BEF 13 Italian Group Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps 1939-1940

[Loïc]

Hello

where was located the AMPC's 13th Italian Group (Group 13? - «13 Group»?? - «n°13 Group»???) with the Italian companies 600 601 602

near Le Mans maybe?

which company was in the Maine at Mulsanne close to Le Mans then Dingé in northeastern Upper Britanny

The political situation does not not allow, despite the desire firmly expressed by some, to reconstitute a Garibaldian Legion. However, some Italians residing in France want to serve. This is the case of Cappabianca who first signed up as a designer at the Fordair-Matford factories, then, in February 1940, obtains a post of chief controller of a company of Italian volunteer workers in the service of the British Expeditionary Force, first in Mulsanne (Sarthe), then in Dingé (Ille-et-Vilaine)

Regards
Loïc

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Loic,

Interesting.

Mulsanne and Dinge seem to be outside the BEF theatre of operations in 1939-40. What were they doing for the BEF there?

The South of France had considerable numbers of anti-Fascist Italians. The problem was that the most militant of them were Communists. This would have made them difficult to integrate into Allied ranks even before the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and they were presumably paralysed after it.

Cheers,

Sid.

[Sid Guttridge]

Double post.

[Loïc]

hello Sid

the British Army had also LOC and logistic support troops in the rearguard far behind the Flanders until Britanny (Brest, Rennes, Saint Malo, Nantes, Saint Nazaire...) and Normandy (Rouen, Dieppe, Cherbourg, Fécamp, Caen, Le Havre...) there was even one such base in Marseille

and so even there right in the middle of Maine in Le Mans (at few km from Mulsanne) who had your HQ 2nd Lines Of Communication Sub-Area, and Rennes at 30 km from Dingé, the 1 Base Sub-Area

before becoming the Fronstalag 203 for French British and Polish POW's Mulsanne is described as a previous British Army camp used initially by Indian and where the Austro-German Prestataires labour companies have been raised by the n°7 Training Centre (then) Labour Personnel Centre for the formation of Italian and Prestataires companies 701 702 703 704 705 706

these last ones are the serie 700 German companies seen in an other thread
viewtopic.php?f=114&t=247561


Regards
Loïc