Italian Paratroop Missions

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Kurtis
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Italian Paratroop Missions

#1

Post by Kurtis » 19 Jun 2011, 01:42

Can anyone provide information on the Italian Paratroopers missions against Zante and Cephalonia in 1941. These I believe are the few times when the paras actually "jumped'. I did read that a mission was also used against Cyprus. Any information on this mission?

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Simperator
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#2

Post by Simperator » 19 Jun 2011, 12:31

Hi,

Here is something about Cephalonia:

http://htmlimg3.scribdassets.com/60wa9h ... ae/000.jpg

Regards,
Simon


madmike61
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#3

Post by madmike61 » 27 Aug 2011, 07:39

On 30 April of 1941 he was made ​​the first act of war, 72 soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Rgt., occupied by air-drops the Greek island of Kefalonia in the archipelago.
The day after two other groups of fellow soldiers occupied the islands of Zante and Ithaca.

The battalion was in charge of the operation, which moved to Lecce two of his companies, under the command of Major Zanninovich. On April 30, from Otranto, took off some sm-82: The launch took place in the plain of Argostoli and the action succeeded without a shot being fired. Soldiers disarmed the garrison, consisting of hundreds of Greek police, the next day paratroopers rates, with fishing vessels requirements, landed on the islands of Zakynthos Zante) and Ithaca, preventing the same from falling under German control.

A Slightly different version, but more or less the same. I really don't know if the parà landing on sea or on the ground, but I think is ininfluent. This was the first, and one of the last, combat jumps of the italian paratroopers in WWII.

gttf
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#4

Post by gttf » 27 Aug 2011, 15:33

Hello, the version given by madmike61 is that generally accepted for the event.
As far as Cyprus drop concerns, no info about it: I think it is a mistake, even if it is included in a very interesting list of operational drops which can be found on Internet.
As all the others Powers involved in WWII, also Italy used special forces, for sabotage and information duties, infiltrating small groups of intruders through parachute, coastal boats or submarines (I'm not dealing with X Flottiglia Mas missions, of course).
Limiting the topics to parachute drops of Special Forces (excluding drops in Africa and Middle East by parties of Italian secret Services, on which infos are very poor), the following missions were performed:
- five drops in Algeria, between January and april 1943, by small parties (10 men) of 10. Reggimento Arditi (Arditi were the italian equivalent of british commandos) aimed to the sabotage of airports, bridges, railways
- eleven drops (8 parties of ADRA Btn of the Regia Aeronautica + 3 of 10. Reggimento Arditi) simultaneously in the night 13-14 June 1943, aimed to attack airports in Algeria, Libia and Tunisia [almost unsuccessfull, except for an attack to Benina- Berka (libia) where, according to US documents, at least 2 B24 and 8 British Wellingtons were destroyed]
- nine drops (4 parties of ADRA Btn of the Regia Aeronautica + 5 of 10. Reggimento Arditi) in July 1943, on sicilian targets, behind the Allied lines after the invasion of the island

It has been recalled that the last operational drop of the WWII in Europe (or, at least, in Italy) was performed, on different targets of the Padana Plain (Northern Italy), by 210 Italian parachutists of Reggimento Nembo and 1st F Recce Squadron (Italian Unit attached to the 8th Army) dropped by 14 C47 of 64th Troop Carrier Group USAAF on the night on April, 20th, 1945 (operation Herring 1): the unit was organized as 1st Italian SAS, see book "The secret war in Italy. Operation Herring and No. 1 Italian SAS", Ian Allan Publishing, 2010, by W. Fowler.

Although not well documented, it has to be reminded that, according to an article published on the Italian monthly "Storia Militare", n. 51, december 1997, Italian and colonial Lybian parachutists of the Reggimento "Fanti dell'Aria", on december, 17th, 1940 were dropped on Gambut airport (Egypt) to destroy italian airplanes left behind without being sabotaged (and already seuzed by British forces) during Operation Compass: nevertheless, apart this reference (althiugh by a renowned air historian, Dr. Tullio Marcon) no other document has been published on the topic.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Fabrizio

madmike61
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#5

Post by madmike61 » 27 Aug 2011, 16:42

True, as Fabrizio says all the other war launches were of 'special forces' troops, the 'parachute infantry' was the normal employement of the Folgore and Nembo unit, as we saw at El Alamein.

Here you can find a map with the operations of the italian para units in WWII.

http://www.nembo.info/Paracadutismo/vic ... lliche.htm

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tigre
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#6

Post by tigre » 04 Feb 2017, 17:48

Hello to all :D; a little complement........................................................

Objective Kefalonia 1941.

Sources: http://www.prestia.it/paracadutisti/sto ... tisti.html
http://www.congedatifolgore.com/it/fest ... compagnia/

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
image014.png
Parachutists placing their parachutes before embarking on the SM 82 ........................................
image014.png (243.92 KiB) Viewed 4140 times
image013.png
The 2nd Battalion embarking for the operation on Kefalonia ......................................
image013.png (284.36 KiB) Viewed 4140 times
image037.jpg
One day after the jump, parts of the parachutists, seized some boats (above Major Zanninovich during the landing), and landed in Zante and Ithaca, avoiding those islands fell under German control ...............................................
image037.jpg (40.34 KiB) Viewed 4140 times

carlodinechi
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#7

Post by carlodinechi » 07 Feb 2017, 02:57

nine drops (4 parties of ADRA Btn of the Regia Aeronautica + 5 of 10. Reggimento Arditi) in July 1943, on sicilian targets, behind the Allied lines after the invasion of the island
Interesting thread. Does anybody know on what night this mission took place & what sector? Has this drop got to do with the Battle of Primasole Bridge?

The following has already posted elsewhere:
14 July - The British 1st Parachute Brigade in the form of 300 "Red Devils" captures Primasole Bridge, but the British are forced to retreat when Major Vito Marcianò's 2nd Battalion of the Italian 10th Arditi Paratroop Regiment arrives with machineguns and mortars and the Italian Paratroopers and Italian 29th Artillery Group (Battalion) fight all day long, allowing the 1st Fallschirmjäger Division to join the battle in strong numbers that spills over the next four days. That night, an Italian armoured car unit arrives and nearly overruns the Battalion Headquarters of the British 9th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry. Although Italian units continue to fight and die alongside the Fallschirmjägers, their role is practically ignored in the British books and documentaries of the battle.

gttf
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#8

Post by gttf » 26 Feb 2017, 16:29

Hello,
no connection to Battle of Primosole Bridge, if not because some of the teams airdropped behind the Allied lines were from 10. Reggimento Arditi (the II Battaglione of this unit fought at Primosole).
Four teams of 10. Arditi (COs Belletti - 111^ Cp Arditi Paracadutisti, Felici - 111^ Compagnia, Pizzianico - 101^ Cp, Apostol - 111^ Cp) were aidropped on the night of July, 21st, 1943 respectively in the areas of Lentini (Belletti + Felici), Gela (Pizzianico) and Licata (Pizzianico): for the latter two, the targets were a bridge (destroyed) and an airport. The fifth team (Bussoli - 101^ Cp) was airdropped on the night on 25th, near Catania, target an ammunition dump (destroyed). The Team Apostolo was kept five days later, after sabotaging of electrical and telephone lines (no raid on airport) and a short gunfight. The other teams were able to reach Axis side.
The number of ADRA teams is not known (2 to 4, maybe): they should be at least two, dropped on the night of 21st for sabotaging of telephone lines and destruction of some trucks and successfully esfiltrated.
A SAS (Servizi Aerei Speciali - the military airlift command of the Regia Aeronautica) history mentions at least four airdops of ADRA teams, on the nights of 17th, 21th, 26th- 29th of July, 1943, but it is not clear whether even the 10. Arditi airdps have been taken into account.
Hope this is of interest

Regards

Fabrizio

PS It has to be mentioned that teams of 10. Arditi, X Flottiglia Mas and Battaglione NP "San Marco" were engaged behind enemy lines in Sicily, through Landing from fast patrol boats and assault craft. But this is another story, on which the available infos are very scarce

Source
L.E. Longo "I reparti speciali italiani nella seconda guerra mondiale", Mursia,1991
M. Civoli "SAS 1940-1943", Gribaudo, 2000
Storia e battaglie, N. 34, 3/2004

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tigre
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#9

Post by tigre » 23 Mar 2017, 04:12

Hello to all :D; a little more........................................................

The railway bridge of Beni Mansour 1943.

Giovanni De Totto, Count, lawyer, poet, professor and councilor of the city of Rome, was born in Capodistria in 1913. He lived in that beautiful city a part of adolescence and adulthood. Volunteer in the war in Abyssinia as an artillery officer, at the outbreak of World War II, he took the arms again, going to fight on the Greco-Albanian front.

Enlisted in the parachutits was assigned to the Xº Regiment Arditi (parachutist), commanded by Colonel Renzo Gazzaniga. The HQ of the regiment was in Santa Severa, near Tarquinia and Civitavecchia, seats, respectively, of the Royal School of parachutists and Royal School of sappers. The regiment could only accept volunteer "for risky missions of war", with previous experience of combat, decorated for his courage, at least with the Military Cross. The actions were carried out by patrols composed of two officers, non-commissioned officers and arditis, for a total of 10 to 20 elements. De Totto was assigned to the 1st Battalion - company 101 - second patrol "Fede". He was entrusted with the mission to infiltrate in Algeria to destroy a railway bridge located approximately 5 km from the city of Beni Mansour. The patrol was parachuted on enemy territory on February 12, 1943 at 40 km from the target, which arrived by forced marches on the 15th. At 01:30 hours on the 16th, the bridge was destroyed. In the battle that followed, De Totto suffered the traumatic amputation of his right forearm. He was caught half bled. For this brave action he was awarded the silver medal for Military Valor with the following motivation: "Ardito parachutist with his patrol was assigned to sabotage a railway bridge, after having jumped from the plane, with firmness and skill, drove the Patrol in long and difficult marches to reach the target that he attacked with decisiveness leading to the conclusion of the sabotage action.Wounded for the first time, he did not give up the action; more severely injured by the amputation of the right forearm, induced to be abandoned to To reach the Italian lines.It was captured unconscious. "

Sources: http://miles.forumcommunity.net/?t=48626027
http://bascogrigioverde.blogspot.com.ar ... ta-la.html

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
image061.png
Arditi parachute patrol, under the command of Lieutenant De Totto, transported by a three-engine SIAI S.M. 82, which took off from Decimomannu in the afternoon of February 12, 1943. The planned target was the destruction of the Beni Mansour railway viaduct. Although it landed some 40 km from the goal, due to the strong winds, the men of De Totto managed to reach the bridge on the 15th, after exhausting the marches.........................
image061.png (365.63 KiB) Viewed 3857 times

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Urmel
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#10

Post by Urmel » 03 Apr 2017, 22:44

Not a drop but may still be of interest.

https://rommelsriposte.com/2011/02/22/1 ... rica-1941/
The enemy had superiority in numbers, his tanks were more heavily armoured, they had larger calibre guns with nearly twice the effective range of ours, and their telescopes were superior. 5 RTR 19/11/41

The CRUSADER Project - The Winter Battle 1941/42

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tigre
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#11

Post by tigre » 04 Apr 2017, 23:06

Interesting reading, thanks for sharing it :wink:. Cheers. Raúl M 8-).

Dili
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#12

Post by Dili » 05 Apr 2017, 00:32

I think the first Libyan para battalion was constituted by natives while the second was by settlers.

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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#13

Post by CogCalgary » 03 Jan 2023, 05:38

madmike61 wrote:
27 Aug 2011, 07:39
On 30 April of 1941 he was made ​​the first act of war, 72 soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Rgt., occupied by air-drops the Greek island of Kefalonia in the archipelago.
The day after two other groups of fellow soldiers occupied the islands of Zante and Ithaca.

The battalion was in charge of the operation, which moved to Lecce two of his companies, under the command of Major Zanninovich. On April 30, from Otranto, took off some sm-82: The launch took place in the plain of Argostoli and the action succeeded without a shot being fired. Soldiers disarmed the garrison, consisting of hundreds of Greek police, the next day paratroopers rates, with fishing vessels requirements, landed on the islands of Zakynthos Zante) and Ithaca, preventing the same from falling under German control.

A Slightly different version, but more or less the same. I really don't know if the parà landing on sea or on the ground, but I think is ininfluent. This was the first, and one of the last, combat jumps of the italian paratroopers in WWII.
One of these units landed in the sea,a little too deep.A number of them drowned.Some used their chutes to trap air for flotation.Some very interesting information and links in here.

CogCalgary
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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#14

Post by CogCalgary » 04 Jan 2023, 04:14

Appears that with supercharging 30,000 feet was possible with the SM82.Not much longevity though.

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Re: Italian Paratroop Missions

#15

Post by CogCalgary » 04 Jan 2023, 04:17

In Syria in 1941 the Germans were also flying very high.

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