[Peleliu81]

I am looking for information on General Messe and his activities during the Greek campaign. I know he was put in charge of a special Corps for the defense of the Sciuscizza Valley, but nothing in detail.

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks

TJ

[Peleliu81]

Hey all,

just wanted to check one more time if someone had info they could pass on. I am restricted to English sources which do not go into great detail on any battles fought or even an overall view of his performance. One book I picke dup,. Hollow Legions, has provided the make up of this special Corps, but the focus of the book is obviously not on Messe.

Thanks in advance for any info!!!

[Dili]

I have not read anything good or bad about his stay in Greece.

[Peleliu81]

Thanks Dili.

How can Rommel, who IMHO is not even one of the top 5 German generals of the war, have like 623 books written about every aspect of his military life and Messe, again IMHO, the best Italian general of the conflict not have a detailed account of the 6 months of war he spent in Balkans/Greece???? Oh well.... Thanks again, and if you find anything please keep me in mind.

TJ

[Dili]

Well Messe didn't commanded any relevant offensive that captured the news outside Italy. What we have is that he seems to have been respected by his peers and a professional that didn't had problems dealing either with Germans and Allies.

If i wanted to being mean and exagerate the British have to hide their failures despite big material superiority after since 1941 so Rommel must be turned into a semi God. ;-)
I also think all this obsession with Germans in WW2- how many tiger books there exist ,20 30 50?- is unhealthy and ends hiding a lot of information about other things and it is a bubble about to burst. After all there is a limit about the Tiger books it can be sold.

[Peleliu81]

Dili, on 24 February 2012 - 07:42 PM, said:

If i wanted to being mean and exagerate the British have to hide their failures despite big material superiority after since 1941 so Rommel must be turned into a semi God. ;-)
I also think all this obsession with Germans in WW2- how many tiger books there exist ,20 30 50?- is unhealthy and ends hiding a lot of information about other things and it is a bubble about to burst. After all there is a limit about the Tiger books it can be sold.

Well said my friend.

In regards to the trivialization of the Italian effort to the war, the average WW2 documentary you will find on American television will usually dedicate approximately 20 seconds to the Italians. They will show a clip of Mussolini, usually him standing on a balcony at the Palazzo Venezia crossing his arms, then cut to the image of a burnt out M13/40 in the desert, and then the standard shot of Italian troops marching through the sand as POW's to the British. And that's it. That's why I find a site like this a god send for information and insight. I know the Germans "sell", but come on, mix it up a bit. : )

Oh well, thanks again

TJ

[pg]

Hmmmmm....I think its fair to say Rommel was a fairly decent general although he was a bit of a gambler. The reason he has so much stuff written about him is because he was so willing to risk everything. His campaigns were mostly fast paced and often risky and whether you like it or not that makes for interesting reading. I believe Messe was a well respected general but his list of successes arent massive, and the Greek campaign didnt exactly cover the Italian forces in glory.

[Peleliu81]

Good insight. Don't get me wrong, I am not a Rommel hater. In fact I probably have read at least a dozen or so of those hundreds of books myself. : ). Yes he makes a dashing figure fighting across the desert, and his exploits have captured the imagination of millions. Just frustrated that there is such few information on Messe, especially in English, and was just hoping to find something decent on his time in Greece.


TJ