Marco

Another WWII Italian soldier for Twisting toyz
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The sketch is by Davide Fabbri
colors by me

enjoy


Xa MAS LUPO BTG. (SENIO RIVER - ITALY, JANUARY 1944)


LUPOThe Marine Infantry Battalion Lupo (Wolf), formed in January 1944, was one of the best trained Battalions of the Decima Division, thanks to a cycle of military training made in April-May 1944 with a German Fallschirmjäger Division. After a period of antipartisans actions and garrison duty the Lupo Bn. was sent, at the beginning of December 1944, to the Southern Front against the Allies. At the departure from Milan the Battalion consisted of 25 Officiers, 665 Non-Commissioned Officers and Marò (Italian Marines) and 10 Members of the X MAS Women's Auxiliary Corps (SAF Decima), organized in a Bn. Command unit, three Fucilieri (Riflemen) Coys (with organic Breda 37 HMGs Platoons), one 81mm Mortar Company and one AA Company with four 20mm guns. The Lupo was initially deployed south of Bologna, between the Reno and Setta Valleys, in front of Monzuno and Loiano, where was positioned the 34 US Infantry Division.
The Lupo was attached to the 16. SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Reichsführer SS", and remained in the main battle line until 23 December 1944, enduring little losses in a context of positional warfare and few combat patrols actions. Then the Lupo Bn. was sent towards the Senio river, between Alfonsine and Fusignano, contributing to the stabilizing of the Axis front, moving from one hot spot of the front to another. During this period the Lupo was equipped by the Germans with some Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck Anti-Tank Rocket Launchers. On the evening of the 31 December patrols of the Battalion attacked the Allied lines: a patrol destroyed an enemy emplacement capturing a PIAT Anti-Tank Launcher, while in another night action the young Marò Bellagamba engaged two Sherman tanks destroying one with a Panzerfaust.
Between the eleven and twelve January an attack lead by German forces with the help of a Lupo Coy succeeded in conquering some fortified Canadian strongpoints beyond the bank of the Senio river, destroying also a Sherman tank. Some time after, two houses turned in strongpoint and garrisoned by numerous Canadian sharpshooters, were destroyed with satchel charges and Panzerfaust rounds in a carefully planned night attack of German Assault Engineers and Italian Marò. A Spitfire fighter aircraft was also shot down and another one damaged by the 20mm Anti-Aircraft Guns from the Lupo’s AA Coy. At the end of January an English Brigade relieved the Canadians, while the Marò of the Lupo Bn. continued to remain in their emplacements, in spite of the losses caused from the Allied Artillery, Fighter-Bombers attacks and the continuous clashes of patrols. During the month of February the same positions were held against all attacks, and on 26 February 1945 the Battalion was finally relieved: from the original 700 men that left Milan, nearly 500 were dead or wounded. The 200 survivors were sent to Vicenza, where the unit was reorganized and sent back in action: on the 21 April 1945 the Lupo, 478 men strong, left the town of Marostica in order to reach the defensive positions on the Po River, while the last great offensive Allied on the Senio River and towards the city of Bologna was in full swing. The Battalion dug in along the Po River and helped ferrying across the river the withdrawing German and Italian units. On the 25 April 1945 the Lupo Bn. was still in position on the Po River. Some time later began the last withdrawal, and the Lupo surrendered to the Allies on the 28 April 1945 in Padova, receiving with other Decima units the Military Honours by the English 27th Lancers. With the words of the Verdi’s Nabucco “O mia Patria, sì bella e perduta…“ (Oh my beautiful and lost Fatherland...), sung by the Marò, many of them with tear-filled eyes, ended the adventure of the Decima MAS Division.