italian collars

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To continue in the Culquaber's speech, I have the clear impression that Moyse-Bartlett has also included in the Italian forces the twin stronghold of Fercaber, manned by the 14th Blackshirts battalion (five companies with a total of 600 men), led by Seniore (Major) Lasagni. Consequently, the overall strength counted 1580 Italian officers and troops, of which KIA 513 and WIA 404, and 1200 zaptiè and askaris, of which KIA 490 and WIA 400; therefore the real unhurt prisoners were only slightly more than 800. It is also known that Fercaber's stronghold also fought strenuously and fell almost simultaneously with Culquaber. The fight was strenuous, as evidenced by the motivation of the gold medal to the MVSN squad leader Vincenzo Vitale: "In the extreme defense of an important stronghold, engaged with his soldiers against overwhelming opposing forces, injured for the first time, he rejected any help, refusing to leave the frontline. He remained at the machine gun, mowing the enemies who were approaching to a short distance. Hit a second time mortally, he tried to hide his serious conditions to his comrades by inciting them to fight. He finally fell on his machine gun, after addressing to his soldiers the last desperate invocation to persevere in the struggle".

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Wolves of Tuscany

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And now a long jump. Yesterday I discovered another humble but great hero. Giuseppe Di Odoardo, born in Giulianova in 1915 (an orphan from Abruzzo who then moved to be a glassmaker in Venice) was assigned to the 55th Marche Infantry Regiment, 2nd Chemical Battalion, Flamethrower Company at the outbreak of the conflict. In April 1941 he was transferred with his unit in Yugoslavia, where he took part in military operations and, subsequently, in the control of the territory occupied by Italian forces. Promoted to the rank of Corporal, in August 1942 his unit was attacked by a formation of partisans. Overwhelmed, he was the only one to be caught alive: taken prisoner, he was wildly tortured and beaten, until he was finished with a bayonet shot. Gold Medal for Military Valor "Flamethrower corporal, clashed together with two comrades with a strong rebel unit and decidedly attacked him; His comrades having died, he did not desist from the action. Having run out of ammunition after strenuous hand-to-hand combat, he was overwhelmed and captured. Asked about the situation of our forces, he energetically refused to speak; tied to a tree and beaten to blood, he offered new refusal. Martyred with strokes of a knife, he did not desist from his heroic demeanor but shouted in the face of his murderers, who cowardly ended him with a bayonet blow to the heart, his faith and his pride to be an Italian soldier. Superb example of attachment to military duty and honor. Pranik Tisovac, Balkan, 12 August 1942 ". Since his remains were found (which was quite unusual), this means that during the subsequent raids there was someone very skilled in interviewing the red torturers ...

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Bergamo Infantry, Artillery and Engineers and 1943 OoB:

25th Infantry Regiment
26th Infantry Regiment
89th Blackshirts Legion
4th Field Artillery Regiment "Carnaro"
15th mortars battalion (81 mm)
36th Engineers company
31st photoelectric section
15th radiotelegraph mixed company

The division was reinforced by;
19th medical section
9th Royal Carabineers battalion
4th Bersaglieri Regiment
18th Coastal Brigade with 149th Coastal Regiment, 156th Static Regiment, 157th Static Regiment
106th MG battalion
A light tank squadron
211th, 228th and 229th mobile battalions
5th and 10th garrison battalions
324th alpine garrison company
103rd battalion of the 6th Artillery regiment
5th Engineers' mining battalion

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Warrant Officer 3rd class of the Airforce (Republic of Italy)

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Border Guard Infantry

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Heavy Artillery

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State Police (Republic of Italy)

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Infantry (Trieste)

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Pre-WW2 Apine Artillery Liutenant

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With regards to no. 1551 badge, this is the OoB of the XXVIII Border Guard Sector of Zuara (Lybia) at the WW2 outbreak:

Three sub-sectors in Sidi Milad, Regdalin and Sidi Abd es Samad
Sectorial Artillery Group with four battalions (on three batteries each = 48 pieces)
A mixed Engineers’ unit
A depot in Zuara

I enclose a nice pre-war postcard also

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With regards to the third badge no. 1522 , this is the OoB of the XXVI Border Guard Sector of Villa del Nevoso (currently Ilirska Bistrica in Slovenia) at the WW2 outbreak:

Subsectors: XXVI/a in Villa del Nevoso; XXVI/b in Clana; XXVI/c in Mucici
Sectorial Artillery: 67^th Battalion; 317^th and 318^th Btrs. (100/17 mm); 620^th Fortress Btr. (75/27 mm)
26th Engineers’ mixed unit
113^th MG Fortress Battalion
26^ Transport Section and Sectorial Depot in Villa del Nevoso

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A nice Border Guard Infantry badge and the OoB of the V Sector of Taggia (on the Liguria western border with France) at the outbreak of WW2:
Sub-sectors: V/a in Pigna; V/b in Molini di Triora
Sectorial Artillery: 73rd Battalion; 334th and 64th Fortress Btrs. (75/27); 57^th Btr. (100/17)
30^th Battalion; 64^th and 334^th Btrs. (75/27); 67th Btr. (100/17 mm)
5^th Engineers’ mixed unit
539th and 540th MG compagnie
5^th Transport Section and Sectorial Depot

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Finance Guard

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Well, let’s go with the Border Guard OoBs at the out break of WW2

1^st Sector of Bordighera
Sub-sectors: I/a in Ventimiglia; I/B in Dolceacqua
Sectorial Artillery: 48th Battalion; 601st and 602nd Fortress btrs., 30^th btr. (75/27 mm); 519^th btr. (100/14 mm) – 31^st Battalion; 95^th btr. (75/27 mm); 202nd and 203rd btrs. (105/28 mm)
1st Engineers’ mixed unit
111th and 108^th MG battalions with twelve companies
1^st Transport Section, Depot and 5^th Border Armoured company