Pier Paolo Battistelli

Italian Army Elite Units & Special Forces 1940-43 (eBook, ePUB)

Illustrator: Shumate, Johnny

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Italian military historian Pier Paolo Battistelli examines the elite and special-forces units of the Italian Army during World War II.

This includes a vast array of troop types, including paratroopers, assault engineers, sea-landing and swimmer units, long-range recce and ski units, and even hand-picked Fascist 'Mussolini' units. It also delves into the specialist tank and armoured units that were created to emulate the German armoured units. While the Italian units discussed enjoyed mixed success, the volume draws attention to the incredibly hard fighting done by some in the deserts of North Africa and the frozen wastelands of Russia.

Illustrated with rare archival photographs and specially commissioned artwork, this is a fascinating insight into a little-studied aspect of Axis forces.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 64
• Erscheinungstermin: 20. November 2011
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781849088954
• Artikelnr.: 44626777

Autorenporträt

Pier Paolo Battistelli earned his PhD in military history at the University of Padua. A scholar of German and Italian politics and strategy throughout World War II, he works both in Italy and abroad writing titles and essays on military history subjects. He is a contributor to the Italian Army Historical Office and has written numerous books for Osprey.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction
Elite units - armour: tank and mechanized units of 'Centauro', 'Ariete' &
'Littorio' divisions, and 'Trento' and 'Trieste' motorized divisions -
scout groups, armoured scout units
Paratroopers: experimental units - 'Folgore' and 'Nemdo' divisions
Assault engineers: 31st and 32nd 'Guastatori' battalions
Special Units: 'Monte Cervino' ski battalions - X Arditi regiment:
paratrooper, swimmer and LRRP companies - 'Red Arrows' Group: Arab, Indian
turncoat, and Italian assault volunteer battalions
Fascist 'Mussolini' units: sea-landing battalions, tank units