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63rd Tank Regiment (Italy)
The 63rd Tank Regiment () is an inactive tank regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Cordenons in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and last operationally assigned to the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete". The unit's lineage traces back to the World War II LXIII Tank Battalion L, which in 1940 participated in the Italian invasion of Egypt. The battalion was destroyed in December 1940 during the British Operation Compass. In 1961 the battalion was reformed and assigned to the 59th Infantry Regiment "Calabria". In 1964 the battalion was transferred to the Infantry Division "Mantova". In 1975 the battalion was renamed 63rd Tank Battalion "M.O. Fioritto" and assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Isonzo". In 1991 the battalion entered the 63rd Tank Regiment "M.O. Fioritto", which in 1992 was renamed 63rd Tank Regiment. In 1995 the regiment was transferred from the Mechanized Brigade "Mantova" to the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete", however at the end of the same year the regiment was disban ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Italian Army
The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It fought in Northern Italy against the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I, Abyssinia before World War II and in World War II in Albania, Balkans, North Africa, the Soviet Union, and Italy itself. During the Cold War, the army prepared itself to defend against a Warsaw Pact invasion from the east. Since the end of the Cold War, the army has seen extensive peacekeeping service and combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo IFV, Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro (Tank destroyer), Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank and among its aircraft the Agusta A129 Mangusta, Mangusta attack helicopter, recently deployed in UN missions. The headquarters of the Army General Staff are located in Rom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)
The 7th Armoured Division (Desert Rats) was an armoured division of the British Army. It was formed as the Mobile Division (Egypt) on 27 September 1938, after increased tensions between Britain and the Axis powers. This was part of an effort to reinforce and maintain the British strategic presence in Egypt to defend the Suez Canal, which was seen as vital to the British Empire's interests. In February 1940, the formation was renamed as the 7th Armoured Division. During its early years, the jerboa was adopted as the mascot and divisional insignia giving rise to the nickname Desert Rats. The division fought in most of the major battles of the Western Desert campaign, was then engaged in the Tunisian campaign, and this was followed by the participation in the Italian campaign. It was then withdrawn from Italy and dispatched to the United Kingdom, to prepare for Operation Overlord. In June 1944, it landed in France and subsequently fought across western Europe and ended the war ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bardia
Bardia, also El Burdi or Bardiyah ( or ) is a Mediterranean seaport in the Butnan District of eastern Libya, located near the border with Egypt. It is also occasionally called ''Bórdi Slemán''. The name Bardia is deeply rooted in the ancient history of the early ancestors of the Tebu (Goran), an Indigenous people—namely, the Tehenu and Temehu, ancient Libyan tribes who were the original inhabitants of the Mediterranean basin at the end of the Old Stone Age (circa 10,000 B.C.). The continuous presence of the region's Indigenous populations extended into the early periods of ancient Egypt and persisted throughout its history, long before the arrival of later groups and the external invasions that reached the Mediterranean coastlines in search of fertile lands. The historical footprint of these populations predates any significant foreign influence on the Mediterranean regions of North Africa, reflecting their deep-rooted connection to the land. Wahli, S. H. (2022, October 7). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cruiser Tanks
The cruiser tank (sometimes called cavalry tank or fast tank) was a British tank concept of the interwar period for tanks designed as modernised armoured and mechanised cavalry, as distinguished from infantry tanks. Cruiser tanks were developed after medium tank designs of the 1930s failed to satisfy the Royal Armoured Corps. The cruiser tank concept was conceived by Giffard Le Quesne Martel, who preferred many small light tanks to swarm an opponent, instead of a few expensive and unsatisfactory medium tanks. "Light" cruiser tanks (for example the Cruiser Mk I) carried less armour and were correspondingly faster, whilst "heavy" cruiser tanks (such as the Cruiser Mk II) had more armour and were slightly slower. The British cruiser tank series started in 1938 with the A9 and A10 cruiser tanks, followed by the A13, A13 Mark II, the A13 Mark III Covenanter in 1940 and the A15 Crusader which entered service in 1941. The Crusader was superseded by the A27 Cromwell in 1944. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matilda II
The Infantry Tank Mark II, better known as the Matilda, is a British infantry tank of the Second World War.Jentz, p. 11. The design began as the A12 specification in 1936, as a gun-armed counterpart to the first British infantry tank, the machine gun armed, two-man A11 Infantry Tank Mark I. The Mark I was also known as Matilda, and the larger A12 was initially known as the Matilda II or Matilda senior. The Mark I was abandoned in 1940, and from then on the A12 was almost always known simply as "the Matilda". With its heavy armour, the Matilda II was an excellent infantry support tank but with somewhat limited speed and armament. It was the only British tank to serve from the start of the war to its end, although it is particularly associated with the North Africa Campaign. Only two were available for service by the outbreak of World War II in 1939. It was replaced in front-line service by the cheaper and lighter Infantry Tank Mk III Valentine from late 1941. Development his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro"
The 64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro" () was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was activated on 3 June 1940 and named for the Southern Italian city of Catanzaro. The division's regimental depots were in mainland Italy in Calabria and shared with other divisions recruiting in the region. The division was classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning it had some motorized transport, but not enough to move the entire division at once. The division took part in the Italian invasion of Egypt and was destroyed on 5 January 1941 during the Battle of Bardia. History World War I The division's lineage begins with the Brigade "Catanzaro" established in preparation for Italy's entry into World War I in Catanzaro on 1 March 1915. The brigade consisted of the 141st and 142nd infantry regiments, which were manned by reservists from Calabria. The brigade fought on the Italian front and its conduct the brigade's 141st Infantry Regiment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Desert Force
The Western Desert Force (WDF) was a British Army formation active in Egypt during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. On 17 June 1940, the headquarters of the British 6th Infantry Division was designated as the Western Desert Force. The formation consisted of the British 7th Armoured Division and the 4th Indian Infantry Division. The force was commanded by Major-General Richard Nugent O'Connor. In September 1940, at the time of the Italian invasion of Egypt, the Western Desert Force consisted of roughly 36,000 soldiers and about 65 tanks. From early December 1940 to February 1941, during Operation Compass, the exploits of the Western Desert Force earned a parody of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's famous quote, "Never has so much been owed by so many, to so few." So many Italians were captured by the Western Desert Force that Anthony Eden said, "Never has so much been surrendered by so many, to so few." From 14 December, the 6th Australian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buq Buq
The labor camp at Buq Buq was a forced labor camp for Libyan Jews, operated by Italy between August and November 1942 at the Egyptian-Libyan border in Buq Buq () in Egypt's Matrouh Governorate. The camp was established in the context of the Axis occupation of Egypt in World War II. Buq Buq's 350 prisoners were exclusively Libyan Jewish men between the ages of 18 and 45, mostly from Tripoli and the surrounding area, who were transferred to Buq Buq from the Libyan Sidi Azaz labor camp. Selection of prisoners and establishment The 350 Sidi Azaz laborers at Buq Buq were selected by Moshe Hadad, a Jewish engineer from Tripoli who acted as the senior overseeing prisoner (). Hadad had also overseen the transfer of Jews to Sidi Azaz and ensured that no heads of families were deported to labor. The selection process was conducted entirely by Jews, without Italian involvement, which Rachel Simon writes made the ordeal easier for the Jews. The camp opened at the end of August 1942, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sidi Barrani
Sidi Barrani ( ) is a town in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, about east of the Egypt–Libya border, and around from Tobruk, Libya. Named after Sidi es-Saadi el Barrani, a Senussi sheikh who was a head of its Zawiya, the village is mainly a Bedouin community. It has food, gasoline outlets and one small hotel, but virtually no tourist activity or visited historical curiosities. It is the site of an Egyptian Air Force base. History Located close to the Roman city of Zygra, in the Roman province of Libya Inferior, Sidi Barrani is often mentioned in historical records to mark the limit of the initial Italian invasion of Egypt from Libya. The Italian Tenth Army built a series of forts in the vicinity. American Field Service volunteers, providing ambulance services and serving with the British 8th Army were based in the area, in June 1942, 30 miles east of Sidi Barrani. Sidi Barrani was a destination during the annular solar eclipse on October 3, 2005, as exped ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Babini Group
The Babini Group (, also known as the Special Armoured Brigade/) was an armoured unit. The group was formed by the Italian Royal Army () in Italian North Africa (Libya) at the start of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The group was formed in Libya, to be part of an armoured division assembled from tanks in the colony and from units sent from Italy. The new division was incomplete when the British began Operation Compass in December but the Babini Group fought in defence of the area between Mechili and Derna in late January. On 23 January, the group managed to inflict tank losses during a counter-attack on the 11th Hussars and force a delay in the Australian advance on Derna. The group then formed a rearguard for the 10th Army as it retreated from Derna and Mechili round the Jebel Akhdar towards the port of Benghazi. The Babini Group was destroyed south of the port at the Battle of Beda Fomm when the () was cut by Combeforce. The Italians failed to c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
4th Tank Infantry Regiment
The 4th Tank Regiment () is a tank regiment of the Italian Army based in Persano in Campania. The regiment is equipped with Ariete main battle tanks and assigned to the Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi". The regiment was formed in 1936 as a training and administrative formation. During World War II the regimental command was sent to Libya, where it fought in the Western Desert campaign. The regimental command, and the battalions assigned to it, were destroyed during the British Operation Compass. For its conduct in North Africa the regiment was awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor. In March 1941, the regiment was reformed, but it remained in Rome for the rest of the war as a training command. The regiment was disbanded by German forces after the Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943. In 1953 the regiment was reformed and assigned to the Armored Division "Pozzuolo del Friuli". In 1958 the regiment was transferred to the Infant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
L3/35
The L3/35, also known as the Carro Veloce CV-35, was an Italian tankette that saw combat before and during World War II. It was one of the smallest tanks that faced combat. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tankettes. It was the most numerous Italian armoured fighting vehicle and saw service almost everywhere the Italians fought in the Second World War but proved inadequate for modern warfare, having too thin armour and weak armament of only machine guns. It was cheaply produced but because of its light armaments and armour it was reserved to mostly colonial, policing, reconnaissance, and supply duties. However, given its low production costs, proved to be efficient in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, Spanish Civil War and the Greco-Italian War where it provided reliable support to Italian infantry and disrupted enemy lines. Development The L3/35 was developed from the Carden Lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
