italian corps artillery at alamein

[Eduard]

I would like to know about the units and equipement of italian corps artillery from May to november 1942. that is from Gazala to Alamein Battles.

AFIK they were equipped with 149/40 mm guns and 152/37 guns but i'm not sure.

Thanks

Eduard

[Veltro]

Try http://www.comandosupremo.com

Eddy

[sid guttridge]

Hi Eduard,

If I remember correctly, the Italians had several good heavy artillery designs entering service in 1942. However, the first few examples were mostly sent to the Italian expeditionary force in Russia. I believe that at El Alamein Italian corps artillery had almost all obsolete models.

Cheers,

Sid.

[Marco Ferliga]

AFAIK At 23 october 1942:

X. Army Corps :
16th Army Artillery Regiment:
49th Gruppo equipped with 105/28 guns;
147 th Gruppo equipped with 149/28 guns;

XX. Army Corps: nothing

XXI. Army Corps:
8th Army Artillery Regiment:
33th Gruppo equipped with 149/40 guns;
52th Gruppo equipped with 152/37 guns;

15th Gruppo equipped with 105/28 guns detached to Ariete Division;
332th Gruppo equipped with 100/17 mod. 14 guns detached to Littorio Division;
131th Gruppo equipped with 149/28 guns detached to Trento Division;

Regards
Marco

[sid guttridge]

Hi Marco,

Good, to-the-point reply, unlike mine.

I don't suppose you know what the corps artillery with 8th Army was equipped with at this time? Is my memory correct that it had some new, wartime-produced pieces?

Cheers,

Sid.

[Marco Ferliga]

Sid, here's some data:

8. Army

9th Artillery Regiment:
LXXIII Gruppo : 210/22 Howitzers (three batteries with modern pieces, endowed with a strong power ; range: 14-15000 m);
XXXI. , XXXII. , XXXIV. Gruppo: 149/40 Guns ( modern pieces; maximum range: 23700 m);
L. , XXIV. Gruppo: 149/28 Guns (provided by Germany and produced by Krupp, max range: 13300 m);

201th Artillery Regiment:
I. , II. , III. Gruppo : 75/32 Guns ( modern pieces; maximum range: 11500 m);

II. Army Corps:

2th Artillery Regiment:
two 'Gruppi' (Battalions) : 105/28 Guns;
two 'Gruppi' : 149/13 Howitzers;

CAA :

11th Artillery Regiment:
LI. , LII. , LIII. Gruppo: 105/32 Guns;
CXVII. Gruppo: 149/13 Howitzers;

XXXV. Army Corps (CSIR):

30th Artillery Regiment:
three 'Gruppi' : 105/32 Guns;
one 'Gruppo': 149/13 Howitzers;

(the Alpine division had one Artillery Battalion ,but only on two bateries, equipped with modern pieces, the French 105/11 Guns)

Best Regards
Marco

[sid guttridge]

Hi Marco,

Many thanks for another fact-filled direct answer.

It was my impression that Italy gave the North African theatre priority over Russia for the best equipment in everything except modern heavy artillery.

Do you know why modern heavy artillery appears to have been the exception?

Cheers,

Sid.

[Marco Ferliga]

Take a look at this topic:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=63008

Here's a little extract!

"....The problem of artilleries is, besides the very probable chance that Germany (focusing its strategy on the Eastern Front) wouldn't have sold them to Italy if not employed in Russia (as rightly thinks JeffreyF), that with the assumption that they were sent to replace older guns or to increase their numbers in N. A. people forget these things:
- in Russia the Italians had to face better enemy tanks than in N. A.
- in N. A. the support of German artillery was very close, being Italian and German forces fighing together, even mixed to battalion or company level,
- instead in Russia the ARMIR had to garrison nearly 300 km of front pratically without any direct German support.
- the German strategy was to knock USSR out of war before UK, any Italian diversion from this scheme would have been just a waste of resources of the Axis and thus, pratically, a new version of the [too] much criticized "parallel war" of 1940. ..." Author rG

Regards
Marco