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119-597: In March 1944, the regiment was reformed by the Italian Co-belligerent Army on the island of Sardinia , but the regiment was already disbanded in August of the same year. The regiment was reformed in 1949 and assigned to the Armored Brigade "Ariete" . In 1976 the regiment's flag and traditions were assigned to the 8th Tank Battalion "M.O. Secchiaroli", which had become an autonomous unit on 1 November 1975. In 1992

238-577: A 47 mm anti-tank gun. A squadron of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) arrived to refuel and Vaughan arranged that the LRDG should operate outside the perimeter. Mitford, the LRDG commander, split his force in two, and Mitford's section captured the Italian gunner officer in command of the two guns shelling the fort, which ceased fire. Confirmation of the orders to M Battery were received and since there

357-562: A bridgehead over the Santerno but were not able to pass the two pursuit groups through, because of traffic jams and a lack of bridges. Three bridges were built and the Gurkhas got priority to cross but found a Polish armoured regiment in the way and it took until 7:20 a.m. on 14 April to get over and advance on the Sillaro river. An attempt to cross was defeated by massed fire on the crossing points and

476-416: A change of direction to Maraura. The divisional headquarters did not receive the message, continued eastwards and O'Connor ordered the 3rd Indian Brigade to send out a petrol convoy to meet the division. At about 5:00 p.m., Cyrcom heard from Mechili, that the force surrounding them was increasing and that an attack was expected the next day. Mechili was not completely surrounded and parties operated outside

595-467: A decoy attack north of Faenza , which was so successful in diverting German attention that it was repeated the following day. On 7 December, V Corps was regrouped and the Gurkhas on the right flank moved south over the Lamone and relieved the 2nd New Zealand Division . On 13 December the Gurkhas went into reserve until 16 December and then joined in the V Corps advance, clearing Faenza to its northern edge. By

714-690: A gusty wind blew up. The cruiser tank was late and Vaughan as delayed the move for fifteen minutes, dawn broke but despite this, the Axis troops appeared to have been surprised. The 24 vehicles of the KEO passed the Axis gun line, turned and charged. At the guns the squadron divided, each troop went round a flank and the infantry made a bayonet attack, scattering the crews of the twelve guns and supporting infantry. The Indians then remounted and drove off, having suffered 17 casualties, including at least two men killed. The 2nd Armoured Division headquarters also failed to appear at

833-502: A huge force could be controlled as perfectly as was the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade and its attached troops on that morning. The 2nd Royal Lancers were assigned the west face and the PAVO the east. The next day, Major-General Michael Gambier-Parry , commander of the 2nd Armoured Division, sent a message to Mechili for M Battery, 3rd RHA (Major R. A. Eden) to meet his headquarters for anti-tank protection while moving to Mechili. The authenticity of

952-421: A lorry, more prisoners were taken and another 47 mm anti-tank gun was captured. The two anti-tank guns were made a section and Munro, the battery commander, took one to the perimeter to test its sights and fired at a group of Axis troops moving into position. The troops turned out to be gunners and bombarded the camp for half an hour, during which A Squadron KEO came in from Gadd-al-Ahmar 30 mi (48 km) to

1071-517: A minefield to the south, shot their way out to the west, then turned south-west through Axis formations, during which the armoured cars ran into an Axis column, charged, knocked out four guns and took many prisoners. The brigade received orders to return to Amirya for re-fitting and reached Fuka on 27 June. On 30 June the Brigade was ordered to hand over 50 per cent of its vehicles to the Eighth Army and

1190-427: A party went out in a lorry carrying a Vickers gun to capture the guns but was unable to get close under cover. The bombardment hit vehicles but caused few casualties and a second demand for surrender was made and refused. (Nothing was heard from Cyrcom until the early afternoon when a message was received that the 104th RHA had been sent day before and that the garrison should withdraw if it risked encirclement.) Early in

1309-400: A reply at 10:00 p.m. that the 104th RHA was not coming and that the location of the 3rd Armoured Brigade was uncertain. Gambier-Parry and Vaughan planned a surprise break-out at first light next morning and a retreat to El Adem. Axis artillery took up positions to the south and east and in the afternoon a bombardment began until nightfall when Axis infantry attacked until 10:30 p.m. and then

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1428-640: A troop of the 2nd Lancers went to investigate. The aircraft took off and the Lancers noticed an Axis column approaching from the south. (The aircraft carried a party that had been laying mines near Mechili; they landed 15 mi (24 km) away and met Lieutenant-General Erwin Rommel , who ordered all available forces to advance, cut the Mechili–Derna road and surround Mechili.) Other patrols returned with prisoners and just after 9:00 a.m., two field guns began to bombard

1547-435: A wadi until dark. Late in the afternoon, an Axis scouting force approached but did not find them. The party moved off at 9:00 p.m., south-east for 50 mi (80 km), east for 100 mi (160 km), then north past an Axis encampment. While the brigade was resting at dawn on 9 April, a German and Italian supply convoy of about thirty men drove up and was captured. The British column moved off but had to abandon some of

1666-472: 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 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

1785-616: The 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment , which had just arrived in Libya. On 26 May 1942, the German-Italian Panzer Army Africa had renewed its offensive operations with the Battle of Gazala . The 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment fielded 169 tanks, 87 officers, 245 non-commissioned officers and 1,437 soldiers for the upcoming operation. The Ariete division was tasked to swing around the heavily fortified Bir Hakeim position and attack it from

1904-512: The 13th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers armoured car regiment attached. After the fall of Tobruk the brigade formed part of the rearguard operating between Sidi Rezegh and Bir el Gubi. The brigade retired with the rest of the 7th Armoured Division to Sofafi over the border in Egypt and then to Mersa Matruh. Two columns arrived safely but the PAVO column ran into a minefield and then the 90th Light Division . The column broke away only to bog in soft sand;

2023-524: The 26th Panzer Division and 98th Infantry Division boundary. After two hours, the Gurkhas reached the St. Clemente ridge and captured Passano. The Gurkha attack was carefully planned using air photographs, which showed the number of hedge lines to be overcome to reach the objective. From 15–16 September, the Gurkhas crossed the Marano and captured their objectives round Case il Monte. The British 1st Armoured Division

2142-483: The 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment was taken out of the front on 31 December 1941 and sent to the rear. On 8 January 1942, the VII Tank Battalion M13/40 was disbanded due to the heavy casualties the battalion had taken during Operation Crusader. The battalion's survivors were assigned to the remaining two tank battalions of the regiment. On 21 April 1942, the regiment received the X Tank Battalion M13/40 from

2261-626: The 3rd Indian Motor Brigade . On 15 June 1941, the depot of 4th Tank Infantry Regiment in Rome formed the command and the command company of the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment. The regiment was immediately transferred to Libya , where it joined to the 132nd Armored Division "Ariete" , which had been fighting in the Western Desert campaign since arriving in North Africa in January 1941. On 1 September 1941,

2380-624: The 58th Infantry Division "Legnano" and 18th Infantry Division "Messina" . Some of the soldiers who joined the unit had managed to evade capture and internment by German forces . The unit was composed of 295 officers and 5,387 men and was created to participate alongside the Allies against Germany and the Italian Social Republic in the Italian campaign . The unit was commanded by General Vincenzo Dapino , who led it during its first engagement in

2499-478: The 9th Australian Division to retreat to Tobruk and prepare its defences. The KEO was sent as a divisional cavalry unit consisting of A Squadron (Jats), B Squadron (Jaipuri Muslims) and C Squadron (Rajputs) and a headquarters squadron, to the 9th Australian Division at Tobruk. On 10 April the Tobruk Defence Force was ordered back inside the perimeter and the KEO went into divisional reserve. On 19 April,

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2618-874: The Allied Forces . Not directly dependent from the Allied Headquarters in Italy the Co-Belligerent Army also deployed three Internal Security Divisions ( Divisioni di Sicurezza Interna ) for internal security duties: In 1946, the Kingdom of Italy became the Italian Republic . In a similar manner, what had been the royalist Co-Belligerent Army simply became the Italian Army (Esercito Italiano). The Italian Liberation Corps suffered 1,868 killed and 5,187 wounded during

2737-632: The Battle of Bir Hakeim continued for another two weeks. After having defeated the British at Gazala the Axis offensive continued with the capture of Tobruk and the Battle of Mersa Matruh . After having pursued the British Eighth Army to El Alamein Rommel attacked on 1 July 1942 in the First Battle of El Alamein . By 3 July Axis forces were heavily decimated and Rommel paused his attack, which allowed

2856-495: The Battle of El Guettar . For its conduct and service on 18 November 1941 at Bir el Gubi and on 3 July 1942 at El Alamein the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment was awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor , which was affixed to the regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms. On 20 September 1942, the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment was reformed and sent to Sardinia to bolster Italian forces on

2975-465: The Battle of Gazala the brigade held a defensive box at Point 171 near Bir Hakeim and was again overrun by units of the Afrika Korps and Italian forces. On 28 May, the remnants of the brigade were sent back to Buq Buq to reform and about 800 of the men taken prisoner rejoined soon afterwards. The Axis had released 600 prisoners from captivity after 48 hours, due to a water-shortage, who reached

3094-695: The Battle of Point 175 . On 6 December 1941, the division headed back to Bir el Gubi, where a second British attack on Bir el Gubi was repulsed. The same day General Erwin Rommel ordered his forces to retreat to the Gazala line , where in December the Ariete continued the fight against the British advance. During the night of 15-16 December Axis forces abandoned the Gazala line and retreated to El Agheila . The Ariete division had lost 76% of its personnel during Operation Crusader and

3213-516: The Battle of San Pietro Infine in December of the same year. This action did much to remove the Allies' distrust of Italian soldiers fighting on their side. The unit suffered heavy casualties and was judged to have performed satisfactorily. Following the service with the American Fifth Army and reorganization, command of the I Motorized Grouping was given to General Umberto Utili and the unit

3332-681: The Bofors 40mm gun. In addition to the Combat Groups the Italian Co-belligerent Army included eight Auxiliary Divisions ( Italian : Divisioni Ausiliarie ) for labour, support and second-line duties. At its peak the division fielded about 150,000-190,000. These auxiliary units were the following: On the whole the Italian Co-Belligerent Army made up 1/8 of the fighting force and 1/4 of the entire force of 15th Army Group of

3451-473: The Gold Medal of Military Valor . The 8th Tank Battalion was named for Corporal Giovanni Secchiaroli , who, while serving as a M13/40 tank machine gunner in the VIII Tank Battalion M13/40, fell on 27 May 1942 during the Battle of Rugbet el Atasc . On the same date, 1 November 1975, the regiment's X Tank Battalion became an autonomous unit and was renamed 10th Tank Battalion "M.O. Bruno" , while

3570-644: The National Republican Army of the newly formed Italian Social Republic . The Italian Co-belligerent Army was the result of the Allied armistice with Italy on 8 September 1943; King Victor Emmanuel III dismissed Benito Mussolini as Prime Minister in July 1943 following the Allied invasion of Southern Italy, and nominated Marshal of Italy ( Maresciallo d'Italia ) Pietro Badoglio instead, who later aligned Italy with

3689-689: The President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone assigned with decree 846 the flag and traditions of the 132nd Tank Regiment to the 8th Tank Battalion "M.O. Secchiaroli" and the flag and traditions of the 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment to the 10th Tank Battalion "M.O. Bruno". In 1986, the Italian Army abolished the divisional level and brigades, which until then had been under one of the Army's four divisions, came forthwith under direct command of

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3808-684: The River Po but the rains slowed the arrival of the Gurkhas, ready for an Eighth Army attempt to "gate-crash" the Venetian Line. The 2nd New Zealand Division was intended to lead the XIII Corps attack, since it had four infantry brigades but once over the river, German resistance collapsed. The Gurkhas relieved the 5th New Zealand Brigade north of the Adige river and met no opposition on the Piacenza – Este road but

3927-404: The 104th RHA, arrived, to become the only artillery at the fort. In the evening patrols reported dust in the direction of Tengeder and the brigade field squadron returned from there and reported a brush with an Axis party. During the night there were reports of much activity outside the perimeter. Near dawn, several Very lights were fired from the direction of the airstrip, two aircraft landed and

4046-600: The 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment to pull back to the abandoned British RAF El Daba airfield where the VIII Tank Battalion had to be disbanded to bring the remaining two battalions partially up to strength. By 15 July the 132nd was back at the front attacking the 22nd British Armoured Brigade to the south of Ruweisat Ridge . In early August 1942 the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment received the XIII Tank Battalion M13/40 , which had been formed on 28 August 1941 by

4165-402: The 132nd regiment clashed repeatedly with British armored formations, but on 4 November the entire Ariete Division was encircled by the 7th British Armoured Division and annihilated. The 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment was declared lost due to wartime events on 20 November 1942. The few survivors of the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment, 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment , and XI Tank Battalion M13/40 of

4284-426: The 2nd Armoured Division commander, with the advanced HQ and the last cruiser tank , which reached Mechili about 9:30 p.m. In the evening, a German officer appeared with a flag of truce and demand that the garrison surrender and was seen off by the defenders. The main Axis forces had been unable to reach Mechili in sufficient strength because some units had run out of fuel, others had mechanical difficulties caused by

4403-534: The 2nd Lancers and PAVO were split up and used in the rear areas, to guard HQs. In August the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade now commanded by Brigadier A. A. E. Filose, was re-equipped at Mena in Egypt and in September the brigade moved to north-east Syria with the Free French, to repress the civilian population at Deir-ez-Zhor, under the command of the 31st Indian Armoured Division. In December, the Brigade also supplied men for

4522-399: The 3rd Armoured Brigade and apparently was not received by the brigade. Gambier-Parry took command of the garrison force and Vaughan briefed him that the Axis was not strong enough to attack the garrison and that demands for surrender were a bluff to get at the water. Gambier-Parry had brought no other fighting troops and told the conference that the rest of the division should reach Mechili by

4641-556: The 3rd Indian Motor Brigade (Brigadier E. W. D. Vaughan, late OC 2nd Royal Lancers) from July 1940, under the command of the 1st Indian Armoured Division from August 1940. The three cavalry regiments mechanised slowly during 1940 on the Motor Battalion establishment, being mounted in Fordson trucks. The brigade was mobilised for active service on 7 January 1941 and sailed from Bombay on 23 January, arriving at Suez on 6 February. By April,

4760-487: The 6,000 men strong 184th Infantry Division "Nembo" . The CIL's commander was General Umberto Utili . In early 1944, a 5,000-man force of Italians fought on the Gustav Line around Monte Cassino and acquitted itself well. The Italians once again suffered heavy casualties. After the Battle of Filottrano  [ it ] in July 1944 the Italian government proposed to increase the number of Italian troops fighting on

4879-567: The Allied side. The proposal was accepted and in September 1944 the CIL was taken out of the line and sent to the rear to be equipped with British material, including British Battledress uniforms and helmets . On 24 September 1944, the CIL was disbanded and its personnel and units used to form the first combat groups: "Legnano" and "Folgore". Soon four more combat groups were formed: "Cremona", "Friuli", "Mantova", and "Piceno". These groups were equal in size to weak divisions. The established strength for each

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4998-642: The Allies to fight the Social Republic's forces and its German allies in Northern Italy . The Italian Co-belligerent Army fielded between 266,000 and 326,000 troops in the Italian Campaign, of whom 20,000 (later augmented to 50,000, though some sources place this number as high as 99,000) were combat troops and between 150,000 and 190,000 were auxiliary and support troops, along with 66,000 personnel involved with traffic control and infrastructure defence. On

5117-483: The Ariete at Bir el Gubi , where the division covered the Southern approach to the Axis siege ring around Tobruk . On 18 November 1941, the British Eighth Army commenced Operation Crusader and on 19 November the British 22nd Armoured Brigade attacked Bir el Gubi . The Ariete division repulsed the attack and then moved towards Sidi Rezegh , where on 29 November the Ariete pushed the 2nd New Zealand Division back in

5236-635: The Armed Forces High Command was Marshal Giovanni Messe , while the Chief of Staff of the Army was Lieutenant General Paolo Berardi . Each infantry regiment fielded three infantry battalions, a mortar company armed with British ML 3 inch mortars and an anti-tank company armed with British QF 6 pounder guns. The artillery regiments consisted of four artillery groups with British QF 25 pounder guns, one anti-tank group with British QF 17 pounder guns and one anti-air group armed with British versions of

5355-523: The Army's 3rd Army Corps or 5th Army Corps . As the Armored Division "Ariete" carried a historically significant name , the division ceased to exist on 30 September in Pordenone , and the next day in the same location the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete" was activated. The new brigade took command of the units of the 132nd Armored Brigade "Manin", whose name was stricken from the roll of active units of

5474-562: The Axis offensive. At 8:00 p.m. on 26 May, reports arrived that Axis columns behind an armoured car screen were to the south and south-east and the brigade dug in overnight. At 6:30 a.m. on 27 May, Filose signalled to Messervy that the brigade was faced by "a whole bloody German armoured division", which turned out to be the Ariete Division and some tanks of the 21st Panzer Division . Armoured cars on reconnaissance, reported 100 tanks and 900 other vehicles south and south-east of

5593-537: The Bir Hakeim minefield and barbed wire at 8:15 a.m., charged and lost 31 tanks and a Semovente 75/18 self-propelled gun. Ten tanks got through the minefield and were knocked out by French 75 mm anti-tank guns, causing 124 Italian casualties. The remnants of the IX Tank Battalion retired to the main body of the Ariete, which moved north towards Bir el Harmat around noon, following Rommel's original plan, while

5712-563: The British 18th Infantry Brigade were a long way back from the front line, when the division prepared to attack over the Conca river and pass through the British 46th Infantry Division , once it captured crossings over the Marano . On 12 September, the 1st Armoured Division participated in an attack on the Rimini Line with the two infantry brigades advancing between St. Savino and Passano opposite

5831-598: The Free French fighting the Battle of Bir Hakeim (26 May – 11 June) and another 200 men were liberated by a British column. In July the remaining units of the brigade were dispersed and allotted to the defence of the Nile Delta . In August the brigade was reformed, less the 2nd Field Regiment RA. The brigade then moved to Sahneh in Iran via Baghdad, under the command of the 31st Indian Armoured Division . In late November, it moved to Shaibah near Basra. The cavalry regiments of

5950-523: The Indian Long Range Squadron. In February 1942, the brigade returned to Egypt, received the 2nd Field Regiment Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) and trained for three months in the desert. On 22 May, the brigade was taken under command by the 7th Armoured Division (Major-General Frank Messervy ) and was sent 4 mi (6.4 km) south-east of Bir Hakeim to Point 171, to form a pivot for British tanks to manoeuvre around. The move would enable

6069-512: The Indian brigade lost 440 men killed and wounded and about 1,000 prisoners, including Admiral Sir Walter Cowan and most of its equipment. After over-running the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade, the tank battalions of the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment moved to the north-east of Bir Hakeim and the IX Tank Battalion with sixty tanks, changed direction towards the fort of Bir Hakeim defended by the 1st Free French Brigade . The IX Tank Battalion arrived before

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6188-599: The Italian Army. On 26 July 1992, the 8th Tank Battalion "M.O. Secchiaroli" in Aviano lost its autonomy and the next day, on 27 July 1992, the battalion entered the reformed 132nd Tank Regiment. Between 29 December 1992 and 15 March 1994 the 132nd Tank Regiment served with the United Nations Operation in Somalia II , for which it was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and added to

6307-408: The Italian campaign; the Italian Auxiliary Divisions lost 744 men killed, 2,202 wounded and 109 missing. Some sources estimate the overall number of members of the Italian regular forces killed on the Allied side as 5,927. 3rd Indian Motor Brigade 1941 1942 Associated articles The 3rd Indian Motor Brigade was formed in 1940 by the Indian Army during World War II . In 1941,

6426-479: The KEO occupied a section of the perimeter, from north of the Derna road to the sea. Three days later, A Squadron went 3 mi (4.8 km) west, to cover a raid by the Australians, who captured 730 Italian prisoners. The KEO received 78 reinforcements and Walter Cowan , temporary captain and Admiral retired, who formed another squadron. The KEO was relieved on 26 August and sailed to Alexandria in three destroyers, under attack by Axis bombers. The remnants of

6545-448: The Sappers and Miners along the east face, with two troops of anti-tank guns but only thirty anti-tank guns had reached the brigade when the Axis attacked. Inside the box were 24 field guns and a troop of six British 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns. Valentine tanks of the 1st and 32nd Army Tank Brigades were promised to enable the motor brigades at Point 171, Bir Hakeim and Bir el Gubi, to withstand tank attacks but did not arrive before

6664-470: The South ( Esercito del Sud ), were names applied to various division sets of the now former Royal Italian Army during the period when it fought alongside the Allies during World War II from October 1943 onwards. During the same period, the pro-allied Italian Royal Navy and Italian Royal Air Force were known as the Italian Co-belligerent Navy and Italian Co-belligerent Air Force respectively. From September 1943, pro- Axis Italian forces became

6783-421: The Tank School in Rome formed the I Tank Battalion, which was equipped with M4 Sherman tanks. On 10 July 1948, the school reformed the 1st Tankers Regiment and formed the II Tank Battalion. On 7 September of the same year the regiment was assigned to the Armored Brigade "Ariete" , which had been formed on 1 June 1948. On 1 April 1949, the 1st Tankers Regiment was renamed 132nd Tankers Regiment. On 28 April 1950,

6902-416: The V Battalion was redesignated as XXXVIII Bersaglieri Battalion. Afterwards the brigade consisted of the following units: On 1 October 1968, the brigade headquarters were disbanded, however the VII Tank Battalion and XXXVIII 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

7021-556: The XXXVIII Bersaglieri Battalion became an autonomous unit and was renamed 27th Bersaglieri Battalion "Jamiano" . The three battalions were assigned to the 132nd Armored Brigade "Manin" , which was formed on the same day by reorganizing the command of the 132nd Tank Regiment. Each of the two tank battalions consisted now of a command, a command and services company, and three tank companies with M60A1 Patton main battle tanks . Both battalions fielded now 434 men (32 officers, 82 non-commissioned officers, and 320 soldiers). On 12 November 1976

7140-514: The afternoon of 4 April. And so the brigade group was ready to move and at the allotted time the signal code was hauled up above the Brigade Major's vehicle and the group moved off as one vehicle; the sight of a thousand vehicles of all types, moving in formation, across a fairly level plain was a sight that one could never forget. Down through the years before the war whilst training in the Militia I had worked out exercises and manoeuvres on sand tables and blackboards, but never did I imagine that such

7259-425: The anti-tank guns one-by-one. The Indian field artillery kept firing as the tanks collected prisoners and some carriers of the KEO arrived and charged the tanks in a rescue attempt. The Axis tanks withdrew and infantry advanced. Five of the six Indian artillery troops were still operational but had expended most of their ammunition. Filose ordered the guns to disengage and the five remaining troops were driven out; in

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7378-414: The attack was stopped until the night of 15/16 April. The next attack succeeded and the Gurkhas fought their way into Medicina by the evening and then command of the brigade was transferred to the 2nd New Zealand Division. The Gurkhas tried to cross the Gaiana river, where the Germans were thought to only be screening the front and got across but then withdrew that night, when tanks could not be brought over

7497-428: The attempt got through by driving through field-artillery positions, whose crews put their hands up. At a long wadi, oblique to the route, most of the vehicles went right but some drove left, only to find that the wadi continued west and the party could not turn north and only one lorry of the party made it to Tobruk . The group on the right drove 20 mi (32 km) west, turned north in the early afternoon and hid in

7616-436: The battalion lost its autonomy and entered the reformed 132nd Tank Regiment. 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 regiment's anniversary falls on 27 May, in memory of the Battle of Rugbet el Atasc on 27 May 1942, during which the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment overran and destroyed

7735-411: The bombardment resumed, followed by two more infantry attacks. Vaughan planned to make the escape in a box formation, the KEO and the cruiser tank forming an advanced guard. The divisional and brigade headquarters were to follow, then the engineers and other services, with flank protection by the PAVO, the regimental headquarters and one squadron on the left, the other squadron on the right. Behind them as

7854-474: The brigade at 6:45 a.m. and fifteen minutes later, that 40 tanks and 200 vehicles were 4 mi (6.4 km) to the north. The Indian artillery opened fire and the un-armoured vehicles of the Ariete Division withdrew. The Axis tanks formed up and wheeled north, which took them past the eastern face of Point 171. The Sappers and Miners engaged them and knocked out several tanks but lost all of their anti-tank guns. At 7:15 a.m., about sixty tanks attacked

7973-456: The brigade returned to India in January 1943 and were replaced by the 2nd Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles , 2nd Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles and the 2nd Battalion, 10th Gurkha Rifles , the brigade being renamed the 43rd Indian Infantry Brigade (Lorried) . The 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse) , together with the 11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry (Frontier Force) (PAVO) and 18th King Edward's Own Cavalry (KEO) formed Sialkot Area and renamed

8092-421: The brigade to move to Martuba , ready to cover Derna and Barce or head south to Mechili , the only source of water for troops advancing on the desert tracks south of the Jebel Akhdar . The brigade (less the KEO guarding the airfield at El Adem ), was then ordered south to Mechili, to block an Axis advance from Msus and rendezvous with the 2nd Armoured Division units retreating eastwards, which would provide

8211-432: The brigade was dispersed in July, for the defence of the Delta, then to perform guard duties. The brigade was reformed in August, minus the 2nd Field Regiment and travelled to Sahneh in Iran via Baghdad , returning to the command of the 31st Indian Armoured Division where it remained until late November, then moved to Shaibah , 7 mi (11 km) from Basra. In January 1943, the cavalry regiments returned to India and

8330-419: The brigade was reconstituted as the 43rd Indian Infantry Brigade (Lorried) at Shaibah. The cavalry regiments were replaced by the 2nd Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles , 2nd Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles and the 2nd Battalion, 10th Gurkha Rifles . On 14 July 1944, the 43rd Gurkha Infantry Brigade (Lorried), which had been trained in mountain warfare, was made available to the Allied Armies in Italy (AAI), with

8449-407: The brigade was surrounded at Mechili by Axis forces during Operation Sonnenblume and suffered many casualties breaking out of the encirclement. One cavalry regiment took part in the Siege of Tobruk and then the brigade was reconstituted in Egypt. In August, the brigade, under Brigadier A. A. E. Filose, was re-equipped at Mena in Egypt and in September moved to north-east Syria. In May 1942, during

8568-484: The brigade was tactically mobile but had no artillery, no 2-pounder anti-tank guns, only half its establishment in radios, and was armed mainly with rifles. From there the brigade entrained and travelled to El Qassassin and then moved by lorry to El Tahag camp for training. The brigade moved to Mersa Matruh on 8 March and had two months' desert warfare training, then moved to El Adem from 27–28 March. Cyrenaica Command (Cyrcom, Lieutenant-General Philip Neame ) ordered

8687-609: The caveat that it was doubtful if it could be kept up to strength in Gurkhali-speaking British officers. On 21 July 1944, the brigade became part of the British 1st Armoured Division and joined on 2 August. The division moved forward to Senigallia and Castellone by 3 September, ready for the offensive against the Gothic Line but the route was so bad that 22 Sherman tanks broke down and many more were only kept going by running repairs. The 43rd Gurkha Infantry Brigade and

8806-412: The commander of the encircled force is in a position to concentrate his weight unexpectedly against any likely point in the ring and burst through it. This fact was repeatedly demonstrated in the desert. The PAVO lost over half its strength during the breakout and the 2nd Royal Lancers was reduced to one squadron and amalgamated with the PAVO. The defence of Mechili delayed the Axis advance, making time for

8925-534: The confusion, two guns joined Axis columns and the crews were captured. Brigade signals, half of the 2nd Indian Field Regiment, the Bofors guns, the Sappers and Miners troop and remnants of the three regiments dodged past Axis columns and reached British positions in the evening. The brigade lost 211 men killed, many were wounded, 1,030 men were captured and the brigade claimed 52 tanks knocked out in three hours. On 28 May,

9044-515: The depot of the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment in Verona and been assigned to the 31st Tank Infantry Regiment on 21 November 1941. Now again at full strength the 132nd was ready for Rommel's next attempt to break through at El Alamein. During the resulting Battle of Alam el Halfa the regiment was heavily engaged at El Qattara. On 23 October 1942 the Second Battle of El Alamein commenced during which

9163-533: The division's structure. On 1 January 1963, the III Armored Brigade "Ariete" was formed in Maniago and the 132nd Tank Regiment, as well as support forces, entered the new brigade. On 1 July 1963, the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment transferred its V Battalion to the 132nd Tank Regiment, which in turn transferred on the same date its VII Tank Battalion to the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment. Upon entering the 132nd Tank Regiment

9282-492: The east, south-east and south opened a rapid fire. Machine-gun fire raked the break-out route and German tanks approached from the south and east. The attack by the cruiser and clouds of dust raised by the movement of vehicles obscured the view and Vaughan, the headquarters and much of the PAVO broke out as the Axis attackers closed in. The troops at the head of the main body approached the jumping-off point but stopped when they saw tanks ahead and pulled back. The wind blew harder as

9401-612: The end of October, the Allied armies were held up in bad weather, the Eighth Army on the Ronco short of Forlì . A plan to capture the town with V Corps was devised in which the Ronco would be crossed and bridgeheads captured over the Montone near the Via Emilia , with the 10th Indian Division attacking on the right side of the road. On the night of 3/4 December, the 10th Indian Division participated in

9520-422: The excessive heat, others had received no rations for four days and many others had got lost or were out of touch. Group Fabris reached Mechili in the evening, took position to the east and Rommel planned to attack at 7:00 a.m. Cyrcom decided on a general retirement to Gazala and ordered the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade to withdraw to El Adem at once but the message was only addressed to the 2nd Armoured Division and

9639-404: The field and anti-tank guns needed by the Indian brigade. A stores depot for both units was being set up at Mechili. Mechili was a stone fort in a depression 9 mi (14 km) wide, with a rocky edge up to 800 ft (240 m) high. On the west, the ridge declines into flat open country and the fort lies about 2 mi (3.2 km) from the northern edge. In 1941 there was an airstrip to

9758-416: The fire was too heavy for the 106 soft-skinned vehicles. Vaughan suggested an attempt to the south and with Munro, drove back to the fort and the force outside the perimeter made for El Adem. Munro found knocked-out guns of the 11th Battery and several disabled light tanks nearby. With the main force trapped, Gambier-Parry ordered the 2nd Lancers to remain and cover the withdrawal of divisional headquarters to

9877-553: The first time their own flags. On 31 October 1975, the 132nd Tank Regiment was disbanded and the next day the regiment's VIII Tank Battalion in Aviano became an autonomous unit and was renamed 8th Tank Battalion "M.O. Secchiaroli". 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

9996-577: The flag of the 132nd Tank Regiment travelled from Aviano to Cordenons, where on the same date the 63rd Tank Regiment was disbanded. On 30 November 1995, the 132nd Tank Regiment assumed command of the personnel and equipment of the 63rd Tank Regiment in Cordenons. As of 2024 the 132nd Tank Regiment is organized as follows: The regiment is equipped with Ariete AMV main battle tanks . Italian Co-belligerent Army The Italian Co-belligerent Army (Italian: Esercito Cobelligerante Italiano ), or Army of

10115-413: The flank guards. The advanced guard was to rush the guns to the east at 6:15 a.m., before it was light enough for the Axis gunners to see. The force was to head east, where the besiegers were in greatest strength, to avoid a roundabout route through worse terrain and the risk of later interception. Few men slept and in the early morning, the noise of preparations seemed sure to alert the Axis troops nearby;

10234-406: The following night, less most of the tanks. The garrison saw an Axis force leaguer to the east of Mechili that afternoon and Munro planned a dawn raid with the 10th Battery and an Indian cavalry troop. In the desert, Rommel postponed the attack until the main force arrived. The raid failed and one of the two guns was lost; at 11:00 a.m., German artillery opened fire from a ridge to the north-east,

10353-583: The following units: On 15 May 1944, the Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" was reformed in Sardinia and the 32nd and 132nd tank infantry regiments were assigned to the division, which remained on the island. On 27 August 1944, the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment was disbanded, followed by the Granatieri di Sardegna division on 31 August, and 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment on 2 October 1944. On 15 March 1948,

10472-402: The fort. A third gun opened fire from the northeast but was driven off by a patrol of the PAVO. At 11:00 a.m., infantry mounted in two lorries charged the eastern sector held by the PAVO, along the road towards an Australian anti-tank gun, which stopped the trucks. The troops jumped out, ran for cover and an Australian party went forward and captured a German officer, twenty Italian soldiers, and

10591-442: The guns of G Troop, which opened rapid fire until the gun was blown up. More tanks followed and were engaged by another Australian gun. The tanks crossed the re-entrant under fire and several stopped then sheered off but 45 minutes after the Axis attack had begun, tanks reached the fort. The parties with Vaughan and Munro stopped on a rise to watch the breakout but saw no forces following. Vaughan called Gambier-Parry who replied that

10710-563: The island against an allied invasion. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 invading German forces disbanded Italian military units on the Italian mainland, while the German 90. Panzergrenadier-Division and other German forces evacuated Sardinia. On 21 March 1944, the Italian Co-belligerent Army reformed the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment by splitting the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment. The reformed regiment consisted of

10829-414: The last Hawker Hurricane fighters of 3 Squadron RAAF . In the evening, Rommel sent another surrender demand, offering "the full honours of war" but the reply was the same. When the emissary returned to his lines, about 14 guns began to bombard the garrison. Machine-gun fire was received for more than an hour with no effect and just before dusk, armoured cars forced a standing patrol of the 2nd Lancers in

10948-424: The last fighting ceased around 8:00 a.m. on 8 April. About 3,000 prisoners were taken, along with vehicles and the supply dumps, which were sufficient for an armoured division for thirty days. Rommel wrote later, ... any fully-motorised force whose organisational structure remains intact will normally and in suitable country be able to break out at will through an improvised ring. Thanks to his motorisation,

11067-418: The main guard were the 2nd Lancers, less two squadrons which were the rearguard. Munro was to provide two troops of anti-tank guns for the advanced guard and brigade headquarters, a troop for the flank guards, and two troops for the 2nd Lancers; M Battery, 3rd RHA, was to protect the divisional headquarters. Three troops of the 10th Battery, 2/3rd Australian Anti-Tank Regiment went to the advanced guard and two to

11186-420: The message was questioned and Vaughan asked that the message be repeated, mentioning Eden's nickname for identification but received no reply. That morning, Vaughan and Munro went out to reconnoitre, outside the perimeter, they were fired on by troops on high ground, who were quickly dispersed. The day was spent improving the defences and in the afternoon a Fieseler Storch flew over and a 25-pounder field gun of

11305-492: The morning, a British aircraft dropped a message that Mechili was surrounded and that Axis columns were advancing from the south and east. Axis activity was reported to the south and at 11:00 a.m., a small infantry attack was repulsed by the PAVO and several prisoners were taken. In the late afternoon, an Italian attack in lorries was made towards the positions of the 2nd Lancers and the Australian 11th Battery. An anti-tank gun hit

11424-416: The motor brigades of the armoured divisions to return to their divisions and defeat an Axis attempt to outflank the main Gazala defences. Three days later, air reconnaissance reported much Axis traffic heading for the south end of the Gazala line. On 26 May, the brigade took post with the 2nd Royal Lancers along the south face of the defensive box, the KEO along the western side, the PAVO on the north face and

11543-415: The perimeter, PAVO patrols bringing in several prisoners during the day, when the road was closed to the east but still open to the west. A patrol from the squadron at Gadd el Ahmar came in for supplies and found the way blocked when it tried to return; the petrol convoy departed with a troop of the 2nd Lancers, on the route along which the 2nd Armoured Division was expected. M Battery encountered Gambier-Parry

11662-474: The prisoners, when their trucks broke down. A German scout car was captured and at about 5:00 p.m., armoured cars were briefly engaged, until recognised as the 11th Hussars, who led the way to El Adem; on 10 April, the party and four prisoners arrived in Tobruk. The surrender ordered by Gambier-Parry was not seen by many troops because of the sandstorm and while waiting to move off the rest learnt only gradually and

11781-454: The rear. On 27 May 1942, the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment encountered the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade at Rugbet el Atasc and sent its veteran VIII and IX tank battalions forward, while the fresh X Tank Battalion was in second line. The Indian position was overrun by the VIII and X battalions with the loss of 23 tanks, some of which were repairable on the field, 30 men killed and 50 wounded , while

11900-587: The regiment moved from Rome to Aviano in Friuli-Venezia Giulia . On 1 March 1951, the regiment formed the III Tank Battalion, which on 15 September of the same year was transferred to the reformed 31st Tankers Regiment . On 1 March 1952, the regiment formed its III Tank Battalion for a second time. On 1 October 1952, the Armored Brigade "Ariete" was expanded to Armored Division "Ariete". In 1954

12019-533: The regiment received three battalions equipped with M13/40 tanks : the VII Tank Battalion M13/40 and VIII Tank Battalion M13/40 from the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment , and the IX Tank Battalion M13/40, which had been formed by the depot of the 3rd Tank Infantry Regiment and been assigned to the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment since 21 July 1941. The regiment then moved forward to meet up with

12138-467: The regiment was equipped with a M26 Pershing tanks. On 5 January 1959, the regiment was renamed 132nd Tank Regiment and on 5 February the regiment's I, II, and III tank battalions were redesignated as VII, VIII, and X tank battalions. At the time the regiment's organization was as follows: In 1963, the Armored Division "Ariete" adapted its organization to NATO standards and added a brigade level to

12257-683: The regiment's coat of arms. On 1 August 1995, the 63rd Tank Regiment in Cordenons was transferred from the Mechanized Brigade "Mantova" to the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete" . In November 1995, the 132nd Tank Regiment disbanded its companies in Aviano and on 28 November 1995, the 63rd Tank Regiment transferred its flag to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome . The next day, on 29 November 1995,

12376-429: The remnants of the brigade were sent back to Buq Buq to reform. (About 800 of the prisoners rejoined soon afterwards, because 600 men were released from captivity after 48 hours due to a water-shortage and reached the Free French at Bir Hakeim and 200 men were liberated by a Jock Column.) On 11 June, the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade moved west from Buq Buq and formed three columns under the 7th Armoured Division, with

12495-462: The river and the Gurkhas ran out of ammunition. A set-piece attack by the 2nd New Zealand Division began on 18 April, with a bombardment at 9:30 p.m. and a flame attack thirty minutes later. The Gurkhas attacked on the left of the Medicina–Budrio railway and met little opposition, most of the German infantry having been killed by the artillery or incinerated. By 27 April, the Allies were across

12614-465: The south and the fort had been entrenched by the Italians as an all-round defensive position, forming a box 1,200 yd (1,100 m) from east to west and 800 yd (730 m) from north to south (over the winter, drifting sand had silted up the trenches). The 2/3rd Australian Anti-Tank Regiment and a wireless link to Cyrcom were attached and the brigade moved from El Adem via El Timmi to Mechili by

12733-539: The south-east, having skirmished with armoured cars en route. The main Axis attack did not occur as Rommel was still waiting for Group Olbrich from Msus and towards evening he flew off in a Storch to find them. Rommel found the group about 30 mi (48 km) short of Mechili and decided to attack without it. A mixed unit of the Ariete Division , had reached Mechili during the day, having been attacked by Bristol Blenheim bombers of 45 Squadron , 55 Squadron and

12852-408: The south-western sector near the landing ground to withdraw; later the attackers retired and the position was reoccupied. Group Streich, most of the 5th Light Division advanced force, which had been ordered to Tobruk, arrived as dark fell and Rommel ordered the attack to begin at dawn next day. At dusk Gambier-Parry sent a message to Cyrcom asking for the whereabouts of the reinforcements and received

12971-466: The start line and the others waited. As the Germans and Italians recovered from the surprise attack, the cruiser tank set off, the PAVO flank guards moved outwards to widen the gap and brigade headquarters followed. The cruiser charged at the guns, engaged them, was soon knocked out and the crew was killed. Zero hour for the Axis attack arrived and as Vaughan and the brigade headquarters group got going, guns to

13090-417: The sun rose and swirling dust clouds made it impossible for the men inside the perimeter to see enough to know when to go. The Australian anti-tank guns of G Troop were to remain in dug-in gun positions until the rearguard began to move and then portees would come up to collect the guns. Panzers attacked from the south-east, paused near a re-entrant and moved into line, a tank then advanced opposite one of

13209-656: The time of the 1945 Spring Offensive (Operation Grapeshot), the Gurkha brigade was under the command of the II Polish Corps and at the crossing of the Senio , the corps commander chose the Gurkhas as one of two pursuit groups to advance on Medicina on the right flank, in Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers and be ready quickly to move cross-country. By 13 April, the Poles had consolidated

13328-412: The troops managed to dig the vehicles out overnight and then ran into yet another Axis force at close range, then drove off north-east, only to find its way blocked by minefields with gaps covered by Axis forces and was caught in crossfire. Part of the PAVO column found a way through the minefield but the rest were captured. The 13th Lancers column found themselves caught between Axis forces to the north and

13447-412: The west and south-west sections of the box but anti-tank fire forced them to turn away to the north and north-west. The tanks wheeled again and overran the KEO and the PAVO, which knocked out many tanks before losing most of the anti-tank guns. Several prisoners of the brigade were taken before the tanks moved off towards Acroma. Soon afterwards more tanks appeared and attacked the southern face, knocked out

13566-419: The west. Vaughan found the vehicles facing west and suggested that they take the original eastwards route. Gambier-Parry agreed and the column set off into massed machine-gun fire. Gambier-Parry, mindful of the men in open trucks, surrendered. M Battery, 3rd RHA escorting them and several groups following, decided to breakout to the west by driving at full speed on a broad a front. Most of the vehicles that made

13685-525: The whole, the Italian Co-Belligerent Army made up 1/8 of the fighting force and 1/4 of the entire force of 15th Army Group of the Allied Forces . The first formation of the Co-belligerent Army was the I Motorized Grouping ( Italian : I Raggruppamento Motorizzato ) created on 27 November 1943 in San Pietro Vernotico near Brindisi . The units for the I Motorized Grouping were drawn from

13804-463: Was 432 officers, 8,578 other ranks, 116 field guns, 170 mortars, 502 light machine guns, and 1,277 motor vehicles. The Combat Groups were given the names of old Royal Army divisions and followed the numbering system of older regiments to some extent. These groups were attached to various American and British formations on the Gothic Line . The following is the " order of battle " of the Italian Co-belligerent Army as of April 1945. The Chief of Staff of

13923-497: Was broken up to reinforce other formations and the Gurkhas were transferred temporarily to the British 56th Infantry Division . On 11 October the brigade was transferred to the 10th Indian Infantry Division after one of its brigades was pinned down on the night of 7/8 October, by a German counter-attack on Mt. Farneto. The Gurkhas attacked on the left flank in difficult conditions and advanced north of Montecodruzzo in successive night attacks, to reach Mt. Chicco on 14 October. By

14042-479: Was no sign of Axis troops to the west, the battery set off, escorted by a troop of Lancers and the 25-pounder. The brigade reported the attacks and the response to Cyrcom, which ordered the 2nd Armoured Division to retreat to Mechili; near noon the division moved east towards Mechili. Soon after, the Support Group and the armoured brigade turned north towards Maraua and Derna, after receiving a wireless report ordering

14161-594: Was transferred to the Polish II Corps on the extreme left of the British Eighth Army . In early 1944 the unit was reorganised and expanded into the Italian Liberation Corps. On 18 April 1944, the I Motorized Grouping (now 16,000 men strong) assumed the name Italian Liberation Corps ( Italian : Corpo Italiano di Liberazione , or CIL) and was divided into two brigades. The CIL was augmented with

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