185 Airborne Division Folgore
| 185. Airborne Division Folgore | |
|---|---|
 Folgore Division Insignia |
|
| Active | 1941–1943 |
| Country | Italy |
| Branch | Italian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Parachute |
| Size | Division |
| Nickname | Folgore |
| Engagements | World War II |
185. Airborne Division Folgore or 185. Divisione Paracadutisti Folgore was an Parachute Division of the Italian Army during World War II.
Contents |
[edit] History
It was formed on September 1st, 1941, as the 1 Division Paracadutisti. The division was intended to be used in Operation Hercules - the planned Axis invasion of Malta. Initially the division was made up of the following units:
- Division Headquarter and Headquarters Company
- 1st Parachute Infantry Regiment (later renamed 185th Parachute Infantry Regiment)
- Headquarter and Headquarters Company
- II Parachute Infantry Battalion
- III Parachute Infantry Battalion
- IV Parachute Infantry Battalion
- 1st Regimental Cannon Company (with 47/32 M35 cannons)
- 2nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (later renamed 186th Parachute Infantry Regiment)
- Headquarter and Headquarters Company
- V Parachute Infantry Battalion
- VI Parachute Infantry Battalion
- VII Parachute Infantry Battalion
- 2nd Regimental Cannon Company (with 47/32 M35 cannons)
- 3rd Parachute Infantry Regiment (later renamed 187th Parachute Infantry Regiment)
- Headquarter and Headquarters Company
- IX Parachute Infantry Battalion
- X Parachute Infantry Battalion
- XI Parachute Infantry Battalion
- 3rd Regimental Cannon Company (with 47/32 M35 cannons)
- Parachute Artillery Regiment (later renamed 185th Parachute Artillery Regiment)
- Headquarter and Headquarters Battery
- I Parachute Artillery Group
- II Parachute Artillery Group
- III Parachute Artillery Group
- VIII Parachute Engineer Battalion
- Mining and Explosives Engineers Company
- Signal Engineers Company
- Division Service Units
Each Parachute Infantry Battalion fielded one Headquarters and three Parachute Infantry Companies. Each Parachute Artillery Group fielded one Headquarters and two Parachute Artillery Batteries armed with 47/32 M35 cannons. The VIII Parachute Engineer Battalion fielded VIII Parachute Engineer Battalion one Headquarters and three Parachute Engineer Companies.
The Division was well equipped with modern automatic weapons (Beretta submachine gun, Breda M37 and Breda M38 heavy machine gun) and heavy support weapons in big numbers, giving the paratroopers of the division serious firepower. After the cancellation of the invasion of Malta the division was sent to the North African theater. However it left one of its regiments with two battalions in Italy as foundation for the to be raised 184th Airborne Division Nembo. In June 1942 the divisions name was changed to 185th Airborne Division Folgore. In North Africa the division participated in the Battles of El Alamein where the division distinguished itself. In the course of the Second Battle of El Alamein the division was completely destroyed.
[edit] El Alamein
During the Second battle of El Alamein the Folgore Division was under attack from three British divisions 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division, 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division, 7th Armoured Division, and the 1st Free French Brigade.[1][2]
Operation Lightfoot launched on 24 October 1942, was designed to break through the supposed "weak" Italian-held southern sector of the Alamein line where the Bologna, Brescia, Pavia and Folgore Divisions anchored the right flank.
The British attack began with a devastating artillery barrage, followed by an all out assault by the 7th Armoured and 44th Infantry divisions. However, all that was achieved at a high cost of life and equipment was a small salient, which was soon recaptured by the Italians of the "Folgore".
In the following days between 25 October and 4 November, the 50th, 7th, 44th divisions, 1st and 2nd Free French and the Royal Hellenic Brigades, supported by artillery and armour, had failed to break through in the southern sector.
The Folgore used every thing at their disposal including letting the enemy advance into a "cul-de-sac" and then launching a counter attacking from all sides.
They also used their 47mm Anti Tank guns from enfilade positions and Molotov cocktails to knock out the advancing tanks.[3]
In the initial British assault alone the Folgore had destroyed over 120 armoured vehicles, and inflicted over 600 casualties. The remnants of the Folgore were withdrawn from El Alamein without being defeated.
On 6 November, after having exhausted all its ammunition, the remainder of the Division surrendered.
The survivors being reorganized into the 185 Folgore Parachute Battalion and fought in Tunisia, they surrendered to the British in 1943, but without having to show a white flag and without having to raise their hands while surrendering.[1][2][4]
On 11 November 1942, the battle by now concluded, London Radio transmitted the famous official announcement:
-
The remnants of the Folgore division put up a resistance beyond every limit of human possibility.[5]
[edit] Battle analysis
At El-Alamein, throughout several engagements, the paratroopers were either able to drive back the attacks or, when the enemy had been successful in completely wiping out the first line of outposts, to reform again, usually counterattacking. In spite of the overwhelming numbers, the British made little headway against them, and in the end, the Folgore was ordered to fall back because the enemy obtained a breakthrough elsewhere.
The reasons behind this limited victory of sorts are two: mines and "guts". The mines were of course an invaluable asset for the defense. Here the minefields were extensive, thick, and treacherous; furthermore, the mines were in multiple fields. They forced the attackers to move slowly and to stick to the bottlenecks of the cleared pathways, often under observed artillery fire. Whenever the exit of the cleared track was within reach of one of the short-ranged Italian 47mm AT guns, it was easy to block the attack, provided that the first tank or two were disabled.
But the British had brave and effective mine-clearing task forces, flail tanks (the Scorpions) and Valentine tanks, and incredibly heavy artillery barrages to move behind. All of their main attacks, in the end, came through the minefields. There, the outnumbered paratroops, after hours of artillery fire, counterattacked the infantry and close assaulted the tanks, with grenades and molotov cocktails. Notwithstanding the heavy casualties they suffered, and temporary British successes in occupying several positions in the first outpost line, they held their ground.
The main British effort, of course, was in the northern part of the line of the "Battle of El Alamein". However, the four divisions attacking the Folgore positions in the south, had also been given breakthrough objectives, that they did not reach. The 7th Armoured Division had been ordered to spare their tanks, so their attacks were called off after the bloody fighting during the night of October, 24th: 31 British tanks were destroyed or disabled during that night alone.
At the end of the battle of El Alamein, Harry Zinder of Time magazine noted that the Italians paratroopers fought better than had been expected, and commented that: In the south, the famed Folgore parachute division fought to the last round of ammunition[6]
[edit] Order of battle
The division was sent to Africa and fought in the Battle of El Alamein with the following structure:[7]
- Division Headquarter and Headquarters Company
- 186th Parachute Infantry Regiment
- Headquarter and Headquarters Company
- V Parachute Infantry Battalion
- VI Parachute Infantry Battalion
- VII Parachute Infantry Battalion
- Regimental Cannon Company (with 47/32 M35 cannons)
- 187th Parachute Infantry Regiment
- Headquarter and Headquarters Company
- II Parachute Infantry Battalion (from 185th Parachute Infantry Regiment)
- IV Parachute Infantry Battalion (from 185th Parachute Infantry Regiment)
- IX Parachute Infantry Battalion
- X Parachute Infantry Battalion
- Regimental Cannon Company (with 47/32 M35 cannons)
- 185th Parachute Artillery Regiment
- Headquarter and Headquarters Battery
- I Parachute Artillery Group (with two batteries of 47/32 M35 cannons)
- II Parachute Artillery Group (with two batteries of 47/32 M35 cannons)
- III Parachute Artillery Group (with two batteries of 47/32 M35 cannons)
- VIII Parachute Engineer Battalion
- 185th Medical Section
- 20th Maintenance Section
- 20th Supply Section
- 20th Mortar Company (81mm Model 35 mortars)
- 185th Mining and Explosives Engineers Company
- 185th Signal Engineers Company
- 185th Mixed Carabinieri Compnay
- 185th Transportation Unit
- 260th Field Post Office
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Wendal, Marcus. "Italian Army". Axis History. Archived from the original on 2009-05-03. http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=4309. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- ^ a b Bennighof, Mike (2008). "185 Airborne Division". Avalanche Press. Archived from the original on 2009-05-03. http://www.avalanchepress.com/FolgoreAtAlamein.php. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- ^ "American Historian Praises The Role Of The Folgore In North Africa". Archived from the original on 2009-09-30. http://www.avalanchepress.com/FolgoreAtAlamein.php. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ Quarrie, p 58
- ^ « I resti della divisione Folgore hanno resistito oltre ogni limite delle possibilità umane. » (Radio Londra)
- ^ Harry Zinder's nov 16, 1942 report for TIME MAGAZINE
- ^ G.Lunardi, P.Compagni "I paracadutisti Italiani 1937/45", Editrice Militare Italiana, Milano 1989, pag.41
- Quarrie, Bruce; Anderson, Duncan (2005). German Airborne Divisions: Mediterranean Theatre 1942 - 1945. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-828-6.
[edit] Further reading
- George F. Nafziger. Italian Order of Battle: An organizational history of the Italian Army in World War II (3 vol)
- Irving, David. La pista della volpe Mondadori editore. Milano, 1978
- Krieg, E. La guerra nel deserto - vol. 2 - La battaglia di El Alamein. Edizioni di Crémille. Ginevra, 1969
- Petacco, Arrigo. L'armata nel deserto. (Capitolo: Folgore). Mondadori editore. Milano, 2001
