terminator
Posts: 1047
Joined: 12/10/2009
From: France
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Hi Ronald,
It was a use limited enough on the ground and in the time on the eastern front.
I found more information :
"Divisione Celere"
The 3rd "Amedeo Duca d'Aosta" Celere (Fast or Cavalry) Division was mobilized in June 1940, with the following units; 3rd Savoia Dragoon Regiment, 5th Lancieri di Novara Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment, 3rd Mobile Artillery Regiment and the 3rd Light Armored Battalion 'San Giorgio'.
Converted from former horse cavalry units, Celere Divisions where semi-motorized units designed for warfare in mountainous terrain (as long as it wasn't too rough for mechanized forces). They sacrifized firepower for speed and by the time the war started, the Celere units where still only partially mechanized. They retained a horse cavalry squadron to cover gaps in the battle lines and exploit holes in the enemy's defenses.
Stationed on the Alpine front until March 1941, they where transferred to the Yugoslavian border and took part in the invasion of that country.
In August 1941, the Division joined the CSIR (Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia), which was attached to the III German Panzer Corps. They aided in encircling the 103,000 men of the Soviet 6th,12th and 18th Armies at Pervomaisk, then made a forced crossing of the Don on 12 September. Averaging an advance of 70 kilometers a week, on 25 October the first Italian unit to enter Stalino was the Division's 20th Bersaglieri (supported by a horse squadron apiece from the Savoia and Novara).
The Division was ordered to be detached on 12 November to cover the flank of the German 49th Mountain Corps on the Mius River. Instead of moving the entire Division, the commander only sent the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiments and a horse artillery group. They where hit particularly hard by the Soviet offensive launched on 5 December.
The Division would be consumed by the fighting on the Don River in December 1942. The survivors were withdrawn from Russian in March 1943 and sent to Emilia to rebuild. In August they were shipped to Bologna, and disbanded in September after putting up weak resistance to the Germans.
The Light Tank Group of 1940 was organized into a command squadron and four tank squadrons (each with three platoons of four tankettes each). Apparently, the unit also had a motorcycle platoon. It mustered 23 officers, 289 NCOs and troopers, 61 tankettes, 23 assorted vehicles, 32 motorcycles, 18 submachineguns, 122 Breda 38 machineguns, and five radios.
As of May 1942, the Celere Divisions were reorganized so that the Light Tank Company was only authorized 52 tankettes. However, the San Giorgio must have remained on the old Table of Organization, as it had 61 tankettes in four squadrons on 1 August 1943.
L6/40 light tanks were used by the Italians in the Balkans Campaign, in the war against the Soviet Union, in the latter stages of the North African campaign, and in the defence of Sicily and Italy.
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< Message edited by terminator -- 5/11/2017 4:49:16 AM >
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New units in Germany at War 1.08 - 
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