Italian Forces in North Africa, Operation Compass, 1

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Italian Forces in North Africa, Operation Compass, 1 Italian Forces in North Africa Operation Compass 1 November 1940 - February 1941 Commandante Superiore: Maresciallo d'Armata Rodolfo Graziani 10th Army: Commanding Officer: Generale d'Armata Gariboldi (until 11/17/40) Generale d'Armata Berti (until 12/23/40 Generale d'Armata Tellera (died 2/7/41) XXI Corps: Generale di Corpo d'Armata Bergonzoli 1st Lybian Division organization unknown 2nd Lybian Division organization unknown 4th Blackshirt Division organization unknown Maletti Group organization unknown 63rd Cirene Division 157th Liguria Infantry Regiment 158th Liguria Infantry Regiment 45th Cirene Artillery Regiment 62nd Marmarica Division 115th Treviso Infantry Regiment 116th Treviso Infantry Regiment 44th Marmarica Artillery Regiment 64th Catanzaro Divsion 141st Catanzaro Infantry Regiment 142nd Catanzaro Infantry Regiment 64th Artillery Regiment 1st Black Shirt Division organization unknown 2nd Black Shirt Division organization unknown Frontier Guard Units & Fortress Troops in Bardia organization unknown XXII Corps: Generale di Corpo d'Armata Petassi Mannella 61st Sirte Division 69th Ancona Infantry Regiment 70th Ancona Infantry Regiment 43rd Sirte Artillery Regiment Fortress Troops & Artillery in Tobruk organization unknown XX Corps: Generale di Corpo d'Armata Cona 60th Sabratha Division 85th Verona Infantry Regiment 86th Verona Infantry Regiment 42nd Sabrata Artillery Regiment 1 27th Brescia (mot) Division 19th Bresica Infantry Regiment 20th Bresica Infantry Regiment 55th Artillery Regiment 27th Mixed Engineer Battalion 34th Medical Section 35th Surgical Unit 95th Field Hospital 328th Motor Transport Section 34th Supply Section 127th CCRR Section 17th Pavia Division 27th Pavcia Infantry Regiment 28th Pavcia Infantry Regiment 26th Rubicone Artillery Regiment 17th Mixed Engineer Battalion 21st Medical Section 66th Field Hospital 94th Field Hospital 207th Motor Transport Section 71st Field Bakery 74th CCRR Section Babini Armored Brigade organization unknown Pitt, B., The Crucibal of War, Western Desert 1941, London, Jonathan Cape. Madej, W.,V., Italian Army Order of Battle, 1939-1943, Allentown, PA 1981 US Gov't, Notes on Emeny Army Identifications, Italy, October 1941 Copyright GFN 1993 2 .
Recommended publications
  • Military History Anniversaries 01 Thru 14 Feb
    Military History Anniversaries 01 thru 14 Feb Events in History over the next 14 day period that had U.S. military involvement or impacted in some way on U.S military operations or American interests Feb 01 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Davidson College Namesake Killed at Cowan’s Ford » American Brigadier General William Lee Davidson dies in combat attempting to prevent General Charles Cornwallis’ army from crossing the Catawba River in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Davidson’s North Carolina militia, numbering between 600 and 800 men, set up camp on the far side of the river, hoping to thwart or at least slow Cornwallis’ crossing. The Patriots stayed back from the banks of the river in order to prevent Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tartleton’s forces from fording the river at a different point and surprising the Patriots with a rear attack. At 1 a.m., Cornwallis began to move his troops toward the ford; by daybreak, they were crossing in a double-pronged formation–one prong for horses, the other for wagons. The noise of the rough crossing, during which the horses were forced to plunge in over their heads in the storm-swollen stream, woke the sleeping Patriot guard. The Patriots fired upon the Britons as they crossed and received heavy fire in return. Almost immediately upon his arrival at the river bank, General Davidson took a rifle ball to the heart and fell from his horse; his soaked corpse was found late that evening. Although Cornwallis’ troops took heavy casualties, the combat did little to slow their progress north toward Virginia.
    [Show full text]
  • (June 1941) and the Development of the British Tactical Air Doctrine
    Journal of Military and Strategic VOLUME 14, ISSUE 1, FALL 2011 Studies A Stepping Stone to Success: Operation Battleaxe (June 1941) and the Development of the British Tactical Air Doctrine Mike Bechthold On 16 February 1943 a meeting was held in Tripoli attended by senior American and British officers to discuss the various lessons learned during the Libyan campaign. The focus of the meeting was a presentation by General Bernard Montgomery. This "gospel according to Montgomery," as it was referred to by Air Chief Marshal Arthur Tedder, set out very clearly Monty's beliefs on how air power should be used to support the army.1 Among the tenets Montgomery articulated was his conviction of the importance of air power: "Any officer who aspires to hold high command in war must understand clearly certain principles regarding the use of air power." Montgomery also believed that flexibility was the greatest asset of air power. This allowed it to be applied as a "battle-winning factor of the first importance." As well, he fully endorsed the air force view of centralized control: "Nothing could be more fatal to successful results than to dissipate the air resource into small packets placed under the control of army formation commanders, with each packet working on its own plan. The soldier must not expect, or wish, to exercise direct command over air striking forces." Montgomery concluded his discussion by stating that it was of prime importance for the army and air 1 Arthur Tedder, With Prejudice: The war memoirs of Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Lord Tedder (London: Cassell, 1966), p.
    [Show full text]
  • Big Sandbox,” However It May Be Interpreted, Brought with It Extraordinary Enchantment
    eScholarship California Italian Studies Title The Embarrassment of Libya. History, Memory, and Politics in Contemporary Italy Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9z63v86n Journal California Italian Studies, 1(1) Author Labanca, Nicola Publication Date 2010 DOI 10.5070/C311008847 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California The Embarrassment of Libya: History, Memory, and Politics in Contemporary Italy Nicola Labanca The past weighs on the present. This same past can, however, also constitute an opportunity for the future. If adequately acknowledged, the past can inspire positive action. This seems to be the maxim that we can draw from the history of Italy in the Mediterranean and, in particular, the history of Italy's relationship with Libya. Even the most recent “friendship and cooperation agreement” between Italy and Libya, signed August 30, 2008 by Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and Libyan leader Colonel Moammar Gadhafi, affirms this. Italy’s colonial past in Libya has been a source of political tensions between the two nations for the past forty years. Now, the question emerges: will the acknowledgement of this past finally help to reconcile the two countries? The history of Italy’s presence in Libya (1912-1942) is rather different from the more general history of the European colonial expansion. The Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica (referred to by the single name “Libya” in the literary and rhetorical culture of liberal Italy) were among the few African territories that remained outside of the European dominion, together with Ethiopia (which defeated Italy at Adwa in 1896) and rubber-rich Liberia.
    [Show full text]
  • La Ricostruzione Dell'immaginario Violato in Tre Scrittrici Italofone Del Corno D'africa
    Igiaba Scego La ricostruzione dell’immaginario violato in tre scrittrici italofone del Corno D’Africa Aspetti teorici, pedagogici e percorsi di lettura Università degli Studi Roma Tre Facoltà di Scienze della Formazione Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Educazione Dottorato di ricerca in Pedagogia (Ciclo XX) Docente Tutor Coordinatore della Sezione di Pedagogia Prof. Francesco Susi Prof. Massimiliano Fiorucci Direttrice della Scuola Dottorale in Pedagogia e Servizio Sociale Prof.ssa Carmela Covato Anno Accademico 2007/2008 Per la stella della bandiera Somala e per la mia famiglia Estoy leyendo una novela de Luise Erdrich. A cierta altura, un bisabuelo encuentra a su bisnieto. El bisabuelo está completamente chocho (sus pensamiemto tiene nel color del agua) y sonríe con la misma beatífica sonrisa de su bisnieto recién nacido. El bisabuelo es feliz porque ha perdido la memoria que tenía. El bisnieto es feliz porque no tiene, todavía, ninguna memoria. He aquí, pienso, la felicidad perfecta. Yo no la quiero Eduardo Galeano Parte Prima Subire l’immaginario. Ricostruire l’immaginario. Il fenomeno e le problematiche Introduzione Molte persone in Italia sono persuase, in assoluta buona fede, della positività dell’operato italiano in Africa. Italiani brava gente dunque. Italiani costruttori di ponti, strade, infrastrutture, palazzi. Italiani civilizzatori. Italiani edificatori di pace, benessere, modernità. Ma questa visione delineata corrisponde alla realtà dei fatti? Gli italiani sono stati davvero brava gente in Africa? Nella dichiarazioni spesso vengono anche azzardati parallelismi paradossali tra la situazione attuale e quella passata delle ex colonie italiane. Si ribadisce con una certa veemenza che Libia, Etiopia, Somalia ed Eritrea tutto sommato stavano meglio quando stavano peggio, cioè dominati e colonizzati dagli italiani.
    [Show full text]
  • Infantry Division (1941-43)]
    7 February 2017 [6 (70) INFANTRY DIVISION (1941-43)] th 6 Infantry Division (1) Headquarters, 6th Infantry Division & Employment Platoon 14th Infantry Brigade (2) Headquarters, 14th Infantry Brigade & Signal Section 1st Bn. The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment 2nd Bn. The York and Lancaster Regiment 2nd Bn. The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) 16th Infantry Brigade (3) Headquarters, 16th Infantry Brigade & Signal Section 2nd Bn. The Leicestershire Regiment 2nd Bn. The Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey) 1st Bn. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise’s) (4) 23rd Infantry Brigade (5) Headquarters, 23rd Infantry Brigade & Signal Section 4th (Westmorland) Bn. The Border Regiment 1st Bn. The Durham Light Infantry (6) Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion No 11 East (7) Divisional Troops 60th (North Midland) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery (8) (H.Q., 237th (Lincoln) & 238th (Grimsby) Field Batteries, Royal Artillery) 2nd Field Company, Royal Engineers 12th Field Company, Royal Engineers 54th Field Company, Royal Engineers 219th (1st London) Field Park Company, Royal Engineers 6th Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals © www.BritishMilitaryH istory.co.uk Page 1 7 February 2017 [6 (70) INFANTRY DIVISION (1941-43)] Headquarters, 6th Infantry Divisional Royal Army Service Corps (9) 61st Company, Royal Army Service Corps 145th Company, Royal Army Service Corps 419th Company, Royal Army Service Corps Headquarters, 6th Infantry Divisional Royal Army Medical Corps (10) 173rd Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps 189th
    [Show full text]
  • 'Something Is Wrong with Our Army…' Command, Leadership & Italian
    Journal of Military and Strategic VOLUME 14, ISSUE 1, FALL 2011 Studies ‘Something is wrong with our army…’ Command, Leadership & Italian Military Failure in the First Libyan Campaign, 1940-41. Dr. Craig Stockings There is no question that the First Libyan Campaign of 1940-41 was an Italian military disaster of the highest order. Within hours of Mussolini’s declaration of war British troops began launching a series of very successful raids by air, sea and land in the North African theatre. Despite such early setbacks a long-anticipated Italian invasion of Egypt began on 13 September 1940. After three days of ponderous and costly advance, elements of the Italian 10th Army halted 95 kilometres into Egyptian territory and dug into a series of fortified camps southwest of the small coastal village of Sidi Barrani. From 9-11 December, these camps were attacked by Western Desert Force (WDF) in the opening stages of Operation Compass – the British counter-offensive against the Italian invasion. Italian troops not killed or captured in the rout that followed began a desperate and disjointed withdrawal back over the Libyan border, with the British in pursuit. The next significant engagement of the campaign was at the port-village Bardia, 30 kilometres inside Libya, in the first week of 1941. There the Australian 6 Division, having recently replaced 4 Indian Division as the infantry component of WDF (now renamed 13 Corps), broke the Italian fortress and its 40,000 defenders with few casualties. The feat was repeated at the port of Tobruk, deeper into Libya, when another 27,000 Italian prisoners were taken.
    [Show full text]
  • ISSUE #7 Spring 2003 WARGAMING & FILM
    ISSUE #7 Spring 2003 WARGAMING & FILM Wargamers are not only were overlooked, just be- awful war films that should into figures, painting, re- cause we were grateful to be avoided at all costs. searching, buying, and pre- have anything. paring for the next game, 1. SAVING PRIVATE With CGI effects and they are also very much RYAN big budgets though, gamers into films. War movies are are beginning to expect a responsible for much of the lot more. The incredible purchases in the gaming battle scenes from The Two industry. You need look Towers has now set the no further than what hap- standards impossibly high pened after the release of for other war films. Black Hawk Down. A number of new rules sets, The main part of this figs, and terrain that repre- article is to list which films sents a destroyed urban are probably the best for area were all out inside of a wargamers as far as accu- year. Obviously, there is racy, quality, and most im- In my opinion, this movie some interest in the movie portant of all, generating was responsible for the big and gaming the period. enough interest for you to increase in WWII skirmish wargaming in 25mm. Within a year of it’s release there were several new sets of rules and at least ten manufacturers producing figures. This film’s first 30 minutes still provide the most horrifying realities of war that you will ever ex- Black Hawk Down’s realistic portrayal of modern urban street combat perience. A great film that has provided the inspiration for dozens of new figures and rules.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethiopian Community Mutual Assistance Association (ECMAA) 2017
    ECMAA: SERVING NEW YORK|NEW JERSEY|CONNECTICUT AREA Ethiopian Community Mutual Assistance Association ECMAA established,1981 in New York City (ECMAA) 2017 Annual Report 2017 Contact address: ECMAA P.O.Box 194 New York, NY 10027 ecmaany.org [email protected] Ethiopian Community Mutual Assistance Association (ECMAA) Board of Directors 2017 ECMAA Board Annual update Date: January 11, 2018 Summary In 2017 ECMAA had a very productive year. We were able to organize different activities in which our community was able to participate. Among the activities organized by ECMAA include: Remembrance Day Program Autism awareness program Discussion on the significance of Adwa Book presentation and discussion Film Screening Remembrance Day Program 1935- 1941: The Ethiopian Community Mutual Assistance Association of New York and Global Alliance -the Ethiopia cause organized a Town Hall Meeting to pay tribute to victims of Rodolfo Graziani cowardly attack that claimed thousands of innocent Ethiopians lives on February 19, 1937 (G.C). 2017 is the 80th Anniversary commemoration day of the massacre of thousands of people in Addis Abeba. The event included remembering Ethiopian patriots who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our beloved country during the Italian aggression from 1935 -1941. 1 The invited speakers for the event were Dr. Girma Abebe, Mr. Howard Parker and Ambassador Imru Zelleke who joined us by Skype. Dr. Girma and Ambassador Imru were an eye witness of the atrocities committed by the Graziani soldiers on the people of Addis Ababa. The meeting was held on Sunday, March 5, 2017 at 220 Manhattan Ave NY, NY. Autism awareness program: In 2017 we combined 5K Walkathon for Autism awareness campaign and our Ethiopian Day picnic.
    [Show full text]
  • VICTORY at SIDI BARRANI 28 Nov-6 Dec Preparations That Were Being Made Around Them
    CHAPTER 6 VICTORY AT SIDI BARRAN I HE stage was now set for the opening of the desert battle which Genera l T Wavell and his subordinates had discussed before the Italian invasion of Greece. Thus far the new theatre of war had made relatively smal l demands on Wavell's and Longmore's forces, and the Italian Army's failure to overcome the Greeks lowered an already low estimate of it s efficiency . Although Western Desert Force was still greatly outnumbered by General Bergonzoli's army, it had received useful reinforcements . It will be recalled that in October two tank regiments from England ha d joined the 7th Armoured Division, bringing its two armoured brigade s each to their proper strength of three regiments ; and the 7th Royal Tank Regiment had arrived, equipped with heavy "Matilda" tanks to be use d with infantry to break into strong defensive positions . In September the 4th Indian Division had been completed by adding to it the 16th Britis h Brigade ; in November its own third brigade arrived . In the Matruh Fortress was assembled a force equal to two infantry brigades . The 4th Ne w Zealand Brigade, had, since September, been in reserve either at Dab a or Bagush ; and on the edge of the Delta were the 6th Australian Division , now more or less complete, and the Polish brigade . Thus in three month s the forces west of Alexandria had increased from two weak divisions t o three at full strength or close to it, plus four infantry brigades ; and within a few weeks the New Zealand and the 7th Australian Divisions woul d be complete, in units if not equipment, and the 2nd Armoured Divisio n would have arrived.
    [Show full text]
  • Italy's Colonial Futures
    Italy’s Colonial Futures: Colonial Inertia and Postcolonial Capital in Asmara Mia Fuller Asmara is no longer a secret. --Naigzy Gebremedhin (2007, 25) The mal d’Africa of the nineteenth century has been supplanted by the mal d’Europa of the twentieth century. --Ruth Iyob (2005b, 271) Italy hardly appears likely to acquire colonial territories in the future, though it participates in some of the West’s wars and peacekeeping efforts (the Iraq coalition and NATO’s assault on Qadhafi’s regime; Eritrea and Lebanon) – all of them, from one point of view, legacies of the colonial era. Instead, this article takes into consideration a different sort of colonial future: one inherent in an unconcluded colonial past. Italy certainly has a colonial past, albeit one that is often described as rimosso (“repressed” or “displaced”), suggesting it is less than accessible, and perhaps hard to locate. Although it is true that most Italians are poorly informed about their country’s past deeds and misdeeds in Eritrea, Somalia, Libya, the Dodecanese Islands, Ethiopia, and Albania, I claim here that rather than invisible, the traces of Italy’s colonial ventures are ubiquitous. This is true of Italy itself, if one knows where to look, but in this essay I am interested in the former colonies above all. In Asmara, the capital city of the ex-colony of Eritrea, I describe Italy’s colonial inertia, or how Italy’s once-vigorously implanted colonial signature has sustained momentum and shows every promise of continuing to do so. When Italian colonizers left in the post-World War Two era, their refashioning of built, cultural, and social environments to their own specifications did not vanish with them.1 On the contrary, Italians’ architectural and urban interventions, along with social, economic, and linguistic reminders of their occupation of Asmara, have been preserved quite faithfully.
    [Show full text]
  • Valutazione Tattica Della Battaglia
    La campagna d’Africa: Libia L’Italia in guerra Breve riassunto Alla fine degli anni Trenta le forze armate italiane erano in gravi condizioni: le armi erano scarse e di vecchio tipo, l’Aeronautica usava apparecchi antiquati, la Marina era indifendibile e mancante di portaerei. Per giustificare questa ultima mancanza Mussolini aveva affermato che la stessa Italia era da considerarsi una gigantesca portaerei. Il paese, durante le sfilate, poteva mostrare al mondo solo i famosi fantomatici «otto milioni di baionette». Le guerre di Etiopia e di Spagna avevano dimostrato i limiti dell’Italia, ma nessuna riforma sostanziale era stata apportata per modernizzare la struttura militare. La campagna d’Albania, risultata vittoriosa, aveva elevato notevolmente il morale, ma non coglieva l’autentica situazione militare. In realtà ben pochi sapevano che si era rivelata una tragedia. Lo sbarco si era svolto in una confusione indescrivibile, tra urla e sconquassi, con gente finita in mare con il rischio di annegare, navi impossibilitate ad attraccare perché non era stata calcolata la profondità dei fondali. Per questo i soldati furono trasportati a terra solo grazie a barconi richiesti ai pescatori locali. Scriveva Filippo Anfuso, allora braccio destro del ministro degli Affari Esteri Galeazzo Ciano: «Se gli albanesi avessero avuto anche solo una brigata di pompieri bene armati, avrebbero potuto ributtarci nell’Adriatico». Le tradizioni belliche non erano delle migliori, ma si inneggiavano a eroi anche i comandanti con più sconfitte a carico. I generali italiani erano quasi tutti da pensione (tra i più giovani c’era Ugo Cavallero con sessanta anni), derelitti della Prima guerra mondiale, per la maggiorwww.qattara.it parte fino ad allora nell’anonimato; occorreranno le prime sconfitte per renderli «noti» alle cronache dei giornali.
    [Show full text]
  • Honoring War Criminals: the Monument to Rodolfo Graziani Published on Iitaly.Org (
    Honoring War Criminals: The Monument to Rodolfo Graziani Published on iItaly.org (http://www.iitaly.org) Honoring War Criminals: The Monument to Rodolfo Graziani (January 30, 2013) Graziani was notorious as Benito Mussolini's military commander in colonial wars in Ethiopia and Libya where he carried out massacres. Recently in Rome was honoured with a mausoleum and memorial park. January 31 at 6:30 pm (John D. Calandra Italian American Institute - 25 West 43rd Street, 17th fl.) a roundtable - free and open to the public - will discuss Graziani's role under fascism, rehabilitation attempts of Fascist war leaders in Italy and public opposition to this political trend. With Lidia Santarelli (Brown University), Yemane Demissie (New York University). Moderator: Andrea Fiano (journalist and former Chairman of CPL). Respondent: Girma Abebe, Former Counselor, (Ethiopian Delegation to the UN). Page 1 of 3 Honoring War Criminals: The Monument to Rodolfo Graziani Published on iItaly.org (http://www.iitaly.org) A political clash is growing in Italy after the dedication of a memorial to Fascist commander Field Marshal Rodolfo Graziani, a convicted war criminal. Graziani was honored with a mausoleum and a memorial park, all built at taxpayers' expense, in a village south of Rome. He was notorious as Benito Mussolini's military commander in the colonial wars in Ethiopia and Libya, where he carried out massacres and used chemical weapons against the local population. [BBC News [2]]. Associations including ANED (Italian Association of Deportees), ANPI (Association of Resistance Partisans) and UCEI (Union of the Italian Jewish Communities) have made formal requests to remove the mausoleum.
    [Show full text]