136ª Divisione corazzata “Giovani Fascisti”

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136ª Divisione corazzata “Giovani Fascisti”

active May 1942 to May 1943
Country Italy 1861Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946)
Armed forces Royal Italian Army
Type Armored Division
structure See outline
Insinuation Panzer Army Africa
Nickname Mussolini's Boys
(from the Allies)
equipment ( Autoblindo AB41 )
Second World War Africa campaign , Tunisia campaign
Commanders
list of Commanders

The 136ª Divisione corazzata “Giovani Fascisti” ( German  136th Panzer Division “Giovani Fascisti” ; the nickname means “Young Fascists” or “Young Fascists”) was a volunteer association of the Italian Army during World War II . The division was set up as a tank division in 1942 on the basis of smaller units , but it never received the armored troops required for this. Since it was de facto a small, partly motorized infantry division , it was generally called Divisione “Giovani Fascisti” . The division and its predecessor units were used exclusively in North Africa , where they were able to distinguish themselves several times. She capitulated in Tunisia in May 1943 .

history

After Italy entered the war on June 10, 1940, around 20,000 members of the fascist youth organization Gioventù Italiana del Littorio (GIL) volunteered for the war. The War Department allowed despite some reservations, the preparation of the GIL 24 battalions . In the summer of 1940 the volunteers in Liguria received their basic training . In October 1940 they marched to Padua , where they were inspected by Mussolini and army officers. On the spot, the young people learned that they were going to be sent back to their parents and their battalions were to be disbanded. With around 2,000 young people who had violently opposed the dissolution of their associations, three battalions were formed at the expense of the GIL, which completed the association training in Formia , Gaeta and Scauri . In April 1941, the War Department wanted the GIL battalions to Blackshirts - Legion summarized. Since the volunteers had not fulfilled the necessary requirements for basic military service in the regular military, the three battalions were taken over by the army. The volunteers were thought to be too young for a planned assignment in the Soviet Union , which is why two battalions were sent to Libya in July 1941 . From Tripoli they moved to Homs and Misurata , where they took on security tasks. There they were also given 47-mm anti-tank guns and 81-mm mortars . In September 1941, the two battalions were subordinated to the reconnaissance unit of the Gambara Army Corps .

At the beginning of December 1941, the two battalions had their first major combat mission on the heights of Bir el Gubi, where they repelled attacks ( Operation Crusader ) by the 11th Indian Infantry Brigade and the 22nd British Guard Brigade. Then the two battalions of the 60th Infantry Division "Sabratha" were subordinated and fought at El Agheila and Marsa el Brega . In recognition of the military achievements at Bir el Gobi, the formation of the 136th Armored Division "Giovani Fascisti" was ordered on May 24, 1942, the core of which was to be made up of the young fascists. The construction of the division was slow, however, the 1st tank regiment never arrived from Italy and the two GIL battalions were only combined to form the 136th Infantry Regiment "Giovani Fascisti" on August 30, 1942. The division troops consisted of the 136th Motorized Artillery Regiment, the 25th Engineer Battalion and smaller units.

At the end of May 1942, the GIL battalions mostly remained in reserve during the fighting for Ain el Gazala . In July, parts of the new division occupied the Siwa oasis in order to cover the German-Italian advance on El Alamein and to create further attack possibilities in the direction of the Nile valley . The malaria rampant in Siwa weakened the division considerably. Because of the defeat in the Second Battle of El Alamein , the division had to give up the oasis on November 6, 1942 and retreat over 1,200 km to Agedabia and then on to the Mareth Line . The division received the re-established 8th Bersaglieri Regiment of the 132nd Panzer Division "Ariete", which was destroyed near El Alamein .

From March to May 1943 the "Giovani Fascisti" division took part in the Tunisian campaign, first on the Mareth line, then at Akarit and finally at Enfidaville . Most of the division's infantry was made up of Bersaglieri . The planned renaming in Divisione Bersaglieri d'Africa never took place. Most recently it was probably led as the 136th Infantry Division "Giovani Fascisti".

structure

  • (136th) Infantry Regiment "Giovani Fascisti" (2 battalions; III./136 to I. and II./136)
  • 8th Bersaglieri Regiment (from December 1942, 3 battalions)
  • 136th motorized artillery regiment (2 divisions on 65 mm / L17, 1 on 75 mm / L27, 1 on 100 mm / L17; flak battery 20mm)
  • XXV. Engineer Battalion (mixed)
  • IX. Infantry battalion
  • III. Panzer Reconnaissance Unit "Cavalleggeri di Monferrato" ( Autoblindo AB41 )
  • IV. Motorized anti-tank battalion " Granatieri di Sardegna "
  • smaller units

Commanders

literature

  • George F. Nafziger - Italian Order of Battle: An organizational history of the Italian Army in World War II
  • John Joseph Timothy Sweet - Iron Arm: The Mechanization of Mussolini's Army, 1920-1940
  • Vittorio Cogno: 400 anni di vita degli eserciti sabaudo e italiano - repertorio generale 1593 - 1993 . Edizioni Fachin, Trieste 1995.

Web links