Semovente da 75/46, "son" of the semovente 74/34 and "grandson" of the "progenitor" 75/18, with a long caliber for better AT shoot. DVX

Semovente 75/46

The first P26/40s ready in the Ansaldo facility. It's a propaganda photo; the tanks probably need more work, the second one from right lacks part of a track. DVX

P26/40 tanks ready to be delivered

Italian bombers Savoia-Marchetti S.79 flying over the Greek-Albanian border, January 1941. Victor Sierra

Winter flight

Some of the 36,000 Italian prisoners captured by British and Australian forces at their victoria at Bardia, Libya, January 1941.  Best regards, JR. 

Long, long trail a-winding ...

This well-known color photo, location not certain knowledge, show a reconnaissance floatplane IMAM Ro.43 of a Gruppo Complementare (Complementary Group) as indicated by the letters GC. The photo was taken during the war time, notice the white cross over the black rudder and the white band whit black edge over the fuselage, but the aircraft, the standard maritime reconnaissance seaplane carried by the major Italian Navy’s warship, has still the pre-war all silver finish later replaced by a dark-green camouflage. Victor Sierra

Complementary Group’s seaplane

Change of the guard by the Moschettieri del Duce and the Black Shirts at Palazzo Venezia. Rome october 1941. Another nice shot of the helmet mod. 39, called "galeanico". DVX

Change of the guard

Padre Eusebio. Military chaplain that served in Balkans where broadcasted political and religious speeches from Radio Lubiana and in Russia where lived the terrible retreat of the Armir. Later he joined the RSI where kept a full program of remarkable speeches against the Allies, the plutocracy and the marxism, all around Italy.  He spent his activity too, to help priests and people persecuted by the Germans. He kept his last courageous speech in Milan april 24th 1945. After the war he was judged and condemned for his ideas. Anyway he was freed with the Amnesty of 1946, and soon his superiors send him in Argentina, where he spent the rest of all his life serving in the big municipal sanatorium of Buenos Aires. DVX

Father Eusebio

Father Intreccialagli, chaplain of the Legione Tagliamento. People interested can read his story here http://ilcovo.mastertopforum.net/memorie-di-un-cappellano-della-rsi-vt1515.html
and listern an interview here 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tImBmkMoCs
DVX

Father Antonio Intreccialagli

Fra Ginepro. A life deserved for the apostolate in the military. Like his example, Saint Francis, Friar Ginepro used to live closely with the simplest soldiers and,  in general, the humblest classes of people. His tireless activity was also hope for many and many families who had relatives among the missing and prisoners. And, after the war, for the families who had to look after a body to cry… Just two sentences that indicate the man: “Where in the world lead the stealers and the killers, then the place of the honest is the jail”. “The Motherland is there where her honor is saved!”. For further information about Friar Ginepro and other military chaplains look here: http://ilcovo.mastertopforum.net/memorie-di-un-cappellano-della-rsi-vt1515.html
DVX

Friar Ginepro

Father Reginaldo Giuliani was born in Turin on 28 August 1887, still young man embraced the religious life in the Dominican Order. During the First World War fought in the trenches with the Arditi of the Third Army, earning the Silver Medal for Military Valour and the Bronze Medal for Military Valour. After the end of World War I he played the role of preacher in the Church of San Domenico in Turin. Volunteer in the War of Ethiopia was appointed chaplain and fell at the Battle of the Pass Uarieu January 21, 1936 killed by blows of scimitar during the fury of combat while rescuing some wounded. For this action he was awarded of the Gold Medal for Military Valour in memory. DVX

Father Reginaldo Giuliani

Veteran of the march on Rome with the first female fascist groups, later Piera Gatteschi Fondelli become a leader of the female fascist youth organizations and finally the commander in chief of the SAF, the RSI army female auxiliary service, with the rank of General of Brigade. The highest military rank of a woman in Italy during WW2 (and still now I guess). DVX

General Piera Gatteschi Fondelli

An ausiliaria of Decima MAS during a firing drill. DVX

Ausiliaria of Decima

"Giovani fasciste" in a pre-war photo. DVX

Female fascist youth

Duce's musketeers changing the guard at Palazzo Venezia. Rome, october 1941. Note the rare helmet model 39, called "galenico" from the latin word "galea", the ancient Roman helmet. Probably, as I sayd, it would had become the standard Italian helmet if Italy had not entered the war before 1943 (like in the agreements of Steel Pact). DVX

Moschettieri del Duce

Bersaglieri on eastern front, with a light Brixia mortar.
DVX

Bersaglieri in Russian winter

General Gariboldi, commander of the Italian 8th Army in Russia from july 1942, inspects a captured T34. Summer 1942. DVX

Inspection of general Gariboldi 

Zaptiè (colonial carabiniere) guarding British prisoners. North Africa. DVX

Zaptiè guarding British prisoners

Marines of S. Marco division acclaiming the Duce

Italian and German troops joking as they meet in the Yugoslavian campaign. Outskirt of Ragusa di Dalmazia(Dubrovnik), april 16, 1941. DVX

Axis troops joking

GNR (former Milizia) paratrooper, battalion Mazzarini. Note the "electric m" on the black flames of the collar. DVX

GNR paratrooper

Cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi, "Condottieri class".
Note the Romeo seaplanes, let's say they were for the Italian navy the equivalent of the Curtiss Seagull for the US navy.
The Condottieri class was a very modern serie of light cruisers with a very long operational life in Italian navy. 
The Garibaldi was rebuilt in1960 for the capability to carry the Polaris missiles, later never delivered by USA for political reasons (the agreement between Kennedy and Krushev after the Cuba crisis). She served in Italian navy like missile cruiser until 1977 (the last years just for training purposes).
DVX

Cruiser Garibaldi

Naples harbor. Note the amazing landscape with the Maschio Angioino, and the Vomero hill with the Certosa di San Martino and the S. Elmo Castle. 
DVX

Cruiser Duca degli Abruzzi

An IMAM Ro.43 floatplane on the stern catapult of the Italian Navy’s battleship “Roma” at anchor likely on La Spezia Harbor, 1942 or 1943. On the left the crane for boarding and transfer’s aircraft on the catapult of the aircraft. The battleship “Roma” was sunk by two radio-controlled bombs Ruhrstahl SD 1400 (or FX 1400) launched by German Dornier Do 217Ks of Luftwaffe’s Kampfgeschwader 100 took off by Istres Airport, France, on 9 September 1943 during the transfer of the Italian Fleet to Malta after the Italy’s Armistice. Over 1200 of 1849 men of the crew died included the chief of Italian Regia Marina’s battle naval forces Admiral Carlo Bergamini and the Lieut. Col. Mario Giannini, Commander of Ship’s Aviation with the other eight member of Reparto Volo (Flight Section) of the “Roma”. Destroyed also the two Ro.43s, military codes MM. 27112 and 27153, assigned to the ship. Victor Sierra

The “Roma” battleship’s aircraft 

Il Duce working at his table in Palazzo Venezia with the Foreign Affairs Minister Galeazzo Ciano, 
DVX

Italian Forces

Search Results