly defeated. The Greek Army continued to attack, knowing that the Italians were disorganized. The Italian invaders were back at the original positions north of Himara, Kalarat and Benca.

In December, for his part in the failed invasion General Pietro Badoglio was fired and replaced by General Ugo Cavallero as commander of forces in the Greek-Albanian theater of operations. Cavallero mounted a solid defense in the winter of December–February though his ''Primamera'' Offensive failed to defeat Greeks in March.

==Stalemate==

In February 1941 with the Greek offensive in central Albania (near Tepelene and Kelcyrebulk) against the ''Ferrara'' and ''Julia'' Divisions defeated, it was clear in Athens and the British Middle East Command in Egypt that without British Commonwealth reinforcements, the Greek gains in Albania could be lost, or Greece conquered in a German invasion for the Greek commanders had left the main defences along the Metaxas Line in northern Greece seriously undermanned in favour of operations in Albania.

That month, General Ugo Cavallero reinforced his positions in Albania with a total of 28 divisions (comprising 4 Alpine, 1 Armoured and 23 Infantry divisions), totalling 526,000 men. On 9 March, he launched the Spring Offensive with seven divisions in an attack aimed at advancing through the Vijose River and Mount Tommorit. The 14 Greek divisions in Albania lost some ground in the initial fighting, but the offensive was called off on 25 March due to heavy casualties and Greek counterattacks.

==German invasion==

At the start of Operation ''Marita'' (the German invasion of Greece) which began on April 6, 1941, the bulk of the Greek Army was fighting in Albania, with the Italians preparing a second spring offensive. The German Army invaded through Bulgaria overrunning the undermanned Metaxas Line. Despite being reinforced with two entire Elite Greek Evzones Regiments, the Greek Army in Albania, which was already suffering from poor morale, proved unable to defend Klisura and Koritza from the attacking 4th Bersaglieri Regiment.<ref>"… generals Pitsikas and Bakos … warned of ‘a danger of a complete collapse’ of the army’s morale. Papagos at first was inclined to dismiss the fears”. The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941, John Carr, p. 218, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref><ref>"More seriously, outbreaks of mutiny occurred in the 5th (Cretan) and 6th Divisions. A few dozen deserters were caught at the Mertzani Bridge on the border and promptly executed, but that didn’t stop the rot. Amid these signs of an army’s disintegration, on 14 April Major General Katsimitros of the much-bloodied 8th Division appealed to Pitsikas to consider an armistice with the Germans merely to keep some of the army intact.” The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941, John Carr, p. 219, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref><ref>"“All efforts at regaining control with the 5th Greek Division failed and … its divisional commander was sacked .. and by morning 16 April what was left of the division was an unorganised mass in the vicinity of Petrani-Fourka.” Swastika over the Acropolis: Re-interpreting the Nazi Invasion of Greece in World War II, p. 258, Craig Stockings, Eleanor Hancock, BRILL, 2013</ref>

The Montreal Gazette reported the capture of the important Greek fortress:{{cquote|About 25 miles south of Lake Ochrid, Koritza is a road junction whence a road leads eastwards to Florina, hinge of the present British-Greek line confronting the Axis armies. Fast columns of Bersaglieri on motor cycles and in armored cars entered Koritza at 12.30 p.m. today and captured "numerous prisoners and arms of every kind including several batteries of cannon," it was claimed.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM, April 15, 1941]</ref>}}

Lieutenant-Colonel Guglielmo Scognamiglio, Commanding Officer of the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment, was killed in action and posthumously awarded the Gold Medal For Military Valour, the Italian equivalent of the American Medal of Honor.<ref>[http://www.combattentiliberazione.it/movm-dal-1935-al-7-sett-1943/scognamiglio-guglielmo SCOGNAMIGLIO Guglielmo]</ref>

On 17 April, British General Henry Maitland Wilson wrote that Greek defeatism, ''"was now getting widespread"''. That evening the Greek Prime Minister, Alexander Korizis, retired into his study and shot himself after telling the Greek King II that ''"he felt he had failed him in the task entrusted to him"''.

Between 20 and 22 April 1941, Australian, British and New Zealand units dug in on the Thermopylae Line with orders to halt the German advance across the plain from Lamia. At that moment Australian General Iven Mackay was confident that Thermopylae Pass could be held for a considerable time. Brigadier George Alan Vasey addressed the Australian 6th Division — ''"Here you bloody well are and here you bloody well stay!"'' But despite the determination of the British Commonwealth soldiers, the defence of Greece and Albania was collapsing.

On 23 April, the Greek Army surrendered and King George II fled Greece to set up a Government-in-exile in Egypt.

On 26 April, the Germans carried out paratroop operations to cut off the British withdrawal, seizing the bridge over the Corinth Canal. However, the British troops under General Wilson managed to fight their way through the paratroopers.

The invasion of Greece was completed when the German Army reached the southern shore in Peloponese on 30 April, ending the evacuation of Allied forces and resulting in the capture of 10,000 British Commonwealth troops.<ref>"Australia sent 17,125 troops to Greece, 2030 of whom were taken prisoner and 814 either killed or wounded. In total, approximately 10,000 Allied troops were taken prisoner in Greece." Diggers and Greeks: The Australian Campaigns in Greece and Crete, Maria Hill, p. 311, UNSW Press, 2010</ref> The defeat of Greece was completed with the capture of Crete a month later.

==Operation ''Demon''==

The Allied evacuations during Operation ''Demon'' began on 24 April and over 50,000 troops were removed over five successive nights, although all of the tanks from the British 1st Armoured Division were abandoned. Many of the Allied units escaped largely owing to the bravery of the Greek Navy.

British naval losses were 2 destroyers and 4 merchant ships, with the Greeks losing 4 destroyers and 43 merchant ships.

==Aftermath==

The Italian losses amounted to 13,755 killed, 50,874 wounded and 25,067 captured or missing. Italian losses during the second spring offensive in April were 1,000 killed and 4,000 wounded.<ref>[http://digilander.libero.it/lacorsainfinita/guerra2/40/greciabers.htm CAMPAGNA DI GRECIA]</ref> German losses in the invasion of Greece were 1,500 killed (including 200 Luftwaffe pilots) and 3,700 wounded.

The Greeks suffered 13,408 killed, 42,485 wounded and 270,000 captured.
<ref>"The Greek Army sustained 13,408 killed, 42,485 wounded, and 270,000 prisoners." World War II: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection (5 volumes), Spencer C. Tucker, p. 735, UNSW Press, 2016</ref> The British forces reported losing 12,000 killed, wounded or captured.

Some historians argue that Operation ''Marita'' was decisive in determining the outcome of the Second World War, resulting in the delay of ''Operation Barbarossa'' (the German invasion of Russia) and the defeat of the Axis powers. Others hold that the British decision to reinforce Greece allowed the ''Afrika Korps'' to cross the Mediterranean Sea and prolong the North African Campaign. Nevertheless, the Axis occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia and resulting anti-partisan operations, deeply affected the Axis war effort in North Africa and the Eastern Front.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:World War II Battles]]

Greco-Italian War

2018-11-26T19:24:38Z

Gentlewind: /* German invasion */

The '''Greco-Italian War''' was one of the many conflicts in [[Europe]] that were part of [[World War II]]. On October 28, 1940, [[Italy|Italian]] dictator [[Mussolini]] demanded [[Greece]] surrender. Prime Minister [[Ioannis Metaxas]] refused, saying simply "okhi" ([[Greek]] for "no"). Italian troops invaded, starting the war. With numerically inferior forces, Greek General [[Alexander Papagos]] was able to repel the invaders before winter set in.

Even though the Italians had a large air force and navy, the ''Comando Supremo'' (Italian Supreme Command) failed to deploy all of the available combat aircraft and elite parachute and marine forces behind Greek lines, attacks that could have tied down a good part of the 15 Greek battalions sent to defend the Pindus sector.

In April 1941 Italy's [[Axis]] allies joined the invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia, with the Greek in Army n Albania forced to abandon all gains in the face of a new Italian spring offensive under General [[Ugo Cavallero]] and orders from Athens to halt the German advance through Greece.

The German divisions broke the northern Greece defences in three days and reached the city of Athens a few weeks later, on 27 April.

==Italian invasion==

Employing a massive invasion force of eight divisions, with full compliments of artillery, armour, and the warplanes of the ''Regia Aeronautica'', which were launched from Albania, the Italians advanced along the Greek coast and mountain passes towards Kalpaki.

Despite fierce Greek resistance, the invaders established a bridgehead over the Kalamas River. However, rapidly rising rivers and mud tracks slowed down the Italian advance, with the Greek defenders falling back into fortified positions.

==Greek invasion of Albania==

Much fighting took place in November, during the Greek Army invasion of Albania. The most significant and bloody setback for the Italian invaders took place during the Battle of Pindus near Kalamas River in late October and early November 1940, when the advance of the ''Julia'' Alpine Division was halted and elite Italian [[Bersaglieri]] and Greek [[Evzones]] battalions fought bitterly at the foot of Mount Morova.

On 6 November, Italian Foreign Minister [[Galeazzo Ciano]] assured Mussolini that the Italian forces dug in and around Koritza (Korçë) would be able to halt the Greeks.

On 8 November, with General Ubaldo Soddu reporting the complete disintegration of General Sebastiano Visconti Prasca's forces and Ciano proven wrong, Mussolini scrapped the invasion of Greece in favour of defensive operations in Albania and ordered that the Italian Army in Albania be urgently strengthened to seventeen divisions.

On 14 November, the 214,000-strong Greek Army in Abania seized the initiative. Italian reinforcements were rushed forward to restore the broken lines, often without supporting air cover and artillery support.

On 20 December, the Italian Army in Albania were nearly defeated. The Greek Army continued to attack, knowing that the Italians were disorganized. The Italian invaders were back at the original positions north of Himara, Kalarat and Benca.

In December, for his part in the failed invasion General Pietro Badoglio was fired and replaced by General Ugo Cavallero as commander of forces in the Greek-Albanian theater of operations. Cavallero mounted a solid defense in the winter of December–February though his ''Primamera'' Offensive failed to defeat Greeks in March.

==Stalemate==

In February 1941 with the Greek offensive in central Albania (near Tepelene and Kelcyrebulk) against the ''Ferrara'' and ''Julia'' Divisions defeated, it was clear in Athens and the British Middle East Command in Egypt that without British Commonwealth reinforcements, the Greek gains in Albania could be lost, or Greece conquered in a German invasion for the Greek commanders had left the main defences along the Metaxas Line in northern Greece seriously undermanned in favour of operations in Albania.

That month, General Ugo Cavallero reinforced his positions in Albania with a total of 28 divisions (comprising 4 Alpine, 1 Armoured and 23 Infantry divisions), totalling 526,000 men. On 9 March, he launched the Spring Offensive with seven divisions in an attack aimed at advancing through the Vijose River and Mount Tommorit. The 14 Greek divisions in Albania lost some ground in the initial fighting, but the offensive was called off on 25 March due to heavy casualties and Greek counterattacks.

==German invasion==

At the start of Operation ''Marita'' (the German invasion of Greece) which began on April 6, 1941, the bulk of the Greek Army was fighting in Albania, with the Italians preparing a second spring offensive. The German Army invaded through Bulgaria overrunning the undermanned Metaxas Line. Despite being reinforced with Elite Greek Evzones Regiments, the Greek Army in Albania, which was already suffering from poor morale, proved unable to defend Klisura and Koritza from the attacking 4th Bersaglieri Regiment.<ref>"… generals Pitsikas and Bakos … warned of ‘a danger of a complete collapse’ of the army’s morale. Papagos at first was inclined to dismiss the fears”. The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941, John Carr, p. 218, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref><ref>"More seriously, outbreaks of mutiny occurred in the 5th (Cretan) and 6th Divisions. A few dozen deserters were caught at the Mertzani Bridge on the border and promptly executed, but that didn’t stop the rot. Amid these signs of an army’s disintegration, on 14 April Major General Katsimitros of the much-bloodied 8th Division appealed to Pitsikas to consider an armistice with the Germans merely to keep some of the army intact.” The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941, John Carr, p. 219, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref><ref>"“All efforts at regaining control with the 5th Greek Division failed and … its divisional commander was sacked .. and by morning 16 April what was left of the division was an unorganised mass in the vicinity of Petrani-Fourka.” Swastika over the Acropolis: Re-interpreting the Nazi Invasion of Greece in World War II, p. 258, Craig Stockings, Eleanor Hancock, BRILL, 2013</ref>

The Montreal Gazette reported the capture of the important Greek fortress:{{cquote|About 25 miles south of Lake Ochrid, Koritza is a road junction whence a road leads eastwards to Florina, hinge of the present British-Greek line confronting the Axis armies. Fast columns of Bersaglieri on motor cycles and in armored cars entered Koritza at 12.30 p.m. today and captured "numerous prisoners and arms of every kind including several batteries of cannon," it was claimed.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?dat=19410415&hl=enKORITZA&id=in0tAAAAIBAJ&nid=1946&pg=3136,2463178&sjid=xZgFAAAAIBAJ KORITZA TAKEN ITALIANS CLAIM, April 15, 1941]</ref>}}

On 17 April, British General Henry Maitland Wilson wrote that Greek defeatism, ''"was now getting widespread"''. That evening the Greek Prime Minister, Alexander Korizis, retired into his study and shot himself after telling the Greek King II that ''"he felt he had failed him in the task entrusted to him"''.

Between 20 and 22 April 1941, Australian, British and New Zealand units dug in on the Thermopylae Line with orders to halt the German advance across the plain from Lamia. At that moment Australian General Iven Mackay was confident that Thermopylae Pass could be held for a considerable time. Brigadier George Alan Vasey addressed the Australian 6th Division — ''"Here you bloody well are and here you bloody well stay!"'' But despite the determination of the British Commonwealth soldiers, the defence of Greece and Albania was collapsing.

On 23 April, the Greek Army surrendered and King George II fled Greece to set up a Government-in-exile in Egypt.

On 26 April, the Germans carried out paratroop operations to cut off the British withdrawal, seizing the bridge over the Corinth Canal. However, the British troops under General Wilson managed to fight their way through the paratroopers.

The invasion of Greece was completed when the German Army reached the southern shore in Peloponese on 30 April, ending the evacuation of Allied forces and resulting in the capture of 10,000 British Commonwealth troops.<ref>"Australia sent 17,125 troops to Greece, 2030 of whom were taken prisoner and 814 either killed or wounded. In total, approximately 10,000 Allied troops were taken prisoner in Greece." Diggers and Greeks: The Australian Campaigns in Greece and Crete, Maria Hill, p. 311, UNSW Press, 2010</ref> The defeat of Greece was completed with the capture of Crete a month later.

==Operation ''Demon''==

The Allied evacuations during Operation ''Demon'' began on 24 April and over 50,000 troops were removed over five successive nights, although all of the tanks from the British 1st Armoured Division were abandoned. Many of the Allied units escaped largely owing to the bravery of the Greek Navy.

British naval losses were 2 destroyers and 4 merchant ships, with the Greeks losing 4 destroyers and 43 merchant ships.

==Aftermath==

The Italian losses amounted to 13,755 killed, 50,874 wounded and 25,067 captured or missing. Italian losses during the second spring offensive in April were 1,000 killed and 4,000 wounded.<ref>[http://digilander.libero.it/lacorsainfinita/guerra2/40/greciabers.htm CAMPAGNA DI GRECIA]</ref> German losses in the invasion of Greece were 1,500 killed (including 200 Luftwaffe pilots) and 3,700 wounded.

The Greeks suffered 13,408 killed, 42,485 wounded and 270,000 captured.
<ref>"The Greek Army sustained 13,408 killed, 42,485 wounded, and 270,000 prisoners." World War II: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection (5 volumes), Spencer C. Tucker, p. 735, UNSW Press, 2016</ref> The British forces reported losing 12,000 killed, wounded or captured.

Some historians argue that Operation ''Marita'' was decisive in determining the outcome of the Second World War, resulting in the delay of ''Operation Barbarossa'' (the German invasion of Russia) and the defeat of the Axis powers. Others hold that the British decision to reinforce Greece allowed the ''Afrika Korps'' to cross the Mediterranean Sea and prolong the North African Campaign. Nevertheless, the Axis occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia and resulting anti-partisan operations, deeply affected the Axis war effort in North Africa and the Eastern Front.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:World War II Battles]]

Greco-Italian War

2018-11-26T19:15:48Z

Gentlewind: /* German invasion */

The '''Greco-Italian War''' was one of the many conflicts in [[Europe]] that were part of [[World War II]]. On October 28, 1940, [[Italy|Italian]] dictator [[Mussolini]] demanded [[Greece]] surrender. Prime Minister [[Ioannis Metaxas]] refused, saying simply "okhi" ([[Greek]] for "no"). Italian troops invaded, starting the war. With numerically inferior forces, Greek General [[Alexander Papagos]] was able to repel the invaders before winter set in.

Even though the Italians had a large air force and navy, the ''Comando Supremo'' (Italian Supreme Command) failed to deploy all of the available combat aircraft and elite parachute and marine forces behind Greek lines, attacks that could have tied down a good part of the 15 Greek battalions sent to defend the Pindus sector.

In April 1941 Italy's [[Axis]] allies joined the invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia, with the Greek in Army n Albania forced to abandon all gains in the face of a new Italian spring offensive under General [[Ugo Cavallero]] and orders from Athens to halt the German advance through Greece.

The German divisions broke the northern Greece defences in three days and reached the city of Athens a few weeks later, on 27 April.

==Italian invasion==

Employing a massive invasion force of eight divisions, with full compliments of artillery, armour, and the warplanes of the ''Regia Aeronautica'', which were launched from Albania, the Italians advanced along the Greek coast and mountain passes towards Kalpaki.

Despite fierce Greek resistance, the invaders established a bridgehead over the Kalamas River. However, rapidly rising rivers and mud tracks slowed down the Italian advance, with the Greek defenders falling back into fortified positions.

==Greek invasion of Albania==

Much fighting took place in November, during the Greek Army invasion of Albania. The most significant and bloody setback for the Italian invaders took place during the Battle of Pindus near Kalamas River in late October and early November 1940, when the advance of the ''Julia'' Alpine Division was halted and elite Italian [[Bersaglieri]] and Greek [[Evzones]] battalions fought bitterly at the foot of Mount Morova.

On 6 November, Italian Foreign Minister [[Galeazzo Ciano]] assured Mussolini that the Italian forces dug in and around Koritza (Korçë) would be able to halt the Greeks.

On 8 November, with General Ubaldo Soddu reporting the complete disintegration of General Sebastiano Visconti Prasca's forces and Ciano proven wrong, Mussolini scrapped the invasion of Greece in favour of defensive operations in Albania and ordered that the Italian Army in Albania be urgently strengthened to seventeen divisions.

On 14 November, the 214,000-strong Greek Army in Abania seized the initiative. Italian reinforcements were rushed forward to restore the broken lines, often without supporting air cover and artillery support.

On 20 December, the Italian Army in Albania were nearly defeated. The Greek Army continued to attack, knowing that the Italians were disorganized. The Italian invaders were back at the original positions north of Himara, Kalarat and Benca.

In December, for his part in the failed invasion General Pietro Badoglio was fired and replaced by General Ugo Cavallero as commander of forces in the Greek-Albanian theater of operations. Cavallero mounted a solid defense in the winter of December–February though his ''Primamera'' Offensive failed to defeat Greeks in March.

==Stalemate==

In February 1941 with the Greek offensive in central Albania (near Tepelene and Kelcyrebulk) against the ''Ferrara'' and ''Julia'' Divisions defeated, it was clear in Athens and the British Middle East Command in Egypt that without British Commonwealth reinforcements, the Greek gains in Albania could be lost, or Greece conquered in a German invasion for the Greek commanders had left the main defences along the Metaxas Line in northern Greece seriously undermanned in favour of operations in Albania.

That month, General Ugo Cavallero reinforced his positions in Albania with a total of 28 divisions (comprising 4 Alpine, 1 Armoured and 23 Infantry divisions), totalling 526,000 men. On 9 March, he launched the Spring Offensive with seven divisions in an attack aimed at advancing through the Vijose River and Mount Tommorit. The 14 Greek divisions in Albania lost some ground in the initial fighting, but the offensive was called off on 25 March due to heavy casualties and Greek counterattacks.

==German invasion==

At the start of Operation ''Marita'' (the German invasion of Greece) which began on April 6, 1941, the bulk of the Greek Army was fighting in Albania, with the Italians preparing a second spring offensive. The German Army invaded through Bulgaria overrunning the undermanned Metaxas Line. Despite being reinforced with Elite Greek Evzones Regiments, the Greek Army in Albania, which was already suffering from poor morale, proved unable to defend Klisura and Koritza from the attacking 4th Bersaglieri Regiment.<ref>"… generals Pitsikas and Bakos … warned of ‘a danger of a complete collapse’ of the army’s morale. Papagos at first was inclined to dismiss the fears”. The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941, John Carr, p. 218, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref><ref>"More seriously, outbreaks of mutiny occurred in the 5th (Cretan) and 6th Divisions. A few dozen deserters were caught at the Mertzani Bridge on the border and promptly executed, but that didn’t stop the rot. Amid these signs of an army’s disintegration, on 14 April Major General Katsimitros of the much-bloodied 8th Division appealed to Pitsikas to consider an armistice with the Germans merely to keep some of the army intact.” The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941, John Carr, p. 219, Pen and Sword, 2013</ref><ref>"“All efforts at regaining control with the 5th Greek Division failed and … its divisional commander was sacked .. and by morning 16 April what was left of the division was an unorganised mass in the vicinity of Petrani-Fourka.” Swastika over the Acropolis: Re-interpreting the Nazi Invasion of Greece in World War II, p. 258, Craig Stockings, Eleanor Hancock, BRILL, 2013</ref>

On 17 April, British General Henry Maitland Wilson wrote that Greek defeatism, ''"was now getting widespread"''. That evening the Greek Prime Minister, Alexander Korizis, retired into his study and shot himself after telling the Greek King II that ''"he felt he had failed him in the task entrusted to him"''.

Between 20 and 22 April 1941, Australian, British and New Zealand units dug in on the Thermopylae Line with orders to halt the German advance across the plain from Lamia. At that moment Australian General Iven Mackay was confident that Thermopylae Pass could be held for a considerable time. Brigadier George Alan Vasey addressed the Australian 6th Division — ''"Here you bloody well are and here you bloody well stay!"'' But despite the determination of the British Commonwealth soldiers, the defence of Greece and Albania was collapsing.

On 23 April, the Greek Army surrendered and King George II fled Greece to set up a Government-in-exile in Egypt.

On 26 April, the Germans carried out paratroop operations to cut off the British withdrawal, seizing the bridge over the Corinth Canal. However, the British troops under General Wilson managed to fight their way through the paratroopers.

The invasion of Greece was completed when the German Army reached the southern shore in Peloponese on 30 April, ending the evacuation of Allied forces and resulting in the capture of 10,000 British Commonwealth troops.<ref>"Australia sent 17,125 troops to Greece, 2030 of whom were taken prisoner and 814 either killed or wounded. In total, approximately 10,000 Allied troops were taken prisoner in Greece." Diggers and Greeks: The Australian Campaigns in Greece and Crete, Maria Hill, p. 311, UNSW Press, 2010</ref> The defeat of Greece was completed with the capture of Crete a month later.

==Operation ''Demon''==

The Allied evacuations during Operation ''Demon'' began on 24 April and over 50,000 troops were removed over five successive nights, although all of the tanks from the British 1st Armoured Division were abandoned. Many of the Allied units escaped largely owing to the bravery of the Greek Navy.

British naval losses were 2 destroyers and 4 merchant ships, with the Greeks losing 4 destroyers and 43 merchant ships.

==Aftermath==

The Italian losses amounted to 13,755 killed, 50,874 wounded and 25,067 captured or missing. Italian losses during the second spring offensive in April were 1,000 killed and 4,000 wounded.<ref>[http://digilander.libero.it/lacorsainfinita/guerra2/40/greciabers.htm CAMPAGNA DI GRECIA]</ref> German losses in the invasion of Greece were 1,500 killed (including 200 Luftwaffe pilots) and 3,700 wounded.

The Greeks suffered 13,408 killed, 42,485 wounded and 270,000 captured.
<ref>"The Greek Army sustained 13,408 killed, 42,485 wounded, and 270,000 prisoners." World War II: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection (5 volumes), Spencer C. Tucker, p. 735, UNSW Press, 2016</ref> The British forces reported losing 12,000 killed, wounded or captured.

Some historians argue that Operation ''Marita'' was decisive in determining the outcome of the Second World War, resulting in the delay of ''Operation Barbarossa'' (the German invasion of Russia) and the defeat of the Axis powers. Others hold that the British decision to reinforce Greece allowed the ''Afrika Korps'' to cross the Mediterranean Sea and prolong the North African Campaign. Nevertheless, the Axis occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia and resulting anti-partisan operations, deeply affected the Axis war effort in North Africa and the Eastern Front.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:World War II Battles]]