Interesting website about the Royal Italian Armed forces of WW2

[Rickusty]

Hello everyone,

while I was looking for additional informations about the anti-tank cannon 47/32, I found out this website on the net.

( http://www.italie1935-45.com/regio-esercito/materiels/item/238-canon-de-47-32 )

It is a french website about the

Italian armed forces of ww2, which has excellent photos and lots of informations and datas about many of the vehicles/armaments/planes/ships that were in service during the second world war. (it looks like it is still under construction though, as lots of planes and materials are not there yet)

Especially about photos and pictures, there are many of them, with some very rare.

It's in french but it is easily "translatable" through google and in-browsers translators.

The name is: Italie 1939-45.

Here's the link to the main page:

http://www.italie1935-45.com/

[John Kettler]

Rickusty,

A most excellent find! I don't know French, but I can follow it enough from my four years of Latin and military nomenclature familiarity to realize that the text is good stuff, as opposed to fluff. Yet again I'm reminded of how much information I'm missing out on because it never occurs to me to search in other languages. I forget who it was, but the guy that was trying to do background startup pics would probably like to be notified of this. I spent hours trying to find usable pictures of Italian troops post Armistice and failed miserably. You may've struck the mother lode. For example (from Forums).

Italian infantry post Armistice, to include unit passing through GI camp

http://www.italie1935-45.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1345

Discussion of Italians at Cassino, with pics of Alpini.

http://www.italie1935-45.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1620

Is this a separate forum on a different site? I think it requires registration.

http://www.dalvolturnoacassino.it/risorse/images_default.asp

Better than Christmas!

This Gothic Line blog is simply incredible (found it rooting around in the link you gave) Italian soldiers, Decima Mas, various RSI units, Germans and Italians conducting mixed patrol, male (one with FG-42!) and female partisans (ladies with Stens and a Bren or similar).

http://gothicline.wordpress.com/689-2/

Regards,

John Kettler

[John Kettler]

Rickusty,

Wonderful Semovente 42 da 75/34

http://www.italie1935-45.com/regio-esercito/materiels/item/212-semovente-m42-da-75-34

AB 41 in color and camouflaged, September 1943

http://www.italie1935-45.com/regio-esercito/materiels/item/211-ab-40-et-41

What fun!

Regards,

John Kettler

[Rickusty]

Hello John,

excellent finds about those websites and forums.

I didn't look in their forum yet, but it really looks very interesting and some very unknown pictures.

And the website http://www.dalvolturnoacassino.it/

really has lots of pictures about the battles fought from the river Volturno, north of Naples, to the town of Cassino.

On the bottom of the main page, you can sort all the pictures by different methods (time period, battles, topics).

If I select "The italians", this is what we get.

http://www.dalvolturnoacassino.it/risorse/raccolta.asp?id=11#.Uc6iXPnOaSo

There are pictures of either the Italian cobelligerant Army and the fascist RSI Army.

Lots of very nice picture of the Italian cobelligerant army in action.

Some of them are really excellent and of high quality.

It looks like they went to fight at Montelungo near Cassino with their standard italian-made weapons; lots of pictures of Breda 30,37, Mod.91, 75/18 howitzers and even 105/28 Schneider Corps artillery.

Really really interesting.

[dieseltaylor]

Excellent French site and does seem to be info and pic heavy. I note one of the AB41 colour pics shows some serious air-horns ..... the colonel's vehicle of course.

[John Kettler]

Rickusty,

Not only does that Volturno link have some great pics, but the NARA ones can be used with impunity, for they are captured images in our National Archives here in the States. Bravo!

The far right selector lists all the relevant archives. Bundesarchiv (under Italien) on Wiki is so image rich that guy who did the startup screens could effortlessly redo the entire project from those pics alone--500! Need Italian paratroops moving a Pak 40 through the mud? There's a great pic of that.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&search=italien%20prefix%3AFile%3ABundesarchiv&fulltext=Ricerca&profile=default&redirs=1&uselang=it

Regards,

John Kettler

[Rickusty]

Wow John, thanks a lot.

Amazing pictures and info.

[John Kettler]

Rickusty,

You're most welcome. Here's a truly weird pic. Why? Note the remarkable weapon muzzle!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-316-1196-33,_Italien,_italienischer_Soldat_in_Küstenbatterie.jpg?uselang=it

Semovente 75 appear to have a bit of AP remodeling practically on the roof over the visor.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-304-0614-15A,_Italien,_italienisches_Sturmgeschütz_Semovente.jpg?uselang=it

Regards,

John Kettler

[John Kettler]

Rickusty,

Italian AFV being hauled out of the mud

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-312-0968-26A,_Italien,_italienischer_Panzer_im_Schlamm.jpg?uselang=it

Italian and German soldiers getting chow? at truck (Monte Cassino)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-578-1931-33,_Italien,_deutsche_u._italienische_Soldaten_bei_Verpflegung.jpg?uselang=it

Italian infantry advance, bayonets fixed. Unknown town, but pic's from 1944

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-316-1197-10A,_Italien,_vorstürmende_italienische_Soldaten.jpg?uselang=it

Regards,

John Kettler

[Rickusty]

Excellent finds John! Thanks.

Very interesting. IIRC that knocked out Semovente da 75 was put out of action during the battle against the Germans in Rome, not too far from where the FAO HQ is located in Rome nowadays.

Interesting the neat hole from (it looks like) a rather small AP shell in its frontal armor. Maybe by a 50mm round?

And the french turret was really new for me!

[John Kettler]

Rickusty,

You're welcome! Since your knowledge of what happened there vastly exceeds mine, I think your scenario's quite possible. Have now gone through 900 of the 1132 pics labeled Italien in the Bundesarchiv Wiki files. tons more pics elsewhere, though, as we discovered. Speaking of pics, have you had a look at the pic holdings in your countries various archives and military museums?

Regards,

John Kettler

[Rickusty]

Rickusty,

You're welcome! Since your knowledge of what happened there vastly exceeds mine, I think your scenario's quite possible. Have now gone through 900 of the 1132 pics labeled Italien in the Bundesarchiv Wiki files. tons more pics elsewhere, though, as we discovered. Speaking of pics, have you had a look at the pic holdings in your countries various archives and military museums?

Regards,

John Kettler

Hi John.

It's been ages now since I've had a look into historical archives or such similiar institutions.

But I should peek around in those once again soon. I hope at least!

It's really my intention to finish a small study/research on a specific battle in March 1941 in Albania, but time is really lacking as work in this period is taking its toll on my life.

The sad fact though is there are quite a number of very interesting books about this period in Italy, (for example many autobiographies) with many unknown pictures and informations that unfortunately are only available here and are only written in italian.

[Rickusty]

I found out a very interesting video this morning.

It's a reportage of the re-taking of the Siwa Oasis in 1942 by Italian troops. (in that case, Young Fascists light inf.)

There are very interesting footages showing a troop of AB-41 in the desert, coming under fire (from 25 pd?), maneuvering in the desert , and showing some seconds of the inside of the vehicles in action.

It's interesting to see that , together with the cavalry squadron and their AB-41 there are some ex-british Morris vehicles with portee 75mm (or maybe 65mm) mounted on their rear decks.

Then some images of Egyptian soldiers that cooperate with Italian troops in the Oasis.

After that there is a very interesting in-action view on board a RM Torpedo-Boat in one of their convoy escort duties, showing 37mm and 20mm cannons firing at closing British torpedo and bomber planes, until the convoy reaches Africa.

The video is uploaded in Youtube in a page which contains only WW2 Italian wartime newsreels.

Its link is HERE

[Rickusty]

there are some very impressive short videos of the

Macchi C.202 in action in 1942, including some strafing actions as seen from on-board cameras.

Interesting to see the Brixia 45mm mortar rapid firing in action as well.

[Sandokan]

Jeez! Look at min. 2.45, there is a plane REALLY close the ground!

[John Kettler]

Rickusty,

Most impressive indeed! Lots of great sequences, to include goodies I'd never seen: the truck mounted 75 AAA, firing as artillery no less, the Panzer trailer, M13/40s on trucks, the Brixia battery, fabulous Folgore footage, and did anyone note the rearing horse is the exact same one as the Ferrari emblem? No accident! And how about the advanced fortification course?

Sandokan,

I think that one trumps the crazy British Jaguar pilot in Guf War I who came in at 20' while his squadron mates stayed at an only terrifying 50!

Regards,

John Kettler

[Erwin]

Great stuff. Interestingly, the LUCE logo on the top right of the videos is very similar to that now used by USPS. (Can one sue US Govt for copyright infringement?)

Also, the videos show why the Italian tanks are so light and narrow - they could be carried by regular trucks!