Paolo Morisi - The Italian Folgore Parachute Division: Operations in North Africa 1940-43

The North African campaign was one of the hardest-fought episodes of World War Two, yet the vital part played by the Italian Army and in particular, its Folgore Parachute Division on behalf of the Axis Alliance is frequently overlooked.

Initially created to emulate the German Fallschirmjger (in order to carry out the planned airborne attack against the British base of Malta), Folgore Airborne Division fought on the battlefields of North Africa including the key Battle of El Alamein. This elite unit distinguished itself at El Alamein, despite inadequate equipment and weapons, while facing unfavorable odds.

This book describes a paratroop unit that earned the respect of its Allied opponents during some of the hardest-fought engagements of North Africa. The key theme of the book is the paratroopers involvement in the Axis war effort, through an analysis of their training, weaponry and battle tactics; another key focus is an assessment of the Folgores specific role during the major battles of the North African campaign. It covers in detail, for example, the Folgores first fierce military engagement against British and New Zealand troops during the Battle of Alam El Halfa in September 1942. It then details a number of smaller actions that preceded the Battle of El Alamein, such as the counter-attack during the British Operation Beresford, which led to the capture of Brigadier General G.H. Clifton commander of the New Zealand 6th Brigade by a patrol of Folgore soldiers.

The focus then shifts upon the Folgores major engagement of the campaign during the Battle of El Alamein: Operation Lightfoot, which was launched by General Montgomery on 24 October 1942: it was designed to break through the Italian-held southern sector of the El Alamein line, where the Bologna , Brescia , Pavia and Folgore Divisions anchored the Axis right flank. While describing key events during this operation, the book also highlights how the Folgore used unusual tactics to repulse the massive enemy-armored attack: this included letting the enemy advance into a cul-de-sac and then launching a counter-attack against its armored vehicles and infantry units from all sides, and also by a combination of fire from 47mm anti-tank guns, mortars, hand grenades and other incendiary devices.

This book describes the desperate retreat in the desert of the Italian units as a result of the collapse of Axis military defenses in November 1942; finally, it highlights the role of the paratroopers during the last battles in Tunisia especially those in defense of the Mareth line and Takrouna in the spring of 1943.

Illustrated with rare archival photographs and detailed maps, this volume offers a fascinating insight into a little-studied aspect of Axis forces. The volume draws heavily upon both Axis and Allied (Britain and New Zealand) archival sources, such as the war diaries and the post-battle reports of the military units engaged in North Africa; it thus sheds new light on one of the most important campaigns of World War Two. By drawing from archival sources from both sides, it also furnishes a more complete and balanced perspective on a critical juncture in the war, such as the Battle of El Alamein.

Since the early 1990s, Paolo Morisi has dedicated himself to academic and military studies research, and has published books, articles and book reviews on European and military history.

He has published several articles and reviews in peer-reviewed academic journals such as Modern Italy , Political Studies Review , Michigan War Studies Review , Telos and the Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans . He has also received an award for his latest book publication, which traces the history of Italian crack mountain stormtroopers of World War One: Fiamme Verdi (Bassano del Grappa, Itinera Progetti Editore, 2012).

He is currently working on a comparative analysis of the Austro-Hungarian Sturmtruppen and the Italian Arditi during World War One for Helion & Company.

He holds a Bachelors degree in History/Politics from the University of Bologna, Italy and a Master of Arts degree in Political Studies from Columbia University in New York City.

Operations in North Africa 1940-43

Paolo Morisi

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Published by Helion & Company 2016

Designed and typeset by Mach 3 Solutions Ltd ( www.mach3solutions.co.uk )

Cover designed by Paul Hewitt, Battlefield Design ( www.battlefield-design.co.uk )

Text Paolo Morisi 2016

Images as individually credited

Maps drawn by George Anderson Helion & Company 2016

Every reasonable effort has been made to trace copyright holders and to obtain their permission for the use of copyright material. The author and publisher apologize for any errors or omissions in this work, and would be grateful if notified of any corrections that should be incorporated in future reprints or editions of this book.

ISBN 978-1-911096-24-5

eISBN 978-1-912866-99-1

Mobi ISBN 978-1-912866-99-1

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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Parachute unit training in Tarquinia, spring 1942. (Ufficio Storico official archive, Italian military, Rome)

Mussolini tours Tarquinia Airfield. (Ufficio Storico official archive, Italian military, Rome)

Italian parachute training; initial paratroop training took place on the special tower that had been built at Tarquinia. Once the soldier had familiarized himself with jumping from the tower, he graduated to jump from a plane. (Ufficio Storico official archive, Italian military, Rome)

Italian parachute training; the initial parachute that was used by the Italian paratroopers was not reliable. Its main defect (i.e. not opening properly) caused several deaths during the first year of training. (Ufficio Storico official archive, Italian military, Rome)

Parachute unit rifle training in Tarquinia, spring 1942. The basic unit of the Folgore was the platoon (comprised of one NCO and eight soldiers), which was the carrying capacity of the Savoia Marchetti SM81. (Ufficio Storico official archive, Italian military, Rome)

A group photo of Folgore soldiers in Puglia during the summer of 1942; note the camouflage uniform and the kneepads that were used specifically by the paratroopers during jump training. (Gino Compagnoni)

Italian parachute training; practice jumps were made during training, as well as during the final test, before the soldiers were awarded their paratroop license. (Ufficio Storico official archive, Italian military, Rome)

Parachute training; the jump smock, the gear and the parachute were inspired by German Fallschirmjger uniforms and models. (Ufficio Storico official archive, Italian military, Rome)