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E - T- RMS ERI
ommels 'Desert
rJIrmy
Te t by
RTI I DR
olour plate by
MI H EL R FF
E -AT-ARMS ERIE
DITOR: ARTI WI DR W
ommels 'Desert
~ r m y
Text by MARTIN WINDROW
CoLour pLates b] MI HAEL ROFFE
o PREY PUBLI HI G LIlTED
)lublished in 1976 by
Osprey Publishing Ltd
12-14 Long Acre, London WC2E gLP
Member Company of the George Philip Group
Copyright 1976 Osprey Publishing Lid
Thill book is copyrighted under the Berm:
Convention. All rights r(:5Cr"cd. Apart from any
fair dealing for the purpose: of private study,
research, criticism or review, as permitted under the
Copyright Act, 1956, 110 pan of this publication
may Ix: reproduced, 510red in a rctriC\"al system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photo-
copying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the copyright owner. E n q u i r i ~ should
be addres5l to the Publishers.
ISBN 0 85045 095 0
The author is particularly grateful for the assistance
of Brian Leigh Davis. Andrew IJiwandi, Daniel Rose,
Philip Katcher and Digby Smith during the
prcpar;lIion of lhe leXI and assembly of Ihe
illustrations. Thc literature on lhc desert war is vast,
but the main sourccs used during the preparation of
this book were: Uniforms, Organisafiofl and flis/oQ'
fif/lte Afrika Korps by R.J. Bender and R. D. Law,
Uniformie Mi/ilaria llalirlfle by Elio and Viuorio Del
Giudicc, A COl/cue Encyclo/Jtdia fif lIlt Suolld World Wtlr
by Alan Reid, The Foxes fif tltt Destrl by )l;1U1 Carell,
A/omtil/ by C. E. Lucas Phillips, Grrmafl Am!)'
Uniforms and In.rignia '933-45 by Brian Leigh Davis,
Army Uniforms of World War II by Andrcw ~ ..Iollo and
Malcolm McGrcgor, Army Badges alld In.rignia oj
World War II by Guido Rosignoli, Armies & Weapons
magazine, various issues, IVorld Iilar II, various issut:S,
Armour in Profile and AFI' Profiles, various issues.
FilmSCI by BAS Printcrs Limited, Wallop, Hampshire
Prinled in Hong Kong
-
l,ztroductioll
ar
r
a
an
rtdr77!JJI
Italian infantry in the desert; MarJDanca, late 1941. The
liI:ht machine-gun i th badly d igned Breda 6!)Dl.ID
Model 30. (Imperial War Museum)
3
Italian medical officer - Dote single ar on houlder and
cap, incUCIlting 2nd Lieutenant - esam.in.ing wounded ser-
gente maggiore. From the visible detail ofbi collar (Sam '
the NCOi a Ber agliere, although th usual cock' -tail plume
i Dot worn OD the tapi. Note that both wear olive-green
European unUorDls - Dot UDCOmDlOD in the desert., where
temperatures vary harply. (lJnperial War Mus UDl)
ornm n
b tll -lin
mutual r
th
lhi
MALTA
Med,terranelln
ALGERIA
L , 8 Y A
4
Sea
du e int lh
adJ
quil
er
In rum the
am-
thaI
XI
Brescia and Savona Divisions. On 30 January
'9.P the command was redesignated Panzerarmec
Afrika, or altcrnatively dculSChe-italienische Pan-
zerarmee. Within this command DAK retained
its identity. On 23 February 1943 the PallZerarmee
was redesif{nated 1 Italienisehe Armce undcr the
command of the Italian General Messe; again,
OAK retained its identity within this command,
now comprising 15 and 21 Panzer-Division and
go and ,64leichlc AfrikaOivisioll. Rommel was
on the same day promoted to command Heeres-
gruppe Afrika. consisting of I Italicnische Armee
and von Arnim's Panzer-Armceoberkommando 5
in nonhern Tunisia. On 9 March 1943 von
Arnim succeeded Rommel in command of the
Heeresgruppe.
Throughout the book the author has tried to
limit the use of the title 'Afrika-Korps' or the
abbreviation OAK to references LO that actual
formation of tWO. three or four divisions - the
mobile spearhead of Rommel's army. and the
veteran heart of the Axis forces in Africa.
The Alrlll.. Ko...,. provided rnucb-ftHded "I"memot of
powerful tDtKoriHd uail.S f o r t h , , ~ . r-.. Here memben
of .. armoured car UlLil (Sd.Kb. 263 wirtln. co d
..."nicmru...,nloed) (n'eruiHwi!Jo h ..l.... BenaSliui _010....
cyclUu.. Note the topi ptUIDt'S or !Joe Lauer, ..d the .hu,s
rolcliD!:.lNI)'o'h:t ca.rbi.ae.llrnperiaJ War Mu.""o:n)
Space has forbidden the inclusion of a com-
prehensive set of orders-ol:'ballle, which an:
largely available from standard works; Ihis book
is, aflcr all, designed mainly for Ihe swdcnl of
military cOstume and the hobby enthusiast. II is
hoped that the August 1942 order-of-battle. the
Panzer-Armecoberkommando 5 order-ofbattle
for March 1943. and the brief notes on the main
German divisions engaged in Africa will suffice.
Details or the service of individual rlalian divi-
sions have provro 100 elusive for the author to
present a similar set of notes, but il is hoped that
the many specific references in the chronology will
allow readers to place individual units in their
proper perspective in the overall picture.
For thirt)' years the average British and
American student of the Second World War has
5
Et-wia Ro_et, ill his simpte d_rt -nOnD; lOOCe K.ftibt's
Cross with OaIc.Ieavn al tlt...-t sbow! Powr" Mirite, which
dal"thepIC't'llrebdw__Marcb IMlsad.January Ig.p,
wbal be was s_rdeet tbe Swords. (ImJH'riaI War MUHRm)
along the single, incomplete. practical motor
road along the coas!. His attack was finally
launched on '3 September. Ceneral Bcrgonzoli's
XXIII Corps, willi four divisions and an in
adcqualelycquipped armoured group, made slow
progress under punishing conditions, but after a
series or skirmishes with clemellls of the British
7th Armoured Division the '23rd of March'
Blackshirt division took Sidi Barrani on the
evening of the 16th.
Both Mussolini, and, ror very different motives,
Wavell, hoped that Graziani would immediately
push on another se\'enty-five miles to the im-
portant base of Mersa Matruh. Graziani refused
to overreach himselr, however. He insisted on re
maining at Sidi Barrani while he improved his
supply lines and awaited reinforcements. He
constructed several fortified camps east of Sidi
Barrani, stretching some forty miles from Maktila
on the coast to a point named Sofafi South-West
far into Ihe desert; and here he stared, awaiting
Ghroll%gyofihe
Vesert "War
$,ptanbu 1940
In the summer of 1940 Italy had some 236.000
men; 1,811 guns; 339 tanks and 15t combat
aircraft in her Nonh African possessions. The fall
of France in June removed any threat from
French North Africa to the west, and Marshal
Balbo's forces thus faced only Ceneral Wavcll's
small British and Empire garrison in Egypt.
Organised into two combat divisions, the 7th
Armoured and 4th Indian, this had an effective
combat strength of only 3',000 men. In western
Libya Balbo had Ceneral Gariboldi's 5th Army
(X, XX, and XXIII Corps, with six infantry and
twO blackshirt divisions). In the eastern zone was
General Berti's loth Army (XXI and XXJ I
Corps, with three infantry, one blackshirt and two
native infantry divisions). rvlussolini pressed
Balbo - and, after the latter's death at the hands
of his own anti-aircraft guns, his successor
Graziani - to invade Egypt without delay; the
It'alian dictator wished his offensive to coincide
with Hitler's proposed invasion of England.
Graziani r istc:d this pressure, however, cor-
rectly judging that his transport and supply
situation did not allow an immediate advance
been encouraged to see the contribution of
Italian troops in North Africa as negligible; this
is a shameful libel on thousands of very gallant
soldiers who on many occasions fought with great
courage in spite ofinadcquate weapons, minimal
transport, and unspeakable leadership. The popu-
lar image of the enormous migrations of 'talian
prisoners of '940, trekking cheerfully towards the
'cage' under the careless guns of a handful of
Tommies, should nOt be allowed to obscure lhe
tragic heroism of, say, the Ariete Dh,;sion in '942.
Well awart: that their obsolete tanks were death-
traps, they still attacked without flinching, and
stOCK! their ground to the last when the battle
tumed against them. It is unworthy ofan)one who II
has not faced the same dangers to deny at least
some of the 'talian units the respect so readily and
justly given to the OAK and the 8th Army.
6
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tanks, only 160 of these were the new M3 Grant-
the remainder were Matildas, Valentines, and
Crusaders, all of which had their strengths but all
ofwhich were outclassed by the German mediums.
Rommel's penetration on either side of Bir
Hakeim led to confused fighting. 3rd Indian
Motorised Brigade was overrun and 7th Armoured
Division badly beaten by 15th and 21St Panzer.
Ariete was then thrown vainly but very
ously against Bir Hakeim, where it was badly
mauled by Koenig's ligiOlmairts and colonial
troops - who were also to pul up a good showing
against Tricste and goth Light. By nightfall on the
27th Rommel was being 6ercely
by 30 Corps, and his mobile units were becoming
isolated and tangled in the mine6elds. Frontal
attacks by the Italian infantr)'ofX and XXI Corps
were not attracting as much attention as he had
hoped. On 28 May he managed to restore his line
of communication - dangerously broken while
the Pan7;,ers charged around the minefields - and
drove at GOt eJ Ualeb with his armour while
April 19f2 a mortar utW
1150 15- PDlUef'-Divisi_, i.D the a.pt.red British posiooa_.t
Ses-1i South. 80 kilolftdres wes1 or Bir Ralr.dm. n.e
..tdier OD th., risht wea... the ShOM webbi.Ds saite... occasion-
..oy WOni with .....le boob by euu.... troops i.D Mrica. (US
N.u_.l ..uchi...,sj
covering himself against 30 Corps attacks around
Knightsbridgc with clements of Trieste and
Pavia. Success at Got cl Ualcb opencd a lcnmilc
rift in thc Allied front; Rommel rcunitcd his
scattered forces and e10sed the jaws of the trap on
Bir Hakeim. By 2 June he had cost Ritc.hie 400
tanks, mostly the precious Granls, and thousands
of dead and wounded. He had very nearly come
to gricf while isolaled on the wrong sidc of thc
minefields, but as always his rcactions had been
faster and morc imaginati\'e than those of his
dispersed enemy. Bir Hakeim held out valiantly
until 10 June, when the survivors broke out
successfully. On the night of the 14th the last
elements of '3 Corps also diseng-.tged and pulled
back; Ritchie intended to stand before Tobruk,
but with only 100 tanks left he was hustled to-
wards the frontier.
IS
Rommel attacked the port on 20June with 15th
and 21St Panzer Divisions and XX Italian Corps,
while goth Lighl and the newly arrived Linorio
Armoured Division covered the remains of 8th
Army. The antj-tank defences were in a poor stale,
the minefields were incompletc, and in four hours
the tanks of 15th Panzer were raging inside the
perimctcr. Fiercc fighting continued until the
following morning, when General Klopper of 2nd
South African Division surrendered the garrison:
33,000 men of his own formation, 11th Indian
Brigade, 32nd Army Tank Brigade and 20lst
Guards Brigade, together with massive fuel and
olher stores. Since 27 May Rommcl had takcn
45,000 prisoners.
Rommel's appeal to hi:, victorious divisions for
'one more great effort' signalled his intention of
pushing ahead bcyond the agreed stop-line of
Halfaya Pass, despite the planned detaehmcnt of
some of his units for the invasion of Malta in
August. Events would show thai the Italian High
Command's pIcas for the eradication of Malta,
for the sake of the Axis supply lines to Africa,
before any further advance in the desert, were
entirely sensible; but Hiller, too, had become en
chanted by the vision of driving Britain right out
of Egypt and seizing the vital Suez Canal, and he
now allowed the impctuous Rommel his head.
With German tanks approaching Mcrsa Matruh
and 8th Army in full retreat, the prize secmed
worth the risk ofoverreaching.
July 1942
Auchinleck took ovcr direct control from Ritchie,
and began to build his dcfcnsive linc from the sca
to the Quauara Depression, just west of EI
Alamein. He received two divisions of reinforce-
ments, and was in a position to repulse an auack
in early July. as Rommel arrived and threw
himself straight at the Allied line, hoping to burst
it open before it could become established. So fast
had he advanced from 'Hellfire Pass' that he had
only 6,500 mcn and fony-odd tanks up with him.
goth Light was repulsed on I July, being reduced
to some 1,500 infantry and fony guns. By mid-
July Rommel had some thin)' battalions of in-
fantry available, but their average strength WflS
only 165 men each; 15th and 2tst Panzer and
Ariete and Littorio only mustered fifty-eight
serviceablc tanks bctween them! Behind the Axis
16
posluons stretched 250 miles of empty desert
before the first useful depot, and Allied fighter.
bombers ranged over the Via Balbia like hawks.
British strength continued LO increase, and Auch-
inleck carried out a series of fierce local allacks,
usually on Italian unit'S, taking some 7,000
prisoners in the three weeks up to 2'2 July.
Rommel's eagerness had betrayed him, and for a
few days his letters had a hopeless ring about
them.
August 1942
Churchill replaced Auchinleck as Commander-in-
Chief Middle East with General Sir Harold
Alexander; despite his fine qualities and many
successes, 'the Auk' had shown consistently poor
judgement in his appointment of subordinates,
whom he had later had to step in and rescue.
Alexander, patient, brilliant, and enormously
popular, was given the simple instruction of
destroying Rommel's army. His field commander
was to be Lieutenant-Gencral Bernard Mont-
gomery, who was appointed on the death of the
ori.g:inal choicc, General Cott, in a plane crash.
Motllgomery flew OUI immediately, and began
to study Auchinleck's dispositions before EI
Alamein and to pursue his very personal policy
for improving 8th Army morale. Reinforcements
continued to arrive, and he had been promised
goo brand new American Sherman tanks and tOO
I osmm. self-propelled guns - an unparalleled act
of American generosity promptcd by the fall of
Tobruk.
Septnuber-October 1942
Rommel, still dogged by supply problems and
knowing his enemy was gClling stronger daily,
all'acked the British line on go August. The
British positions were held by 30 Corps (gth
Australian, 1st South African, and 5th Indian
Divisions) and 13 Corps (New Zealand and 7th
Armoured Divisions). reading from the coast
southwards. Unknown to Rommel, Montgomery
had strongly reinforced Alam cl HaIfa ridge, a
feature running cast-west behind the southcrn end
of the British line, to block any typical 'Desert
Fox' hooks around the left wing and up tOwards
Alexandria; this sector was held by 44th Division
and two brigades from loth Armoured Division.
Rommel's plan called for diversionary attacks
against go Corps by the Italian XXI Corps and
Peaked cap oC an cngioeer captain;
ItalianAnnyEurop anpattem.Mousc
grey with black peak and trap and
gold buttons, it ba rank strip
thr - in gold, and the hraDch badge
in gold on grey with black lozenge.
(Daniel Roe Collectio.o)
Tropica.1 forage cap of tenente colo.o-
eIIo, Laneieri. Bra.nch badge' old
bullion on black; rank patch i open
gold wire 'box' with two ~ o l d stars on
black backing in centre. (Daniel Ro e
Collection)
Italian generaJ peaked c p: mou e
grey crown and band, black peak and
trap. Generals' silver braiding scwn
direcdy to band; 0.0 ilver tripc
abo e it indicat bri dicr-genual,
two trip a divisional general, ~ 0
with a gold c:ap-badgc a gc.acraJ oC
anny corp and three a Cull gc.aeraJ.
The -.gle badge b re is ilver with a
red backin the central ilv r ero on
a red lozenge. Buttons are silver.
(Daniel Ros Collection)
ltalia.n g eraJ' Corage cap in mo c
grey pbcrdine; tropical pattern was
idc.aticaJ but in sand-coloured twill.
Flap fastened with pres tud front
badge black on red backing with white
era on red lozenge; ide rank patch
(full eneraJ) is of silver patterned
braid with red edging, bearing three
gold with red edging. (Daniel
Rose Collection)
Infantry major' white-Govered trop-
ical peaked cap. Rank is indicated by
ODe thio gold band above one thick;
th" branch badge i in gold on grey
with a black lozrng", th" p"ak and
trap ar" black and th" buttoWj gold.
(Daniel Rose Collection)
Other Rank 'Europ..an model Corag"
cap in coar e olive-gr...... cloth with
Oap fastened by wooden button. ArtiJ-
I"ry badg" in black on olive-gree.n
r..pmental DlUDber 131 in whit" metal
on oliv-..-green. (Danid Ro e Collec-
tion)
17
Ita.I.ian teel hehnet, paiDted sand yeUow 0 er
olive-green. Brauch badge were ometime
stencilled on the front in black paiDt. (Daniel
Ro e CoUection)
tra-
rg
of a
for
t riorating (not fi r the
B. da n
Ii
panzergren.adiere waiting the word to attack. Note hes ioul
helmet coverw, high laced boots. MP'40 and pouch gren- n
ade and webbing equipment. The UnteroJ6%ier Us th fore-
s.round has duU ochre tre e round th collar of hi jacket.
(Imp rial War Mu eUUl)
18
the obviously ineviwble British riposte. Mont-
gomel)' was now disembarking his new Shermans,
and twO more divisions of men, including the
famous 51st Highland. Stumme's line consisted of
from north to south) Trelllo and 164th Light
Di\isions, Bologna, the Ramcke Fallschirm-
Brigade, Brescia, the Folgore Parachute Division,
and Pavia. In rcsCr\'(' behind the northern sector
were 15th Panzcr and Littorio; on the coast road
well behind them was the army rcserve. goth
Light and Tricste. Thc southern sector of the
front line was supported b) 21st Panzer and
Aricte. The entirc front wa.. protccted by massi\'e
mincfields some haifa million mincs in all. plus
thousands of - and covered by
of the deadly 88mm. anti-tank guns,
and ninetyfhc of the almost as cffcctive Russian
j62cm. weapons. some thirty of them self.
propelled on Czech tank chassis. Thc Panzerarmce
had j71 field guns, of whkh 371 werc !Ialian:
j2:2 anti-tank guns of all calibrcs, of which 150
\\'ere Italian; 497 tanks, of ..... hich 'lj9 were
Italian: and 70 infantry battalions of which 42
were Italian. The infantry werc dug in, not in a
continuous front but in a systcm of mutually
supporting positions built for all-round defence.
This formidable army was. however, deathly
short of fuel and ammunition, and of air support;
and in October 44 per cent of Axis supplies
loaded in Ital)' wcre sent to the bottom of the
Mediterranean.
Montgomery's supply position was much morc
secure; he could lllUster 939 field and 1,56 anti-
tank guns, 1,348 tanks and 500 armoured cars,
and 86 strong battalions of inrantry. Note, how-
ever, that or his apparently cnormous superiority
in armour only some 300 tanks - the Shermans-
wcrc truly a match for the Panzcr JlIs and IVs.
The Crusadcrs and Valcntines were as vulnerable
to the Panzers as the Italian M-tanks were to
them; while the Grant. although more formidable,
had many disadvantages which prevented its
meeting the Germans on equal terms, as had been
proved at Knightsbridge in May and June.
1 A/amtin
At 2140 hours on 23 October, Montgomef")
opened his attack with a fierce artillery barrage
whith silenced the enemy's batteries and dis-
rupted his communications. After firtcen minutes
the barrage lifted and sappers and
tanks moved fonvard into the 'Devil's Gardens'
which proleclcd the Axis front line. Behind them
came the infantry. The attack reI! on the whole
length of the Axis line, but the weight of it was ill
the northern sector, north ofRuweisat Ridge; the
southern attacks by 13 Corps were important but
basically diversionary. The attack caught the
Panzerarmce by surprise: Rommel and the com-
manders of the Italian X and XXI Corps were all
absent in Europe. It was also entirely different
in nature from anything yel seen in the desen.
had decided that rather than follow
the classic pattern of a southern hook, with its
predictable a!tempt to force the enemy against
the coast, he would attack in the nonh, using the
empty wastes to the south as the 'sea' into which
the enemy would try 10 avoid being pushed. He
also abandoned the desert philosophy that de-
manded an early clash or armour, in the belief
that once the enemy's mobile forces were des-
troyed his infantry were helpless; recognizing the
significance ofprevious encounters with the belter-
trained and technically uperior Axis armour, he
held his tanks back and attacked in a set-piece
manner with carefully co-ordinatcd infantry and
artillery forces. Using his superiority in numbers,
he inlendt"(1 to crumble the Axis infantry line
division by division, accepting casualties but
forcing Rommel to commit his armour - his only
reserves under circumstances which robbed them
of freedom of movement. Once forced to move
into a congested battlefield among the minefields
and to r.'lce artillery ancllimilcd defensively-sitcd
armour, the Panzers could be dcstroyed steadily
without ever mccting the bulk of the British
armour. In the event this is exactly what hap-
pened.
The initial attack of 13 Corps in the south led to
costly fighting and prevented Rommel's southern
reservc, Ariete and 21st Panzer, from moving
north. Meanwhile 30 Corps, led by tlle 9th
Australian, 51st Highland and New Zealand
Divisions, blasted their way along twO corridors in
the minefields and engaged Trento and 164th
Light, causing heavy losscs. 1st and loth
oured Divisions were committed to close support
of the advance, but undcr tight control. When
19
goth Light, 15th Panzer and Littorio were com-
mincd to counler-attacks lhe tank losses on both
sides were heavy, but the Panzerarmcc's were
relatively the more grievous in vicw of their
supply position. When Rommel gOt back to his
headquarters late on 26 October he found that
only 39 German and 6g Italian tanks remained
serviceable in his northern armoured reserve. He
was forced to bring 21st Panzer up north of
Ruweisat, and fortyeight hours later it was down
to 48 tanks. IIS transfer also left Montgomery free
to bring 7th Armoured Division north as well. By
29th October the 1st South African and 4th
Indian Divisions, forming the left (southern
flank of 30 Corps immediately north of Ru-
weisat, had made a deep penetration into
&Iogna Division's sector. Montgomery was able
to regroup some brigdes in preparation for
the major breakthrough attcmpt, while still
hammering Rommel's line and forcing the re-
deployment of Ariete and Trieste, Rommel's
final reserves. Resisting pressure from Whitehall,
Montgomery cominued to fight his planned
bailie calmly and without deviation.
On 2 November the breakthrough stage of the
allack, 'Operation Supercharge', was unleashed.
The previous night 9th Armoured Brigade of
Freyberg's New Zealand Division made a very
gallant attack on part of the Axis gun-line, and
was virtually wiped out. 2nd and 8th Armoured
Brigades movcd illlo the gap hacked al such cost
by the 9th, and invited attack by 21St Panzer.
Ncar Tel cl Aqqaqir a tank and anillcry ballie of
unprecedented savager)' W:15 fought Out, and on
2 November some 77 German and Ilalian
tanks were destroyed, LOgeliler with many guns.
'''''hi Ie relative slalcl1l<llc apparenlly persisted 'on
the map', Montgomery's plan was working all
tOO wcll. Rommel's reserves, and thus his options,
were being whittled away; hc h:ld only about 187
tanks left, of which only about 32 were German.
Rommel orden.. '" immediate preparations for a
withdrawal to the Fuka line sixty miles westwards,
covered by Ariete. The ncxt day he received
Hitler's 'fight 10 the last man' directive; suicidal
though it was, he dutifully c.'1.ncellcd his order and
prepared a compromise plan by which goth Light
and the Italian infantry remained in their posi-
tions while the survivors of Afrika Korps and
20
llalian XX Corps pulled back a few miles. On
the night of the 3rd/4th, 51st Highland Divisjon
smashed through Ihe Axis line in lhe area ofTci
1.'1 Aqqaqir, and the New Zealand and 7th
Armoured Divisions poured through the gap on
the 4th. Arietc and the rest of XX Corps were
destroyed where they stood, after gallant resist
ance which belies - as do SO many of the desert
battles - the AIHed 'propaganda image' of the
Italian soldier. On that day OAK commander
General Ritter von Thoma was captured, as he
leapt from his burning tank, by 1St Armoured
Division. The battle was over; parts ofTrieste and
Lillono and the four OAK divisions were puIJed
back successfully, but were only skeletons of their
former strength. Trento, Bologna, Brescia and
Pavia were strandt."d without transport and 'went
into the bag'; Ramcke's paratroopers made their
epic escape, but the Folgore was not so fortunate.
Axis losses wcrc 25,000 dead and wounded and
30,000 prisoners; 1,000 guns and 320 tanks
destroyed orcapturcd; and nine generals. (Gcner-
al Stumme had died of a heart auack in the earl)
stages. his place being taken by von Thoma.
Allied )osso were dead and missing and
8,950 wounded. Some 500 tanks had been knocked
out, but as the Allit:s were len in command of the
battlefield many were salvaged and onl) 1.50
werc totally dcstroyed. About 110 gUlls. mostly
anti-tank: guns, had been lost.
Dumbtr '942
Rommel, whose belief in any eventual victory in
Africa had 1I0W completely c"aponlled, led a
skilful but desperate retreat westwards, pursued
by 8111 Army and overshado">'t."d by news of Ihe
Anglo-American 'Torch' landings in Morocco
and Algeria. Covcring 700 milcs in five weeks,
Montgomery rcached Marsa Brcga by 13 Decem
ber. Now 8th Army began to suffer from the
problems of over-extended supply lines; but
Rommel had no heart for delaying manoeuvres.
He wanted to get the remnants of his army back
to Tunis, which was being reinforced from Sicily
as a bridgehead, and e\'entuall)' to take them
safely home to Europe. The Anglo-American
eastwards advance from Algeria on Tunis was
held up by the weather and by logistic problems.
as well as by political quarrels. By 31 December
the Axis build-up had brought total strength in
Tunisia to 47,000 German and 18,000 Italian
troops of 5 Panzcrarmee, led by Gcneral von
Arnim. uniLS werc the excellent loth Panzer
Division, 334th Infantry Division, the Italian
Supc.rga Division, and various miscellaneous uniLS
of both nationalities, including German para-
troopers and a battalion (So1St) of the new Tiger
super-heavy tanks. A temporary Axis air superior-
ity had also been achieved over the bridgehead.
'943
By 26 January Rommel was on the Mareth line
in Tunisia, with the remnants of OAK 15th and
21St Panzer and goth and l64-th Light Divlsions I;
reinforced elements of Pistoia and Trieste; and
weak new Italian forces designated the Young
Fascist, Spczia and Centauro Divisions, of which
the latter was nominally armoured and contained
some surviving units of Ariele. On 23 February
this whole force was redesignated 1st Italian Army
and put under the command of the I1alian
General Messc; simultaneoush' Rommel took
command of all Axis forces in the theatre - i.e.
1St Italian Arm) and 5th Panzer Army - the
unified command being cntitled Heeresgruppe
Afrika.
On 14 February Rommel launched his last
offensivc, planning to exploit the inexperience of
the American forces to the west while Mont-
gomery probed cautiously at the J\hreth line in
the south. Striking the unsuspccting U.S. 1st
Annoured Division in the Faid von Arnim,
with loth and 21St Panzer, innicted vcry heavy
losses in the Sidi bou Zid area. He beat off a
countcr.aU3ck on the 15th, and the Americans
abandoned Gafsa. Rommclnow struck into their
right nank with minor units of DAK, and on 17
I'ebruary loth and 2I st Panzer were transferred to
his command for an attack towards Tebcssa. On
the 20th the Panzcrs took Kasscrinc Pass, and
next day loth Panzer was wheeled north to take
Thala, while 21st Panzer headed for Sbiba. This
line ofadvance was forced on a reluctant Rommel
by his superiors; he pressed for a d rive on TeOCssa
in the old Wagnerian Panzer manner, correctly
predicting that the Thala line would bring him
into contact with strong Allied reservcs. Ii did;
and the attack petered out for lack of resources.
On 22 February Rommel abandoned the attempt
and' dashed southwards again to face Mont.
" '-
, .. .
tWiaa oBieu'. tropical "nicedreft., wora ........ by......jor,
'$at;sari' Wa.try Dimioa lojDCIs:" by
IUs IlaIved collar patches. (Tb..l. onit did lIot
Hroe .. Africa - doe pboto lake-. ia Sicily.) (l.m.perial
War MUHum)
gomery, leaving von Arnim to launch 'Operation
Oxhead', an attack on 26 Februar)' designed to
cut Eisenhower's Bcja.Mcdjez cI Rab supply road
and win some elbow-room. The Faid-Sidi boll
Zid - Kasserine operalions had cost the American
II Corps about 3,000 dead and wounded. 4.000
captured, 235 tanks and 110 other armoured
vehicles. II had the beneficial result orlcading to
the immediate replacemellt of the corps com-
mander by General George S. Patton.
Mault '943
On 6 March Rommel opened an audaciolls but
predictable attack on 8th Army. While 1St
Italian Army (Young Fascist, Spezia, Trieste and
Pistoia Divisions, plus goth and 164th Light
Divisions) occupied the Mareth Line, they were
faced only by the advance forces of 8th Army -
the 51st Highland and 7th Armoured Divisions.
Rommel determined to hook his loth, 15th and
21st Panzer Divisions to Medcninc and then north
to the sea, supported by 164th Light.
gomery reacted instantly to thc threat, bringing
up heavy reinforcements and much artillery.
21
buill around the New Zealand Division, to the
shorl cast/west line Metameur.Mcdcnine. right
across Rommel's path. I n bloody figilling the
Axis attack was repulsed, wilh a loss of 52 of
Rommel's precious tanks and 640 men.
British losses were one Sherman lank and 'go
men; the anillery had plared a major pan in Ihe
defence.
On 9 March Ceneralfddmarschal Erwin Rom
mel left Africa. He Aew to Rome, and then on to
Germany 10 beg for an organisro evacuation of
German forces in Tunisia. Hider refused. and
ordered him to take his long.postponed sick leave.
He never returned 10 the desert.
Under the command of von Arnim the German
forces in Tunisia, strengthened only with various
'scratch' formations of variable quality and
starved of equipment, fought all against im
possible odds until 12 May. all that day von
Arnim surrendered; on the 13th the last unit to
lay dowll its arms, the 164th Light Division,
ceased fire.
PANZERARMEE AFRIKA ORDER
OF BATTLE 15 A C ST '942
Dtll.JscluJ IlJ,i}.a-Ko,ps GcnrrnllcUlnanl Walther :"\eh
ring).
15 Pa1l{"-D,nsioR GCllcrnllculllanl \"On
Vaer$I'
I}anzer-Rcgimcnt 8. Inr."lntcric-RcgimcIII 11101 I , 5.
Artillerie.Rcgiment mot 33. Panzerj;iger-Abldl-
ung (mOl) 33. AufklarulIgs.AhleilulIg mot 33. plus
divisional unilS.
21 (Gencralmajor Georg von Bis-
marck)
Panzer-Regiment 5, I nfamcric-Regiment (mot) 104.
ArtiJlcric-Regimcnt (mot) 155, Panzcrjligcr-Ableil-
ung (mot) 39, Aulldarungs.Abteilung (mal) 3, plus
divisional unilS.
90 {t;cllte Afn'ka-Dit-ision (Gcneralmajor Ulrich
man)
Infanlttic-Rcgirnenl (mot) 155, Infantcrie-Regi-
ment (11101) 200, Infanlcric-Rcgimcnl Afrika (mot
361, Panzcrgrenadier-Regimenl (mot) Afrika-, Ar-
liJIcric.Rcgiment Cmol 190, Panzerjager-Ableilung
(mOl) 19o, AufldarungsAbleilung (mot) .)80. plus
divisional units.
,6., fnchJt AfriAtl-Diuision (Oberst Carl-Hans Lunger-
Panzugrenadicr.Rcgiment (mol) 125, Panzergren-
22
adicr-Regiment (mol) 382, Pallzergrcnadier-Regi-
menl (mot) 433, Anillcric-Regiment (mol) 220,
flak-Ableilung (mOl) Gog, schwer$tc Infanteri;-
gcschOu-Kompanien 707 and 708. Auillarungs-
Abtcilung (mOl 220, plus divisional uniu.
Falucll",,,jig"-Brigadt Rome*' (Genernlmajor Bern-
hard Ramckeo)
FaJbchirmja.ger-Bataillon Krah, fall.schirmjiger-
Sataillon von der He)'dte, FaJhchirmjager-Bataillon
Hubner, Fallschirmjager-Lc:hrbataillon Burkhardl.
Falbchirm-.\rtillerie-Abteilung. Fall.sc:hirm-Panzer-
jilRer-Kompanie.
X Itoliall Corps Lieutenanl General Eduardo Nchbia
JllfallJry Divisio" Bltuio (Major Gent:ral Brunelli I
19th and 20th Infanlry Regimenl!i. lSt MOloriscd
Artillery Rl-gimenl.
Infantry Dilluion Pavia (Brigadier General Scattaglia)
27th and 28th Inf;mtry Regiments. 261h Artillery
Regimcl1t.
XX Italian Molo,i.ftd Corps (Lieutenant Gencral Giu-
seppe de Stefanis)
AmlO.m:J DiD;s-ion Aritle (BrigadierGcncml Arena)
Annourl-d Croup Anele (52nd Tank Battalion, plus
3rd Nizza Armoured Group comprising annoured
Bersaglieri battalion wilh AA and AT batterics.
13::md Tank Regiment (8Ih, 9th and loth Tank
Battalions, 81h Bcrsaglitti Regimenl f2nd Motor-
cycle Battalion, 51h and 12th MOlorised Battalions '.
1]211d ArnlOurcd ArLiJlery Regimelll I I and 2nd
75/27 Groups, 3rd IOS'28 Group, 55151 anti 5S2nd
75,18 Armoured Groups:. 41h Granalieri di Sard-
eglla Anti-Tank Ballalion, plus di\'1gonal units.
Armorntd DiroioR Brigadier General May-
ncr; ,
3rd L"lIleicri di ;'\o\'ara Annoured Cavalr} Group.
133rd Tank Regiment (41h, 121h and 51 t Tank
B:ltlaliOllsl, 121h 8crsaglieri Regimenl (2 lSI MOlOr
cycle Baltalion, 23rd and 36th MOloriscd B.-It-
lalions), 133rd Armoured J\rtiltery Regiment (1st
alld 2nd 75/27 Groups, 5561h and 5571h 75/18
Armoured Croups), part of 3rd Armoured Artillery
Regiment, plus divisional units. (Nil: many of the
above unils had suffered heavy casualties and this
official CSlablishment docs not refieci the true
slrength of lhe di\ision.)
Moloru,d Infantry Dirision TriI.su (Brigadier General
La Feria
11th Tank Ballalion, 65th and 66lh Infanlry
Regiments, 91h Bersaglieri Regimenl (30th. 32nd
and 381h MOlorised Ballalioll!). 21St Artillery
Regiment 1St and 2nd 100/17 Croups, 3rd and 4th
F'onnorrt) Sonden'a"band '188. consmi"l of IWO baltalionll
C'thnic: Gf'I'1T\&Illi from Africa and thC' .\lrdilnnneon llfO .and OIJC'
baltalion ofloeal Anta.
e
Italian braoch cap badges rep ted aD officers'
black houlder-boanls: (a) l.n.fantry (b) Ina or-
ed iDIi try (c) Bersag.lieri (d) colonial infantry
(e) tanb (I) divisional artillery (g) motori eel
(armoured) a.rtillery' (b) ppu (i) para-
trooper .
Typica1divi iODaJarrn- hields- irt"", 'Tr"'nto'
and '23 Marzo. Sre conunrnlari aD colour
plat A2 and Bit for deta.Us.
21 ( b rst Hans- eorg Hild bl" ndt)
Pam r-Regim >l1l5, Panzer rcnadi r-R im nt 104
till 'ric-R gim Ol (mOl) 155, 2./Flak- btcilung
25 ufldarun - blcilung 580 plus divi i nal
unils.
10 Plm;:.u-DivifioTl ( '0 ralmaj r Fritz Fr ill rr v n
Emi h)
Panz'r-Re im nl 7 (n ballali n), Panz r r n-
adi('r-R gim nL !) (n ballaIion) Panz rgr n-
adier-R 'gim 'nl 8 (n baltali n), pan rtill ri '-
R gim nl (moL) go. Panz rjagr- bt iJung (m I)
9 rad hlitz n-Btl 10 pJu divi ional unil"
75/27 roup', Ih 75/5 r up) plus divisi n
units,
PIlTachule DiuisioTl Folgor (Major n ral F'rauini)
1R51h 186th and 187th Para hUl Infanll. Regi-
ments, plu di i i nal unil of un crlain Ir
XXlllnlian Corp (Lieul nant ol'ral n a tlvarini)
H%n'sfd Dim ion Trrnlo [Brig-adier eneral
fasina)
6r land 62nd Infanl Re imcnl , 7lh B ' li'ri
R 'm nL (b. tl. lion un rtain al Ihi ,lage).16Ih
nil!' , Regimenl ( quipm nL un enain al thi
'lage). plu clivi ional unil ,
Irifatll1J' DilJi.lion Bologl/a ( aj r G n'ral loria)
Ih , nd 40lh Infanlry R 2 51h till ry
R gim nl ( quipm 'Ill un erlain al lhi .le g ,plu
divi i n (unil .
MA 0
R H J. 43
I, 17
ank
roup,
roup
lJon On
alit um!)
'aIls hirmja er-R gim nt B r nlhin. F Id- bt'il-
un T3 ar ch- bl ilung 3 I I rtilJ ri -
R 'm nl (m I) 2 Fall chirmjager-Pioni 'I' Bat-
lali n (m l) r I llali n r th B r agli ri R gim nl
(2 th 34lh and 3rd Ballali n) plu min r
clivi. i nal unit..
33/ ftifaillen'r-Dillisioll ( -neralm.i r Fri nri h
renadi r-R 'gim nl754,
ren di'r-R gim nl 756
334, hn1I bt ilung 33
d in-
am-
urtil
II ri
Iud d or
pani s but
:nclud d:
23
t-
Mo t Italian infantry units wore collar patche
of one of th' e three de ign ; a few - e.g. me
Liguria Brigade - wore patch hal eel along
their length. Rep enta've designs WOni by
unit which ervecl in North Africa are as
follow:
Cirene Division, Liguria Brigade (157 & 158
Rgt. .) - halYed orange oyer blue
8me Di Ancona Brig., (fig & 70 Rgts.) - bbck,
thr yellow strip
vOna Div., aVOo.a Brig. (15 & 16 R .)-
whit one black strip
Sabratha Diy. Vero a Brig., (85 & 86 Rgts.) -
blue, two yellow trip
Superga Diy., Ba llicata Brig., (91 & 901 Rgts.) -
crim on, one white stripe
Br scia Diy. Bre cia Brig., (19 & 010 Rgt .) -
crimson, ODe bl ck tripe
Pavia Diy. Pavia Brig., (27 & 28 Rgu.) - green,
ouered trip
Trento Div. Sicilia Brig. (61 & 62 Rgts.) -
cadet, two gr en stripe ,blue patch
Trie te DiY., Valtellina Brig., (65 & 66 Rgts.)-
black, three white tripe blue patch
Bologna Diy. Bologna. Brig., (39 & 40 Rgt .) -
white, one red stripe
Pi toi.. Div., Pisl:oia Bri. (35" J6 R .)-
orao e, one black stripe.
< rn d and th dj i i n \
m f th \'ari
~ f r i tlJZ cS r ~ iCl of
qerJJZan 'Divi iOIl
and urr nd r
finv I 'ment
5 leichtc Division was lhe title h s n for the 'blocking
for c nl 10 ITi a in arl I 41. 1 t of i urU'
" ere in fact drawn from 3 Panz r- ivi ion. Til unil
arri ed in Tripoli from I F bruary 194' om ard , the
armour di embarking on 20 ebruar '. rter continu-
ous active service as the. p arhead of the D K I he
di ision wa rcdc ignated on I ctob r 1 4' a 21
Panz'I'-Divi ion ( .(' bdow).
10 Pall rr-Dim iorl w rc vet ran of P land, Franc.
and u ia. and afler a p ri d in III ulh fFran
w r hipp d t Tuni. ia in lat . ov mb T , 42,
being imm dial I rnmitt d t balll in Lh bridg-
h>ad. th [r h I and best- quipp d divi i n
a ailabl it w. u cd on'lantl)' t b th nd r the
brid h 'ad, until it Wal' fI I' d t . urr nd r in the hill.
Ilorth fBiz rta n 9 fa ,
/5 POfl.<er-Division \ a born n 1 0 emb r I 40,
wb n il was re-form d a a Panzer formati n after
in I'rance a th 33 lnfanreri -Divi ion.
rn In in frica fr m late April to mid-Jun I,p.
am of ir:s clem n \ er ru. hed imm dialc1 to the
front Lin oul ide Tobruk and took parI in alta k. n
III port on pri!. Rcavil 'engaged in th 'Battleaxe'
baul ,and th rcafter n land in act1 n a. part f
D. rm ured pcarh ad paru ipating in all
m j r ngag menl. until ay I 4 wh n il ur-
rend red in lh n nh rn Tuni. ian po kel.
form d fr m 5 I i III Di i i n
od lh r aft r er d \ ilO 15
ommentary n nlour plate I for d mils f
mOlon 'd infantry insi nino
w r
1.9tll olld 20th Flak-Dit,j ;ions
itb lhr Flak-Regim nts nd LIm: d lachecl
gr up"
24
IICfilJoFL ROFH
2
3
1 Sergent Libico, mrd Libyan Battalion 1940
2 Vice Capo quadra, M.V.S.N. t Division
23 Marzo', '940
3 Bersagliere Motor-cyclist, 1941
A
B
, Private, Liguria Brigade 63rd 'Ciren.e'
Infantry Divi ion '941
2 Caporale, Ancona Brigade, 61St 'Sirte'
Infantry ])jvisioD '94'
3 Tenente ColonelJo Motori ed Arri1lery, '94'
3
11CHAfl Ror f
, Tenentt< Sicilia Brigade .02:lld 'Trento'
otori ed Infantry Divi ion '942
" Sergente Maggiore 'Fol or 'Parachute
Division '942
3 Private Giovani Fa ci ti Division t94
HA l RO FE
3
"
c
o
1 GCDer-dle eli Brigata, 194
1
-43
2 General der Panzertruppc Erwin Ronunel
194
2
3 Major, Panzer DivisioD Staff 194'-4
2
2
3
to"rCHMl R
...11CHAH ROFI f
, Ob rg.,rcit r Aulkliirung -Abt iling (MoL)
3, '94'
2 Si aJ mechanic, Transport Work hop, '94-2
3 F ldwebel, Feld- endarmerie '942
E
F
3
nleroflizier panzergrenadiere 1942
2 G freiler Infanrerie 1943
3 chune, lnfanlerie. 1 9 4 2 ~ " 3
, CHII
o f
HCHAEL ROFFE
2
Oberleutnant Artillerie 1941-43
2 Panzer chiitz 1941 3
:l Tenente, Italian tank regim.ent , '941-43
G
H
ot roffizi"r Luftwaffe Flak-artill ri
'94
1
-4-2
2 Haupl.rnann, Luftwaffe Flak-artiJJerie,
194-2-43
3 Of roffizi"r, Luftwaffe Ramcke Parachute
Bri ade, '94-2-43
3
MICHAEL A FFf
Italian collar patche and 'BaIne ': lop Ie/I, tank troop - red
Hames on blue patch; top right, motorind artillery - black
8ame outlined yellow on blue patch' centTe kfl, divisional
artillery - black Bame outlined yellow on green-aver-yellow
patch; centre righI, example of motori ed infantry - balf
brigade patch on blue hacking patcb; boltom left, Bersaglieri
- crimson Hames; bottom right, MVSN- gold fasci. on black
8ames. All stars white.
Officers' in black cloth for wear on tropical
uniform. {aJ In.fa.ntry colone1- red outer piping, gold inner
braid, gold branch badge and raDk star . (b) Tank lieutenant
- blue outer piping, DO inner braid, gold branch badge and
stars. In ign.ia of various ranks are described in the colour
plate com.rnentaries. Majors' and second lieutenants' Ring e
tar were placed centrally below the branch badge j triple
star oC captains and coloneb were arranged in a triangle,
with OD.e centralJy inboard of a rOw oC two. Photos how
branch badges ometirne witb a grey backing patch.
Paratroopers' 'collar' patch of 1942 - silver star and word
blade, gold hilt and wing, on blue patch.
DiviriOTl VOII Broich/VOrl Monletdlel \ a an ad Iwc formati [l
form d from all unil in lh Biz rta bridg -h d n 18
v mb r '942, fi hting in n rth rn Tunisia und r
Pz. K 5 and b ming Divi i n on anI uffel on
7 ebruar 194-3 wh D Oberst von Broich wa trans-
fliT d to 10 Pz-Di . In luding Luftwaffi para-
troop r Italian Bel' agli i and G rman rm Idi I' ,
it was IinaU for d to surrcnd I' on ay.
ntually surround d b
b twe'n at ur and
was 'Loll top Hill . It w'
Briti h fore in th hill
T bourba.
999 fe-icltle Ifi ikfl-Divisioll w f th
p('n lat in 1942 ( riginall urt-
martiall d erman oldi r oAi I' d and I d at N
I vel b hand-picked p rsonne!. R d d a
i i. i n in ar h I 43 it snt two regiment to Tunis
in ar hI pril - Afrik, - hlitz n-R gim nt (mot)
9 I and 9 2. Ita h d to ri u omb t groups,
th $e regim n fought with elisliD in' join d by
om eli i i nal unit Jat rin pril, the er alIa h d
I AK at tJ,e tim r th final urr nd r.
Div ion Hermann CiiTing w tll
Ii Id divisi n. EJ m nt weI'
bridg -h ad rr m ovemb I' I 42 onward
aHa hed 1 whi h m st ne dcci th m. By
arly Mar h m t of the divi i n had arri d and this
a sembI r unjts was I rmed Kampfgrupp chmid
Vorkommand Divisi n H and fought witJl d I r-
mination on Lh south rn perimeterofth bridg -h ad.
On 12 a all but a vcr fc surviv r. surrcndl'red,
Pz-Di ision as th(' vital armourd striking-fore' of
Romm J's arm. [t was ommitl d to 'vcr maj I'
series of engagcm n fj'om th . ru ad I' ballJ s of
o ember '94-1 I th la't 'urr nder in Tunisia n
13 Ma '943.
90 leichle lfrika-Divinon TV d in Ih de n as AJriko-
Division z.b. . ('z.b.. = for p ial duties) fr m
ugu I 19 ,until v mb I' wh n it b'cam' 9
J i ht Di i ion; it was fanned fT m various in-
el pend nt uni already in fri a plu rinG rc m 'nlS
whi h arrived pi c m a1. It fought al T bruk in
mber 194"in th azala and Bir akeim bat Is
of spring I 2 (having r eiv d Ih d finiliv v rsion
ofitstit.l in March) b fir th lam inlin inJuly,
at lam I HaIfa and lam in, a a I' ar-guard in
Tuni ia and finally urI' nder d on t May I 43 near
Enfida ilJc.
/64 leic/ue AJrika-Division f fm d in 0
164 hr-Infant rie-Divi'ion, fou ht il
summer '94' served a garrison lTOOpS in
lime, and arriv d in frica early in Jul '942. It
rec ived i final tiLle short! afterwards first se in
action in a raid on u tralian positions before Alamein.
Jt was heavily en aged at AJam in r fitt d and motor-
is db Januar t 43 and fought at areth and adi
karit b for surr nd ring on '3 a.
33-1 bifolllerie-Division fi rmed in autumn 1942 in
erman ; t.h di i i n arriv d in Afri a fr rn lat
De emb I' nward and was assign d I Pz. 5 in
Tunisia. II fought c ntinuaJly until in' ur-
rcnd r n 8 a and among the po ilion it clef! nd d
25
r
in unit
I / Dili, ion
mior Maj r
,mll/ll01ll' - .aplain
apo \lonipo{()-
Lieul nant
apo quadra - rgcant
f la apo, quadra -
rp ral
amicin ' TO ulta-
('niar pnval
amicU) ,/\'"a
(Black hin')
Pri at
nt
f. r.
of th tro( p w r till in
in Tuni ia n labl in
r Lip' Lind r I t It lian
ivi i n - ona
Brigad - truppo
R giment - Lrgiol/
atlalion - .uur/('
, rnpany - mlllnn
PIal n - \lallipolo
li n - qundra
Logolllmlt
tnlral - 1aj r-
Of/ olt 11'1/(1'01(-
Brigadier
,Uf/ olr - 01 nd
f
apti n d
on ript d fr m D m-
b nward fr m th Fa i t uth
rgani ali n. ft r pa ing [r m til i vani
fa i ti 1 lh m mb r hip orth Part prop r t
Ighting- a ain
'T'he 'Plot
unit
AI
In I
26
Examples oftbe famou: ttopical6eld cap oItbe
GerlDaDforces in Africa and the Mediterranean;
the colour varied from olive-green through aU
hades of bl'own to pale and yellow and 08'-
white. Many were deliberately blea.ched.. The
turn-up was permaneudy ewo in place, being
imply a doubled thickness of material; note
the two ventilation holes On each ide of the cap.
The lining was carlet. (A) i a Panzergrenadier
officer's cap, tamped 1941, in tan brown with
silver piping; the eagle i silver on brown, the
cockade a rai ed. black- iJver-red pattern, and
the outacbe gras green. (B) is an Other Ranks'
cap without WaH'enfarbe soutache, olive drab in
colour' the ea Ie i blue-grey on tan, and the Bat
black-white-red cockade is woven On a tan
diamond. (C) and (D) are two view of a pale
andy drill Other RankjJ' cap with blue-grey on
tan eagle and black-white-red cockade On a tan
diamond. The outsche i pale green, indicating
a Gebirgsjiiger. It is known that Gebirgsjager-
Regiment 756 fought in Tunisia in January-
February J 943, and photo enst which bow thi
type of cap being worn complete with the
Edelweiss badge ofthi branch On the left ide of
the band. (AU Biwandi Collection)
D
I' Sp tivel, in plac of the black and gold of the
rm hi orporal ha two thin r d h vron
and ne thi k r an war one thi k 0 er all
thin. iJv r, and enior prj ates on thi k er one
thin I' d. Ab til ch r n on th I ft arm
appal's th pinn d- n m tal divisional badg in
bla k and gal I. The e w r not gen rally w rn in
th rant line. he ba i din i impl an
adaptation or th rm quival nt; th e rorma-
tion badg app ar d in ariou v rion in m tal
and c1 th alik andth r s ms to hay b 11 no
. firm regulation as t th ir us . Drawing of th
b dg a compan the text. Th da ger w rn n
the left fron t f th bell was a feature of M. . .
and Young Fa ci t unit it e m t have be 0
r tain d even wh n full ombal ham s was w rn.
immediat I b twe n th bayon t abbard and
th ammunition pou h .
h _ Marzo omprised the I02nd and 23Srd
th a frw nry-on a y uth wh did n tJ 1I1
th army that ear mit d into th
M. ... rn 1939 th If.. . L gion was
mad up of tw battaJi n ; on f y ung Bla k-
hircs ag d bet n twent - nand thirt -six
th th r of T rritorial up t fifty-fi r
age. a legions and an arLiller r giment
form d a Bla kshirt ivi ion. II units tend d to
b und I' strength but a era e pea clime tab-
Jisbmenr was 650 rank and file and twen
offi er p r battalion. ix divisions w r rai ed for
th by inian campai n. and ther for the
pani h Ci il ar but b th outbreak of the
eond orld ar only three remained in bein :
the 1st (23 arzo). the 2nd (28 Ottobr ) and the
4th (3 Gennaio). (Like lh azi Party and lik
r volutionary oup t thi da, th Fa ci t
commemorated in their unit litl days of gr at
i nifican e in lh ir offi ial hi t r - or p rhap .
m lh log would be the mar a ural t rm.) All
lhr e w I' ba ed in Lib a in lal 19 . th 23
arz er d und I' 11 . ral' I tri hisk r
Bel' onzoli XXIII orps in th ltalian 5th
I'm . It wa th fir t unil inl idi Barrani n 16
pt mber 194 , but wa nnihilaled al the ap-
lure of Bardia b the 6th u tralian Divi ion on
3-s]anuar J T.
niIi rmiry of dr s as n t n tic able in an
of th d S rt armi and th I tali n \ ere no
x p60n. hi 19ure b dial' lyon a Del
judie pIal displa s on major departure from
th tandard rmy tropical dress wlli h wa the
regulation for Black hin unit. Th tropical tuni
ha been replac d by a ahariana a popular form
ofbu h-jack t wh.ich was us d b all ranks of th
Ttalian fore in frica with a urprising degree of
fre dam' it wa par 'cularl fav ured b offi r'
and b all rank of the a ci r rrulitia. It hara-
tcristic are the iogle [aIlio ollar oft n worn
pen at the ne k and th ap d .If, (on the
h SL The M. . . . I ion in fri all war
thatorgani ation' p ciaJ ollar; adg. : a d ubi
hla k flame bearing a go.ld fa i in pIa th>
I'm tar. Th fa i in bras, abo a battaJjon
or I gion number within a ir I ,wa h l'egula-
ti a ap badg ,and was s m tim ppli d to th '
'ull-h 1m t. The CO war ch vron of COIl-
v otionaJ Italian rm de ign on ach upper arm
but in red and silv r for junior and s nior ranks
27
pint d fal e uR!' it i orn 0 er an op non k d
hin. h ollar flam of th whole B )" agli ri
branch in burgund r d with a ilv r tar ar
ewn in the u ual plac h very pal lin n
tr us rs, 10 in llt and pal a -gr D a to
balm t off-\'(hite ar tu k d into high black
I a h r .gait rs with two- uckJe fast ning n th
ut id I w rn with can otional la ed ankle
b ts. he chara t ristic Itauan belt and harne
unu ual in that iL has a be - trap loop d around
lh n k rath r th n th - trap adopt db, rno
oth r armi i in mid-gre leather and uppal'
two ammunirion pouche on th front ntrc of the
b It. he aluminium canteen i lung from the
left h uld r. bayon l abbard i worn; th
w ap n is th fi Idin -ba on l arbine v ion of
the .9(/ 8 6"SffiJT1. riii. rvi e dre s h adgear
fth Ber agLi ri wa red fi zwiLh a hang.in blue
ta 1- e 3 for hap .
63"d Ci7't!1le Infantry Bt Private
Division
,
Front and ide view of Luftwaft'e tropical ide
cap dift'ering from Anny model in having a
mooth, UDSCOOped edge to the turn-up. Note
Luftwatre eagle in white or very faded blue-
grey OD tan triangle, and raised black-while-red
cock.ade. The e caps were Dot lined scarlet, un-
like Army pattern. {Auth.or's and Biwandi
CoUecno }
ions and 1h 20 I st rtill ry' the 28 Quobre
th 231 t and 2 2nd L ion and L11 '2 2nd
rtill ry' and !.he 4 nnai!.h 270th and 4 111
gion and the 204111 till ry.
Side and Croot views oftropical idec:ap ofAnny
pattern - oote scooped froot to turn-up. Pale
slUldy drilJ, regulation badges, pink Panzer
Waffeofarbe outache. (Biwandi CoUection)
A3 Bersaglicre falor-cyclist, [94 [
h fam u light troop weI' a parat bran h
f Lh infantT and w r attach d nly r
arm ured mOlori d and I r . di isioo . in
the later ta of th amp ign aut nom u
b ttalion r also draft d t i a. Th fir t
r 1m n w r th 8Lh and th B a-
gli ri with th ri Land Tri t Oi i ion
r pecti ely, Each in luded a bat alion of motor-
I r onnai an e tro p and thi 19ur i
t k n from a I Giudi plate aid nem d. n
of the photo raph in thi bo k in Iud a r ar
\ 'ew fon f he tr op r.
hun-helm t icon nLiolJal but th B rsa-
!j traditional plum of r dark r n 0 k
Gath r ha b en add d t th ri ht id . thi
plum wa worn on all h adgear ilJ luding tbe
t I h 1m 1. Th branch badg i w rn on th
fr ot of th sun-h Ime in bra . un go gl s ha e
b n push d to th sid in th u uat fa hion. The
drab khaki tuni is of imiJar ut t Lh u uaJ
and-coloured tropicaJ ISSU , apart from he
28
usual Slar at lhe fool. The grey lealher belt and
harness support two ammunilion pouches and the
bayonet for the MannlicherCarcano M.91/38
riAe, a 6smm. weapon which had a stormy binh
in the late 1930$. Until that timc the standard
weapon of the infantry was the long 1891
MannlichcrCarcano of similar calibre. This
obsolete weapon was to be replaced by a shorter
de\'elopment of Ihe basic - and sound - design,
rc-chambered to 7'350101. for new and more
efficient ammunition. When the rcequipment
programme was already under way it was dis-
covered that somcone had blundered: industrial
capacity was quitc unequal to producing enough
of the new ammunition in time, and the new riAe
was completed to the old 6'50101. calibre! It thus
represented little advance over the elderly M.91.
Jt was loaded with a sixround clip, the entire
charger being inserted into the fixed magazine;
when all six rounds had been fired the clip fell
OUI through the large hole in the oottom of the
magazine. 1t has been reliably reponed that this
hole also provided a most convenient path for the
pass."l.ge of sand, gravel, and venturesome desert
beasts into the working parlS oflhe rifle.
The aluminium canteen is standard lIalian
issue; the canvas gas-mask bag is here used as a
convenient musette or havcrs.:'l.ck - a widespread
practice.
82 Caporalt, Ancona Brigade, 61St Sirtr Infantry
Diuision, /941
Photographs show that in cold wcalher (not un-
known in Nonh Africa) the standard I lalian Army
service uniform of grey-green was widely worn by
all ranks. This figure, partly based on a Del
Giudice plale, but with certain additions, iIlus-
lrates a typical infanlryman in regulation dress.
The flapped sidecap is worn square on the head,
and bears the branch badge in black Ihread or
wire embroidery on the upper frOnl- here, that of
the infantry. These service quality badges were in
silhouette only, Jacking the detail of me full-dress
gold version. The tunic is worn over a shirt and
tie; it has an integral cloth belt fastened with
buttons rather than a buckle. The wearing of the
bayonet in the manner shown seems to have been
normal with service dress. The shoulder straps are
plain. The black chevrons ofcorporal's rank - one
Ihick ovt'r one thin - arc worn on both arms.
Corporal.majors wore one thick black chevron
above IWO thin: sergea.nts, one thick above one
thin gold; scrgcant.majors, one tllick above two
thin gold. The diyisional badge, in yellow em
broidery on red cloth, is worn on the left arm.
This does not seem to have been a very widespread
practice, certainly not in the fighting areas.
Originally infantry unjts wore blue shields, and
red was reserved for armoured and motorised
divisions; bUI the classification was widened 10
include nine divisions which were theoretically
'autotransponable', and the picture thus becomes
extremely complicated. Sine is known to have
worn a red shield, and Brescia, for instance, a
blue one.
The collar patches demand some explanation.
In 1815 the infantry regimentsoftheold Sardinjan
Army were brigaded in twos under the same title,
and the two-regiment named brigade remained
the basis of infimtfy organisation ever since. In
1935 divisions were created by adding a field
artillery regiment to a brigade of infantry, Ur
gether with service units. The infantry of each
division all wore lhe same collar patch, which
identified Ihe brigade. From about 1940 onwards
Ihe artillery and service unit.s of a division sewed
their own collar insignia - in the form of'f1amcs',
distinguishing the branch but not the unit - on to
the division's infantry brigade POlICh, halfofwhich
remained visible at the top or rear of the com
bined insignia; thus any divisional troops can be
exactly identified by their collar insignia. A rep-
resentative listing of c o l l ~ n pOlIch colours worn by
divisions which fought in Nonh Africa will be
found elsewhere II1lhis bookj that arSirte was the
black with three yellow stripes of its Ancona In-
fan try Brigade, made up of the 691h and 70th
Regiments. The 43rd Artillery eompleled the
division. The star was always worn at lhe bottom
or front of the patch. These patches were worn by
all ranks of the infantry brigade, officers included.
Sirte was wiped out on '21 January 1941 at
Tobruk; the division 'went into the bag' after the
successful assault by 6th Australian Division sup-
ported by elements of 7th Armoured Division.
500-323 a.c.
EAR T TRAJ
13 1500
HELD IT
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