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101-588: Originally the unit, like all Italian tank units, was part of the army's infantry arm, but on 1 June 1999 the tankers specialty was transferred from the infantry arm to the cavalry arm. The battalion's anniversary falls, as for all tank units, which have not yet distinguished themselves on the battlefield, on 1 October 1927, the day the tankers speciality was founded. On 1 October 1927, the Royal Italian Army reorganized its Armed Tanks Formation Center in Rome and formed

202-502: A 5 mi (8.0 km) route through the Devil's Gardens. It was a difficult task that was not achieved because of the depth of the Axis minefields. At 22:00, the four infantry divisions of XXX Corps began to move. The objective was to establish a bridgehead before dawn at the imaginary line in the desert where the strongest enemy defences were situated, on the far side of the second mine belt. Once

303-455: A calm, clear evening under the bright sky of a full moon, Operation Lightfoot began with a 1,000-gun barrage. The fire plan had been arranged so that the first rounds from the 882 guns from the field and medium batteries would land along the 40 mi (64 km) front at the same time. After twenty minutes of general bombardment, the guns switched to precision targets in support of the advancing infantry. The shelling plan continued for five and

404-664: A command, a command and services company, and three tank companies with Leopard 1 A2 main battle tanks . The battalion fielded now 434 men (32 officers, 82 non-commissioned officers, and 320 soldiers). On 12 November 1976 the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone granted with decree 846 a new flag to the battalion. After the end of the Cold War the Italian Army began to draw down its forces and on 1 June 1991

505-428: A convoy of 25 British vehicles carrying petrol and ammunition, setting off a night-long blaze. By the time 8th Armoured Brigade had reorganised they were well behind schedule and out of touch with the creeping artillery barrage. By daylight the brigade was caught in the open, suffering considerable fire from well sited tanks and anti-tank guns. The 24th Armoured Brigade had pushed forward and reported at dawn they were on

606-499: A defence based on his usual manoeuvre tactics but no clear picture emerged of how he would fight the battle and British plans seriously underestimated the Axis defences and the fighting power of the Panzerarmee . Prior to the main barrage, there was a diversion by the 24th Australian Brigade , which involved the 15th Panzer Division being subjected to heavy fire for a few minutes. Then at 21:40 (Egyptian Summer Time) on 23 October on

707-468: A half hours, by the end of which each gun had fired about 600 rounds, about 529,000 shells. Operation Lightfoot alluded to the infantry attacking first. Anti-tank mines would not be tripped by soldiers stepping on them since they were too light. As the infantry advanced, engineers had to clear a path for the tanks coming behind. Each gap was to be 24 ft (7.3 m) wide, which was just enough to get tanks through in single file. The engineers had to clear

808-626: A huge Allied reinforcement operation for the Eighth Army, Rommel decided to attack first. The two armoured divisions of the Afrika Korps and the reconnaissance units of Panzerarmee Afrika led the attack but were repulsed at the Alam el Halfa ridge and Point 102 on 30 August 1942, during the Battle of Alam el Halfa ; the Axis forces retired to their start lines. The short front line and secure flanks favoured

909-608: A long appreciation of the situation to Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW armed forces high command), once again setting out the essential needs of the Panzer Army. Rommel knew that the British and Commonwealth forces would soon be strong enough to attack. His only hope now relied on the German forces fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad quickly to defeat the Red Army , then move south through

1010-466: A preliminary, the 131st (Queen's) Infantry Brigade of the 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division , supported by tanks from the 4th Armoured Brigade , launched Operation Braganza attacking the paratroopers of the 185th Infantry Division "Folgore" on the night of 29/30 September in an attempt to capture the Deir el Munassib area. The Italian paratroopers repelled the attack, killing or capturing over 300 of

1111-497: A quick armoured intervention wherever the blow fell and prevent narrow breakthroughs from being enlarged. A significant proportion of his armoured reserve was dispersed and held unusually far forward. The 15th Panzer Division had 125 operational tanks (16 Pz.IIs, 43 Pz.III Ausf H, 43 Pz.III Ausf J, 6 Pz.IV Ausf D, 15 Pz.IV Ausf F) while the 21st Panzer Division had 121 operational combat vehicles (12 Pz.IIs, 38 Pz.III Ausf H, 43 Pz.III Ausf J, 2 Pz.IV Ausf D, 15 Pz.IV Ausf F). Rommel held

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1212-433: A recurrence of 8th Armoured Brigade's experience from the air, attacks on Axis landing fields were also stepped up. The first attack had ended by Sunday. The British had advanced through the minefields in the west to make a 6 mi (9.7 km) wide and 5 mi (8.0 km) deep inroad. They were on top of Miteirya Ridge in the south-east. Axis forces were firmly entrenched in most of their original battle positions and

1313-835: A three-year campaign was fought against the Austro-Hungarian Kaiserjäger and the German Alpenkorps . In World War II , the Alpini fought alongside Axis forces in the Eastern Front as well as the Balkans Campaigns . The Regio Esercito dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy , following the unification of Italy in 1861 after most of the Papal States were seized. On 4 May 1861, Manfredo Fanti signed

1414-572: Is unrelated to the earlier IV Tank Battalion M. Initially the battalion was intended to deploy to Libya for the Western Desert campaign , but the deteriorating situation on the Greco-Italian front forced the General Staff to send the battalion to Albania . In January 1942 the battalion arrived at the front, where it was attached to the 131st Armored Division "Centauro" . The battalion fought in

1515-462: The 17th Infantry Division "Pavia" , 27th Infantry Division "Brescia" and elements of the 185th Infantry Division "Folgore". The 4th Indian Infantry Division , on the far left of the XXX Corps front at Ruweisat Ridge, made a mock attack and two small raids to deflect attention to the centre of the front. Dawn aerial reconnaissance showed little change in Axis dispositions and Montgomery ordered that

1616-432: The 187th Infantry Regiment "Folgore" at Deir Munassib, but lost about 20 tanks gaining only the forward positions. Rommel, on his return to North Africa on the evening of 25 October, assessed the battle. Casualties, particularly in the north, as a result of incessant artillery and air attack, had been severe. The Italian 102nd Motorised Division "Trento" had lost 50 per cent of its infantry and most of its artillery and

1717-494: The 90th Light Division further back and kept the 101st Motorised Division "Trieste" in reserve near the coast. Rommel hoped to move his troops faster than the Allies, to concentrate his defences at the most important point ( Schwerpunkt ) but lack of fuel meant that once the Panzerarmee had concentrated, it would not be able to move again because of lack of fuel. The British were well aware that Rommel would be unable to mount

1818-727: The Allied armistice with Italy in September 1943 . The Kingdom was ultimately replaced by the Italian Republic in the 1946 Italian institutional referendum , and the Royal Army accordingly changed its name to become the Esercito Italiano ( Italian Army ). Second Battle of El Alamein [REDACTED]   British Empire 1941 1942 Associated articles The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942)

1919-562: The Armed Tanks Regiment ( Italian : Reggimento carri armati ) as central training unit for the army's tank battalions. On the same date the regiment formed five tank battalions, which were equipped with Fiat 3000 Mod. 21 light tanks. On 15 September 1936, the Armed Tanks Regiment was split into four tank infantry regiments and the regiment's III Tank Battalion was renamed IV Breach Tanks Battalion "Prestinari" and assigned to

2020-597: The Battle of Gazala (26 May – 21 June 1942). The Axis advance threatened British control of the Suez Canal , the Middle East and its oil resources. General Claude Auchinleck , Commander-in-Chief of Middle East Command and in tactical command of Eighth Army , withdrew the Eighth Army to within 50 mi (80 km) of Alexandria where the Qattara Depression was 40 mi (64 km) south of El Alamein on

2121-469: The Battle of Mersa Matruh , First Battle of El Alamein , and Battle of Alam el Halfa . On 23 October 1942, the Second Battle of El Alamein commenced, during which the 101st Motorized Division "Trieste" , 132nd Armored Division "Ariete" , and 133rd Armored Division "Littorio" were destroyed on 4 November by an attack of the British 1st Armoured Division and 10th Armoured Division . On 8 December 1942,

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2222-614: The Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), visited Cairo and replaced Auchinleck as Commander-in-chief Middle East Command , with General Harold Alexander . Lieutenant-General William Gott was made commander of the Eighth Army but was killed when his transport aircraft was shot down by Luftwaffe fighters; Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery was flown from Britain to replace him. Lacking reinforcements and depending on small, underdeveloped ports for supplies and aware of

2323-636: The Gold Medal of Military Valor . The 4th Tank Battalion was named for Lieutenant Ugo Passalacqua , who, as commanding officer of a company of the IV Tank Battalion M13/40, was gravely injured on 27 January 1941 during combat near Klisura Pass and died from his wounds at the Italian field hospital in Vlorë on 10 February 1941. The battalion was assigned to the 3rd Mechanized Brigade "Goito" and consisted of

2424-572: The Interwar period , the army was initially focused on border security in the Alps and on the Italian-Yugoslav border . It supported Benito Mussolini 's Fascist regime because of its expansionist ideology and reversal of previous governments' defense cuts. In the 1930s, the army participated in the final subjugation of Libya , participated in the invasion of Ethiopia , provided troops and materials for

2525-966: The Macedonian Front as part of the Allied Army of the Orient . Some Italian divisions were also sent to the Western Front . In 1918, Italian troops saw intense combat during the German spring offensive. Italian soldiers also saw action in campaigns against the Ottoman Empire in Africa and the Middle East such as in the Senussi campaign . Overall, the Royal Italian Army suffered 460,000 to 709,000 killed and 947,000 to 1,050,000 wounded during World War I. During

2626-678: The Trans-Caucasus and threaten Iran (Persia) and the Middle East. If successful, large numbers of British and Commonwealth forces would have to be sent from the Egyptian front to reinforce the Ninth Army in Iran, leading to the postponement of any offensive against his army. Rommel hoped to convince OKW to reinforce his forces for the eventual link-up between Panzerarmee Afrika and the German armies fighting in southern Russia, enabling them finally to defeat

2727-631: The monarchy ended in 1946, the army changed its name to become the modern Italian Army ( Esercito Italiano ). Within the Italian Royal Army were the elite mountain military corporals, the Alpini . The Alpini , which remain in existence today, are the oldest active mountain infantry in the world. Their original mission was to protect and secure Italy's northern mountain border that aligns with France and Austria . This group emerged in World War I when

2828-600: The "Ariete" Division around Jebel Kalakh, while the Free French on the far left were to secure Qaret el Himeimat and the el Taqa plateau. The right flank of the attack was to be protected by 44th Infantry Division with the 131st Infantry Brigade. The attack met determined resistance, mainly from the 185th Infantry Division "Folgore" , part of the Ramcke Parachute Brigade and Gruppe Keil . The minefields were deeper than anticipated and clearing paths through them

2929-603: The 'crumbling' of the Axis forces. By 16:00 there was little progress. At dusk, with the sun at their backs, Axis tanks from the 15th Panzer Division and the "Littorio" Division swung out from the Kidney feature (also known to the Germans and Italians as Hill 28), often wrongly called a ridge as it was actually a depression, to engage the 1st Armoured Division and the first big tank engagement of El Alamein began. Over 100 tanks were involved and half were destroyed by dark; neither position

3030-407: The 10th Armoured Division and the 7th Armoured Division. The attacks in the south, which lasted three days and caused considerable losses without achieving a breakthrough, were suspended. The main battle was concentrated around Tel el Aqqaqir and the Kidney feature at the end of the 1st Armoured Division's path through the minefield. A mile north-west of the feature was Outpost Woodcock and roughly

3131-400: The 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment and its battalions were declared as lost due to wartime events. The few survivors of the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment , 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment, and XI Tank Battalion M13/40 of the 101st Motorized Division "Trieste" were grouped together in the "Cantaluppi" Group, an ad hoc formation commanded by Colonel Gaetano Cantaluppi. On 5 December 1942, the group

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3232-532: The 15th Panzer Division, the Littorio and a Bersaglieri Battalion, supported by the concentrated fire of all the local artillery and AA. In the evening part of the Bersaglieri Battalion succeeded in occupying the eastern and western edges of the hill. The bulk of the 2/17th Australian Battalion, which had defended the position, was forced to retreat. Rommel reversed his policy of distributing his armour across

3333-429: The 164th Light Division had lost two battalions. The 15th Panzer and Littorio divisions had prevented the British tanks from breaking through but this had been a costly defensive success, the 15th Panzer Division being reduced to 31 tanks. Most other units were also under strength, on half rations and many men were ill; Panzerarmee Afrika had only enough fuel for three days. Rommel was convinced by this time that

3434-512: The 21st Panzer Division and the Ariete Division made slow progress during the night under constant attack from DAF bombers. At the Kidney feature, the British failed to take advantage of the absent tanks; each time they tried to move forward they were stopped by anti-tank guns. Churchill railed, "Is it really impossible to find a general who can win a battle?" Bristol Beaufort torpedo bombers of 42 Squadron , attached to 47 Squadron , sank

3535-572: The 2nd Armoured Brigade commenced its advance and ran into such stiff opposition that, by noon, it had still not linked with the KRRC. The 24th Armoured Brigade started a little later and was soon in contact with the Rifle Brigade (having shelled them in error for a while). Some hours of confused fighting ensued involving tanks from the Littorio and troops and anti-tank guns from 15th Panzer which managed to keep

3636-462: The 3rd Mechanized Brigade "Goito" was disbanded and the 4th Tank Battalion "M.O. Passalacqua" transferred to the Mechanized Brigade "Legnano" . The same year the 67th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Montelungo" moved from Monza to Solbiate Olona . On 27 August 1992, the 4th Tank Battalion "M.O. Passalacqua" and the 67th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Montelungo" were disbanded and the next day

3737-484: The 44th Division. Panzer units counter-attacked the 51st Highland Division just after sunrise, only to be stopped in their tracks. The morning of Saturday 24 October brought disaster for the German headquarters. The Axis forces were stunned by British attack and their messages became confused and hysterical, with one Italian unit communicating to Germans that it had been wiped out by "drunken negroes with tanks". The reports that Stumme had received that morning showed

3838-538: The 51st (Highland) Division launched three attacks but no one knew quite where they were. Pandemonium and carnage ensued, resulting in the loss of over 500 British troops and leaving only one officer among the attacking force. While the 51st Highland Division was operating around the Kidney feature, the Australians were attacking Point 29 (sometimes shown on Axis maps as "28") a 20 ft (6.1 m) high Axis artillery observation post south-west of Tel el Eisa, to surround

3939-690: The Allied invasion of French North Africa in Operation Torch on 8 November, which opened a second front in North Africa. Panzer Army Africa ( Panzerarmee Afrika / Armata Corazzata Africa Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel ) composed of German and Italian tank and infantry units, subordinated to the new Italian command structure Delease (North African Command Delegation, Lieutenant-General Curio Barbasetti ) had advanced into Egypt after its success at

4040-536: The Americans continued to use the code until the end of June. Suspicion that the code was compromised was confirmed when the 9th Australian Division captured the German 621st Signal Battalion in July 1942. The British gained the intelligence advantage because Ultra and local sources exposed the Axis order of battle, its supply position and intentions. A reorganisation of military intelligence in Africa in July had also improved

4141-413: The Axis coastal salient containing the German 164th Light Division and large numbers of Italian infantry. This was the new northern thrust Montgomery had devised earlier in the day. The 26th Australian Brigade attacked at midnight, supported by artillery and 30 tanks of the 40th Royal Tank Regiment. The Australians took the position and 240 prisoners. Fighting continued in this area for the next week, as

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4242-531: The Axis defensive system, to challenge the Axis armour. The infantry battle would continue as the Eighth Army infantry "crumbled" the deep Axis defensive fortifications (three successive lines of fortification had been constructed) and destroy any tanks that attacked them. Before the battle the Commonwealth forces practised deceptions, in Operation Bertram , to confuse the Axis command as to where and when

4343-454: The Axis tried to recover the small hill that was so important to their defence. Night bombers dropped 115 long tons (117 t) of bombs on targets in the battlefield and 14 long tons (14 t) on the Stuka base at Sidi Haneish, while night fighters flew patrols over the battle area and the Axis forward landing grounds. In the south, the 4th Armoured Brigade and the 69th Infantry Brigade attacked

4444-548: The British and Commonwealth armies in North Africa and the Middle East. In the meantime, the Panzerarmee dug in and waited for the attack by the Eighth Army or the defeat of the Red Army at Stalingrad. Rommel added depth to his defences by creating at least two belts of mines about 3.1 mi (5 km) apart, connected at intervals to create boxes ( Devil's gardens ) which would restrict Allied penetration and deprive British armour of room for manoeuvre. The front face of each box

4545-487: The British armour at bay in spite of the support of the anti-tank guns of the Rifle Brigade battle group. Rommel had decided to make two counter-attacks using his fresh troops. 90th Light Division was to make a fresh attempt to capture Point 29 and 21st Panzer were targeted at Snipe (the Ariete detachment had returned south). At Snipe, mortar and shellfire was constant all day. Lucas-Phillips, in his Alamein wrote: The desert

4646-407: The British deception confused the Axis as to the point of attack, Rommel departed from his usual practice of holding his armoured strength in a concentrated reserve and split it into a northern group ( 15th Panzer Division and 133rd Armoured Division "Littorio" ) and a southern group ( 21st Panzer Division and 132nd Armoured Division "Ariete" ), each organised into battle groups to be able to make

4747-633: The Corps of Volunteer Troops ( Corpo Truppe Volontarie ) to fight in the Spanish Civil War , and participated in the Italian invasion of Albania . The Regio Esercito (Royal Army) was one of the largest ground forces in World War II, during which it was one of the pioneers of the use of paratroopers . Many Italian divisions were reinforced by a MVSN Gruppo di Assalto of two battalions due to

4848-418: The Eighth Army was ready; 195,000 men and 1,029 tanks began the offensive against the 116,000 men and 547 tanks of the Panzerarmee . Montgomery's plan was for a main attack to the north of the line and a secondary attack to the south, involving XXX Corps (Lieutenant-General Oliver Leese ) and XIII Corps (Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks ), while X Corps (Lieutenant-General Herbert Lumsden )

4949-422: The German armour. Diversions at Ruweisat Ridge in the centre and also the south of the line would keep the rest of the Axis forces from moving northwards. Montgomery expected a 12-day battle in three stages: the break-in, the dogfight and the final breaking of the enemy. For the first night of the offensive, Montgomery planned for four infantry divisions of XXX Corps to advance on a 16 mi (26 km) front to

5050-533: The IV Corps captured Rome , which had remained under Papal control up until then. On 8 February 1885, a corps of fewer than 1,000 soldiers landed at Massaua , Eritrea , starting the creation of an Italian colonial empire . The Italian advance of the First Italo-Ethiopian War was halted at the Battle of Adwa by overwhelming Ethiopian forces. The following year, as part of the Italian collaboration with

5151-557: The IV Tank Battalion M13/40 was assigned to the division's 31st Tank Infantry Regiment . Over the next months the battalion replaced its M13/40 tanks with M14/41 tanks and changed its name to IV Tank Battalion M14/41. On 21 April 1942, the IV Tank Battalion M14/41 was transferred to the 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment . On 20 June 1942, the regiment had its baptism of fire during the Axis capture of Tobruk . The regiment then fought in

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5252-542: The Oxalic Line, over-running the forward Axis defences. Engineers would clear and mark the two lanes through the minefields, through which the armoured divisions from X Corps would pass to gain the Pierson Line. They would rally and consolidate their position just west of the infantry positions, blocking an Axis tank counter-attack. The British tanks would then advance to Skinflint , astride the north–south Rahman Track deep in

5353-661: The Panzer Army Africa, renamed the German-Italian Panzer Army ( Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee ) that day. Rommel's arrival boosted German morale, though there was little he could do to change the course of the battle. There was little activity during the day, pending complete clearance of paths through the minefields. The armour was held at the Oxalic Line. Artillery and the Desert Air Force , making over 1,000 sorties, attacked Axis positions all day to aid

5454-522: The Pierson Line, although it turned out that, in the dust and confusion, they had mistaken their position and were well short. The attack in the XIII Corps sector to the south fared no better. The 131st Infantry Brigade cleared a path through the mines but when the 22nd Armoured Brigade passed through, they came under heavy fire and were repulsed, with 31 tanks disabled. British air activity that night focused on Rommel's northern armoured group, where 135 short tons (122 t) of bombs were dropped. To prevent

5555-409: The South Africans 600. The tanks of X Corps, established just beyond the infantry, had failed to break through the Axis anti-tank defences. Montgomery decided that over the next two days, while continuing the process of attrition, he would thin out his front line to create a reserve for another attack. The reserve was to include the 2nd New Zealand Division (with the 9th Armoured Brigade under command),

5656-399: The area of Klisura Pass and then in the Battle of Hill 731 . In late March 1941 the Centauro division moved, in preparation for the Invasion of Yugoslavia , to Shkodër in northern Albania. After the war's start on 6 April 1941 the Centauro together with the 18th Infantry Division "Messina" and 32nd Infantry Division "Marche" defeated a Yugoslav attack towards Shkodër. On 15 April 1941,

5757-401: The attack had been contained. Montgomery decided that the planned advance southward from Miteirya Ridge by the New Zealanders would be too costly and instead decided that XXX Corps—while keeping firm hold of Miteirya—should strike northwards toward the coast with the 9th Australian Division. The 1st Armoured Division—on the Australian left—should continue to attack west and north-west; activity to

5858-409: The attackers. It was wrongly assumed that Fallschirmjäger (German paratroopers) had manned the defences and been responsible for the British reverse. The Afrika Korps war diary notes that the Italian paratrooper unit "bore the brunt of the attack. It fought well and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy." With the failure of their offensive at the Battle of Alam el Halfa, the Axis forces went onto

5959-549: The attacks had been on a broad front but that such penetration as had occurred should be containable by local units. He went forward to see for himself and finding himself under fire, suffered a heart attack and died. Temporary command was given to Major-General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma . Hitler had already decided that Rommel should leave his sanatorium and return to North Africa. Rommel flew to Rome early on 25 October to press Comando Supremo for more fuel and ammunition and then on to North Africa to resume command that night of

6060-409: The battle was to occur. In September, they dumped waste materials (discarded packing cases, etc.) under camouflage nets in the northern sector, making them appear to be ammunition or ration dumps. The Axis naturally noticed these but as no offensive action immediately followed and the "dumps" did not change in appearance, they were subsequently ignored. This allowed the Eighth Army to build up supplies in

6161-399: The clearance of the northern corridor should be completed and the New Zealand Division supported by the 10th Armoured Division should push south from Miteirya Ridge. The 9th Australian Division, in the north, should plan a crumbling operation for that night, while in the southern sector, 7th Armoured Division should continue to try to break through the minefields with support, if necessary, from

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6262-399: The coast. The depression was impassable and meant that any attack had to be frontal; Axis attacks in the First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July) had been defeated. Eighth Army counter-attacks in July also failed, as the Axis forces dug in and regrouped. Auchinleck called off the attacks at the end of July to rebuild the army. In early August, Winston Churchill and General Sir Alan Brooke ,

6363-452: The creation decree, by which the new army was to replace the previous Royal Sardinian Army and the Army of the Two Sicilies . The first two tasks of the new organization were the repression of brigandage in southern Italy against irregular and hit and run forces (mixed with bands of various criminals), who refused to accept the suppression of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies , and the Third War of Italian Independence . On 20 September 1870,

6464-484: The defensive and Rommel had time to develop the Axis fortifications, sowing minefields with c.  500,000 mines and miles of barbed wire . Alexander and Montgomery intended to establish a superiority of force sufficient to achieve a breakthrough and exploit it to destroy Panzerarmee Afrika . Earlier in the Western Desert Campaign , neither side had been able to exploit a local victory sufficiently to defeat its opponent before it had withdrawn and transferred

6565-466: The defensive but losses had not been excessive. The Axis supply line from Tripoli was extremely long and captured British supplies and equipment had been exhausted, but Rommel decided to advance into Egypt. The Eighth Army was being supplied with men and materials from the United Kingdom, India, Australia and New Zealand, as well as with trucks and the new Sherman tanks from the United States. Rommel continued to request equipment, supplies and fuel but

6666-434: The division defeated a Yugoslav attack near Koplik , and the next day, on 16 April, the division crossed into Yugoslavia north of Koplik and advanced to Kotor , Cetinje and Podgorica . On 17 April the Centauro reached Trebinje , where it met up with units of the 133rd Armored Division "Littorio" , which had advanced southward from Istria . On 11 May 1941 the division began the return transfer to its bases in Tuscany and

6767-547: The face of direct war violence. In total, 4,028 death sentences were passed in the Royal Italian Army whereas 2,967 were issued absentia where 750 were followed through and completed and 311 were not. The Royal Italian Army's first experience with modern warfare was in World War I , from 1915–1918. The war was fought mostly on the Italian Front in Northern Italy , costing the Italian Army serious casualties, including 246,133 killed, 946,640 wounded, 569,210 captured and 70,656 missing. The Italian 35th Division served on

6868-432: The first time their own flags. On 20 October 1975, the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment was disbanded and the next day the regiment's IV Tank Battalion in Solbiate Olona was renamed 4th Tank Battalion "M.O. Passalacqua". Tank and armored battalions created during the 1975 army reform were named for officers, soldiers and partisans of the tank speciality, who had served in World War II and been awarded Italy's highest military honor

6969-502: The forward area unnoticed by the Axis, by replacing the rubbish with ammunition, petrol and rations at night. A dummy pipeline was built, hopefully leading the Axis to believe the attack would occur much later than it did and much further south. Dummy tanks consisting of plywood frames placed over jeeps were built and deployed in the south. In a reverse feint , the tanks destined for battle in the north were disguised as supply trucks by placing removable plywood superstructures over them. As

7070-408: The front, ordering the 90th Light Division forward from Ed Daba and 21st Panzer Division north along with one third of the Ariete Division and half the artillery from the southern sector to join the 15th Panzer Division and the Littorio Division. The move could not be reversed because of the fuel shortage. The Trieste Division was ordered from Fuka to replace the 90th Light Division at Ed Daba but

7171-435: The infantry attained their objectives and none of the tanks broke through. The 1st South African Division , on the left flank of XXX Corps, attacked on a two-brigade front to secure the southern end of Miteirya Ridge, with the 2nd South African Infantry Brigade on the right and the 3rd South African Infantry Brigade on the left. The 1st South African Infantry Brigade was deployed further south to create an anti-tank screen for

7272-459: The infantry reached the first minefields, the mine sweepers, including Reconnaissance Corps troops and sappers , moved in to create a passage for the armoured divisions of X Corps. Progress was slower than planned but at 02:00, the first of the 500 tanks crawled forward. By 04:00, the lead tanks were in the minefields, where they stirred up so much dust that there was no visibility at all, traffic jams developed and tanks bogged down. Only about half of

7373-414: The integration of information received from all sources and the speed of its dissemination. With rare exceptions, intelligence identified the supply ships destined for North Africa, their location or routing and in most cases their cargoes, allowing them to be attacked. By 25 October, Panzerarmee Afrika was down to three days' supply of fuel, only two days' of which were east of Tobruk. Harry Hinsley ,

7474-779: The international pacification program after the revolt against the Turkish domination in Cyprus , another corps disembarked at Candia . On 14 July 1900, another expeditionary force was constituted to suppress the Boxer Rebellion in China in defense of the European protectorates. On 3 October 1911, Italy invaded Libya as part of the Italo-Turkish War . The war against the Ottoman Empire ended with

7575-560: The main assault would come in the north and determined to retake Point 29. He ordered a counter-attack against it by the 15th Panzer Division and the 164th Light Division, with part of the Italian XX Corps to begin at 15:00 but under constant artillery and air attack this came to nothing. According to Rommel this attack did meet some success, with the Italians recapturing part of Hill 28 , Attacks were now launched on Hill 28 by elements of

7676-497: The minefields, the Italians dragged an axle and tyres through the fields using a long rope to create what appeared to be well-used tracks. Rommel did not want the British armour to break out into the open because he had neither the strength of numbers nor fuel to match them in a battle of manoeuvre. The battle had to be fought in the fortified zones; a breakthrough had to be defeated quickly. Rommel stiffened his forward lines by alternating German and Italian infantry formations. Because

7777-467: The newly formed 1st Tank Infantry Regiment . In 1938 all Breach Tanks Battalions were renamed Tank Battalion M (with M standing for Italian : "Medio" or Medium). On 30 November 1938, the battalion was transferred to the 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment . On 1 December 1938, the 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment was reorganized and renamed 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment . On the same date the IV Tank Battalion M

7878-424: The official historian of British intelligence, wrote in 1981 that "The Panzer Army... did not possess the operational freedom of movement that was absolutely essential in consideration of the fact that the British offensive can be expected to start any day". Submarine and air transport somewhat eased the shortage of ammunition and by late October, there was sixteen days' supply at the front. After six more weeks,

7979-579: The personnel of the two battalions formed the 67th Armored Infantry Regiment "Legnano" . The reformed regiment received the flag and traditions of the 67th Infantry Regiment "Legnano", which had been assigned to the 67th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Montelungo" in 1976. Consequently the flag of the 4th Tank Battalion "M.O. Passalacqua" was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome on 9 October of

8080-453: The priority of the German war effort was the Eastern Front and very limited supplies reached North Africa. Rommel was ill and in early September, arrangements were made for him to return to Germany on sick leave and for General der Panzertruppe Georg Stumme to transfer from the Russian front to take his place. Before he left for Germany on 23 September, Rommel organised the defence and wrote

8181-595: The problem of over-extended supply lines to the victor. Until June 1942 Rommel had been receiving detailed information about the strength and movement of British forces from reports sent to Washington by Colonel Bonner Fellers , the U.S. military attaché in Cairo. The American code had been stolen following a covert operation by Italian military intelligence at the American Embassy in Rome the previous year. Despite British concerns,

8282-427: The protection of the left flank of the attack. By 08:00 on 24 October, Miteirya Ridge was secured after a night of heavy fighting and a high number of casualties. The 7th Armoured Division (with a Free French Brigade under command) from XIII Corps (Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks) made a secondary attack to the south. The main attack aimed to achieve a breakthrough, engage and pin down the 21st Panzer Division and

8383-404: The same distance south-west lay Outpost Snipe. An attack was planned on these areas using two battalions from 7th Motor Brigade. At 23:00 on 26 October 2 Battalion, The Rifle Brigade would attack Snipe and 2nd Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) would attack Woodcock. The plan was for 2nd Armoured Brigade to pass round the north of Woodcock the following dawn and 24th Armoured Brigade round

8484-598: The same year. Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army ( Italian : Regio Esercito , lit.   'Royal Army') ( RE ) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy , established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy . During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfredo Fanti signed a decree creating the Army of the Two Sicilies . This newly created army's first task

8585-672: The signing of the First Treaty of Lausanne in Ouchy , near Lausanne, Switzerland . In the Italian Royal Army, military justice was applied on the based on the 1870 Military Penal Code regulations. This regulation structure was very similar to the 1859 version which was inspired by the Royal Sardinian Army penal code of 1840 which preceded the Albertine Statute of 1848. These regulations and factors were determined to be inadequate in

8686-710: The small size of the divisions. In 1943, Italy surrendered and split into the Italian Social Republic , which fielded its own army, the Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano ( National Republican Army ). On the other side was the Esercito Cobelligerante del Sud ( Italian Co-Belligerent Army ), the army of the Italian Royalist forces, fighting on the side of the Allies in southern Italy after

8787-498: The south of Snipe. The attack was to be supported by all the artillery of X and XXX Corps. Both battalions had difficulty finding their way in the dark and dust. At dawn, the KRRC had not reached its objective and had to find cover and dig in some distance from Woodcock. The 2nd Rifle Brigade had been more fortunate and after following the shell bursts of the supporting artillery, dug in when they concluded they had reached their objective having encountered little opposition. At 06:00,

8888-399: The south on both corps fronts would be confined to patrolling. The battle would be concentrated at the Kidney feature and Tel el Eisa until a breakthrough occurred. By early morning, the Axis forces launched attacks using the 15th Panzer and "Littorio" divisions. The Panzer Army probed for a weakness but without success. The British and Commonwealth infantry attacked at dusk. Around midnight,

8989-475: The tanker Proserpina at Tobruk ; three Vickers Wellington torpedo bombers of 38 Squadron destroyed the oil tanker Tergestea at Tobruk during the night, removing the last hope for refuelling the Panzerarmee . By 26 October, XXX Corps had completed the capture of the bridgehead west of the second mine belt. The British Forces had sustained 2000 casualties, the Australians 1000, the New Zealanders 1000 and

9090-592: Was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein . The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented the Axis from advancing further into Egypt. In October 1942 Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery , commander of Eighth Army , opened his offensive against the Axis forces. In a 13-day battle the Axis Panzerarmee Afrika

9191-496: Was altered. Lumsden wanted to call off the attack planned for the night of the 24th but Montgomery overruled him. The thrust that night by the 10th Armoured Division from Miteirya Ridge failed. The lifting of mines on the Miteirya Ridge and beyond took far longer than planned and the leading unit, the 8th Armoured Brigade, was caught on their start line at 22:00—zero hour—by an air attack and were scattered. Axis bombers destroyed

9292-648: Was based in Solbiate Olona and equipped with M47 Patton tanks. In 1963, the Armored Division "Centauro" adapted its organization to NATO standards and added a brigade level to the division's structure. On 1 November 1963, the I Mechanized Brigade "Centauro" was formed in Milan and the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment , as well as support forces, entered the new brigade. On the same date the XX Bersaglieri Battalion

9393-479: Was crushed and forced to retreat from Egypt and Libya to the borders of Tunisia . The Allied victory at El Alamein was the beginning of the end of the Western Desert Campaign . The battle ended the Axis threat to the Middle East and Iran and revived the morale of the western Allies, being their first big success against the Axis since Operation Crusader in late 1941. The end of the battle coincided with

9494-513: Was impeded by Axis defensive fire. By dawn on 24 October, paths still had not been cleared through the second minefield to release the 22nd and 4th Light Armoured Brigades into the open to make their planned turn north into the rear of enemy positions 5 mi (8.0 km) west of Deir el Munassib. Further north along the XIII Corps front, the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division achieved a limited and costly success against determined resistance from

9595-524: Was lightly held by battle outposts and the rest of the box was unoccupied but sowed with mines and explosive traps and covered by enfilading fire. The main defensive positions were built to a depth of at least 2 km (1.2 mi) behind the second mine belt. The Axis laid around half a million mines, mostly Teller anti-tank mines with some smaller anti-personnel types such as the S-mine . (Many were British mines captured at Tobruk). To lure Allied vehicles into

9696-442: Was quivering with heat. The gun detachments and the platoons squatted in their pits and trenches, the sweat running in rivers down their dust-caked faces. There was a terrible stench. The flies swarmed in black clouds upon the dead bodies and excreta and tormented the wounded. The place was strewn with burning tanks and carriers, wrecked guns and vehicles, and over all drifted the smoke and the dust from bursting high explosives and from

9797-459: Was redesignated CCCXXII Tank Battalion M21/30. The battalion was equipped with Fiat 3000 Mod. 30 light tanks, which it replaced with M11/39 tanks . Consequently the battalion was renamed CCCXXII Tank Battalion M11/39 and in April 1940 I Tank Battalion M11/39. On 8 October 1940, the depot of the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment formed the IV Tank Battalion M13/40, which was equipped with M13/40 tanks and

9898-599: Was reorganized as 132nd Anti-tank Regiment . The regiment was assigned to the 131st Armored Division "Centauro" , with which it fought in the Tunisian campaign . The regiment was declared lost due to wartime events on 18 April 1943 after the Battle of El Guettar . On 1 February 1959, the III Tank Battalion of the 31st Tank Regiment of the Armored Division "Centauro" was renumbered as IV Tank Battalion. The battalion

9999-406: Was to defend its territorial gains against Legitimists in southern Italy, who remained loyal to Francis II of the Two Sicilies . The Army of the Two Sicilies also waged what many modern historians now consider a civil war against outlaws and Bourbonist guerrillas , such as the famous Michelina Di Cesare , and against other Italian states' armies during the continuing wars of unification . After

10100-476: Was to exploit the success. With Operation Lightfoot, Montgomery intended to cut two corridors through the Axis minefields in the north. One corridor was to run south-west through the 2nd New Zealand Division sector towards the centre of Miteirya Ridge, while the second was to run west, passing 2 mi (3.2 km) north of the west end of the Miteirya Ridge across the 9th Australian and 51st (Highland) Division sectors. Tanks would then pass through and defeat

10201-444: Was transferred from the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment to the 31st Tank Regiment , which in turn transferred its IV Tank Battalion to the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment. On 1 October 1968, the brigade headquarters were disbanded, however the IV Tank Battalion and XX Bersaglieri Battalion did not return to their original regiments. During the 1975 army reform the army disbanded the regimental level and newly independent battalions were granted for

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