di Luciano Luciani
commands allies - and particularly the British - and suspicious of our army, revealing, sometimes mercilessly and more with the rawness of the winner with the solidarity of the alliance, the previous evidence of low efficiency and poor fighting spirit. And, unfortunately, the disaster of September 8, wanted by the crown and the high command, seemed to agree with these negative reviews.
Yet it was very important moral and political unity regular Italian participation in the liberation of the country by the German presence. Non vanno dimenticate, infatti, le premesse formulate alla firma dell’armistizio da parte degli anglo-americani, per cui il trattamento riservato all’Italia al momento della pace sarebbe stato determinato anche dal contributo militare alla guerra antitedesca. Ma le prove di eroismo fornite dai nostri soldati di quella tarda estate del ’43 a Roma, in Corsica, in Grecia, in Jugoslavia, testimoniarono di una rinnovata vitalità antitedesca dell’esercito italiano.
Inoltre, l’opinione pubblica democratica inglese ed americana insisteva, in polemica anche con i circoli conservatori dei rispettivi paesi, per una nostra diretta partecipazione alla guerra e per offrire agli italiani tutte le occasioni possible redemption from the long night of fascism. Here, for example, as argued by intelligent sense of history, the British Labour MP Ivor Thomas in the parliamentary debate in the House of Commons on September 21 '43 "... there are examples of the combative qualities of the Italian soldiers, who demonstrate how they can combat when they are fighting for the right ... The Italians have not really fought in this war, they fought a war for their hateful. Give them a good cause, and they show that they can fight as well as any other soldier ... the Italian Garibaldi Legion in Spain had some great battles on the peninsula, and contributed greatly to defeat fascism in Guadalajara. "
Thus, while the Allied offensive thrust after landing in Salerno was rapidly running out just beyond the Sangro and stops on the Rapido and Garigliano, the Supreme Allied Command finally allowed it to reconstitute Brindisi, with exclusively Italian, a little body fighting, the First Motorized Group.
Limited to 5500 men, mostly volunteers, the grouping, by force, consisting of a heterogeneous anti-tank battalion from the division 'Piceno', three infantry battalions, one artillery regiment, from engineers, police , Autieri, while the picture was completed official cones young students of the Naval Academy in Livorno. It was up to General Dapino, former commander of the 'wood', the task far from simple, to reorganize, coordinate, mix and men coming from very different experience, winning at the same time disorientation, mistrust, suspicion.
after a short training period at Lecce (and only after a sort of general review, held in late November in Monte crops), the Allies decided to bring in line the Rally Motorsports integrated combat between the troops of the Fifth American Army under General Clark.
Nella notte tra il 6 ed il 7 dicembre, gli uomini di questo ricostituito primo embrione di un rinnovato esercito italiano, prendevano posizione attestandosi a cavallo della importante rotabile Napoli-Cassino-Roma, sostituendosi agli ormai logorati soldati americani del 142° Reggimento. Eravamo ormai alla vigilia del battesimo del fuoco.
Obbiettivo del Raggruppamento era la conquista di Monte Lungo, punto chiave di ogni altra successiva volontà offensiva: un dosso scabro, roccioso, privo di vegetazione saldamente tenuto dal III° Battaglione del XV° Regg. Panzergrenadiere e da esperti reparti della divisione Goering, sistemati lungo posizioni quasi imprendibili scavate nella roccia e nelle caverne. All’alba dell’8 dicembre, tra la nebbia, l’assalto, l’azione, in un primo tempo riuscita, veniva arrestata quando i soldati italiani scoperti sul fianco sinistro e privi di un valido aiuto da parte dell’artiglieria americana, subivano un violentissimo contrattacco tedesco. Fanti e bersaglieri si inchiodavano allora sulle proprie posizioni, resistendo, attaccando di nuovo, misurandosi in feroci, cruenti corpo a corpo con gli sperimentatissimi veterani della Goering. Pur duramente provato il Raggruppamento rimaneva in linea fino al giorno 16 dicembre, quando, nel contesto di un’azione più ampia e meglio concertata, realizzava il proprio obbiettivo: la conquista della quota 343 di Monte Lungo su cui, per la prima After the war, were seen waving the tricolor and with the American flag.
From the American side there were awards - and God knows, if our soldiers and the fragile structure of the Southern Kingdom they need it! - The conduct of our troops. So says in a message to the command of Group gen. Clark: "I wanted to congratulate the officers and soldiers under your command for the success reported in their attack on Monte Lungo and altitude 343. This action demonstrates the determination of the Italian soldiers to liberate their country from German rule, that determination may well serve as an example to the oppressed peoples of Europe. " This is echoed by the gen. Walker, commander of the 36th American Division, writing in January Dapino: "The combined operation for the occupation of Monte Long, who was recently brought to an end, is a great success. The way in which all participants have the troops of their work deserves the highest praise. In fulfilling their duties and act your troops have acted with alacrity and vigor, and have demonstrated an iron will to fight with the enemy. "
Even the international press, on this side and across the ocean, takes hold of the news of the successful debut of our Armed Forces in the war on the Allied side, comforting those who, in U.S. and Britain, had confidence in our people and its soldiers. The same conservative daily Times always faithful to the principles of the British government to reduce the scope of the Italian contribution to the war, can not match in 'hot' on 15 December, silencing the will to fight and heroism demonstrated by our soldiers: "Much has been said about the first appearance of Italian online, and it is now possible to review their test. They suffered heavy losses, a fact which was made against the disability in the early stages of the attack. However, it was a brave disabilities. They advanced to the climb, alpine and shooters, marching and chanting rights. They encountered an unexpected fire with machine guns and mortars on their left flank, who felt secure the error can be as they may not have been. They themselves say that the action started too soon after their arrival in line to recognize the land on which they were advancing; ... Despite the losses under the gun as they approached the enemy to come to combat with bayonets and hand grenades, gained ground, and then had to retreat, but clung to an area of \u200b\u200bthe ground they had gained, and still you cling. "
The price paid by our soldiers in this war story set A second Monte Grappa from someone of the Fatherland, was one of 76 killed, 263 wounded, 166 missing. Without rhetoric and with the simplicity that comes from having fought for a just cause, so it sounds the plaque at the military cemetery at Mount Long: "When it was for the brothers lost hope vanity, madness combat, we just rushing up here, undefeated for you falling, Italy. "
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