This is a picture of my father we found. It is either 1944 in Yugoslavia or immediately after the war. I would be very grateful for any information on the uniform and the rank badge. Grazie tanto.
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He's wearing the regular M42 cap along with a regular shirt in grigioverde(greygreen), the shorts could either be tropical ones or faded grigioverde ones. It looks like he's a sergente(sergeant), but I can't really make out the cap badge. Could be infantry, engineer or Bersaglieri, but I'm not sure.
Do you have a closeup?Last edited by wallonien; 10-14-2010, 04:10 PM. -
nice photo! close up of this photo but not clear visible"six italians, dressed in rather unusual diving suits and equipped with materials of laughably little cost have swung the military balance of power in the Mediterranean in favour of the Axis".Comment
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RE or RSI?
Thank you for your information. Can you tell if it is the regular army or RSI period? (My father said he built Luftwaffe airfields and roads in Yugoslavia)Comment
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Well if your father was involved with building LW airfields and roads in the Balkans this was probably post September 1943 armistice...
At this time the Germans were rounding up all the Italians (especially those stationed outside of Italy) and they all became POW's
and many were used for forced labor... (and working on OT projects)
So you can forget about RSI service...
I agree that he is a sergeant, appears to be wearing a civilion belt. Neat picture. Thanks for sharing!Comment
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Nick, I'm not so sure as a POW status or forced labor and quite a few Italians in OT. were volunteers and armed. He looks clean, well fed and happy.
Even outside of Italy some Italian units and idiividual soldiers opted to stay loyal to the Axis cause.
A few that come to mind are :
In Germany:
5 x “smoke cover” Bns in defence of the Baltic ports
92nd Blackshirt Bn at Vienna
In France:
militia Volunteers unit
Italian Security Bn AOK
6th Heavy Arty Bn
In Greece:
2nd Bn, Arty Rgt “Piemonte”
8th MG Bn
Elements of the 7th Infantry Rgt
24th Blackshirts Legion “Carroccio” (1 inf + 1 arty Bns)
In Croatia:
49th Blackshirts Legion “Marche”
In Montenegro:
72nd Blackshirts Legion (3rd + 72nd Bns)
86th Blackshirts Legion (86th + 94th Bns)
81st, 82nd, 40th, 49th, 33rd, 111st, 114th ind. Blackshirts Bns
In Russia:
834th Field Hospital
Others are listed in Nafzingers Order of Battle book which lists quite a few engineer companys not sure where though. Not to mention 50,000 Italians either volunteers or consripted from RSI units into the Luftwaffe Flak, signals, etcLast edited by Dennis S; 10-15-2010, 12:16 AM.Comment
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agree with Dennis not a POW
cheers
Raffaello"six italians, dressed in rather unusual diving suits and equipped with materials of laughably little cost have swung the military balance of power in the Mediterranean in favour of the Axis".Comment
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