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Italian Soldiers of WWII – an Army of cowards?

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Posted by Massimo_Stefani on 14 January 2009 - 11:16 PM

Posting an essay I submitted in the UK as project work for an Advanced Italian Language Course from which I attained the top grade....

Italian Soldiers of WWII – an Army of cowards?

“I offer these pages,
through my mother’s hands,
to the Madonna of my people, the Madonna of the Wood.

May they be above all a prayer
for those who shared those days with me,
who fought and suffered with me, and in the end remained lifeless
on the interminable roads of the steppe”
Eugenio Corti from “I più non ritornano” – Artillery Officer, Pasubio Divison, 35th Italian Army Corps of the Italian 8th Army in Russia 1942-43.
"One pistol shot and 46,000 people start running. Yes, it's the Italian army."
An advert by Shepherd Neame English brewer typifies the mentality of the media outside of Italy which is common stereotyping of Italians as a nation of cowards stemming primarily from British propaganda in WWII. This assignment aims to disprove this myth of Italian cowardice.

At the outbreak of WWII Italy was ill prepared for battle against more modern adversaries. Italy had zero oil production, no aircraft carriers, tanks with fragile armour, artillery mainly of WW1 vintage, a navy which could not target shipping at night (no radar), and inferior aircraft.

Mussolini had a vision of reforming the glories of the Roman Empire by regaining the territory surrounding the Mediterranean “mare nostro”. From the outset of Italy’s intervention in WWII – Italian leadership demonstrated incompetence - 35% of Italian merchant shipping was impounded in hostile shorelines. Italy’s main cities were also immediately bombed. Italy bombed British outposts in the Mediterranean especially Malta. Axis supply lines to Africa were continually hampered by British forces based at Malta denying Italo-German troops vital supplies. Hitler persuaded Mussolini to postpone the invasion of Malta (operation Hercules) until victory was achieved in North Africa.

The Italian soldier is sadly the forgotten soldier of WWII which was the most oppressive period of Italian history. At El Alamein 30,000 Italians surrendered to a numerically superior British force but it is important to note the battle casualties sustained : 25,000 Italo-German and 13,000 British dead or wounded. Such casualties proved that Italians did not surrender early in battle. The Folgore, Brescia and Pavia divisions were annihilated as they defended and shed blood heroically for 2 weeks. The uneasy relationship with the Germans was highlighted at El Alamein as they abandoned the Italians, having taken all available transport to retreat. After defeat at El Alamein all territory gained in Africa under Mussolini prior to and during WWII was lost.

Italian units demonstrated their fighting ability in the Russian campaign. History's last successful cavalry charge was by the cream of Italy - the Savoy Cavalry regiment. 600 Savoia sabre charged 2,000 Russians defending with machine guns and artillery at Isbuscenskij on 24/08/1942.
“..and finally at the gallop, shouting the regimental battle-cry, `Savoia!' They did not shout `Duce!' Their loyalty was to their king, the head of the house of Savoy…The Savoia took 500 Russians prisoner. The rest had fled. It had lost 29 men dead and three officers - the Russians 150. It was showered with honours - 54 silver medals (the second highest award in Italy for valour) and two gold medals (the highest). `You were magnificent. We no longer know how to do these things,' a senior German officer told Count Bettoni after the battle.”
Nicholas Farell – The Spectator 31 Oct 1998.

The Italian elite Alpini mountain troops saved themselves plus many German divisions from destruction and capture during the Soviet offensive of 1942.
“In the pocket in which the Alpini found themselves encircled, they proved to be superior troops to any others, the Germans included. Unlike ours, their retreat was not simply a terrible combination of horror and suffering: it was also a succession of consistent, inexpressible acts of heroism.”

Eugenio Corti.

// This link leads to a a more recent post which I have submitted detailing a fuller account of the last days of the Alpini on the Don with text both in Italian and English Language....

https://comandosupremo.com/forums/i...ast-days-of-4th-alpine-cuneense-div-1943.328/

Holding territory or inflicting death/destruction on the enemy is not the true mark of heroism in war. Survival against all odds shows the real character of a heroic soldier. The Italian 8th Army trapped in the Russian encirclement of the Don who managed to avoid death or capture by breaking free all proved themselves to be heroes of the highest level.

The brave men of the 8th Army marched on foot without winter clothing and boots in the dead of winter. Night and day thousands died not only from Russian bombs, rockets, and bullets but also from the terrible cold. Starving and without ammunition the last great display of Italian heroism “to die fighting” was shown at the village of Arbuzov where the remnants of the 35th corps mounted bayonet attacks to overcome fortified Russian positions. After Arbuzov “the valley of death” the Italians left in their wake a trail of frozen corpses and abandoned equipment. Only the fittest and luckiest survived what became a 28 day ordeal out of the encirclement of the Don.

“Mussolini had no sense for the realities of his own country and the situation of his soldiers. They fought hard under difficult conditions with wretched equipment, impossible supply lines reaching all the way back to Italy, and no goal even remotely visible as they quickly lost their initial enthusiasm. The eagerness with which Mussolini squandered the lives of his soldiers only contributed to the weakening of the Fascist regime at home”
Gerhard Weinberg’s comments on the tragedy of the Italian 8th Army in his book “A world at Arms.”

Towards the end of WWII, when Italy surrendered to the Allies, many Italians ended up fighting the Nazis or each other (fascists v non fascists/partisans). Cowardice and surrender by both Italian soldiers and partisans was certainly not an option as a battle for political ideology was being fought for the future of Italy. Many reprisal atrocities were carried out by the Nazis, the worst being the murder of 560 civilians in the Tuscan town of Sant'Anna di Stazzema. Prisoners were often immediately executed without trial by both sides, including Mussolini himself when he was captured by partisans near the Italian border as he tried to seek refuge in Switzerland shortly before Germany surrendered to the Allies. Italy became an official republic on 2 June 1946 but the battle between right and left wing political ideology in Italy has never been resolved.

In conclusion there is much evidence to support the bravery of Italian Soldiers in WWII and no proper justification to portray them as cowards. It is insulting to the Italian soldiers who fought bravely and more so to the many thousands of them who died in battle. In recent conflicts the Italian soldier now has an excellent reputation where hearts and minds have been won over.

BIGLIOGRAPHY

Books

Mai Tardi (Diario di un alpino in Russia) - Revelli Nuto
http://www.internetb...c=BPJPDA0YMW2HR

I più non ritornano - Few Returned: Eugenio Corti. English Version translated by Peter Edward Levy.
http://www.amazon.co...5212412?ie=UTF8

A world at Arms – Gerhard Weinberg
http://www.amazon.co...r/dp/0521618266

DVD Documentary
La Guerra degli italiani 1940 – 1945
http://mondohe.com/c...ctid=1698&cat=7

Films
El Alamein – La Linea del Fuoco. Winner of 3 Italian film Academy awards.
http://www.mymovies....ne.asp?id=34222

Carica Eroica
Savoy Cavalry regiment heroic charge of Russian machine gun positions at Isbuscenskij
http://www.bol.it/video/scheda/ea801419190050.html;jsessionid=D66D94ED98B0D67329C3B368ADDF10F4

Mussolini the untold story
Reference from this film was made on the motivations of Mussolini and his eventual downfall.
http://www.play.com/...ry/Product.html

Websites

English Brewer - Shepherd Neame - Italian surrender advertising slogans :
http://www.morningad...articleid=17598

The Italian breakout from the Soviet Don encirclement :
http://en.wikipedia....nion,_1941-1943

Savoy Cavalry Charge – historical update from The Spectator 31 Oct 1998
http://www.findartic...810/ai_n8817479

Court case on SS atrocity of Sant'Anna di Stazzema
http://news.bbc.co.u...ope/4121510.stm

Reputation of Italian soldiers in recent conflicts :
http://news.bbc.co.u...ast/5275938.stm
 
Last edited:

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Posted by Oasis on 15 January 2009 - 03:16 PM

"Many reprisal atrocities were carried out by the Nazis, the worst being the murder of 560 civilians in the Tuscan town of Sant'Anna di Stazzema."

We cannot forget that many of these atrocities were leaded and/or executed also by fascists (GNR, BBNN, RSI, SS) against civilians (not partisans).
That's why usually speaking about such atrocities is often employed the term "nazifascist".
See also (in italian):
http://www.stm.unipi.../episodiita.php

Best regards

Toni

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Posted by Massimo_Stefani on 15 January 2009 - 03:31 PM

Yes agree with you. I was limited to 750 words for the assignment and would have liked to have expanded sections mentioned in more detail.

Saluti

Massimo

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Posted by Lupo Solitario on 16 January 2009 - 06:13 PM

Anyway, the worst one was Marzabotto, not Sant'Anna

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Posted by Massimo_Stefani on 16 January 2009 - 11:01 PM

Thanks for the advice and I stand corrected - on checking up on what happend at Marzabotto and the surrounding villages in 1941 the numbers murdered by the SS indeed exceed Sant' Anna which is close to where my Italian relatives reside in Barga Garfagnana Toscana Italia hance I've heard more stories about that even well before James McBride's book and Spike Lee's film which hasn't even been given general release in the UK.

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Posted by Toledo on 17 January 2009 - 11:05 AM

A well written, argued and interesting defense of the Italian Soldier.

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Posted by Oasis on 18 January 2009 - 04:53 PM

Thanks for the advice and I stand corrected - on checking up on what happend at Marzabotto and the surrounding villages in 1941 the numbers murdered by the SS indeed exceed Sant' Anna which is close to where my Italian relatives reside in Barga Garfagnana Toscana Italia hance I've heard more stories about that even well before James McBride's book and Spike Lee's film which hasn't even been given general release in the UK.

Massimo,
the mentioned massacres occurred in 1944:
- aug. 12: S. Anna di Stazzema and some surrounding villages, murdered by SS and italian/SS 653 old people, women and children;
- sept. 29- oct. 10: Marzabotto, murdered by SS and italian/SS 955 old people, women and children.
Best regards

Toni
 

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Posted by R. Evans on 31 January 2011 - 07:20 PM

A well written, argued and interesting defence of the Italian Soldier.
I agree 100%. Nice job!

I've had that argument before about the Italians in WW2, not to mention WW1. They were not cowards. Poorly armed, badly trained, indifferently led, ill-treated by their allies, and unmotivated to fight what the common soldier regarded as someone else's war is more correct. Combine these and any army is going to get bad press. What gets forgotten is how many Italian soldiers fought hard long after their position was hopeless.

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Posted by fredleander on 02 August 2011 - 11:14 AM

General Rommel at times extended much praise to the Italian soldiers.

Fred


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Posted by bushmaster on 23 August 2011 - 08:33 PM

I've never understood why the Italian military of WWII has faced such scorn. Granted, some of their equipment, particularly AFV's wasn't up to the standards of many of their contemporaries. Likewise, their upper leadership didn't exactly shine as a general rule. Yet, when properly led and equipped, the Italian soldiers, airmen, and sailors were a formidable opponent. Italy led the world in naval special operations and put up a credible fight at sea against the Royal Navy. As has been noted, Rommel spoke well of Italian troops (although not so well of their leadership). Unlike most of the other major combatants, Italian troops didn't face a "natural" enemy in the war and had little motivation to die, yet they did when called upon to dos so.

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Posted by tiber on 14 October 2011 - 10:00 AM

Many acts of heroism were attributed to the Bologna Division in North Africa and, while the generally accepted view of the Italian soldiers was created by the British as part of their propaganda war, their enemies, soldiers and officers on the field had very different views.
The Bologna Division: 19 November – 10 December 1941 By David Aldea & Joseph Peluso, Comando Supremo: Italy at War.

One Opinion of the Italian Soldier "Italian soldiers are neither better nor worse than the soldiers of any other nation. All men are by nature fond of the family, of life and peace. To enjoy war is surely degenerate; it appeals more to the single, adventure-seeking man than to the father of a family. Yet in the life of a nation the father, as head of the smallest unit, is more important than the adventurous youth, who in war is the first to be sacrificed. This fact was even more significant to the Italian, who lives so much within the family, than to the German. If the father of a large and young family is killed in action, the only result is bitterness and woe.


"Before the days of Mussolini, Italy was not averse to war. How otherwise could it have successfully borne the heavy and protracted battles of the Isonzo during the First World War? Piedmont is the cradle of Italy’s military prowess. With the exception of Prussia, no dynasty was ever as militant as the House of Savoy. It was the campaigns of the Piedmontese battalions that unified Italy, thereby fulfilling the dreams of many generations. Everywhere the memorials bore witness to this fact.


"At Turin and in that neighborhood were a number of military schools. The Piedmontese nobility, like the Prussian one, put service in the army on a higher plane than any other service to the state. The discipline was good. In Piedmont there were also many alpine units, the best that the Italian Army could produce: proud, quiet, outwardly not very disciplined troops, but reliable types, brought up the heard way, accustomed to camping in the eternal snows with only the barest supplies. They were magnificent soldiers, to whose pride and modesty I paid tribute whenever I happened to encounter an Alpino. The Navy, too, was good, though I had few contacts with it."

Quoted from book "Neither Hope nor Fear" by General Frido von Senger und Etterlin, the defender of Cassino and the German commander of the XIV Panzer Corps.

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Posted by Alfred Robinson on 28 November 2012 - 04:43 AM

The reason why the Italians fought so half heartedly in World War Two was because of the traditional rivalry between the Italians and Germans, in particular the Austrian Germans, which had existed since the Middle Ages. Italy in the Middle Ages had been a part of the German dominated Holy Roman Empire, and the various medieval Italian city states had often taken the side of the Popes against the emperors. The Austrian German Habsburgs as holy Roman Emperors ruled much of northern Italy until the 1860's, when their rule was overthrown by the Italians with the help of the French and the Prussians. The Popes in the 1860's ruled central Italy and the Spanish Bourbons had control over southern Italy until 1860. During World War One, the Italians fought on the Allied side against the Habsburg Austrians, who were allied to the Hohenzollern Germans. At the end of the war in 1918, the Italian region of South Tyrol was annexed to Italy, which had a large Austrian German minority. Mussolini was at first opposed to Hitler's efforts to annex Austria to Germany, and in 1934 the Italians sent military forces up to the Brenner pass located on their border with Austria to deter a threatened German takeover. In 1938, however, the Italian fascist regime acquiesced in the Nazi German annexation of Austria since Mussolini had received diplomatic, economic, and military support from Hitler in the Italian intervention in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) on behalf of Francisco Franco, and in the Italian conquest of Ethiopia in 1935-1936. Many Italians however resented Italy becoming a German satellite, in view of the old Italian-German historical rivalry. In addition, Mussolini coped poorly with the economic Great Depresion of the 1930's, unlike the economic miracle of Nazi Germany in the 1930's, which meant that many Italians had become disenchanted with Mussolini's government. When Italy declared war on Germany in 1943, the Germans rushed in troops into northern Italy and annexed the South Tyrol province until 1945, and it was in this period that resistance to German forces on Italian soil came from the Partisans, assisted by the slowly advancing Allied forces in southern and central Italy.

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Posted by fredleander on 29 November 2012 - 02:52 PM

The reason why the Italians fought so half heartedly in World War Two was because ,,,,


Did they fight half-heartedly....?...Have you not fallen into that oh-so-obvious trap, the post-war British propaganda....? Italians, Italy, Mussolini, had its own agenda irrespective of Hitler. When one reads Ciano's diaries it is rather difficult to understand that they could be Allies at all. But they were, because both parties hoped to benefit from it.


Chris Dunning, in his book Courage Alone, writes:


"Essentially, Italian front-line airmen an groundcrew of the Second World War were no different from the young men of other nations. They suffered from the same inadequacies (possibly more so) in the systems meant to support them, learned to make do in most situations, fought, lived and died - but in so doing shared the comradeship only those involved can truly understand".


I believe the same can be said about Italian army and naval personnel. BTW, I recommend Chris Dunning's book.

Looking at the WW2 history, from my point of view, few fought with less heart than the British Army. They did so in Norway, France, Greece and Malaysia. For a long period the British misfortunes were greater than the Italians'. But, it's the British that have written the history. Winners always do.

I am not sure if you have ever served. If you had you would know that more than history, leadership, economy and intricate analysises of these, what make military units fight with a "full heart" is the comrade beside you, the team, the platoon, the squadron, your shipmates. Italy's destiny in WW2 did not result ouf of their soldiers fighting more half-heartedly than the soldiers of other nations. What was half-hearted with Italy was its lack of industrial capacity. Which is why they should have kept out of it altogether. Just my opinion.

Fred
 

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Posted by Alfred Robinson on 20 December 2012 - 06:53 AM

Did they fight half-heartedly....?...Have you not fallen into that oh-so-obvious trap, the post-war British propaganda....? Italians, Italy, Mussolini, had its own agenda irrespective of Hitler. When one reads Ciano's diaries it is rather difficult to understand that they could be Allies at all. But they were, because both parties hoped to benefit from it.


Chris Dunning, in his book Courage Alone, writes:


"Essentially, Italian front-line airmen an groundcrew of the Second World War were no different from the young men of other nations. They suffered from the same inadequacies (possibly more so) in the systems meant to support them, learned to make do in most situations, fought, lived and died - but in so doing shared the comradeship only those involved can truly understand".


I believe the same can be said about Italian army and naval personnel. BTW, I recommend Chris Dunning's book.

Looking at the WW2 history, from my point of view, few fought with less heart than the British Army. They did so in Norway, France, Greece and Malaysia. For a long period the British misfortunes were greater than the Italians'. But, it's the British that have written the history. Winners always do.

I am not sure if you have ever served. If you had you would know that more than history, leadership, economy and intricate analysises of these, what make military units fight with a "full heart" is the comrade beside you, the team, the platoon, the squadron, your shipmates. Italy's destiny in WW2 did not result out of their soldiers fighting more half-heartedly than the soldiers of other nations. What was half-hearted with Italy was its lack of industrial capacity. Which is why they should have kept out of it altogether. Just my opinion.

Fred

Japan when compared with the U.S.A. had a weaker industrial base, and many of its weapons in World War Two were of World War One design. On the whole, the U.S. military technology in the Second World War was way ahead of that of the Japanese, and yet they fought with great fanatical courage against often hopeless odds. Unlike Italy, the Japanese had the strict samurai chivalric code of bushido and emperor worship or state shinto to motivate them, as well as the tradition of the martial arts of judo, jujitsu, kendo and jukendo which stressed mind over matter. The martial art of judo was made a compulsory subject in Japanese schools in 1911, temporarily suspended from 1945-1951, and the martial arts still figure prominently in the Japanese Self Defence foces to this day. Off all the European armies, it was only the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany which came close to the fanaticism of the World War Two Japanese soldier in their worship of Hitler as one sent by divine providence to battle atheistic communism and the Jews, the latter seen by the Nazis as Christ deniers and betrayers, communists, and usurers. The Waffen-SS also practised the martial arts of boxing, wrestling, and judo in their training.

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Posted by fredleander on 08 January 2013 - 02:14 PM

This discussion on Armchairgeneral.com might be of interest to some members
here: http://www.armchairg...?t=96991&page=2


Fred

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Posted by Liberati on 20 February 2013 - 07:42 PM

This is a really interesting discussion. As previously mentioned, there was a variety of challenges that prevented Italian soldiers from fighting effectively in many cases. I think one of the major reasons was that they were just poorly led. My understanding is that Mussolini gradually weeded out effective commanders (who happened to disagree with him, his policies, etc.) with Fascist party cronies who were not qualified for the positions. I also believe that the typical Italian soldier did not think it was his war to fight (at least in their alliance with the Germans). A very difficult situation, indeed.

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Posted by SiPinto on 16 September 2013 - 10:33 AM

As always in these cases, people resort to sweeping generalisations, which are all too readily adopted as the whole truth by those of weak mind or too lazy to discover the truth. Born out of appallingly one sided and unresearched 1950's and 60's history programmes and books. Nothing more than McCarthy'ist and McMillan'ised propaganda.

There are cowards in every army, heroes too, villains and martyrs. To accuse the Italians of wholesale cowardice is to accuse the Australians of deserting their posts during the Darwin raids. Lazy statements, devoid of truth.

To recant individual acts of heroism by Italian soldiers here is to do their research for them...a far more simple reply to such nonsense is to tell them to 'go read a book'....reading maketh a full man...as Bacon said.

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Posted by Kris on 17 September 2013 - 05:54 AM

I was unaware that this came from 50s and 60s. I am actually looking for publications or other post-war reports, which adapt these ridiculous myths. Would you be able to point me toward one or two?

My impression is that this reputation came from the time itself. The British were deliberately launching this propaganda to boost moral at home and to increase German contempt over their allies. Also, British intelligence spread the rumor that it received information through Italian generals, working for the British. The Germans picked this up immediately, leading Hitler and Goebbels to brandish "every second Italian as either a traitor or a spy". This led to a further deterioration of German-Italian relations. Very smart move by the British!

Unfortunately, all this propaganda was never rectified by the British after the war. Indeed, why would they? Already during the war, it led to resentment by North African veterans, who had actually fought the Italians and had found out the hard way that the Italian soldier was all but a coward ...
 
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