-rzch- wrote:
It seems to me that Italy has had a fine navy in both wars, and a fine airforce at least in WWII (dunno about WWI). However her army has been...less than impresive. If there is such a thing as national karma, I think Italy used up all her army karma points in during the glory days of the Roman Legions.
Wanna be deadly and cruelly honest? We had a great navy, but for most of the war it was kept in the ports, due both to lack of fuel and of political willingness of the Italian Navy High Commands to operate in an offensive role. When the navy was used in such a way, it scored some devastating blows against the Royal Navy, but when engaged in a wrong way, due also to the lack of any radar device, it was hit even more badly. Not to mention the blow suffered at Taranto...
The air force? Great on the paper, but made of old aircraft and withouth an industry technologically capable of mass-production. So when new planes were developed, even when they were masterpieces (Macchi C.202 and C.205, Reggiane Re. 2001 and Re.2005, Fiat G.55, Cant Z.1007 bis), each of them was conceived as a fine craftmanship piece, totally unsuitable for mass-production (had it been ever possible...). The result was that for most of the war the Italian pilots had to do their best with the planes available, and when good to excellent ones were at last supplied, this happened in such esigue numbers that their impact was felt only in very limited areas. The rest was (thanks also to a training mainly aimed at emphasizing the manouvred combat and the aircraft agility, contrary to what were the esigences of the war out there and to the planes used by the enemy...) a struggle for survival, where there were outstanding highlights and a general level of performance that was nothing short of a miracle, considering the operating conditions!
Last but not least, the army: it was the one that suffered the most for being ill equipped, armed, trained and ... led ! When the Italian soldier was put in condition to fight at a par with the enemy, it performed splendidly (ask some British soldier operating in North Africa...). The performance of the Italian "Folgore" and "Ariete" Divisions during the battle of El Alamein was commended by Rommel himself. (certainly usually not very kind towards the Italians...!).
That the level of the higher ranks was well below an acceptable level is a matter of fact, and this led to most of the battle lost by the Italian soldiers. But this is a whole different thing from the normal (pre)-judices usually applied to the Italians.
On many occasions, for an Italian at war the real heroism was to take his WW1 rifle and go to attack an enemy far superior both in numbers and equipment, or to climb into a cockpit and face often with an outdated, outgunned and outperformed aircraft, lots of better armed, faster and more modern aircraft, flown by better trained pilots... it is easy to speak today, even easier without knowing anything about what really happened.
So the truth, as you can see, was far less "glamorous" than the Fascist regime wanted to admit and the most criminal act was that of throwing into WW2 a nation that wasn't capable of sustaining it, let alone winning!
I do really hope that this helps to shed a bit of light into this matter and to let someone think twice before posting old junk that can be at par with the "Pizza, Spaghetti and Mandolino" image that many would like to continue to believe in...
We are the sons and the nephews of those Italians and, while we can be (I personally am) really ashamed of the rise to power of Fascism, I'm not ashamed at all by their behaviour during the war and by their subsequent choices that led to the nation I'm living in. This said, we will not let pass any unrespectful comment against Italians... this should be crystal clear for all.
All the best and ... L'E' BUNA !
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_/ Ferdinando 'veltro' D'Amico
_/_/_/'PR' of 4° Stormo Caccia
_/e-mail: veltro@warbirds.org
_/
