Another pic from different side. People look the wreck of the combat. For people who know Rome, the building on the left is the Bank of Italy, in backgrounds is visible the Vittoriano. We are in via Nazionale, in the full center of Rome. I discovered this event only by these pics. There very few source about this little bellic event. If anyone can help with information, for example saying which US unit and/or RSI one sew this combat, is welcome. DVX

Sherman vs Camionetta sahariana 2

RSI troops resisted fiercily in the Rome defence, fighting in the Anzio and Nettuno fronts, along Canale Mussolini, at Castel di Decima. Later, the Germans left Rome during the june 1-2 1944 and only Italian troops remained in rearguard, fronting some short but hard clashes in the Capital outskirts. But a casual fight too erupted in the full center of the city, between the last RSI troops rethreating, and the first American troops entering, june 4 1944. We're in via Nazionale, in the full center of Rome, and this is the result of the Sherman 75mm gun vs the Camionetta Sahariana 20mm. I'm curious to know the RSI unit: paratroopers, X Mas, or PAI could had been the camionetta owners. DVX

Sherman vs Camionetta sahariana

Another picture of an Italian ground-attack aircraft Breda Ba.65 destroyed during British offensive of December 1940. At this date the Ba.65 in activity in North Africa were only twenty-five. The last Ba.65 again operational was lost during the British offensive of February 1941
in Cyrenaica. VictorSierra

Breda 65 wrecked

Established at the end February 1939, for promotion of sales abroad and propaganda purposes, leader maggiore pilota Mario Bonzano, the 1st Gruppo Sperimentale (First Test Group) with 12 of 45 Fiat G.50 "Freccia" pre-series aircraft (with enclosed cockpit and sliding canopy), was moved in Spain and assigned at Aviación Legionaria (the expeditionary corps of the Regia Aeronautica set up in 1936 to provide support to Francisco Franco's Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War). The G.50s, transferred in Spain via ship, re-assembled at Reus, entered in operational service by mid March 1939 at Escalona airport, 70 km SW from Madrid, under the insigna of XXIIIrd Gruppo "Asso di Bastoni".  Despite a sustained flying activity on many airports, also for propaganda purposes, the G.50s seized only an opportunity to sight enemies planes, some Polikarpov I-16, but without contacts. The G.50 was tested in flight by Spanish ace Garcia Morato wich declared the Fiat monoplane unisatisfactory. After the end of Civil War, the G.50s were gifted to Spanish Air Force, but their service was extremely brief: after many accidents the Spanish G.50s  were grounded. VictorSierra.

G.50 over Spain

El Alamein aftermath and battleground. Two burnt M 13s sorround a knocked out Churchill tank, one of the few used during the battle. The only chance for the Italians tankers was to close the distance as fastly as possible and fire from close range .. if they had not been hit before. 
I think this pic is a silent tribute to the Italian tankers. DVX

M 13 vs Churchill

An M 13 in high gear. Note these one has an upper mg, firstly for AA purpose. DVX

Marching fast

Not many light tanks L6/40 and semoventi 47/32,  based on the same tank chassis, were all the armored force of the Italian army in Russia. 
One unit was the LXVII armored Bersaglieri battalion, on L6/40s. DVX

Bersaglieri corazzati

Due to their low thickness (in advance of the war) and bad quality (from the start) of the armor, this kind of solutions over the Italian tanks was all but rare. DVX

Additional armor

War mass

MVSN (= Black Shirts) cadets singing. DVX

Singing

Black Shirt firing by a Breda 30. A second man usually carries the ammo and two spare barrels. DVX

Breda 30 in action

Black Shirts in training behind a trench. Note the fourth man carrying the spare barrels for the Breda 30. DVX 

Training behind a trench

Black Shirt guarding the barracks gate. DVX

Bayonet up

Alpino skier in winter camo. Russian front. DVX

Alpino on the eastern front

Italian officers inspecting a captured T26, probably of the last series. Russian front. DVX

Captured Soviet tank

Italian soldiers reading a road sign in Catalunya, Spain
1938. DVX

What's the way?

Refulling before a mission over the Balkans of a Macchi MC.205V "Vetro" of Raggruppamento Caccia of Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, perhaps late 1943 in Southern Italy (Puglia). Note the large roundel tricolor (red, white, green) on the fuselage adopted as insigna by Regia Aeronautica Co-Belligerent and also by new Aeronautica Militare of Repubblica Italiana (Italian Republic) promulgated after the referendum of June 2, 19465. VS

Veltro's refuelling

Cant-Z-1007bis of 265th Squadriglia, 88th Gruppo, 2nd Stormo Trasporto Notturno (Night Transport), of Regia Aeronautica (not official name Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force) at Lecce, 1944. Former bombers, this planes were employed by Regia Aeronautica during the war against Germany alongside of Allies like transport aircrafts for supply of forces (partisans, italians and others) fighting in Balkans through pods mounted under wings and dropped on the zone "friendly". Note two of this pods under right wing. Other two pods are under left wing.

CANT-Z-1007 Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force

Two Fiat BR.20M "Cicogna" of  38th Squadriglia  (reconnaissance squadron) of 71st Gruppo OA, Kantemirovka's airfield, Voronež Oblast', Russian Front, winter 1942/1943. The BR.20s, all of version M, were sent to Russia in August 1942, to perform long-range reconnaissance and bombing sortie in support of Italian ARMIR (Armata Italiana in Russia/Italian Army on Russian Front). The BR.20Ms, 38th and 116th Squadriglia, were withdrawn from Eastern Front in spring 1943, at first to Odessa and, subsequently, to Italy, on 13 April. VS

BR.20 on Russian Front

Aftermath of Italian armistice of September 8, 1943. Officers of Regia Aeronautica with the yesterday's enemies, British officers, on an airport of Southern Italy handed over by Allied Forces. Thde officer are standing in front of a Macchi MC.202 "Folgore". The white circle below the cockpit of aircraft is the fascist symbol (Fascio Littorio) obliterated after the "coup d'état" of July 25,1943 (resignation and arrest of Mussolini). After September 21, 1943, the marking of Regia Aeronautica (Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force from October 1943, declaration of war to Germany by Regno d'Italia October 13, 1943) was the roundel tricolour (red, white, green) over fuselage and wing, same marking of today's Aeronautica Militare. Note in the photos, in background other MC.202s and a SM.82. VS

After the armistice

Scramble for pilots and Fiat G.50bis "Freccia", of the 354th Squadriglia, 24th Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre. Italo-Greek War,  likely Berat Airport, Albania, 1941. VS

Scramble!

Italian soldier in Spain... looking nice pictures in a magazine.
Spain, 1938.

Interesting magazine

Caproni Ca.314 of Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, the Italian Air Force born after the Armistice of September 8, 1943. The aircraft of the photo is a former recce plan employed as light transport aircraft, after October 15t, 1943, by 103nd Squadriglia, based at Manduria (Puglia) of 1st Gruppo Autonomo Trasporto (Autonomous Transport Group) within Raggruppamento Bombardamento e Trasporto. At summer 1944 the 103nd Squadriglia, with his Ca.314, was again in Puglia, but at Lecce, within 2nd Gruppo, 3rd Stormo Trasporti, Raggruppamento Bombardamento e Trasporto. The very few Ca.314 again in service were scrapped after the war.

Caproni Co-Belligerent

"Folgore", the official magazine of the parachuting troops read by these two RSI paratroopers. DVX

Army magazines 2

"The Legionary", official magazine of the Italian troops in Spain. DVX

Italian Forces

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