News from Heroes and Leaders mod

[asl3d]

8 Italian Colonial First Line Rifles

The Italian Colonial First Line Rifles troops mainly represent the Italian metropolitan units that fought in Africa. In terms of the Heroes and Leaders mod they are ordinary first line troops but with a lower moral level.
Basically, they are the forces that fought in Africa forming the main core of he Royal Corps of Colonial Troops ("Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali"). The rest of the Italian Colonial forces that fought in Africa are considered Italian Colonial Second Line.
During 1942, North Africa Italian troops increased both the firepower and the mechanization available at the divisional level. As a result, a new "North Africa 1942" (Africa settentrionale 1942) type division was developed. Similar to a standard infantry division, an "A.S.42" type division still had two infantry regiments, an artillery regiment, a mixed engineer battalion, a medical section, and a supply section. But the infantry regiments could vary greatly because the basic units making up the regiment were now an expandable company. The artillery regiment sometimes included a battery of German 88 mm guns. Mobility was increased and, in theory, an "A.S.42" type division was mechanized to a higher degree than standard infantry divisions.
Unfortunately, in practice, few units had the full complement of motor vehicles. Italian motor vehicles, while in short supply, tended to be of better than average quality. British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery made use of a captured Italian vehicle.

[asl3d]

9 Italian Colonial Second Line

Many of the Askaris in Eritrea were drawn from local Nilotic populations, including Hamid Idris Awate, who reputedly had some Nara ancestry. Of these troops, the first Eritrean battalions were raised in 1888 from Muslim and Christian volunteers, replacing an earlier Bashi-bazouk corps of irregulars. The four Indigeni battalions in existence by 1891 were incorporated into the Royal Corps of Colonial Troops that year. Expanded to eight battalions, the Eritrean Ascaris fought with distinction at Serobeti, Agordat, Kassala, Coatit and Adwa and subsequently served in Libya and Ethiopia.
These troops were deployed on all fronts in Africa from the First Italo-Ethiopian War, the Italian-Turkish war, the conquest of Ethiopia, until World War II. The colonial soldiers always showed courage and in some cases (like the Eritrean Ascari) fought with heroism.
Except for the German parachute division in Italy and the Japanese in Burma no enemy with whom the British and Indian troops were matched put up a finer fight than those Savoia battalions at Keren (Eritrea). Moreover, the Colonial troops, until they cracked at the very end, fought with valour and resolution, and their staunchness was a testimony to the excellence of the Italian administration and military training in Eritrea.
The colonial troops were commanded by Italian officers and NCOs, while soldiers were drawn from the Italian colonial territories (and to a smaller extent also from neighboring Yemen).
In 1940, 256,000 Askaris in the Italian Royal Army were present in the local Italian colonies. Of these, 182,000 had been recruited in Italian East Africa (Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia) and 74,000 in Libya.

[asl3d]

10 Italian Camicie Nere

The "Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale" (Voluntary Militia for National Security, MVSN), commonly called the "Camicie Nere" (Blackshirts) or "squadristi", was originally the paramilitary wing of the National Fascist Party, which lasted until 8 September 1943 at the Armistice of Cassibile. The Italian Social Republic, located in the areas of northern Italy occupied by Germany, reformed the MVSN on 8 December 1943 into the Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana (National Republican Guard). Its members were distinguished by their black uniforms and their loyalty to Benito Mussolini, the Duce (leader) of Fascism. The founders of the paramilitary groups were nationalist intellectuals, former army officers, young landowners and many disgruntled former soldiers opposing peasants' and country labourers' unions.
In 1940 the MVSN was able to muster 340,000 first-line combat troops, providing three divisions, 1st, 2nd and 4th, and, later in 1942, a fourth and fifth division Africa were formed. Mussolini also pushed through plans to raise 142 MVSN combat battalions of 650 men each to provide a Gruppo di Assalto to each army division. Later forty-one mobile groups were raised to become the third regiment in Italian Army divisions as it was determined through operational experience that the Italian Army's binary divisions were too small in both manpower and heavy equipment. In 1941, Mussolini decided to create twenty-two highly trained combat battalions called "M" Battalions. These battalions were given the designation M alongside their names in the Army OOB to indicate their status; that they had received specialist assault and combat training, or had proven themselves in combat and had received a battlefield promotion to this status. By the end of the Fascist regime only eleven battalions had been fully formed. The MVSN fought in every theater where Italy did. Sixteen MVSN combat battalions served in Yugoslavia.

[asl3d]

11 Italian Crews

Before the Second World War began, Mussolini demanded an army eight-million strong to create his new Roman Empire. The rapid expansion needed for this led to reservist officers being recalled to the colours with little extra training. For example, tank crews were arrived in the desert with limited knowledge of tank driving and gunnery, and had to be taught by their units before they could be sent into action.
As the war progressed, with the steady attrition of Italian armor and the simultaneous build-up of British and American forces, there was little hope in the long run. But the performance of Italian armored crews was, however, superior to the end—especially when one considers the relatively inferior equipment which they had to work with most of the time. For example, the armor plate was prone to crack and split when hit and, generally speaking, the deficiency in quality was not compensated by an increase in thickness. Italian crews improvised by sandbagging and affixing track links to vital areas in order to improve their chances of survival.
Italian artillery personnel earned a reputation for sharp shooting, and consistently displayed considerable courage under heavy counter-fire or direct attack. The Alpini artillerymen were highly skilled in the use of pack artillery, and their methods were widely adopted by other mountain and irregular forces. Of the three arms of the army, the Italian artillery branch proved the most effective, efficient and steadfast—despite the limitations under which it operated. In defensive positions, roving pieces (mostly AT and INF guns) were sent far forward of the main defensive line in order to force the enemy to deploy. The artillery officers, trained at the school in Turin, were uniformly competent, exhibited quite high personal initiative, and were fired with a strong esprit de corps.

[asl3d]

12 Italian Scouts

The modern origin of the Italian reconnaissance infantry troops can be traced to the 1st Parachute Infantry Regiment set up at the Tarquinia paratroopers school in April 1941, under Colonel Riccardo Bignami, which later became the 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore."
The 185th Regiment has, by its very nature, a vocation markedly directed towards Intelligence tasks and is specialized in Direct Actions that involve the engagement of remote objectives. The Regiment is particularly specialized in conducting special reconnaissance and terminal guidance operations, Joint Terminal Attack Controller operations and the terminal control of each source of fire against high-value targets. They is not a unit tasked with carrying out incursions and sabotage, nor counter-terrorism operations, at least in ordinary circumstances.
The Target Acquirers Detachment has a formal staff of 12 elements including the commander, a lieutenant, and can be split into three teams of 4 men or two of 6 operators. However, its exact composition in operations depends on the specific needs and characteristics of the mission. A generally motorized use may require, even for security reasons, configurations with more personnel, while others may require less personnel. The key figures present in a detachment are ordinarily the scout, the observer, the image acquisition operator, the radio operator, the medic and the sniper. Some functions may be duplicated or, on the contrary, a single operator may hold more than one position.
The training of an operator of the 185th Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore" is long and complex and lasts about two years. The process to become "Target Acquirer" consists of three phases: Selective Phase, common to all Special Forces units; Common Basic Training Phase, for all Special Forces units; Specialization Phase, for "Target Acquirer"

[asl3d]

13 Italian Snipers

Although there was no specifically an Italian Sniper Corps during World War II, the Italian Army has had a long tradition of employing precision rifles to be used by soldiers with the ability to shoot accurately.
The Bersaglieri units started out as marksmen in the 1800s and then became motorized infantry. Italian snipers contributed greatly in WWI where they were used rather uniquely to stalk and eliminate enemy forward observers. Italian rifles were test fired and zeroed at the arsenal and those found to be particularly accurate were identified with a crossed-rifle stamp.
After having faced the menace of Austrian snipers, in the summer of 1916 also the Regio Esercito provided a small amount (about 2,000 during the whole war) of Mod. 91 rifles with two different scopes, the "tipo Amigues" and the "tipo Scheibler". The latter, probably designed by count Felice Scheibler, was produced by the Filotecnica Salmoiraghi company and was attached in line with the barrel, making the mod. 91 rifle a single shot weapon. Experiments were made with a prismatic scope for the new mod. 91/38 rifle (caliber 7.35 mm), but both the weapon and the scope did not enter into service. A new Salmoiraghi scope was instead installed on the mod. 91/41 rifle and saw limited use in Russia (CCNN legion Tagliamento), Yugoslavia and by the army of the RSI (Tagliamento again). During WW2 some rifles with scope, dating back to WW1, were assigned also to the Guardia alla Frontiera and to troops on the Greek front.
There was no specific training for Italian snipers in WWII but certainly a few scopes were around. There really wasn't a sniper as such in the Italian armed forces. There was no preparation for sniping as the "war of rapid movement" pretty well precluded their usage. This was most unfortunate for Italy because they had a history that should have really given them something to build upon. If a soldier had the talent and a good rifle, he might be given the duty, but there was not attempt to create a body of soldiers with this skill. There were soldiers that earned the tiratore scelto badge, but that is more akin to a marksmanship award.

[asl3d]

14 Italian Medical Corps

Medical services in the First and Second World War had to face enormous new problems: masses of wounded, most with devastating wounds from artillery splinters, often involving body cavities, and always contaminated. Tetanus, gas gangrene, wound infections were common and often fatal. Abdominal wounds were especially a problem: upon entering the war the commanders of all medical services ordered to avoid surgery, based on dismal experiences of previous wars. During the First World War, Italian Academics closely followed the debate, with different positions. Among the interventionists highlighted Baldo Rossi to provide a setting adequate to major operations close to the frontline, with trained surgeons and adequate instruments, realized for the Milano Red Cross three fully equipped, mobile surgical hospitals mounted on trucks, with an operating cabin-tent, with warming, illumination and sterilizing devices, post-operative tents and a radiological unit. Chiefs of the army approved the project and implemented seven similar units, called army surgical ambulances, each run by a distinguished surgeon.
In the Second World War, there was a flowering of the battlefield surgery pioneered in the Spanish Civil War. There were small, mobile surgical units in all the theatres of the War, working close behind the fighting and deployed flexibly according to the nature of the conflict. With equipment transported by truck, jeep or mule, they operated in tents, bunkers and requisitioned buildings and carried out abdominal, thoracic, head and neck, and limb surgery. Their role was to save life and to ensure that wounded soldiers were stable for casualty evacuation back down the line to a base hospital.

[asl3d]

15 Italian Heroes

Ferruccio Brandi, Lieutenant, 187th Paratrooper Regiment, "Folgore" Division. Paratrooper platoon Commander, attacked by armoured forces at El Munassib (Northern Africa), 24th October 1942, with his heroic example he incited the soldiers to defend their position. Surpassed by tanks, he gathered the survivors and headed them in a furious counterassault, forcing the enemy infantries to move backwards followed by the armoured means. He was attacked again by the tanks but he managed to inflect several casualties; after having finished the anti-tank munitions, he launched himself against one of the tanks and he put it on fire through an incendiary bottle. In the courageous endeavour he was hit by machine-gun fire that removed his mandible; despite his serious health conditions, with pain he continued to head his soldiers inciting them to fight. Thanks to his stoicism and combative spirit he managed to save the competed position and got the enemy admiration for having protracted the resistance over the human possibilities. His admired and proud paratroopers asked for the highest reward for him.
Luigi Arbib Pascucci, Second Lieutenant, was an Italian tank commander during World War II. He fought with the Ariete Tank Division in North Africa. Luigi fought in the Second Battle of El Alamein, where he sacrificed his life to save his comrades in an abrupt tank battle. On 4 November 1942 the armoured company that Pascucci was leading took part in the fighting against the British 22nd Armoured Brigade near Bir El Abd, just west of El Alamein. The next day his company was ordered to hold the left flank of the regiment against the British 8th Armoured Brigade during the Ariete Division’s retreat to Fuka. Pascucci’s company was inevitably cut off from the main body of the Italian force. Pascucci decided that a last-ditch counter-attack would improve the situation. He ignored enemy fire and led the remaining eleven M13/40 tanks of his company into an offensive attack directly at the centre of the British armoured Brigade. The counter-attack broke the British line, and sent the 8th Armoured tanks into disarray. Pascucci then continued to pursue the fleeing British tanks. Pascucci was killed by the British during a running tank battle. He was found dead in his knocked-out tank after the battle. In recognition of his sacrifice, he was posthumously awarded the Medaglia d'oro al valor militare (Gold Medal of Military Valor), Italy’s highest award for bravery.

[asl3d]

16 Italian Leaders

Commissioned officers of the regular, active army were drawn mainly from the graduates (second lieutenants) of the military academies at Turin (artillery and engineers) and Modena (all other arms), and from a few non-commissioned officers who had completed a special course for applicants from this class. There was also a certain intake, especially after hostilities opened, from the "complementary" (reserve) ranks. A corps cadet school was maintained in each of the territorial corps areas. All conscripts with a high school diploma were required to attend, unless the necessary yearly quota of officers had been filled.
After graduation from these cadet schools, and with not less than three months service with an active regiment, these non-coms could become applicants for the commissioned rank of second lieutenant. Commissioned officers were promoted by arm or branch, and took place based on seniority up to the rank of colonel, and by selection for merit through the higher ranks. Overall, the military education of the professional Italian officers was considered, by their enemies, to be rather good.
Young men who had attained a certain standard of university-level education were compelled by law to carry out their conscript service as complementary officers. These reserve officers formed the main source from which the junior officers were provided in each of the three mobilizations. They were required to first serve seven months in "school units", and the remainder of their 18 months as officers in active units. In wartime, a portion of these reserve officers were recalled each year for duty and training, the number of these reaching 20,000 annually. All non-commissioned officers of the rank of sergeant and above were known as sottufficiali ("under-officers"), and were usually volunteer, long-service, professional soldiers. Ranks below that of sergeant were filled from the short-service conscripts.

[asl3d]

17 Italian Guides

The Italian Army made extensive use of locally recruited indigenous soldiers in Italian East Africa. These troops comprised infantry, cavalry and some light artillery units. The Royal Corps Of Eritrean Colonial Troops were indigenous soldiers from Eritrea, who were enrolled as askaris in the Royal Corps of Colonial Troops (Regio Corpo di Truppe Coloniali) of the Royal Italian Army (Regio Esercito) during the period 1889–1941. The name "ascar" is the Arab word for "soldier". The Eritrean Ascari originated from a mercenary Arab group employed by the Ottoman Empire and called Basci Buzuks. These regular troops played an important role in the initial conquest of the various colonial possessions of the Kingdom of Italy. They subsequently acted as garrison and internal security forces in the Italian Empire, and finally served in large numbers during the Italian conquest of British Somaliland and the East African campaign of 1940-41. The Italian Askaris fought in the First Italo–Ethiopian War, the Italian-Turkish War, the Second Italo-Abyssinian War and World War II (East African Campaign).
One of the most famous Italian officers who commanded groups of Eritrean Ascari in Ethiopia and Eritrea was Amedeo Guillet. At the beginning of World War II the Italian Viceroy Amedeo Duke of Aosta gave lieutenant Guillet command of the 2,500 strong Gruppo Bande Eritrea, an irregular unit made up mainly of recruits from Hamasien. Guillet's Eritrean ascaris suffered losses of about 800 in little more than two years. In March 1941 his forces found themselves stranded outside the Italian lines. Guillet began a private war against the Allies. Hiding his uniform near a farm owned by Italian colonists, he conducted guerrilla raids with his remaining askaris against Allied forces for almost eight months. He was one of the most famous Italian "guerrilla officers" in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia during the Italian guerrilla war, a failed attempt to prevent Italian East Africa from being dissolved.

[asl3d]

18 Italian Spotters

The employment of artillery by the Italians was quite traditional, and the only feature of note was their proclivity to site the bulk of their guns well forward. At the end of World War I, the army comprised 51 regiments of artillery (including two of mountain and ten of fortress artillery).
The role of the Observation Team was to facilitate the fire request that the infantry HQ wanted. An Italian Artillery Battalion had an HQ Battery that included a Platoon with a Signals Section, a Calibration Section and a Observation Section, as well as Staff Section and a Reserve Section. In addition the Battery had two Observation Platoons each with a Signals Detachment and an Observation Detachment.
Commissioned officers of the regular active army were drawn mainly from the graduates (second lieutenants) of the military academies at Turin (artillery and engineers) and Modena (all other arms), and from a few non-commissioned officers who had completed a special course for applicants from this class. The artillery officers, trained at the school in Turin, were uniformly competent, exhibited quite high personal initiative, and were fired with a strong esprit de corps.
Italian artillery personnel earned a reputation for sharp shooting, and consistently displayed considerable courage under heavy counter-fire or direct attack. In many cases, artillery firing over open sights was used against assaulting infantry and tanks. The Alpini artillerymen were highly skilled in the use of pack artillery, and their methods were widely adopted by other mountain and irregular forces. Of the three arms of the army, the Italian artillery branch proved the most effective, efficient and steadfast—despite the limitations under which it operated.
In action, the divisional artillery commander regulated the employment of the artillery batteries—except in counter-battery and interdiction roles. Decentralization of command for these functions was designed to expedite rapid and effective action. Even when in defensive positions, roving pieces (mostly AT and INF guns) were sent far forward of the main defensive line in order to force the enemy to deploy.

[asl3d]

19. Breda M30 LMG

The Breda M1930 light machine gun stemmed from several previous weapons, designed during 1920s by the Societa Italiana Ernesto Breda. In 1930, Breda produced a definitive pattern of its light machine gun line, the Modelo 1930. The Breda M1930 featured a conventional bipod rather than a light tripod, and dual spade grips were replaced with a rifle-type stock and a single pistol grip. These “advanced” features, however, were “compensated” by the awkward fixed magazine feed system and an action which required the use of an integral oiler. This machine gun became the basic light machine gun of the Italian army and served throughout World War Two.
The Breda M1930 light machine gun is a short-recoil operated, air cooled, magazine fed weapon. The barrel can be quickly replaced in the field, using the integral carrying handle. Feed is from an integral box magazine, holding 20 rounds in two rows, and installed on the right side of the gun. During normal use the box magazine cannot be completely withdrawn or detached from the gun, so it cannot be lost, and no spare magazines are necessary. Loading is achieved by unlocking and swinging the magazine forward in the horizontal plane until its opening is exposed to the operator. Fresh cartridges then are loaded into the magazine using special 20-round U-shaped clips, which need to be pushed all the way into the magazine for loading, and then withdrawn manually. Since the feeding lips are located in the magazine housing rather than in the magazine itself, a special lock is provided which holds the cartridges inside when the magazine is not locked in the working position. This lock is disengaged automatically once the magazine is locked in the firing position.
The firing controls include a convenient pistol grip with a traditional trigger, and a shoulder stock. Firing is from a closed bolt, in automatic mode only. The gun is fitted with a wooden stock with a hinged shoulder rest. Support is provided by a folding bipod, attached to the barrel casing, and by an optional rear monopod of adjustable height, which can be installed under the butt if required.

[asl3d]

20. Italian Fiat M35 MMG

In the late 1930s, the Italian army decided to refit its existing supply of Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914 WW1 machine guns. This modified machine gun is the Fiat-Revelli Modello 1935. The FIAT-Revelli mod.14 used the same cartridge as the Carcano 6.5×52 mm, which undoubtedly provided logistical advantages but made a less powerful weapon. The feed-box did not use the classical feed-belt but instead used a curious “Cage” system. This cage system involved a small box (the cage) filled with 10 Carcano clips (50 rounds in total). A built-in oiling system lubricated the cartridges. However, this created problems for the weapon in certain environmental conditions such as high concentrations of dust, sand, etc. Likewise, the later experienced these same problems.
In 1935, the conversion of old machine guns to the Fiat–Revelli Modello 1935 began. The new design eliminated the “cage” feeding system. Fiat replaced it with a classical fee-belt, thus maintaining the ineffective oiling system. A lighter air-cooling system replaced the cumbersome water-cooling system, making the gun easier to handle. The redesigned caliber now fired the more potent 8×59 mm RB Breda rounds.
Although the conversion started in 1935, it took until 1940 to complete the replacement. The colonial troops, especially those deployed in Italian East Africa, still had some old FIAT-Revelli mod.14 in service when war broke out. Although the new Fiat machinegun obtained a significant modification, it proved to be a failed design with apparent deficiencies. The Fiat–Revelli Modello 1935 obtained a bad reputation on the battlefield, similar to the Breda 30, but in sharp contrast with the excellent Breda 37. In fact, production ceased in wartime. At the end of hostilities, the Regio Esercito scrapped all remaining inventory.

[asl3d]

21 Italian Breda M37 HMG

The Mitragliatrice Breda calibro 8 modello 37 was the standard machine gun for the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Breda M37 was meant as company/battalion support as compared to the more troublesome Breda M30 meant for squad/platoon support, and proved far more effective in combat.
The Breda M37 was a gas-operated, air-cooled medium machine gun. The Breda used a slightly larger cartridge than its rivals, the 8x59mm RB Breda. The gun was fed by 20-round trays of cartridges. This limited continuous fire, as the gun could be fired rapidly only when a second crew member fed in one ammunition tray after another (although being air cooled the gun would be unable to fire more than short bursts anyway, or it would rapidly overheat). The weapon tended to jam whenever a case was reinserted even slightly out of line.
In service, the Breda M37 proved to be fairly reliable machine guns. Perhaps because the heavy support weapons received more attention from their crews, field reports were generally positive except for jams caused by desert sand and dust, which in the Western Desert affected all infantry machine guns to some extent. The Breda 37's slow rate of fire helped prevent overheating during prolonged fire, and its powerful, heavy-bullet cartridge had excellent range and penetration. Still, this machine gun was almost twice as heavy as the German machine guns. In fact, it was the heaviest World War II rifle-caliber machine gun, and unnecessarily complex to use and deploy. This was another issue for Italians, whose mobility was limited by their weak truck fleet. The tripod added around 20 kg to the complex, putting it at around 40 kilograms. Production ended in 1943.
The Breda Modello 38 was intended for vehicle use, and was fed from a top-mounted box magazine. The Modello 38 used a pistol style grip, rather than the twin firing handles of the Modello 37. This was the main vehicle-mounted machine gun used in fighting vehicles by the Royal Italian Army.

[asl3d]

23. Italian Lanciafiamme M40 FT

The flamethrower used by the Royal Italian Army during WWII, the "Lanciafiamme Spalleggiato Modello 40", had replaced the previous 1935 model, which used a different ignition system. Initially, units were assigned to a "Flamethrower Platoon". Each of 3 squads, which consisted of six sections, were assigned two weapons. In 1939, 176 copies of this model were sold to the Finnish Army, who used the renamed Lanciafiamme M/40 against the Red Army during the Winter War. The newer Model 40, which replaced the Model 35 as the Italian Army's principal flamethrower in 1940, was issued mostly to the Italian corps. Model 40 was employed largely in Italy's North African Campaign against the British and with Italian units in Russia.
The flamethrower was heavier than its contemporaries and had inferior performance to those weapons, having a shorter range than the equivalent German model. It had three major elements: the tank, the lance and the ignition system. The tank was carried via two transport belts and padded back. It was composed of two cylinders. Each was divided internally into two parts by a metal diaphragm. The two upper sections were linked together and could hold 6 litres of nitrogen at 20 atmospheres, which acted as a propellant. The lower halves were also connected and contained 12 litres of fuel, a mixture composed of 9 parts diesel oil and 1 part gasoline. Both substances were loaded from special openings on the upper end of the cylinders, where a manual valve conveyed the liquid nitrogen in the tank to pressurize them at the moment of use. The filler pipe coupling of the lance was located in the lower part of the tank, beside the right cylinder.
The weapon was carried by two soldiers, flammieri, protected by fireproof vests. The system, due to its weight and the overall dimensions of the fireproof suit, could be carried only for short distances. It was normally transported on trucks or on special donkey saddle. The flammable liquid reserves allowed about 20 blasts. Recharging the weapon could take 20 minutes or more.

[asl3d]

24. Italian Molotov cocktail

A Molotov cocktail, also known as a petrol bomb or just Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of bottle-based improvised incendiary weapons. A Molotov cocktail is a breakable glass bottle containing a flammable substance such as gasoline, alcohol or a napalm-like mixture, with some motor oil added, and usually a source of ignition such as a burning cloth wick held in place by the bottle's stopper. The wick is usually soaked in alcohol or kerosene, rather than petrol.
Incendiary bottles are one of the simplest and most reliable means for destroying tanks, armored cars, transport trucks, warehouses, landed airplanes, and enemies in cover. In the hands of a brave soldier, they are a fearsome weapon. Skilled and sudden use can not only strike the enemy, but cause panic and compromise enemy organization.
When the bottles hit a solid object, the bottle breaks, and the liquid inside of it ignites, either with a match attached to the bottle, a special metallic igniter, or a capsule inside the bottle. In action, the wick is lit and the bottle hurled at a target such as a vehicle or fortification. When the bottle smashes on impact, the ensuing cloud of fuel droplets and vapor is ignited by the attached wick, causing an immediate fireball followed by spreading flames as the remainder of the fuel is consumed. Other flammable liquids such as diesel fuel, methanol, turpentine, jet fuel, and isopropyl alcohol have been used in place of, or combined with petrol. Thickening agents such as solvents, foam polystyrene, baking soda, petroleum jelly, tar, strips of tire tubing, nitrocellulose, XPS foam, motor oil, rubber cement, detergent and dish soap have been added to help the burning liquid adhere to the target and create clouds of thick, choking smoke.

[asl3d]

26. Italian Satchel Charge

In World War II, Italian combat engineers used satchel charges to demolish heavy stationary targets such as rails, obstacles, blockhouses, bunkers, caves, and bridges. Likewise, they also used antipersonnel and anti-tank mines in all the scenarios where the Italian army fought.
The 200 gram demolition block "ACNA", was a demolition block produced by ACNA company. This company was founded in 1929. The acronym meant Aziende Chimiche Nazionali ed Associate. Before 1929 the plant was producing explosives, including TNT. The ACNA plants were in the North of Italy: Cengio, Cesano Maderno and Rho.
The Vaudagna B4, was the principal Italian antipersonnel mine, was a shrapnel mine which scatters scrap metal when detonated. Since the mine does not have the "jack-in-the-box" effect of the British and German types, it is generally fixed to a tree or a post. However, there have been instances in which B4's have been buried in the ground. The B4 is fired by trip wires or tension release.
The Vaudagna B2 was the principal Italian antitank mine, was a rectangular metal box, 3% feet by 5 inches by 5 inches, weighing 33 pounds and containing about 7 pounds of explosive. The box has an over-all cover attached by chains at each end. There are two inspection lids (with hinged flaps) in the cover. The charge is placed in both ends of the box, and the firing mechanism is in the middle. The striker is held clear of the cap by a wire. When the lid is pressed down, this wire is sheared by a knife edge on the underside of the lid.
The 500 gram box mine type "R" was a wooden mine that functions exactly the same as the German Shu-mine42. It carried a 200gram charge which was ignited by an Italian version of the ZZ42, but entirely made of metal. The mine is a "R" type ("R" is the official definition of Italian A.F.) fitted with a "R" pressure fuse. The fuze was equipped with a OTO detonator. The effective range was about 5 to 10 meters and the fuze needed a pressure of about 2 to 3 kg. The explosive charge was a block coded as 150 gr but the charge dimensions are the same than the 200 gr standard demolition charge. The weight of an operational mine (body, charge and fuze with detonator) is 450 gram. There was a version coded "Rm" and it could be set to be activated as a pull mine. Minor modifications allowed the fitting of a pull "Rm" fuze (a modified "R" fuze). If fitted with a "R" fuze it worked as a pressure mine. Size and weight are the same as the "R" mine. Both mines could be fitted with three shrapnel plates: one at each side of the charge (15 fragments each plate) and one in the front of the charge (9 fragments). There was also a training "R" version that was charged with a smoke cartridge instead of a TNT charge.

[asl3d]

27 Italian Mortaio da 45 “Brixia"

This weapon, the standard "assault and support" mortar of the Italian Army, was accepted for service in 1935 and first saw action in East Africa that same year. Its design embodied a number of unusual— and overly complex—features. Instead of being fired by simply dropping a round down the muzzle, a lever arm was pulled to open the top of the breech, and the projectile (a standard grenade with a finned attachment at the rear) was hand-loaded through the opening; the lever was then pushed to insert a firing cartridge (from a ten-round magazine) and close the breech. Firing was accomplished by squeezing a trigger. Range could be varied by the normal method of setting elevation, and also by an adjustable gas port which vented a portion of the propellant gas. In action the firer normally lay prone, with his chest on a padded frame cushion attached to the mortar's rear leg. For transport, the legs folded and the entire weapon was worn like a backpack, with the cushion easing the load on the bearer's back. The "Brixia" (its designer's name) was normally used in mortar squads of time weapons each. Three such squads formed a platoon, two of which were authorized in the SW company (compagnia armi di accompagnamento) of an infantry battalion. The battalion often assigned one or two of these squads to each of its rifle companies. In an Alpini battalion, each company usually contained an inherent Brixia squad instead. Bersaglieri, cavalry and Libyan units were not normally authorized 45mm mortars. Some divisional 81mm mortar battalions contained a company of three Brixia platoons in lieu of one 81mm company until such time as the latter could be provided. Frontline use of the Brixia declined as the war progressed, especially in North Africa where by 1942 it was no longer even authorized in first-line divisions. However, in late 1943 when the first Allied Italian units were being formed, each battalion was authorized 18 Brixias.

[asl3d]

28 Italian Mortaio da 81/14 Mortar

The Mortaio da 81/14 again traces its lineage to the French Brandt 81mm mortar, from which both the American and Soviet weapons devolved. First used in Ethiopia in 1936, the 81/14 was a close copy of the French Brandt 81mm mortar. It fired both light (7-lb) and heavy (15-lb) bombs, and had the longest range of any medium mortar used during the war. Its ammunition was interchangeable with that of U.S. and French 81mm mortars, and it could also fire German 81 mm rounds to just over 2000m. The 81mm MTR is perhaps the best weapon in the Italian arsenal of guns.
Blackshirt legions, and the infantry regiments in normal, motorized and "truckable" (autotrasportabile) infantry divisions were usually authorized one company of 81/14s each. However, 1942 "North-Africa Type" (Tipo AS) infantry regiments, as well as Alpini regiments, were authorized a company in each battalion instead. Cavalry, Libyan, parachute and Bersaglieri regiments normally contained no 81/14s (though in North Africa some of the latter actually did at one time or another). Both infantry and autotrasportabile divisions—except those designated Tipo AS—were also authorized a divisional mortar battalion of three companies. The "Pasubio" and "Torino" autotrasportabile divisions each had two such battalions in Russia. An 81mm mortar company comprised three platoons of two (some-times three, especially later in North Africa) mortars each. A number of Polish pre-war M28 81mm mortars were also supplied to the Italians.

[asl3d]

29. Cannone c.c. da 37/45 ATG

This was a license-built version of the German 3.7cm PaK 35/36. Apparently, it was not widely used, and little has come to light regarding its employment. (Indeed, even Italian documents rarely mention it.) Design of a horse-drawn, 3.7 cm anti-tank gun by Rheinmetall commenced in 1924 and the first guns were issued in 1928. By the early 1930s, it was apparent that horse-drawn artillery was obsolescent, and it was given pneumatic tires and suspension, which allowed it to be towed at highway speed. It formed the basis for many other nations' anti-tank guns during the first years of World War II. During the May 1940 Western Campaign, the Pak 36, being a relatively small-calibre weapon, was found to be inadequate against heavy Allied tanks like the British Mk II Matilda and the French Char B1 and Somua S35. Still, the gun was effective against the most common light tanks of the era, such as the French R35, whereas the Char B1 and Matildas represented but a small fraction of the total number of armoured vehicles during the Battle of France.
The Pak 36 were also passed off to the forces of Germany's allies fighting on the Eastern Front, such as the 3rd and 4th Romanian Army. The Pak 36 also served with the armies of Italy, Finland, Hungary, and Slovakia. North-African-type Bersaglieri truck borne and motorcycle companies were each authorized a platoon of two 37/45, and some (carried and usually fired en portee) were encountered by the British during the early fighting in Cyrenaica. Apparently, this use in North Africa was its only significant combat service—though in the 1930s two companies had been used by Italian troops in the Spanish Civil War.
The advantages of the Pak 36 were its relative ease of handling and mobility (it could be brought into action very rapidly by as few as two men since it weighed only 432 kg); good quality optics/aiming devices; ease of concealment due to its small size; and high rate of fire.