hello all
looking for normal equipment layout of Italian artillery regiments, in particular that for an Alpine division and a standard infantry division any help would be useful
Equipment of Itlain artillery regiments
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Re: Equipment of Itlain artillery regiments
A standard binary infantry division artillery regiment is normally listed as having 12-105mm and 24-75mm guns (which could be substituted by Hungarian guns of similar size) plus 8-65mm close infantry support weapons.
Not all Italian infantry divisions were converted to binary divisions. Those would have had an extra 12-75mm guns and maybe an extra 4-65mm.
I have my doubts the binary divisions numbered 12-105mm (Though the non-binary divisions did.). My wargame tests consistently show 8-105mm guns and not 12. There originally would have been twelve but it would have been reduced to eight in order for the extra brigade created to form a new division to have their assigned four 105mm gun battery. For a binary (two brigade) division to have 12-105mm would mean it had two six gun batteries and there is no such thing as a 6 gun field battery. They are always four guns. If one uses three batteries of four guns (the correct number) then the third battery is not assigned to support either brigade and that's not how artillery works. Each Italian infantry battalion was assigned a four gun battery of 75mm (or 24 guns for 6 battalions) and each infantry regiment assigned a four gun battery of 105mm ( 8 guns for two regiments or 12 for three).
Italy did have enough 105mm guns to field 12 per division and actually doubled the number of 105's per division in North Africa in 1942.
Not all Italian infantry divisions were converted to binary divisions. Those would have had an extra 12-75mm guns and maybe an extra 4-65mm.
I have my doubts the binary divisions numbered 12-105mm (Though the non-binary divisions did.). My wargame tests consistently show 8-105mm guns and not 12. There originally would have been twelve but it would have been reduced to eight in order for the extra brigade created to form a new division to have their assigned four 105mm gun battery. For a binary (two brigade) division to have 12-105mm would mean it had two six gun batteries and there is no such thing as a 6 gun field battery. They are always four guns. If one uses three batteries of four guns (the correct number) then the third battery is not assigned to support either brigade and that's not how artillery works. Each Italian infantry battalion was assigned a four gun battery of 75mm (or 24 guns for 6 battalions) and each infantry regiment assigned a four gun battery of 105mm ( 8 guns for two regiments or 12 for three).
Italy did have enough 105mm guns to field 12 per division and actually doubled the number of 105's per division in North Africa in 1942.
Re: Equipment of Itlain artillery regiments
The Alpine divisions had the equivalent of 24-75mm guns.
This site shows the 105mm battalions numbered 8 guns (two batteries of 4 guns). It shows a North African division having two such battalions in March/April 1941:
http://www.fireandfury.com/orbats/desso ... talian.pdf
This site shows the 105mm battalions numbered 8 guns (two batteries of 4 guns). It shows a North African division having two such battalions in March/April 1941:
http://www.fireandfury.com/orbats/desso ... talian.pdf