WARNING: Long text - u will need time to read ;)

With CoH3 on the horizon and the vital discussions here on the forum and on the discord server I want to talk a bit about factions, design and (warning, german thinking ?) “Schubladendenken” - stereotyped thinking.

First of all; 

Who am I? To understand what will follow I want to give u some context about me because the following is influenced by this “context”. I’m Gerrit, 32 years, and working for a german communal administration. I started with CoH with the CoH1 beta (Was wunschen Sie? Hey what do u want? – sry, I miss the old voice lines). I joined the CoH2 beta and spent “some” hours in the CoH franchise. I played pvp but I’m the “casual pvp player”, not the pvp competitive tournament player. With CoH 1 I got in contact with CoH mapping and modding. By fortune I got in contact with the CoH Eastern Front Modding team. I joined the team to design maps, translate the game into german and to work on faction design and layout based on historical background. I studied history with focus on military history. Today military history is my hobby and interest, not my professional background. So please keep this in mind. I don’t want to say that my “opinion” is the right one. I want to tell u the background first because I think it is fair to say that my point of view is influenced by the listed factors.

So back to business. 

With CoH3 we will get some new factions for the CoH franchise. Sure. We have seen the American, British and German side in all previous CoH games. Based on the current information the new factions have old and well-known elements and new fresh elements and toys (I’m looking at u, 2cm Flak 38 team). In combination with the new theatre of operation there were some discussions about the factions and the reasons why they were picked – or to be better – why some factions were ignores (as far as we know). But please keep in mind that everything is still work in progress (wip) so Relic can and/or will make changes and adjustments. 

Why talking about factions?

With the announcement of CoH 3 we know that we will get the Italian theatre of operation and perhaps a “special trip” into the African desert. Based on Relics information CoH 3 will launch with the biggest number of factions in the CoH history so far. To be honest with 2 factions for CoH1 and CoH2 and with 3 announced factions for CoH 3 Relic had already achieved its goal. But many of us think (or wish) that there will be a 4th faction – or to be honest – a second axis faction. And with a potential 4th faction it is normal that most of us will start to talk about potential candidates, faction layouts and wishes.

Most of these discussions are somewhat emotion because some people are hoping for the pacific theatre (I don’t see this for CoH3 but that is another topic) and some people are hoping for “African factions” (DAK – Deutsches Afrika-Korps or to be more precisely “German Forces in Africa”) and some people (like me) are hoping for the most “obvious candidate”, Italy. Well. We have the Italian theatre, so it is a fair guess, or? 

With the uncertainty there are many discussions for or against certain candidates. With the post I will try to help enforce the quality and quantity of those discussions. So let’s have a look into faction design in CoH by looking into the classic factions before we start to look into the first faction here. I will present u some general thoughts and analysis, a historical approach and some candidate with arguments for and against them.

What a faction need?

To start the topic let’s have a look in the faction design of the CoH franchises. CoH 1 started with the 4 tier structures linear teching Wehrmacht and the 4 optional tier structured US army. Tier structures are essential for timing, balance and power peaks. With CoH 1 a 4 tier structure was established and get a kind of standard in CoH – beside some exception. So tiers are essential for faction design but more interesting is the arsenal of the factions because at the paper CoH factions are similar in some regards. So next we will investigate the arsenal, and we will ignore the tiers here.

Arsenal of the factions

Now let’s look into the armies. We will start with the first factions ever; The Wehrmacht and US Army. The Wehrmacht fielded building pioneers, base infantry squad, heavy MG team, Sniper, Mortar, Motorcycle (recon unit), specialised support infantry squad, Halftrack with upgrades, anti-tank gun, armoured car, specialised tank (assault gun), specialised infantry/support unit and a specialised artillery gun (rocket artillery), a special combat infantry squad, an anti-air vehicle (armoured), a general-purpose tank and a “heavy tank killer”. With doctrines there are 2 additional heavy tanks (OF addon), specialised infantry, support tank and “heavy gun”. All in all 22 units.

The US army fielded building pioneers, base infantry squad, recon vehicle (Jeep), sniper, heavy MG, mortar, halftrack with upgrades, anti-tank gun, armoured car, a tank destroyer, a general-purpose tank and a specialised tank. The doctrine added 2 special infantry squads, artillery gun, heavy tank and self-propelled rocket artillery. All in all, 17 units. 

Based on the first iteration u can see that there are some “standards” for both factions that can be found in both line-ups. This is the standard infantry (main infantry), specialised infantry, heavy MG (suppression unit), Sniper, Recon unit (sniper counter), mortar (indirect fire unit), anti-tank gun (soft based armoured counter), halftrack (support), armoured car, a general-purpose tank (to keep it simple I will call it MBT – main battle tank, I know the “military term” is somewhat different here but it will fit the CoH idea ?) and a “tank killer”. With doctrines the concept got an additional “multi role infantry” and a heavy tank addition. To a certain degree this is the standard set of units to build a “general faction” in the CoH franchise; base units with a counter system and some “specials” to define power peaks (strength and weakness for non-synchronic faction design).

With the first AddOn “Opposing Fronts” (OF) we got 2 new factions – and u will guess right – new units to play with. The new factions followed to a certain degree the established base line up of units, roles, and structures. Sure. OF tried to “break” the established rules to get some variety into the new factions and to separate the new factions from the old ones. Some of us will remember that it worked – or didn’t work (depending on your point of view). But to be fair; The OF factions were very different from the two old ones.

The Panzer Elite had base infantry squad, multi-role halftrack, armoured car and “tank killer battlegroup” (Panther tanks). PE tried to move or combine different weapons. The heavy MG, mortar and anti-tank gun were put on a vehicle base with all advantages and disadvantages. The armoured car was a combined recon, harassment, push and anti-air vehicle, an aggressive tool. The pioneer unit was merged with the base infantry. PE lacked a sniper and the MBT but had access to special tools to compensate the lack of weapons. E.g. the “fake Bergetiger” should help to compensate the lacking anti-tank gun and to conserve the vital fuel investments by recovering the vehicle based weapons. The British were somewhat similar – or not similar because they tried to break the established line-up with their static emplacement gameplay. With Base Infantry, armoured carriers, Pioneers (aka close combat infantry), armoured car, armoured personal carrier (with Tales of Valor), 3 command units (2 officers, 1 tank), main battle tank and tank killer they had a small “movable setup”. With the indirect fire units, anti-air emplacement and anti-tank gun emplacement they had 3 “standard weapon roles” in a static version. All in all, PE had 18 base units (2 of them with ToV addon) plus 8 in doctrine and the British had 11 mobile units, 4 emplacement units and 9 doctrinal units (24 in total).

With CoH 2 we got a new CoH game with new factions and new game mechanics. I will save you the list here. A small summary will do the trick because the CoH 2 factions were somewhat close to the established rules of CoH 1. Soviets and “Ostheer”/Wehrmacht had mobile units, no heavy non-doctrinal emplacements and a CoH1 like unit line up. Soviets fielded 29 units and Ostheer 31 units. With the 2 additional DLCs we got 3 more factions for CoH 2; US Forces, British Forces and the “Oberkommando West” aka Westheer. The US army fielded 24 units; British Forces fielded 25 units of which 4 were emplacements again. But unlike CoH1 the British had access to a mobile anti-tank gun and mobile anti-air tank. The Westheer had access to 30 units. The large number of weapons compared to CoH 1 was a result of the doctrine changes in CoH 2. Interesting is the lack of a sniper for the US and Westheer faction – and a sniper for the British instate.

A faction in CoH

So why the list? Well. Let’s have a second look. Based on all the CoH combat modifiers there is a standard set of weapons that is part of a faction in CoH. First is the “base infantry”. Depending on the gameplay design the first infantry is a defensive or offensive unit. E.g. Volksgrenadiere in CoH 1 were the defensive unit unlike their US counterpart that get even more aggressive with BAR upgrades. Some factions have a second infantry (or third infantry set) to support or reinforce the first base line infantry. Another “standard unit” is the non-fuel anti-tank counter (anti-tank gun) and a non-fuel indirect fire unit. Some factions have an infantry based non-fuel anti-tank unit too. Furthermore, u can find a main battle tank, a suppression unit (heavy weapon team), an anti-air unit, an armoured car, an armoured carrier, a light scout and a “tank killer” in most of the line ups. Beside the standard set u have at least some “special units” to define the power peaks of the faction. They can be non-fuel or fuel based special weapons. Some factions are spiced up with a support type unit with buffs and/or boosts. Optional is the sniper with 5 out 9 factions, the heavy tank (CoH 1 US had one doctrinal, British had “1 version” doctrinal, CoH 1 WE had 2, PE a special version, CoH 2 Ostheer 1 version in many commanders, Soviets 2 commander versions, Westheer 1 non-doctrinal and 2 “commander based versions”, UK 1 commander version and US Forces none at release and 1 by Addon) and a rocket artillery (WE, PE, US, Ostheer, SOV, ENG, US Forces, Westheer; No rocket artillery for the CoH 1 Brits).

To summarize a “good” faction has the following “base set” of units:

• Construction unit (when there is base building)
• Base Infantry
• Light scout (fast cap/anti sniper)
• Heavy weapon – suppression
• Heavy weapon – indirect fire
• Heavy weapon – anti tank
• Infantry based anti-tank
• Supporting infantry (additional role/setup)
• Armoured car
• Armoured personal carrier
• Main battle tank
• Tank killer
• Artillery weapon
• Special infantry unit
• Special armoured unit
• Support unit (bonus/modifier unit)

Optional:

• Armoured Artillery
• Heavy tank destroyer
• Elite infantry
• Flamethrower
• (sniper)
• (heavy tank)
• (rocket artillery)

Signature units – the question for easy noticeable (iconic) units

One important aspect for faction design in CoH is the “unique feature” of the faction. When I will ask u for some “iconic units or weapons of a nation in ww2” I’m pretty sure that we will get a big list soon. E.g. when I would ask for german signature units or iconic weapons the chances are high for answers like the big cat tanks, Waffen-SS soldiers and other “mythical stuff”. When I ask for US stuff u will say Sherman, Rangers and Airborne. Will I ask for Italians – well, I wont start with your jokes here… so I will keep them out. 

The point is the idea of visible “signature units” or “iconic units” anyone will associate with a certain faction or army. When we made the Ostheer for the CoH Eastern Front Mod we talked about the concept of the faction and what we think we must implement because anyone will expect these units in a german eastern front army. 

The signature units are important for the identification and the established “historical picture” of the faction. So these units or skins or elements are important. It is always useful to keep this aspect in mind when u think of faction design and layout in the CoH franchise.

• Signature elements available? Yes/no? 

With the wall of text we should start to look into our first faction here.

Italia - Regno d'Italia - Repubblica Sociale Italiana - Regno del Sud

To be honest on paper it looks easy to talk about ITALY in CoH 3 but when we think about the history of the country in the CoH timeframe we will find our first problem. There is no general ITALY.

Between 1941 and 1945 there were – at least – 2 official Italian states and some non-official states. The story is simple for 1941 with the Regno d’Italia – the Kingdom of Italy. The King, Vittorio Emanuele III., was the head of the Italian state. The “head of the government” was the fascist leader, Il Duce, Capo del Governo, Benito Mussolini. The state existed until 1946 when monarchy was abandoned. The situation starts to get complicated with the armistice in Cassibile and a period of the Italian history that can be described as the Italian civil war. With the armistice and the dismissal of Mussolini the Italian state was split in fragments. With the help of his german ally Mussolini installed a new puppet regime in northern Italy, called Repubblica Sociale Italiana (RSI), the Italian Social Republic. The parts of southern Italy that were liberated by the allied forces were under control of the last administration of the Kingdom of Italy. The remaining kingdom was led by the King and the new Prime minister, field marshal Badoglio. To distinguish the former “united Kingdom” of Italy and the “remaining Kingdom” the southern part was now called the “Kingdom of the South” (Regno del Sud). The title wasn’t official. The situation got more complicated with the start of the civil war and the partisan movement because between 1943 and 1945 some partisan groups could get control over some territories in Italy. They used their control and influence to declare new states, new sovereign areas, or regions. Most of this “states” were crushed by the Axis forces with brutal force but on paper they could be summarized under the title “Italy” too. 

So perhaps it could work to look into for the “Italy” that fought on the Axis side. This will allow us to reduce the Italian candidates down to 2 “Italian factions”; The Kingdom of Italy UNTIL the armistice AND the RSI until the end of the war in Italy. 

With 2 candidates remaining we could look at the information available for CoH 3 to decided what is most likely the “best faction candidate” for CoH 3 here. 

Relic had already released several posts about factions and the scenario for CoH 3. Interesting here; With the teaser we got a sneak peek for something that is most likely a campaign for the “German forces in Africa” – I’m using the term here because the term “Deutsches Afrika-Korps” is wrong some reasons? But since the release of the trailer and the generic Steam page text Relic hadn’t said anything about the “African content” at all so it won’t help us here. But there are the faction reviews with some descriptions about timeframe, setting and historical background. 

The first preview was the “Wehrmacht” preview. To quote here: “The Wehrmacht are designed to represent the mid-war German army pitted against the Allied Forces in Italy”. Based on the information the “german army” is designed based on the historical model of the german armed forces that fought in Italy. The information will reduce the timeframe for our Italian candidate from mid 1943 (Operation Husky, Battle of Sicily) to May 2, 1945 (German capitulation in Italy). The “mid war” could be an indication for a 1943-centered timeframe but that is just one indication. Perhaps the US preview will help us. So here is the US quote: “Company of Heroes 3’s US Forces faction is designed to represent an early war US Armed Forces that fought in the Mediterranean theater from 1943 through to 1944.” Hm… didn’t help. The text is limiting the timeframe to 1943 and 1944 (strange, Chaffee tank and M18 Hellcat are “late 1944/early 1945 tanks in Italy” Relic?). Furthermore, the quote is a certain way in a conflict with the german focus. But that is another topic. Thx that there is a third review that could help; The “Commonwealth” or “British Forces”. Quote: “Despite the considerable losses of the British Expeditionary Forces at the beginning of the war, the Commonwealth Forces in Italy represent an army that is on the offense, bolstered by American arms and armor.” This time Relic has limited the timeframe to Italy – once again this is an argument for the mid-1943 until 1945 frame. 

Well. U can see that the Relic setting won’t allow us to eliminate one of the 2 remaining candidates because on Sicily (mid 1943) we have the Kingdom of Italy with the Regio Esercito - the Royal Italian Army and in 1944 we have the RSI with the Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano - the National Republican Army.

Perhaps it will help to look into the military history of both factions to find our candidate. 

The Regio Esercito fought against the Allies from 1940 until the armistice. Against all clichés the Royal Army was an army like any other European army with advantages, disadvantages and strength and weakness. Today the army is considered to be a “bad army” with “bad performance”. Unlike the memes and clichés, the Italian soldiers fought with bravery and skill. But the point is that such a large-scale rating isn’t needed for a CoH game. With the “core design analyses” we saw what is needed for an army in CoH. The problem for the Royal Army is – they fought 1 month on Sicily next to the Wehrmacht… 

The other candidate is the Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano, the army of RSI. Well. To be honest here is already another problem because the armed forces of RSI were big. Beside the “National Army” there was the National Republican Guard, Republican Police Corps, Black Shirt Brigades, Xª Flottiglia MAS (Decima MAS) and the Italian Waffen-SS. All these forces fought against the allies between 1943 and 1945 AND all these forces formed the “armed forces of the RSI”. 

The National Army was founded on 27th October 1943. With “Operation Achse” the Wehrmacht had arrest most of the remaining Italian soldiers. Many others deserted and some joined the Partisans or the allies. Furthermore, the Wehrmacht had confiscated most of the Italian weapons. Mussolini and his new head of armed forces, Field marshal Graziani had asked for an army with 8 infantry and 1 armored division and 30.000 “auxiliary soldiers” for german divisions in Italy (fighting as artillery, anti-air artillery and coastal artillery gunners for the german divisions). But because of the Italian armistice and the experience at Sicily the germans didn’t trust their former allies. The result was a slow creating process with only 4 divisions for the new Italian army. The buildup was limited by the small amount of trained but arrested Italian soldiers volunteering for the new army. Only 13.000 men of the 75.000 arrested Italians were joining the new army. For the planed 4 divisions the national army needed more then 50.000 soldiers (~12.500 in a planed division) so the new army needed conscription. The conscription called on the classes of 1925 and 1924. It was a surprise when many young men joined the ranks of the new army. Within weeks the new army had all the men they needed for the 4 divisions. Things started to get worse when the young soldiers were informed that they should be trained in Germany. Many were afraid of being used in forced labour. The training and formation process took some time as a result of the unwilling and sceptical germans and the weak RSI state that can’t support its army. Around summer 44 the first units had finished training and were send back to Italy. The Italians were happy when they got back to Italy. Many men wanted to fight the allies to make them pay for the civil war. Many young RSI soldiers believed that the allies had caused the catastrophe and civil war so they were looking for revanche. The RSI soldiers were shocked when they were ordered to take positions in the hinterland and at the coast to protect the german rear. Here they should fight Italian partisans only and not the allied invaders. Deserting got a big problem. The situation started to change in late 1944 when the germans needed any men at the frontline to prepare the last defensive lines in Italy. Now 2 RSI divisions were sent to the front against the allies. Many other RSI soldiers were sent east to fight the Yugoslavian army. It was here in fall 1944 when the RSI army met the allied and yugoslavian forces for the first time. More battles followed and in 1945 many RSI formations saw combat against allied or yugoslavian forces in north-west Italy, east Italy and in the alps against the French army (second battle of the alps). 

To be fair the RSI army units weren’t the first “RSI soldiers” who fought the allies. With the creation of the german 4. Fallschirmjäger-Division (FJD) many former Italian paratroopers of the Nembo and Folgore division joined the division forming some of the divisional battalions. These Italian soldiers met the allied soldiers at Anzio in the bloody battle for the allied beachhead. On paper they werent RSI soldiers but the Italians of the 4. FJD met soldiers of the Decima MAS of the Italian officer Junio Valerio Borghese that were part of the new Italian armed forces. It was a bizarre situation. The Decima MAS was formed from the former elite commandos of the Italian frogmen and torpedo boat units, the 10th Flotilla. The former naval soldiers joined the charismatic Borghese. Furthermore, Borghese was accepted by the germans. With german help Borghese formed his own personal small army fighting for germany and Italy. Borghese and Mussolini had some personal conflicts so there were many attempts by the RSI to neutralise the Decima MAS and their “political power and influence”. All the tries were blocked by the germans. At the end the Decima MAS had 18.000 well-trained, suitable equipped, and highly motivated men organised into 14 battalions. Some of these men were sent to Anzio to stop the allied advance. Here they fought with bravery, earning the respect of both sides; german and allied side. More Decima MAS soldiers fought at the Gothic line and against the Yugoslavian army.   

With all that said it is now time to look which “army” would fit better for the first “army concept”.

With Italy as core criteria (based on Relic’s design statements) the Royal Army fought for ~30 days against the allies only. On the other side the RSI Army fought in limited scale for a couple of months in late 1944 – early 1945. So they are out of the “time scale/focus” set by Relic. On the other side with weapons like M24 Chaffee, M18 Hellcat, T70 Whizbang and Black Prince we have many units of the late 1944-1945-1945+ timeframe (Same for the german Panther that saw its first combat deployment in Italy at Anzio – like the Brummbär).

Against all the “problems” with the RSI army I will take the entire RSI forces for my first look for a potential Italian faction because I think they will fit more into the CoH 3 design and they had more “suitable content” to start and to work with. 

When u like the concept part with the information and analyses feel free to leave a comment and I will have a look into the Royal Army and some other candidates as well.

CoH 3 – 2nd Axis faction – The Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano

With the RSI as faction I will now look into the “structure” of a CoH army to find candidates for any unit role. I will explain the possible units based on historical and gameplay aspect. So have fun!

Infantry and infantry-based units:

With the formation of the new national army the new divisions formed new pioneer units. The “pionieri” were the main construction unit of the national army. Trained to overcome obstacles, build roads and transportation logistics and to build defensive positions the “pionieri” were the “standard pioneer” of the RSI army. They were most second line units, armed with service rifles and not designed for combat engagements. They were – more or less – close to the generic pioneers of the CoH franchise. But there is another type of “pioneers” within the Italian armed forces.

Guastatori

In 1941 the Royal Army had formed an elite combat pioneer formation based on the famous german Sturmpioniere (assault pioneers) and german assault and infiltration tactics. The “guastatori del genio” (short: guastatori) were borne. The guastatori were selected and well-trained elite pioneers. They were used to destroy heavy fortifications, to destroy defensive positions and to break in the enemy’s line of defence. The guastatori were trained to handle special weapons like 45mm mortars, smoke grenades, flamethrowers, heavy demolition charges and bangalore assault mines. In 1944 the national army had only a small number of guastatoris at hand. The Decima MAS division had a battalion sized unit. Moreover, there was an independent alpine (mountain) guastatori battalion. But based on the limited information it is not likely that “elite guastatori” had seen combat against allied forces at all. So based on these factors they are no candidate for the base construction unit. 

With the basics set we can look into the regular combat troops of the RSI army.

On paper they RSI had 4 divisions and some independent small units.

The divisions were named:

1ª Divisione bersaglieri "Italia"

2ª Divisione granatieri "Littorio"

3ª divisione di fanteria di marina "San Marco"

4ª Divisione alpina "Monterosa"

Based on the divisions there are several Italian “infantry types” we will talk about.

There were Alpini, Bersaglieri, fanteria di marina, Fucilieri, Granatieri. Beside the “names” of the battalions we can find some specialised battalions with some “special names” too. All 4 divisions had a “Gruppo esploratori” (the Reconnaissance unit) or a “Gruppo cacciatori carri” (tank hunter). With the militias and paramilitary units we got some other potential unit names like “legionario” (legionnaire – soldiers of the Legione CC.NN.) Arditi ("The Daring Ones") or Guardia (Guardsman – soldiers of the Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana di Frontiera). When we look into other branches we can find “paracadutisti” (paratroopers),”celeri” (cavalry soldier), “carristi” (tank soldiers) or “squadristi” (fascist militia men of the Black shirt militia).

All these titles were available in the RSI armed forces. To keep it simple the most generic name for an Italian soldier is “fanteria” – infantry. So any Italian armed soldiers is a “fanteria”. It is interesting that any RSI divisional unit was a simple “battaglione fanteria” or “reggimento fanteria”. All RSI units used titles or honouring names to boost morale and soldier’s mindsets.

With all that said let’s have a look into all the infantry types:

Bersaglieri

The Bersaglieri were formed in 1836 as light scouting infantry. With the idea of the war of movement the Italian army started to equip its Bersaglieri with bicycles in 1910. In ww1 any Bersaglieri regiment had a bicycles battalion. They were used as a ready reaction force. Furthermore, they were seen as one of the 2 “elite corps” of the Italian army. Between ww1 and ww2 the Italians developed a kind of cult for the “bersaglieri-ciclisti” – the bicycle Bersaglieri. Many men were interested in joining the ranks of the Bersaglieri. Between both world wars the Italian army developed the “guerra di rapido Corso” (high-speed mobile warfare) – the Italian idea and concept of “lightning war”. With the new concept the Italian army started to adopt as many elements as possible of the new doctrine. Mobile units got more and more important, so the Bersaglieri got in the centre of interest. In ww2 Bersaglieri fought on all front. Many Bersaglieri were attached to armored and mobile formations of the italian army to concentrate the „mobile warfare experts“ in selected units. Generalfeldmarschall Rommel said about the Bersaglieri: „Der deutsche Soldat hat die Welt erstaunt; der italienische Bersaglieri hat den deutschen Soldaten erstaunt.“ - "the German soldier has astonished the world; the Italian Bersagliere has astonished the German soldier“. With the armistice the Bersaglieri were split. Only a small number of “real” Bersaglieri had joined the RSI armed forces. With the creation of the Bersaglieri Division the term had turned from a soldier name/title into a honour name for the division. Inspired by the Bersaglieri tradition the division should keep the spirit of the old elite formation alive – for that reason the RSI Bersaglieri kept the traditional uniform and helmet. In realty the division lacked motorized vehicles, bicycles and other transportation equipment. Only small elements of the division were mobile and trained as “traditional Bersaglieri”. They were – more or less – a regular “fanteri” marching on foot. The days or “riding” into battle were over for the RSI Bersaglieri.

Alpini

The second “elite unit” of the Italian army were the alpini mountain infantry men. Unknown by many the Italian army had two types of mountains units; the “fanteria da montagna” and the Alpini. To become an Alpini soldiers, you had to be born in the northern parts of Italy. These men were already familiar (and trained) with mountain terrain. The Italian army enforced their mountain skills by suppling the “Alpini units” with mountain warfare equipment and weapons. E.g. the Alpini were the first mountain unit to receive special mountain guns to enforce firepower. Between ww1 and ww2 the alpine were concentrated in divisions. Italy started ww2 with 5 Alpini divisions, a 6th division was formed later to replace the combat loses in Russia. The first RSI Alpini soldiers were former so called “Exilles” – Alpini men from the old Alpini forces of the Royal army. Together with the skiers elite group from France these men trained the new generation of Alpini in 1943/44. Like in the royal army the men of the new Alpini division were conscripts from the Alps regions in RSI Italy. The 4a Divisione alpina "Monterosa" left Germany in summer 1944. In Italy the division protected the western coast in the hinterland. With the allied landings in southern France the division was split. Some units were sent to the French-italian boarder to defend the boarder against the free French army pushing from southern France to the Alps. Here the Alpinis were quite successful in delaying and blocking french advance. The remaining units in central Italy were sent to the frontline to fight against the allied forces on west coast in late 1944. Here the men of the 4th Division take part on the last successful offensive of the RSI army in ww2. With the “Italian battle of bulge” – the battle of Garfagnana – the RSI Alpini showed their skill and combat performance.

fanteria di marina

The italian fanteria di marina based on the Reggimento "La Marina" from 1713. The regiment formed the the core of the ww1 Brigata Marina (Naval Brigade). In ww1 the old “naval infantry unit” was reinforced with regular field soldiers, former sailors stranded in Venice and some other soldiers. After ww1 the Brigade was downsized into a battalion and renamed into San Marco (a link to Venice and the Italian naval tradition [e.g. ww1 ship San Marco that was sunk in ww1]). With ww2 the battalion was reinforced into a regiment. The unit saw extensive combat. Later the last commanding officer of the Heeresgruppe Afrika (Army group Africa) General von Arnim said that the San Marco naval soldiers were the best men he had every commanded in combat. 

With the armistice many San Marco naval veterans joined the allied but the old 4th Battalion kept on fighting for the Axis. With the new RSI army the RSI high command formed a new “naval” division based on the traditions of the San Marco naval soldiers. The 3rd divisione di fanteria di marina "San Marco" was born. The Division was formed from any men available. To keep some of the San Marco naval infantry aspects the remaining San Marco Naval soldiers and soldiers of the Decima MAS were sent to the new division to reinforce the division. When the division had finished the training, they had more then 1900 soldiers of the Decima MAS and 1200 soldiers of the old San Marco naval infantry in the divisional combat units. In battle they were used like regular infantry because there was no need or no chance for an “amphibious operation”. The days for such a planned operation (e.g. Malta invasion plans) had been gone.

Arditi

Another special unit was the arditi assault infantry. The arditi were the Italian answer to the german “Sturmtruppen” (Stormtroopers). Trained for infiltration and close combat the arditi were experts in breakthrough operations. Many ww1 arditi soldiers had served in the Bersaglieri or Alpini units before they were sent to join the arditi units. The most interesting fact is; the Arditi of ww2 had nothing in common with their ww1 “forerunner”. The ww2 arditi were formed in 1942. They were formed on the base of the British commandos and Long Range Desert Group. The new Arditi were an infiltration unit to perform sabotage and reconnaissance missions deep behind enemy’s lines. The name “Arditi” should cover the role of the new Italian commando unit and to inspire the new arditis to preserve the spirit of the ww1 arditi. The new X reggimento Arditi (10th Arditi regiment) had 3 companies: Arditi Paracadutisti (paratroopers), Arditi Nuotatori (combat swimmers) and Arditi Camionettisti (“jeep mounted Arditi”). Only the Camionettisti saw combat – they fought the British on Sicily. 

After the armistice large parts of the former Camionettisti company ended in RSI controlled Italy. Here they joined the RSI forces. The remaining Arditi soldiers were merged into the 3rd divisione di fanteria di marina "San Marco". Here they formed the new II battaglione Arditi. The battalion served as the divisional reconnaissance unit. Thanks to their good relation to the germans the RSI Arditi battalion was fully armed and motorised. They had access to some of their old AS.42 heavy jeeps but there is no information of the type of AS.42. Most likely they were MG armed versions only.

Fucilieri

A typical trend of ww2 was the adoption of names to enforce the “esprit de corps”. The Italian army had re-established the Fucilieri before ww2. A Fucilieri in the Royal Army was a light machine gunner. With the introduction of the Breda Modello 1930 – the official name was “fucile mitragliatore Breda Modello 30” – the soldier armed with the light MG was now called Fucilieri. 

The RSI army had formed a “Battaglioni Fucilieri autonomi”. The battalion was a replacement and training unit of the RSI army. In July 1944 the battalion was attached to the 4th Division to secure the rear area of the division and to train the replacements for the combat units.

Other armies – like the Wehrmacht – hap adopted the term too. The old term “Fusilier” was a light mobile infantry man. As u can see there are two options for the RSI term plus the generic military role. 

Granatieri

Like many names and title, the “Granatieri” were a well-established name in the Italian army. Before the armistice the Italians had a guard unit; the Granatieri di Sardegna. The Granatieri were hand selected men. To become a Granatieri the soldier had to be tall and strong. The limitation was kept as long as possible to guarantee the quality of the Granatieri. They were used for parades, guard of honor and other representation tasks. The Granatieri protected the king, the political institutions and the Duce. In 1943 everything changed for the Italian army. The RSI state dropped the Granatieri as special guards’ unit. They were replaced by fascist militia. Nevertheless, the RSI army adopted the name. The 2nd RSI division got the honouring title “Granatieri” – the Italian guards. The title should help to boost the morale of the division. Hard training and the special title were everything that was left of the former Granatieri di Sardegna because none of the old Granatieri was part of the new division. 

Beside the “special names” there are some candidates for generic names. So let’s have a look.

Esploratori

The RSI division were formed on the TOE of a regular german 1944 infantry division. Beside the main combat infantry, a division had a “reconnaissance element”. Unfortunately, the reconnaissance units had suffered from 4 years of war. Vehicles and armoured scout cars were rare. Reconnaissance was often done by foot or by bicycle. The RSI division had named their divisional recon unit “battaglione esplorante”. Because of lack of equipment the recon unit had turned into a fast response force. In german divisions the recon element was turned into a “Fusilier” formation that should launch counter attacks, exploit breakthroughs or to stop enemy’s breakthroughs. They were the “fire brigade” of the field division. Esploratori could be translated with “exploring”. The Italian term is a reference of the mission and design of the “Italian recon unit”. Like their german counterpart they RSI recon battalion was formed like the german “Füsilier” units; they had the job to spot, scout, exploit, defend, counterattack and to support the division whenever they were needed. 

Cacciatori Carri

In ww2 the tank was one of the most important weapons of the war. Any nation had formed counter units. They had developed counter weapons. They had done as much as possible to stop the threat of the tanks. The Italians weren’t different. With the first anti-tank guns the Italians had started to train experts to use anti-tank guns in the field. The Italian anti-tank units were the “Cacciatori Carri”. The “Cacciatori” of the RSI division were armed with german weapons. The Pak 40 was the standard anti-tank gun of the RSI army. Only a small number of 47/32 italian AT guns had survived. Like their german comrades the “Cacciatori” (and the regular “fanteria”) had access to the Panzerfaust and some Panzerschrecks. At the end any soldier who could fight a tank were “Cacciatori carri”. 

Legionario

The new fascist Italian state had many armed forces. With the chaos the number of armed groups had grown. One of the groups was the fascist blackshirt militia – the Camicie Nere. With the collapse of the Italian state Mussolini had replaced the old blackshirt organisations with new formations. One of it was the Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana (GNR), the National Republican Guard. The GNR had taken control of what was left of the former Blackshirts. The fascist guards were organised on the ancient roman army system. The armed forces of the GNR were organised in Legions. Soldiers of the legions were legionnaires – Legionario. The GNR played in important role in the civil war. The legionnaires were ordered to protect railway lines, harbour installations, post and telegraph infrastructure, mountain and forest areas, national frontiers, highways and land supply convoys. With the rising partisan threat many supply units had organised “a convoy system” to defend their supplies against the partisan units and the GNR supported the convoy defence. The GNR was one of the backbones of the “hinterland” organisations. The GNR had their own tank unit; the Gruppo Corazzato M ‘Leonessa’ – the armoured group M(ussolini) ‘Leonessa’. With the collapse of the axis defence in northern Italy many GNR legions – and the tank unit – got involved in some clashes with allied forces. 

Guardia

There is another potential name for the Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana (GNR) – the fascist guard. Any men fighting for the fascist guard was a guardsman. Not all members of the GNR were part of a legion so it is just another term for the armed men of the GNR. They were more or less irregular combatant.

Paracadutisti

Paracadutisti was the Italian name for paratrooper. Like the Germans the Italians were aware of the soviet parachute trials in the 1930s. 1935 the Italian army started small scale parachute trials near Rome. The combat history of the Italian paratroopers started in at the Libyan airport “Castel Benito” near Tripoli when Marshall Balbo started to form his “fanti dell’Aria” (air infantry) battalion. These men were more like commando units. After the defeat in the African desert in 1940 some of the airborne instructors were evacuated to Italy. Here they were the missing part the Italian army needed to push their large unit airborne units. With the help of the “African experts” the Italian army could train entire divisions for airdrop missions. The Royal Army formed 2 parachute division before the armistice. A 3rd division wasn’t ready before the armistice. The airborne forces were reinforced by a airlanding specialised division. Potential Paracadutisti were selected by their physical capacities. Because of the lack of available parachutes, the airdrop training was limited so many Paracadutisti spent their time with regular combat training. Like the San Marco navals the italan Paracadutisti saw limited airdropped combat deployments. In Africa they were used as rushed in stop gap infantry. With the sacrifice of the Folgore Division at El Alamein the Italian Paracadutisti were considered to be an elite force – on both sides. After the armistice the some Paracadutisti joined the RSI armed forces. The RSI Army formed the Nembo parachute battalion that was wiped out at the battle at Anzio. The RSI Air force formed a new Folgore regiment. The regiment was sent into combat in May 1944 near Rome against the allies. By this stage of war the need was for men who would remain steady under pressure rather than airdrop skills. The regiment saw heavy fighting and had heavy casualties. In late 1944 the remnants of the regiment were used in anti-partisan missions only. Even the Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana formed a Paracadutisti battalion and like their army and air force comrades the GNR Paracadutisti never dropped into combat. The GNR unit fought partisan units at the Adriatic coast between Padua and Venice. Some of these men saw combat in 1945 against the Allies when the german forces retreat behind the river Po.

The biggest RSI Paracadutisti unit was the battaglione Nuotatori Paracadutisti – the Parachute swimmers battalion) of the Decima MAS. Formed by X-MAS soldiers and men of the San Marco naval units the Nuotatori Paracadutisti grew in strength and numbers. Like their Paracadutisti comrades the X-Mas Nuotatori Paracadutisti was never airdropped into combat. 

Celeri

With the concept of the “guerra di rapido Corso” (high-speed mobile warfare) the Italian army formed 3 “celere divisions”. The Celere was a mixed hybrid of mobile infantry (Bersaglieri), cavalry (Cavalleggeri) and armor (Carro veloce). The concept of the Celere divisions hadn’t worked as planned. With the casualties in Russia the Celere units were sent to the Balkan or back to Italy were they performed garrison duties until Semptember 1943. And here is where we got a problem. The history of the cavalry ended with the armistice. All celere units ceased to exist. Any celere formation joined the RSI army. Perhaps there were some small local units using horses for transport but in September 1943 there were no cavalry units within the RSI armed forces.

Carristi

The last new name – or branch – it the tank arm. The Italian tank and armored car crews were names “Carristi”. The carristi were a small corps within the Italian army. Because of the lack of a “motorized society” the Italian army had always problems throughout ww2 to find, train and specialise Italian conscripts for the tank arm. Carristi were always “scarce goods” for the Italian army (same story for tanks) and the situation didn’t change for the RSI armed forces. Casualties in Africa and Sicily, in Russia and the armistice had decimated the number of Carristi. What was remaining of the Carristi was a small capable corps of tank soldiers. Many of these men had joined the RSI but here they had the problem that there were no more tanks for the Carristi. The RSI army had only a small number of tank units like 31st Tank Regiment (31o Reggiment Carri) that had joined the german army on the Balkan, or the armoured groups Leonessa, Leoncelle and San Giusto that fought against the Partisans in Italy and at the former Yugoslavian boarder. So many Carristi sat in their barracks waiting for deployment. The carristi that had the chance to get a tank were often seen in parades or presentation roles instate of combat deployment. The Carristi of the RSI forces had turned from a combat unit into a kind of propaganda unit with their “cool uniforms”, tank helmets and “rare metal monsters”. However, a small number of RSI Carristi would see some combat against partisans and allied forces. When the allies attacked the last Italian oil fields at Parma and Piacenza they met the last Italian Carristi in combat. The M14/41 and M15/42 were no match for the allied Shermans tanks and at the end the last Italian Carristi fought a hopeless battle.

Squadristi

Squadristi was the name for the men of the fascist black shirt militias – the Camicie Nere. It is just an alternative name for the men of the GNR. With their “black uniforms” they were close to the german pre-war SA units. The Black Brigades had no real combat value. Today the men of these formations are remembered as brutal fascist militia men who rioted and looted in northern Italy. 

The Arsenal of the RSI

With all this names and units we had already covered a large variety of potential unit names and combat roles for an Italian CoH faction. For the next step we will look into the arsenal of the RSI forces that was deployed in combat. With the new “side armor” feature of CoH 3 the tanks and armored cars will get some new details to play around with. 

Small arms:

Fucile Modello 1891 - M1891 Caracano rifle:

WW1 service rifle with a 6,5mm round. Standard battle performance. Standard rifle comparable to Kar98k and other service rifles. Limited by the small round. Used by RSI second line units and frontline units. E.g. the riflemen of the 29. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (italienische Nr. 1) were equipped in large numbers with old M1891 rifles.

Moschetto Modello 1891 - M1891 Caracano carabine:

Shorter version of the standard ww1 service rifle. Used in some numbers by RSI formations. Performance was close to the standard version. Its advantage was the length. Designed for cavalry and light troops it was shorten by ~30cm without the lose of performance. 

Fucile di Fanteria Mod. 1938 – the M1938 Caracano: 

Development of the old ww1 Caracano with a bigger and faster 7,35mm rounds. Produced in limited numbers. Some M1891 Carabines were bored from 6,5 to 7,35mm to speed up the production. The production of the new rifle was dropped when ww2 started because the Italian logistical service had problems to supply field units with 2 different types of infantry ammunition. The Italian Army dropped the 7,35mm round in WW2 because there were more 6,5mm rifles and it was easier to supply the 6,5mm rifles instate of change the calibre of the 6,5 to 7,5mm like it was done for some old carabines of the m1891 rifle version. In 1943 only a small number was left and the rifle was probably used in very small numbers by second line RSI units.

Fusil Modèle 1886/M93 - Fucile Modello 1886 Lebel:

With the Italian occupation of southern France the Italian army confiscated large numbers of French rifles. With the armistice in 1943 and the confiscation of Italian arms by the Wehrmacht the RSI army was in a desperate situation. They were forced to use everything at hand. With the captured French weapons many rifles were now handed to RSI military units to give them a rifle. The pre-ww1-rfile was outdated and worn. Used by RSI second line formations and militias. As far as I know no rifle was used by frontline divisions.

Kar98k

Standard service rifle of the german army in ww2. In 1944 the RSI got some Kar98k rifles for the frontline divisions. All 4 RSI Divisions had some Kar98k to compensate the lack of Caracanos. The Kar98k was a 5-round "long" rifle with the standard german 7,92mm round. Unlike the British LeeEnfield Mk. IV (10-round magazine) and the US M1 Garand (8-round magazine) the Kar98k was a slow firing rifle.

MP 40

Standard german submachine gun. Close quarter combat weapon. Issued in limited numbers because the RSI soldiers preferred the Beretta MAB 1938 smg. Generally reliable smg.

Beretta MAB 1938 & 1938/42

THE italian submachine gun. Perhaps THE best smg of ww2. Loved by the RSI and used in large numbers. Signature weapon. Often used for propaganda shots and posters. The RSI forced tried to enforce the MAB 38 production. Majority of productions was achieved between 1943-1945. The gun was extremely robust and proved very popular with the Italians AND Germans. Germans build additional 230.000 MAB 38 for the Wehrmacht (used in Italy, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany and in limited numbers on the eastern front). The Italian 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge was more powerful then their german counterpart. Strong in close combat and suitable on mid-long range compared to any other smg of ww2. There was a special "samurai" magazine-holding vest for the MAB 38 to carry more magazines for the MAB 38. 

FNAB-43

Build in small numbers, complicated to produce. Used by RSI and german forces. The weapons didn’t offer any advantages over the MAB 38 beside a weight saving of ~300g. Used when available.

TZ-45

Build in small numbers, simple production methods. Used by RSI and german forces. Used the same 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge like the MAB 38 and FNAB-43. Last ditch weapon. The TZ-45 used the MAB 38 magazine. Units with MAB 38 could use the TZ-45 without any problems or supply adjustments.

Armaguerra Modello 39 rifle

Produced in small numbers in early 1943. There is no information about unit distribution or combat deployment. Used the 7,7mm round for better performance. 

Gewehr 41

Based on literature the G41 were used by some RSI divisions in combat. G41 was a semi auto 10-round rifle with the german 7,92mm infantry round. With 5kg quite heavy. The rifle was used to enforce the firepower of a small infantry unit. Perhaps the germans had give their old G41 rifles to the RSI forces when they got the new G43 and StG 44 rifles.

Panzerfaust (30/60/100)

The Panzerfaust was the nightmare of the allied tank crews. Before the Panzerfaust there was no small, light deployable tank killing infantry device that could be used by any soldiers without training or experience. Cheap in production and available in large numbers the PzFaust turned into the tank terror and marked the beginning of the hollow charged anti-tank infantry devices. Deployment is a bit tricky to track down because the PzFaust was listed as “ammunition” in the german files (and not like a weapon unlike the PzSchreck). It was first used in Italy somewhere after the Salerno landings and the Battle of Cassino. The RSI forces were supplied with large numbers of PzFäusten in late 1944 to boost the tank defence capabilities of the Italian soldiers. The PzFaust was an ideal weapon for the narrow Italian battlefields. 

Panzerschreck

The Panzerschreck was the german answer of the US Bazooka. The rocket launcher had a 88mm hollow charge rocket. It was easy to handle and deadly for any tank. To compensate the lacking numbers of anti-tank guns the german army had supplied the RSI army with some PzSchrecks for their “Cacciatori carri” units. 

Fucile controcarro tipo S da 20mm

The Italian army lacked a sufficient infantry based anti-tank weapon that could be carried by smaller infantry teams and that could be mounted on light vehicles. After the armistice only 6 rifles were captured by RSI units. The Decima MAS used them at Anzio where all the rifles were lost in combat. The semi-auto heavy recoil anti-tank rifle had a 10-round magazine. It could penetrate up to 30mm in 500m (0° angle).

StG 44

By the Kriegstagebuch (war diaries) der Hrg. C (Army group C) the italian 1st Bersagliere Division was supplied with StG 44 assault rifles in 1945. There is some debate about the StG 44 in the RSI forces. Some people claim that the StG 44 was issued on paper and that no StG 44 reached the Italian soldiers in real. On the other side the Kriegstagebücher  of the Hrg. C had detailed lists of StG 44 distribution for the 1st RSI Division, so I think it is very likely that RSI soldiers used the StG 44 in combat in 1945.

MG 42

Perhaps THE best general-purpose MG of ww2. Easy to produce, easy to handle and reliable in battle. The german infantry tactics were focused on the firepower of the MG. With the training of Italian soldiers in Germany for the new RSI forces the RSI infantry was organised on the german infantry tactics. The RSI army had access to the MG 42 to boost the firepower of the RSI infantry squads. The MG 42 bipod was the light MG version, and the MG 42 tripod was the heavy MG version. Both versions were used by RSI frontline units. Sometimes MG 42 on tripod were used in indirect fire roles to create “blocking zones” (Sperrfeuer). 

Fucile Mitragliatore Breda Modello 30 – “Breda mitragliatrici“

The Breda 30 was a light Italian MG. Fed by a fixed 20 round clip the Breda 30 had a poor rate of fire and was unreliable do to jammed rounds. Despite of its flaws it was produced in large numbers to compensate the lack of Italian heavy MGs. Issued in large numbers the Breda 30 was responsible for majority of firepower of the Italian infantry squad. After the armistice the RSI forces used the Breda 30 in some numbers because it was available in numbers. The germans used them in small numbers too but they dropped them because of the problems of the weapon. They gave them back to the RSI forces. The weapon can be compared to the Bren MG in terms of performance and combat role.

Mitragliatrice Breda calibro 8 Modello 37 – “Breda pesante”

Italian heavy MG. Like the Breda 30 the Breda 37 was fed by a 20-round strip. Unlike other MGs the Breda 37 round strip was a “reloading strip” so any spent cases were reinserted in the tray as each round was fired. In theory the “recycling” should help to save resources. In practice the idea was not suitable in combat situations. Because of the re-fed-system the weapon was slow firing and had some problems with jamming rounds. The MG needed at least 2 loaders to allow for a “constant” firing. On the other side the slow firing prevents the MG from overheating and with its powerful round it was quite suitable for long range combat. Furthermore, the heavy round was a threat for soft armoured vehicles like the British Universal Carrier or the US M3 halftracks. Production ended with the armistice. It was used by the RSI forces that had access to many Breda 37 from the depots in northern Italy.

Mitragliatrice Fiat–Revelli Modello 1935 

Heavy modified version of the ww1 Fiat m1914 heavy MG. Air cooled and belt feed MG. It used the same “heavy 8mm round” like the Breda 37 MG and like the Breda 37 the production ended with the armistice. Stored in depot it was adopted by the RSI forces as heavy multi-purpose MG. There was an anti-air mounting with anti-air sight for the MG.

Breda-SAFAT (7,7mm & 12,7mm) 

Like any other weapon the SAFAT was used because it was found in depots. The RSI needed any weapon that was available, so they adopted the aircraft MG into a ground combat weapon. With an improvised tripod mounting the weapon was issued to coastal defence and second line units to protect the hinterland and to fight the partisans. The 12,7mm heavy round version was often used as improvised installation protection anti-air weapon.

Beretta modello 1934 pistole

Standard Italian officer service pistole. Available in large numbers.

Walther P.38 pistole

Standard German officer service pistole. The pistole used the strong 9mm Parabellum round. Some weapons were issued to the RSI officers.

RSI hand grenades

The RSI used many hand grenades. Beside the german Stielhandgranate (offensive grenade) the RSI used large stocks of Italian made grenades like the OTO Mod. 35 (fragmentation grenade), OTO/Breda Mod. 42 (incendiary grenade – against tanks), SRCM Mod. 35 (fragmentation grenade), Breda Mod. 35 (fragmentation grenade) and Tipo L (high explosive grenade – against tanks).

The list is not complete, but it is a solid arsenal for a potential CoH faction. There is a variety of infantry weapons, MGs and grenades. There is a candidate for a semi-auto rifle and some infantry based anti-tank weapons.

Heavy arms:

Like any other army the RSI forces used several heavy weapons to boost firepower and to counter several threats. Time to look into the weapons.

Mortar (mortai):

Mortaio d'assalto Brixia Modello 1935

The 45mm mortar was a small rapid-fire mortar. Thanks to its design and construction the mortar was very precise and allowed for a precise bombardment. Skilled crews could sue the mortar for “sniping” positions. Based on the small calibre the fragmentation rounds were of limited use (direct hit effect). On the other side the smoke shells were used to “blind” selected targets. Unlike other mortars the Brixia could be operated by a single soldier, but it was often used in a team of 2 soldiers: one operator and one observer. The mortar was used by the RSI to enforce the firepower of a platoon.

Mortaio da 81 Mod. 35

Standard mortar of the Italian army. Solid performance, comparable to any other 80~81mm mortar in ww2. Used as standard mortar in RSI infantry formations. The mortar was used by the Wehrmacht too (and build in small numbers for the Wehrmacht) because it was like the german 81mm version.

8cm Granatwerfer 34

German standard service mortar. Issued to RSI forces to refill the mortar units. Comparable to any other 80~81mm mortar in ww2. 

• 81mm mortars are well established in the CoH franchise.

Anti-tank gun (cannone anticarro – artiglierie controcarro):

Cannone 47/32 ‘Elefantino’

Designed by the Austrian factory Böhler the gun was adopted by the Italian army before ww2. The Italian army was looking for a general-purpose infantry gun for the anti-tank defence and infantry support. The Cannone 47/32 was a lightweight gun with good ballistic performance. Anti-tank performance was comparable to the other small calibre anti-tank guns like the german 37mm Pak 36 or soviet 45mm m1937 53-K AT gun. Like the german Pak 36 the cannone 47/32 had a HE round. The 45m HE round was quite potent so the gun was often used in a direct fire sniping role. It was called “Elefantino” by the Italian soldiers. With the armistice several Cannone 47/32 were adopted by the RSI forces. The gun was used by the 3rd RSI, the Decima Division (at Anzio) and the 29. Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS as light infantry support gun. They weren’t used for anti-tank defence because the armour penetration performance wasn’t sufficient to deal with allied 1943 tanks on long ranges.

Cannone 3,7cm Pak – 35/36

The fascist milita unit “I Legione M d’ssalto “Tagliamento”” had 3 german 3,7cm Pak 36. They were used to train anti-tank gun crews. Perhaps the guns were leftovers from the Italian army in Russia that had taken them back to Italy after the defeat near Stalingrad in 1943. There is no information about combat deployment. 

Cannone da 75/43 modello 40 - Pak 40

After the armistice the RSI army had no heavy anti-tank gun that could deal with the modern allied tanks. The germans had supplied any RSI division with 20 Pak 40 AT guns. The gun had excellent anti-tank performance, but it was too heavy to move on the battlefield. The gun needed a motorized mover, something the RSI army was short of. Against its drawbacks the RSI had no other choice. They used the AT gun until the end of the war as often as possible. 

Cannone da 75/32

The Cannone da 75/32 was an Italian field gun; designed for heavy direct fire support the gun had shown good anti-tank potential in Russia against soviet T-34 tanks. On paper the gun would be an ideal candidate for a “heavy 1943 AT gun”. Unfortunately, the RSI had no guns in its inventory. The Wehrmacht had confiscated the remaining guns with the armistice. 45 guns were used as 7,5cm FK 248(i) by the Wehrmacht in Italy. A modified gun was used on the P.26/40 and Semovente 75/34. Unfortunately, the penetration data aren’t available, but we can assume that the performance was somewhere close to other long barrel 75mm guns of the time. In Russia the gun could deal with T-34 tanks so the performance would be sufficient to deal with Sherman tanks too. 

Anti-air artillery (artiglierie contraerei):

Cannone - Mitragliera Breda da 20/65 modello 1935

Standard 20mm anti-air gun of the Italian army. The Breda gun was often used as heavy MG in fire support roles. Each division had 15 or more guns in its inventory. Many other units were using the 20mm gun too. 

Cannone - Mitragliera Breda da 37/54

The naval anti-air gun had a performance comparable to the famous allied 40mm Bofors gun. The Decima MAS division had converted some of the naval anti-air guns for ground combat. Used in small numbers by the Decima MAS division and the “reggimento Artiglieria “Condottieri””.

Cannone da 76/40

Standard object defence gun. The gun was installed as multipurpose gun in many coastal emplacements. The RSI army had adopted most of the stationary 76mm guns. There was no “mobile version”. The gun had acceptable tank piercing capabilities. 

Cannone da 90/53

The heaviest Italian anti air gun. Its performance was comparable to the german 8,8cm Flak gun. Many guns were installed in fixed emplacements all over Italy to defend the country against aerial threats. The RSI armed forced had adopted up to 140 guns. The Decima MAS had a single Lancia Ro Autocannone da 90/53 for mobile defence. The gun was used at Anzio by the “reggimento Artiglieria “Condottieri””. There were some 90/53 guns on mobile carriages but there is no information about combat deployment. 

Cannone – Mitragliera da 20/65 Flak 30–38

The RSI armed forces got some german Flak guns to boost the aerial defence capabilities. The RSI forces got a small number of quadrinato (quad 20mm guns – 2cm Flak Vierling) anti-air guns. The performance is like the other 20mm anti-air guns. There are no information about the units that had received german Flak guns.  

Aerial defence was a massive problem for the axis forces in Italy. In 1944 the german Luftwaffe had transferred most of their remaining fighter aircrafts to Germany. The RSI Air Force – the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana – was responsible for the aerial defence but with 2 fighter groups only the ANR was way to weak to fight the massive, allied air armada. The problems were increased by the lack of heavy anti-air artillery. The field units had only small 20mm guns with limited air defence capabilities. The lack of heavy anti-air artillery allowed the allied tactical air force to bombard the RSI division from the air without any big risks.

Artillery (Artiglieri):

The Italian RSI armed forces had a large variety of artillery guns. The Wehrmacht was often called a “artillery museum” and like their german allies the RSI forces fielded many artillery guns of various calibre and type. With the CoH franchise the typical ingame artillery guns were often between the 75mm and 105mm calibre. CoH 2 saw some “exceptions” with the soviet B-4 heavy howitzer. Unlike their german comrades the RSI army had no rocket artillery available. All guns were conventional shell-based artillery guns. 

Cannone da 65/17 modello 13

Many Italian artillery guns were former ww1 guns. The 65mm infantry gun was no exception. The gun was used as an infantry support gun with limited anti-tank capabilities. The gun was liked by the Italians because of its small size and small weight. The 1st Bersaglieri division and the Decima MAS Division had a handful guns. They were used for the “recon units” (the Gruppo Esplorante). 

Obice da 75/13

One of the most common artillery guns of the RSI forces was the Obice da 75/13. The ww1 Skoda mountain gun was stored in depot because of its limited combat performance. The RSI forces used many stored guns to fill up the ranks of their artillery units. To boost their firepower the Italian divisions tried to adopt as many artillery guns as possible. The 3rd Division had more than 60 artillery pieces. To reach those numbers the RSI army needed any gun they could find so for that reason they used any barrel found in the depots. 

Obice da 75/18 modello 34

One of the best Italian light artillery pieces was the Obice da 75/18 modello 34. With all the ww1 guns the Italian army was looking for new lightweight guns for the Italian mountain artillery. The Obice da 75/18 modello 34 was the result of the contest for a new mountain gun. The gun could be broken down in small loads to allow maximal flexibility. The gun was adopted by many foreign nations. One of the biggest advantages was the large variety of rounds. The gun had a potent HEAT round for anti-tank defence. For that reason, the gun was adopted as the main gun for the Semovente 75/18. With the Effetto Pronto round (HEAT shell) the canon could destroy a Sherman in 700m. With the enforced Effetto Pronto Speciale the gun could penetrate 120mm of armour at any combat distance. The gun was used by the 1st RSI Division for infantry fire support. It was one of the best Italian artillery guns of ww2. 

Cannone da 7,5cm LeIG 18

With the organisation of the RSI division based on german patterns the Italians “inherited” some of the old german “problems”. One of these problems was the LeIG 18. After ww1 there was a debate about the future organisation. Many officers said that the artillery was a divisional level weapon and above. The same officers were now demanding an infantry-based weapon to boost the firepower of the infantry. The new “gun” should be part of the responsibility of the low rank infantry officers. When a regimental or battalion leader needed firepower, he could use his “infantry guns” instate of asking the artillery officer to help him out. The result of this thinking was the “leichte Infanteriegeschütz 18”. The 7,5cm LeIG was a lightweight gun that could be used in direct and indirect fire missions. In 1942~1943 the german army adopted hollow charge rounds to allow the LeIG to fight tanks and armored targets. The Infanteriegranate 38 HL/A could penetrate between 90 and 120mm armor on 100m distance. With the creation of the 1st RSI Division the german army had issued some LeIG 18. The 1st RSI Division replaced some of its lost Cannone da 75/27 modello 11 with the LeIG 18. They used the gun for light artillery support.

Obice da 15cm sIG 33

The sIG 33 was the heavy brother of the LeIG 18. It was developed to give the infantry officers some personal supporting heavy fire. The gun was successful but difficult to move because of its weight. The gun was adopted for many weapon systems like the Grille and Brummbär SPGs to enforce the movement. The 1st RSI Division got 4 sIG 33 to replace some of the lost “heavy weapons” of the division. 

Cannone da 75/27 modello 11

The Cannone da 75/27 was one of the most iconic Italian artillery guns of ww2. The gun was often seen in the African newsreel. The gun was used in large numbers by the RSI Divisions. Furthermore, more than 41 guns were used by the Wehrmacht as field guns too. The gun had a distinctive look. It was light enough to be pulled around by its crew. The HE round was acceptable for its size but the gun lacked a sufficient anti-tank round. The gun was used by the GNR militias against the partisans. 

Obice da 100/17 modello 14

Another ww1 vintage gun of the royal army. In ww2 the gun was the standard heavy artillery gun of the Italian field divisions. The gun was available in large numbers. After the armistice the RSI forces adopted 50 or more guns. Once again, the majority of remaining 100/17 were confiscated by the Wehrmacht. The germans used more than 63 pieces. With 1,300kg it was one of the light guns of the army. In Africa the gun had shown some anti-tank capabilities. After ww2 the Italian army had modernised the remaining 100/17 guns. They were used until 1984. Today some guns are still used as ceremonial “salute” guns.

Obice da 149/19 modello 37

The 149/19 was the heaviest RSI divisional artillery gun. IT was a modern design. The gun was liked by the Italian and german artillery gunners. With 14km range it was an ideal counter battery fire gun. The RSI army had more than 50 guns in its inventory. The 1st and 3rd RSI Division had 12 guns for heavy fire support. Because of its weight the gun needed vehicles for movement and transport. 

Tanks and armored cars (Carro Armato & Autoblindo):

With the armistice the Italian army had lost its heavy weapon and equipment. The germans were aware for the quality of the Italian armored fighting vehicles but they were in need for any armored vehicle they could find to boost their own firepower. But in the chaos of the disarming the germans hadn’t confiscated all Italian tanks and armored cars. Some Italian units were able to keep their tanks and armored cars by joining the german units. 

The germans were suspicious of the RSI forces and their combat quality and reliability. The germans weren’t interested in a large Italian tank force so they did nothing to help their ally. Being on their own all armed factions of the RSI state were looking for tanks and armored vehicles to get some firepower and armored protection. The Italians managed to find some tanks and vehicles all over northern Italy. 

Between 1943 and 1945 the RSI armed forces were able to find the following tank and armored vehicles:

Carro Veloce L3 (L3/33 and L3/35): 70+

Carro Armato L6/40: 5+

Carro Armato M11/39: 1

Carro Armato M13/40, M14/41 and M15/42: 50+    

Carro Armato P.26/40: 2

Semovente da 47/32: 14

Semovente da 75/18: 9 [18 (based on reports the 1st RSI Division had 9 SPGs but there is no proof)]

Semovente da 75/34: 1 – Germans planned to 24 vehicles to the Leonessa unit in may 45 but the end of the war stopped the plan.

Semovente da 105/25: 1

Autoblindo AB41/AB43: ~27+

SPA Dovunque 35: 1

Autoblindo AS43: 2

Lancia Autoblinda Lince: none (The Leonessa vehicle is – perhaps – the captured British Dingo that was used to build the Italian Lince version)

Autoprotetto S.37: none in Italy.

Unidentified vehicles: Leonessa had at least 12 unidentified armored vehicles, II Reggimento Milizia Del Territorio “Istria” had 6 unidentified armored vehicles. 

There were more vehicles all over northern Italy that can’t be identified so all numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. 

The RSI forces had only small tank units. Most of the tank units were formed to protect the RSI authorities, maintain order and peace in the controlled urban areas and to fight the partisans all over Italy and the Italian-Yugoslavian boarder. The army had the Gruppo Squadroni Corazzati “Leoncello” (1 Semovente 105/25, 4 AB41, 7 M tanks, 12 L3 tanks), the Gruppo Squadroni Corazzati “San Giusto” (4 M tanks, 2 Semovente 47/32, 3 Semovente 75/18, 1 Semovente 75/34, 16 L3 tanks, 2 AB41), Gruppo Squadroni Corazzati “Reparto Anti Partigiani” (7 L3 tanks, 2 L6 tanks, 1 M tank, 2 Semovente 75/18 and 1 AB 41) and the Raggruppamento “Cacciatori degli Appennini” (4 Semovente 75/18, 6 AB41). Based on reports the 1st RSI Division got 9 Semovente 75/18 in early 1945 but there is no proof. The Decima MAS division had 1 L6 tank and 1 AB41. The GNR militia had formed the Gruppo Corazzato “Leonessa” (35 M tanks, L6 tanks, 16 L3 tanks, 1 Semovente 47/32, 18 Ab41, 2 AS43 and some other unidentified vehicles). The Polizia Repubblicana had access to 2 L3 tanks.

The biggest RSI-allied tank clashes happed around the Italian oil wells at Parma and Piacenza and with the retreat of the Italian tank units at Piacenza over the river Po. To defend Piacenza and the oil wells the RSI army had concentrated as many tanks as possible in the area. With 2 L6 tanks, dozens of M tanks (perhaps all tanks of the Leonessa unit) and 3 Semovente 47/32 SPGs the RSI army had concentrated the remaining armored forces for the last duel, a duel with a superior enemy. Based on reports only a single M tank managed to escape over the river Po into the northern mountainous region where the tank (and many other RSI forces) surrendered to the US Army. 

With the short history of the RSI armored units we will look into the vehicles.

Autoblinda AB 41/43

The Autoblinda armored cars were one of the most successful and innovative designs of the Italian army. Developed for long range reconnaissance missions the AB armored car was a mobile and reliable vehicle. The vehicle had a range of 370km on roads and it was tested with 98km/h max speed (75km/h as standard road speed). The armor was strong enough to withstand small arms fire, artillery fragments and to a certain degree 20mm autocannon fire. The vehicle had a radio set of 25 up to 60 km range. The vehicle had a 20mm auto cannon, good enough to counter any enemys’s armored car it could meet on patrol. The secondary armament consisted of 2 MGs and since 1943 of an anti-air roof mounted MG. The RSI and Wehrmacht AB armored cars had smoke launchers to protect the vehicle by a smoke screen when needed. The biggest advantage was its 2 drivers and its speed. The vehicle could drive at max speed in forward and backward mode. The biggest disadvantage was the 1-man-turret and the stressed commander who had to many tasks (spoting, shooting, commanding the crew). The steering needed a lot of maintenance to work without malfunctions. 

In 1943 the AB41 was replaced by the AB 43 on the production lines. The AB43 was an improved version of the AB41 with a more powerful engine, increased range (460km on streets), better radios and many other small improvements. The vehicle was liked by the Wehrmacht and the Italian factories build up to 100 AB43 for the germans. The remaining AB43 were kept in service after the war with the Italian police. 

SPA-Viberti AS.42

The AS.42 was an Italian lightweight long-range vehicle. Designed for desert conditions some vehicles were kept in Italy for the Police in Rome and the Arditi commando units. There were 4 main versions of the AS.42; a MG version, a 20mm Breda modello 35 anti-air gun version, a 20mm Fucile controcarro tipo S version and a cannone da 47/32 version. Only a small number were used by the RSI forces. The Decima MAS Division had some MG and 20mm Anti-air vehicles. There are no information about the Fucile controcarro tipo S and cannone da 47/32 version in RSI service. After the war the remaining AS.42 were used by Italian Police forces. On 4th June 1944 a AS.42 20mm Breda anti-air version of the Italian African Police Force was shot by an US M4 Sherman tank. 

Carro Veloce L3

The L3 tankette was a cheap pre-ww2-tankette design. The vehicle based on the British Carden-Loyd design. The tankette was called the “sardine box”. When ww2 started the Italians had fielded many L3 tankettes because they had no other tank in sufficient numbers. The MG armed L3 tankettes were no match for any heavy British weapon. Soon the vehicle was seen as a rolling coffin. Before the armistice many L3 tankettes were put in training units and second line garrison units. The second line deployment saved many vehicles from destruction stored in depots in northern Italy. When the RSI armed forces were looking for tanks they stumbled over many L3 tankettes. They pressed them into service. In 1944 the L3 was sufficient to fight the lightly armed partisan forces. Many L3 tankettes were used in anti-partisan missions and “supply convoy escort” missions. The situation changed when the allies dropped anti-tank weapons for the Italian partisans in mid/late 1944.

The RSI forces fielded both main versions of the L3 tankettes; the L3/33 and L3/35. The L3/35 main difference was the bolted and thicker armor [12mm instate of 10mm] and the new set of standard 8mm twin Fiat mod1914 MGs (instate of the twin Breda version). 

In combat the armor of the L3 tankettes could stop only shrapnel fire and small arms fire. Heavy MGs and heavy weapons could destroy the L3 tankette. With 2 MGs with a limited fire arc the firepower was limited and could be used against soft targets only. Despite its flaws the tankette was kept in service because it was available in numbers. 

L6/40 tanks

The L6/40 tanks was a small and fast 6ton light tank. The vehicle was often used in scouting missions. The tank was armed with a new designed turret for the 20mm Breda autocannon. The turret was used on the AB41 series too. The turret frontal armor could withstand 37mm gun fire. The hull was protected by 20mm armor sufficient to stop small arms fire and shrapnel fire. With the armistice only small numbers were operated by RSI units. The tank was used with success against partisan forces. 

The L6 tanks could operate against any target that wasn’t protected by anti-tank weapons. With the 20mm gun it was a deadly threat for any infantry men. With a crew of 2 men it was a small vehicle, easy to camouflage and heavy to spot. With 40km/h it was a fast tank and with 200km range useful in patrol and scouting missions.

M tank (M13/40, M14/41 and M15/42)

The most significant tank of the Italian army was the M (Medio = medium) tank. The M13/40 was the second version of an Italian medium tank. It was an improved version of the M13/39 tank. The tank name based on the combination of combat weight in ton and the year of introduction (Medium tank – 13ton, introduced 1940 = M13/40). The new tank had a 47/32 main gun, 3 MGs (1 coaxial guns, 2 hull MGs, late versions had an additional 4th roof mounted anti-air MG), 30mm frontal armor, 42mm gun mantlet/frontal turret armor and 25mm side armor. The armament and armor stayed the same for all M tanks. The biggest change was the engine; the first tanks had a Diesel engine; the last M tanks had a petrol engine. The armor was bolted on a frame. The tank had an on-road range of up to 200km with 30km/h average speed. The M tanks had a radio for communication. Its crew consisted of 4 “carristi”. The Italian army had built more than 1000 M tanks but only a small number were fielded by the RSI armed forces. It was a suitable design for 1940 but it was heavily outdated in 1943-1945. 

The 47mm gun had HE, armor piercing and HEAT rounds. The M15/42 version had an improved gun with a longer barrel for a bigger v0 speed. The 47/40 gun could fire an armor piercing round that could penetrate 57mm armor at 500m and 43mm at 1000m. The HEAT shell (Proietto Controcarri Effetto Pronto) and the enforced HEAT shell (Proietto Controcarri Effetto Pronto Speciale) were able to penetrate bigger armor plates. The Proietto Speciale could penetrate 112mm at 100m and 43mm at 1000m. Thanks to the hight muzzle velocity the gun ballistics were very good. The gun trajectory was excellent, and the gun had a good precision. With 111 shells the tank had a large ammunition pool. There were 2500 rounds for the vehicle MGs. 

The M tanks were suffering from mechanical breakdowns, the limited capabilities of the crew to maintain the tank and the poor steel quality of the Italian industry. The 47/40 gun could destroy an allied tank with the special rounds in close combat but in most tank-to-tank duels the M tanks would have problems against the M4 tanks of the allied forces. Surprise and ambush tactics were the best for the M tank to achieve a tank kill. On the other side the tank was a threat for any soft target. The rapid fire gun allowed for a deadly shelling. Enemy’s infantry would need some sort of anti-tank weapon to deal with the M tank.

P.26/40 

The biggest and heaviest tank of the Italian industry was the P.26/40. With the M tanks on the battlefield the Italian army realised that the tank performance was not sufficient. The army needed a “heavy” (Pesante) tank for tank-to-tank combat. Design and construction dated back to 1940 with a 26ton design, 75mm high-velocity gun and 50mm frontal armor. The armor was redesigned when the Italians got reports of the T-34 tanks. In 1943 3 prototypes were ready for testing. With the armistice the chaos hit the P.26/40 project. The factories were now controlled by the german forces. They needed any suitable tank they could get. Production was started for the Wehrmacht and up to 100 P.26/40 were build for the germans. There is some debate about the number of tanks that had an engine. There are documents talking about 38 pillbox tanks for the Gothic line but you should keep the numbers with a grain of salt. The germans formed 3 Panzer-units with P.26/40 at least. 10. Polizei-Panzer-Kompanie had 14 P.26/40, 15. Polizei-Panzer-Kompanie had 14 P.26/40 and the "PzKompanie der 25. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS ‘Karstjäger‘" had 22 tanks. 5 tanks were used by the Panzer-Ausbildungs-und-Ersatz-.Abteilung Süd (an armya training unit to train german crews on Italian vehicles). Some of u will ask now; and the Italians? Well. That is the problem of the story we will talk about later.

On paper the P.26/40 was a suitable design. It had a Fiat diesel engine capable of 330hp by 11,53hp/t. The fuel tank allowed an operational range of 280km on the road. With 40km/h it was reasonable fast. The biggest advantage was the sloped armor with a strength of 50mm. In theory the armor had an effective strength of 100mm but like the M tanks the P.26/40 suffered from the low steel quality. On paper the armor was a well-designed mix of face-hardness and softer metal underneath. In reality only some armor plates had such a quality. The armor was tested with a captured 6pdr but the armor failed. The side was protected by 45mm, rear 45mm and the top with 20mm. The best argument for the P.26/40 was the main gun; the 75/32 gun. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get ballistic data. Some sources were talking about penetration values ranging from 90mm up to 120mm on 500m range. I think it is fair to compare the gun performance with the german long barrel 7,5cm KwK 40 L/43. The tank had a coaxial MG and a roof mounted anti-air MG. On paper the tank was good enough to fight the M4 Sherman tank on the Italian theatre. When the tank was working it had a good mobility and good cross-country performance. 

The story for the Italian P.26/40 is the problem here. First of all there are rumours about the deployment of P.26/40 at Anzio. It is unlikely that any P.26/40 was ready for combat in early 1944. The story of the “Italian P.26/40” started in April 1945 in Milan. The Leoncello armored group got 2 P.26/40 tanks by the Milan factory. The 2 P.26/40 were used to protect Mussolini in his Milan headquarter. The P.26/40 carristi were trained by the germans before. Now they were selected to protect their head of state against the rising partisan threat. The tanks were used in patrolling in Milan. Based on the limited information it seems to me that the tanks were abandoned by the crews when the RSI forces left Milan. One tank was in running conditions. It was used by Partisan units for the victory parade when they liberated Milan from the remaining RSI units. Perhaps they were used by the RSI units until they run out of fuel or ammunition. At the end this is the only known deployment of RSI P.26/40. There is some debate about more P.26/40 in the RSI forces because the german didn’t liked the P.26/40 because of its mechanical breakdowns and reliability issues. The germans had give some weapons they don’t liked to their allies so there is a chance that some other P.26/40 were give to RSI units to boost their moral and combat performance. But there is no proof for such a theory.

WHEN P.26/40 isnt part of the regular lineup the tank should be part of a battlegroup bacause it was by far the best italian tank design of ww2.

Semovente 47/32

The Semovente 47/32 was a small open top self-propelled gun on the L6 tank chassis. In 1943 it was an outdated design. Light armored, light armed and light in terms of weight the Semovente 47/32 was used in secondary missions to provide fire support. The 47mm HE shells were a big threat for light armed infantry units like the partisans. To kill a tank the Semovente had to take the same risks like the M tanks; it had to move in close range to kill a tank with its regular AP rounds or Special rounds. Because of its light armor any heavy weapon like a heavy MG or an autocannon could be a deadly enemy. Furthermore, the tank was vulnerable to indirect fire. Some crews were killed by artillery shrapnel. Its “advantages” was its size with a height of only 1,63m, its speed with 42km/h and its range with 200km on the road. Against all odds it was the Semovente 47/32 that saw one of the last tank-to-tank engagements of Italian carristi against allied tank soldiers. The morning of April 26 1945 Lieutenant Rinetti, carristi of the Leonessa armored group, commanded a platoon 3 Semovente 47/32. Near Pontenure the 3 tanks met American amored vehicles (Grayhound armored cars, M3 Stuart tanks). After a 3h long battle the SPGs were running out of ammunition. Rinetti covered the retreat of 2 of his SPGs. He defends his position as long as possible to allow his comrades to run away. Here he was killed – perhaps by US M4 Shermans that had joined in the fight. It was one of the last Italian armored battles of ww2.

Semovente 75/18

Perhaps it is one of the best known armored vehicles of the Italian army. The Semovente 75/18 was the Italian answer to the german Sturmgeschüzu concept. The M chassis was merged with a casemate housing for the modern Obice da 75/18 modello 34. With 33km/h it had a range of 215km on the road. When the Semovente 75/18 hit the battlefields in 1942 it was the best Italian fighting vehicle. With 50mm (2x 25mm) frontal armor, 25mm side, 11mm rear and 15mm roof it reasonable armored. With its Effetto Pronto Speciale it could penetrate 120 mm of vertical armor tilted at any distance. The Semovente could support attacking infantry with indirect fire support on 9,5km range. Unfortunately, the Semovente lacked the MG for close combat defence. It had a stored anti-air MG with a roof mounting but the MG was kept inside when not needed. With the Semovente 75/18 on the M15/42 chassis the side armor was increased to 30mm side and 20mm rear. The frontal armor was a single piece 50mm plate now. It had a smoke generator for a defensive smoke screen. Speed was increased to 39km/h. The Italian industry build 288 Semovente 75/18 of all chassis types. With the armistice and Operation Achse the germans captured 123 Semovente 75/18. They were renamed into Beute-Sturmgeschütz mit 7.5 KwK L/18 (850)(i) and distributed to all infantry and armored units in Italy. Unlike the M tanks that were send to the Balkan to fight the Yugoslavian partisans the germans kept all Semovente in Italy to fight the allies. The Wehrmacht thought that the Semovente 75/18 was the only major Italian combat vehicle that could fight allied armor with a reasonable chance of success. The Semovente was one of the selected vehicles that was kept in production for the german forces. 

The RSI forces were able to acquire some Semovente 75/18. The Gruppo Corazzato “San Giusto” and the Raggruppamento Anti Partigiani (Anti partisan group) used Semovente guns against the partisans. The HE shells and the range allowed them to stay in safe distance and to terrorize the partisans with rapid fire. Today there is some debate about the Gruppo Semoventi of the 1st RSI Division. In early 1945 the germans ordered the formation of a Semovente battery for the 1st RSI Division to help the Bersaglieri in combat. There are some german and Italian documents confirming the creation and deployment of the group but there are some good reasons to question the reports. Until today there is no photo of a 1st RSI Division Semovente so you should take the story – like many other – with a grain of salt – again.

Whether RSI used Semoventi in bigger numbers or not – we know that the germans will field the Semovente in a battlegroup, so the model is already planned. A good reason to implement it for an Italian faction too.

To show the importance of the Semovente 75/18 for the Italians it should be noted that 62 Semovente 75/18 were used from 1946 to 1955 by the new NATO Esercito Italiano (Italian Army). They were replaced by the M47 Patton tanks. They were kept in reserve until 1965 when they were scrapped (or placed on monuments and museums).

Semovente 75/34       

The Semovente 75/34 was an anti-tank optimised version of the Semovente 75/18. It was armed with the same 75mm gun of the P.26/40. With its low profile and suitable gun it was a threat for any allied tank. A single tank was used by the Gruppo Corazzato “San Giusto” to fight partisans. Most of the vehicles were used by german tank destroyer units. In May 1945 the germans offered the Italians 24 Semovente 75/34 to form a tank hunter unit for the armored group Leonessa. With the increasing numbers of JgPz38t the germans tried to give the worn-out tanks to the Italians. The capitulation stopped the plan.

Semovente 105/25

The Semovente 105/25 was the biggest Semovente of the Italian army. Armed with a heavy 105mm howitzer the tank had enough firepower to fight tanks, concrete emplacements, and soft targets. Build on an enlarged M15/42 chassis the “Bassotto”. The chassis had the same 50mm front, 35mm side of the M15/42 tank but the new superstructure had a 75mm frontal armor and 45mm side armor. With a height of 1,75m it was even smaller than the Semovente 75/18. It was a formidable ambush vehicle. Based in terms of speed and range it was close to the stats of the M15/42 tank. It best argument was the Cannone da 105/25. The gun had a range of 13km for HE rounds and 2,5km for AP rounds. With the Proietto Controcarri Effetto Pronto Speciale the gun could pierce 120mm armor at 1000m (90° angle). Like any other Semovente the Bassotto had no hull-MG. It had the stored anti-air MG like any other Semovente. The biggest drawback was the cramped interior and the 3 man crew. The germans sent their Bassottos with a 4th men into combat. They dropped some rounds to enforce the crew size for better combat performance. Before the armistice only 12 Bassotto were delivered. They were all stationed in Rome. When the battle of Rome started between the Italians and germans 4 of the 12 tanks were destroyed by german fire. The rest was captured by the germans. Until the end of the war the germans got 116 Semovente 105/25. All tanks were deployed in Italy in tank destroyer units. The germans were quite satisfied with the vehicle.

Somehow the RSI forces acquired a single Bassotto for the Leoncello armored group. Perhaps the germans had missed it in a depot when they were confiscating Italian vehicles. The SPG was stationed in Milan to defend the governmental ministries that were placed in Milan. Here the Leoncello Bassotto was used for patrol and parade duties before they moved it to the Largo di Garda near Brescia. In April 1945 the situation changed. With the rising partisan movement that was liberating many large cities in northern Italy the Bassotto was prepared for combat. It should support an improvised M tank unit attacking the partisans in Milan. On the way to Milan the column was strafed by allied fighter bombers. On 25th April the Bassotto entered the outskirts of Milan. Here the crew got the order to surrender to the partisan forces. The carristi sabotaged the Bassotto and surrendered without firing a single shot in anger. It was a non-spectacular end for the only 105/25 of the RSI army.

WHEN Bassotto isnt part of the regular lineup the tank should be part of a battlegroup bacause it was by far the best italian assault gun design of ww2.

With all these vehicles it could be worth mentioning two additional candidates that were not used by the RSI forces. One candidate is the Autoblinda Lince, an armored open top recon car, and the Autoprotetto S.37, italy’s only mass produced armored personal carrier. 

Autoblinda Lince

The Lince was a direct copy of the British Daimler Dingo. The vehicle had a single MG for personal defence. The germans liked the Italian version and ordered 300 vehicles of which 129 were delivered to the germans. There is some debate about a “potential” Lince of the Leonessa armored group. The Leonessa group had a “Lince” armored car. The vehicle is only confirmed by photos. No documents had survived. There are some arguments for a theory that the Lince of the Leonessa group was the captured Daimler Dingo the Italians used to copy the design. Perhaps Leonessa used a Daimler Dingo and no Lince. At the end the Lince would be a suitable candidate for a light, fast armored scout car.

Autoprotetto S.37

One of the biggest problems for the Italian army was the protection of its mobile infantry units. Unlike the germans or americans the Italian army never developed an armored personal carrier until 1941. The Autoprotetto S.37 wa the first Italian APC design and it was a solid one. Based on the FIAT T.L. 37 artillery tractor the APC was a full-wheeled design. The design was ready in a couple of months and in early 1942 the production started. With 6 to 8,5mm armor protection the APC was protected against small arms and shell splinters. There was a MG armed and a flamethrower armed version. Some units modified the vehicle in the field by adding additional armor plates. The Italians build 200 vehicles. All were sent to the Balkan to fight the partisans and to work in convoy and supply escort duties. With the armistice many Autoprotetto S.37 were captured by Yugoslavian partisans. 37 vehicles were captured by the Wehrmacht. They were used until they were used up. None S.37 was give to the RSI forces. With the full-wheel design the S.37 was one of the fastest APCs in ww2. The vehicle could transport 8 equipped soldiers or 750kg of cargo. It had a range of 720km on the street. Its biggest flaw was the height. Infantry cant jump out of the car like the germans could do on their halftracks. The infantry had to leave the vehicle by the rear door. This could cost vital seconds in combat.

Semovente 90/53

I have ignored the Semovente 90/53 here because for me it is a typical "problematic" candidate. On paper it the the extreme version of an italian Marder or Nashorn tank destroyer; a glass canonen. The Semovente combined on of the best anti-tank guns - the italian 90mm Anti Air gun - with an outdated chassis. The crew wasnt protected against large calibre fire. The chassis was stressed by the construction and weight. But when the gun was hidden in a prepared ambush position it could hit hard. Some US tank crews had to realise the potential of the gun at Sicily.

The problem for the Semovente is quiet simple - like the S.37 the RSI army had none of the few remaining Semovente 90/53 at hand - or even in range!

Most of the Semovente 90/53 were lost on Sicily where they were deployed by the royal army against the allied landings. After the armistice the remaining Semovente 90/53 were all captured by the Wehrmacht and issued to the 26. Panzer-Division that used at least 1 Semovente 90/53 until 1945. Here it was - perhaps - lost after the crossing of the Po river in march/april 1945. Perhaps the 26. PzDiv had run out of spare parts and dropped the Semovente because they cant repair it once again.

Unlike the S.37 i havent add it to my list here because i think there is a small clou for the italian faction - or trick - that could be done with the italians in CoH 3. SO i want to keep the Semovente 90/53 in reserve for the idea.

THE RSI FACTION

Now it is time to merge to dry theory and concept with the historical background and content. At the beginning we had established a basic faction layout with some key unit and key roles. Now it is time to merge the concept with the weapons and units we had talked about before.

Base set:

Construction unit (when there is base building)

• With the “Pionieri” we had a base unit like any other faction was using in the CoH franchise for base building and construction. With some carabines, captured French rifles or old carcano rifles they are regular units. No big deal.

Base Infantry

• Here it is getting interesting. We had a number of candidates for the role. With “Bersaglieri”, “Fucilierie”, “Guardia”, “Squadristi” and “Legonario” there are several candidates. We had seen that the former “Bersaglieri” were an elite force watered down to a honor title to boost morale. On the side the biggest element was formed by regular “fanteria” or the militia units, the “Legionario”. So it would be more suitable to keep such a generic name for the regular infantry. Both names had advantages but I would prefer the “Legionario” name – it is a small link to the ancient roman soldiers. For the weapons we have a large arsenal. There are rifles, submachine guns and light MGs. The Light MG upgrade could be names “Fucilierie”. The term is fitting for a single soldier (or upgrade) instate of a squad name.

• There are several candidates too. For the infantry there are the “esploratori”. Light infantry, designed for fire brigade missions. They could work as a camouflage unit, sneak around, camouflage in cover, sniping infantry by ability or critical hits (e.g. enemy’s soldier hp dropped under 20% - snipe). There are some interesting elements like special ground modifiers for the recon job, received accuracy modifiers to allow special hit and run tactics; heavy to suppress and some nice abilities to spot – or some hitting potential by upgrade to perform counterattack duties. 
• The vehicle candidate would the Lince armored car; light armed, a single MG and fragile enough for small arms fire. It could transport a single unit, allowing to cap from the vehicle. High speed and high detection would be a nightmare for snipers but an easy kill for a well-placed mine. 

Heavy weapon – suppression

• Here we could think of the L3 tankette. The PE had tried vehicle-based suppression. Perhaps CoH3 could find a way to balance the vehicle in terms of fire resistance, suppression speed and other aspects. Perhaps a sniper could “neutralise” the 2-man-crew like a regular crew weapon. The armor is fragile and could be destroyed by any small arms fire. Its biggest drawback would be the suppression – in CoH vehicles cant be suppressed perhaps it could be changed for the L3 tankette – and the auto retreat. In case of an emergency a heavy weapon could be retreated. Vehicles didn’t have a retreat function. That is a problem for any vehicle based heavy weapon.
• The other candidate would be an ordinary heavy MG. We had seen that Italy had a number of candidates. Unlike other nations the Italian MG like the Breda modello 37 would be defined by a high range but a slow rate of fire. It would be more deadly for vehicles because of its heavy ammunition.  

Heavy weapon – indirect fire

• Once again we had some choices. The small 45mm mortar is more like an ability or a special weapon. It would keep it for such an opportunity. The 81mm mortar is another generic mortar. Other candidates are the light 75mm howitzers and infantry guns. CoH 2 Westheer and US army fielded small artillery guns in the mortar role. The Obice da 75/18 modello 34 would be an Italian version of the US pack howitzer with the decent advantage of a HEAT anti-tank shell. It could perform as emergency anti-tank gun. This would be linked to the anti-tank gun; our next point.

Heavy weapon – anti tank

• Here we have to talk about design. There are 3 candidates: the 47/32 AT gun, the not-used 75/34 field gun and the german Pak 40. With the 47/32 we would have a useable early game AT that would have problems in lategame against Shermans and Churchills. That could be an interesting option in combination with the HEAT shell of the Obice da 75/18 modello 34. Such a design could force the Italians to invest in a heavy tank destroyer or some specialised anti-tank counters. The Pak 40 would be a 1-to-1 copy of the CoH 3 Wehrmacht AT gun and for that reason I would drop it. The 47/34 gun would be the Italian version of the Pak 40. Its drawback would be the “disruption” of the game immersion. The RSI hadn’t fielded any 75/34. On the other side it is an Italian design and many people wont notice such a detail. In ingame terms such a field gun could be designed like the CoH 2 ZiS-2 AT gun with an additional artillery barrage ability for heavy weapon counter or emplacement counter gameplay.

• Here we have the “Cacciatori Carri”; The tank hunters. In CoH many infantry based anti tank units were unit upgrades. With a Panzerschreck it would be a suitable option for the Italian infantry too. On the other side with the Fucile anticarro "S" (20mm anti tank rifle) we could design a “Puppchen like” Italian AT team. The CoH 2 Puppchen could be placed in buildings and it could retreat. The Fucile anticarro "S" could work on the same principles. With such a weapon the Italian infantry would need at least a Panzerfaust ability for emergency AT (similar to Volks in CoH1). An Italian anti-tank rifle in a building could enforce the “breech mechanic” of CoH forcing the enemy to neutralise the AT gun building by storming the garrison. It would be a welcome addition for the new gameplay mechanic.
• There is some debate about builable infantry based anti-tank counter or upgrade base infantry with anti-tank weapons. Munition sink is one of the elements determind how to play CoH; timing your abilities, keep an eye on your ress inventory, ectpp. So there are some good reasons for making anti-tank weapons an infantry upgrade to add another munition sink/drop to prevent early munition based ability spamming.

Supporting infantry (additional role/setup)

• This is the spot for the Bersaglieri. With Beretta MAB 38 SMGs, the Bersaglieri Helmet and the Samurai vest they would be easy to recognise. They are ideal candidates for the “signature unit” status. In combination with a potential StG 44 upgrade they could serve in any combat role – offensive, defensive – and in any setup – charge in unit with sprint abilities, grenade throwing close combat nightmare or PzFaust armed tank terror. They could be designed as needed and they would be one of the most common Italian units ingame. 

Armoured car

• To be honest I think we don’t have to talk about the vehicle here. With the AB41/43 the Italians have the ideal vehicle. The Italian SdKfz 222 would be a terror for soft targets. Speed and agility would be the key element. An upgrade for the AB43 could add smoke launcher for a defensive or offensive smoke gameplay; laying a smoke screen or using smoke to save the armored car. 

Armoured personal carrier

• Well. There is one non-historical candidate, the S.37. The question is: do we need the APC at all? Perhaps the Italians could work without an APC. That would be a design question. APCs are often used for battlefield reinforcements or for build support (SOV clone cars, WE Stuka zu Fuß, US Anti-air halftrack). An APC adds some flexibility. For the Italians it would be the flamethrower. Perhaps Italians could work with a mobile base setup (truck based movable buildings) or a “turn neutral buildings into forward HQs for reinforcement and retreat point” to compensate the lack of any APC. 

Main battle tank

• One of many design questions for the Italians. First of all we will ignore some aspects like mechanical reliability and crew stress management (5 men german crew vs. 4 men Italian crew). Based on the historical context the M tanks and/or the P.26/40 would do the job here. With the M tanks we had a chassis that could be “upgraded” ingame with a better gun, smoke generators and “fake armor” (sandbags). On paper the stats are similar to a german midwar Panzer IV. The Panzer IV Ausf. E had 30mm frontal armor and the Ausf. G with 50mm WITHOUT appliqué armor. The M13/40 had 30mm chassis armor and 42mm turret armor. When we ignore the Italian problems with high quality steel the stats are comparable. Another aspect is the CoH combat design and range. Sure. The M tanks would be easy to penetrate with a low HP pool but on the other side the M tank could penetrate the allied tanks too. In CoH tanks fight on distances between 1-2m up to max. 25~30m. The standard ww2 tank-to-tank combat range was bigger; not the german estimated 1-2km firing range but US war studies estimated a standard range of ~600m for tank combat. The CoH range is far below the WW2 range. That is a result of the CoH gameplay design, abstraction and on-screen-managing and unit-pool (fight with individual infantry soldiers and single tanks). With these aspects in mind, we could think of a M tank close to stats or balance design aspects of a CoH 1 Cromwell tank; not superb but it could work. The biggest advantage of the M tank in CoH would be the rapid fire and the precision. M tanks would be a shell spamming and often hitting little bastard. With smoke generator the M15/42 would turn into a hit-and-run-tank. With the M tank in the regular setup u would need a “tank” to take some punches/hits. So with the M tank it would be a logical choice to add the Bassotto to the lineup because of its armor potential and large HP pool potential.
• The story would change a bit with the P.26/40. With its angled 50mm armor its armor value (jupp. We will ignore Italian steel problems again) be close – or better – compared to the 80mm frontal vertical armor of a Panzer IV Ausf. H. With 50mm side armor the P.26/40 would be superior to flanking fire compared to the german 30mm on the Panzer IV. With this set we could say that an Italian P.26/40 would have a HP pool and armor profile and values comparable with a german Panzer IV, our new MBT for the Wehrmacht in CoH 3! The story continues with the main gun; The german 7,5cm KwK 40 L/48 could penetrate 100mm armor on 100m range, dropping to ~95mm on 500m. The 75/32 could – depending on the source – penetrate 90mm up to 120mm on 500m. With this said we could estimate that both guns had similar combat performance. Both guns would outgun a short barrel M4 Sherman with its “low-velocity” 75mm gun. Sure. The first M4 gun generation was designed for HE shell fire and not for armor combat but with the US lineup in mind we should keep in mind that one of the main foes of the P.26/40 will be the Sherman. With a P.26/40 balanced like a german Panzer IV Ausf. H you had a decent tank design without the need of an additional punching bag.

Tank killer

• Many choices; Semovente 47/32, Semovente 75/18 and Semovente 105/25 – and perhaps – Semovente 75/34. Here it is up to the faction design; Small units for ambush gameplay and hit-and-run tactics or durable hard hitting tanks or a allrounder vehicle for some reasonable anti-tank and anti-infantry power. 
• Lets have a look at the Semovente 75/18 because it is one of the most iconic units of the Italian arsenal. In gameplay design it would similar to a German Sturmgeschütz III. With 50mm frontal armor and 25/30mm side armor (depending on the chassis) it would have armor values and HP stats like a StuG. Sure. The StuG got the typical german appliqué armor to enforce the armor protection. The Semovente didn’t got any additional armor upgrades. It would stay behind Panzer IV or P.26/40 stats and HP pool values. With the Semovente 75/18 u would get an Italian allrounder tank. Its biggest disadvantages is the Semovente 75/18 of the german battlegroup (likely) and its “all around” design. With a M tank in the lineup it could be difficult to balance the Semovente because it wont bring “punching bag” qualities. With its decent anti-tank capabilities and good anti-soft capabilities, it would get in some conflict with a M tank. It could work as an ambush tank with camouflage ability and/or a toggle ammunition ability or it is optimised for a special role (anti-inf, anti-tank) depending on the faction’s MBT. With the P.26/40 it could work to balance the Semovente for an anti-infantry role. 
• And extreme different candidate is the small Semovente 47/32. It would be an early game anti-armor stopgap for some armored car hunting, APC hunting and/or hit-and-run missions. With its size it would be THE candidate for an active camouflage system; auto-camo when in cover. It would a nice early game harassment unit forcing the enemy to think about his early game vehicle investments. On the other side its biggest drawback would be scaling and late game potential. Reduced to hin-and-run only it would have a lot of problems in late game when the armor beasts are punching each other. Together with the M tank it could be too much on the light fragile vehicle side to balance it. So it would be a candidate in combination with the P.26/40 tank. The P.26/40 could stay in the line and the Semovente 47/32 would run around harassing any target in range.
• The Bassotto is the next one here. With the M tank idea the Bassotto would be the punching bag of the Italian faction. The heavy gun and the 75mm front, 45mm side armor would allow the Bassotto to take some hits and to deal some heavy damage. The assault gun would roll against the army, forcing the enemy to focus fire on the Bassotto and to allow the M tanks to get in the flanks. The gun would be “slow firing”. With the firepower and the armor it would be dangerous to merge the Bassotto in a regular lineup with the P.26/40. Okay. The CoH3 had the Brummbär and the Panzer IV so perhaps it could work in terms of faction balance. On the other side with that said the combination P.26/40 and Bassotto would be another 1:1 CoH 3 Wehrmacht copy and that would be lame.
• Our last tank on the list is the Semovente 75/34; the “pure” tank hunter here. Sure. The 75mm gun could be used against soft targets but the 75/34 is screaming “tank hunter”. It looks like and it feels like the Italian “Jagdpanzer IV”. Small in height, easy to hide. Its biggest drawback is its ~42mm frontal armor. It is the same armor value of the M tank. This could work with a decent tank like the P.26/40 but with the P.26/40 we would have the gun twice – so the stats would be nearly the same. With the M tank we would have two fragile tanks – one fast and ideal for hit-and-run and an assault gun with a more powerful gun but vulnerable for many weapons. For me the Semovente 75/34 is an ideal battlegroup candidate. It feels like an Italian JgPz 38t/JgPz IV. 
• To summarize. The tank here would be linked to the MBT. With the M tanks the Bassotto would be a counterpart. With the P.26/40 we could utilise the Semovente 47/32 or 75/18. I cant see the Semovente 75/34 in any constalation here.

Artillery weapon

• Many candidates, conventional designs. So lets be honest; we should pic an iconic weapon here. A real Italian gun. With a strong indirect fire unit for the “mortar” spot the gun here would be a battlegroup unit. With a standard mortar – or the small 45mm infantry assault mortar – it would be the late game hard hitting weapon against blobs and fortifications; pressure by long range bombardment. The Cannone da 75/27 modello 11 or the Obice da 100/17 modello 14 would fit. The 75mm gun would be best weapon for a movable weapon in combination with a light mortar. The 100mm gun could work like an hybrid gun of the Flak 88 and an artillery piece; an emergency anti-tank unit. Suh a high-calibre weapon would be a stationary unit and would be the classic doctrinal/battlegroup weapon. 

Special infantry unit

• The specialised infantry is often seen in the axis lineups. In CoH1 the WE had the defensive Volksgrenadiere, the supporting Panzergrenadiere and the charge-in Ritterkreuzträger (Knightcrossholder). In CoH2 the Ostheer had Grenadiere and Panzergrenadiere for assault and support. The Westheer aka OB West had Sturmpioniere, Volksgrenadiere and the Obersoldaten; a lineup close to the CoH1 WE. With this in mind we could think of a similar system for the Italian army – or their main line infantry are closer to the PE and US concept; one unit scaling over the game by upgrades and abilities. When we think of a specialised Italian main line infantry – e.g. “fanteria” for defensive combat – Italian Volksgrenadiere – we would place an aggressive pushing unit here. This would be one potential spot for our “Bersaglieri” with their fancy helmets, samurai vests and MAB 38 with stats close to a german StG 44. With their combat concept in mind, they are the best assault unit candidate. There are way more candidates. Arditi, Guastatori, fanteria di marina, Paracadutisti – many additional candidates for the spot here – or the elite infantry spot in a battlegroup. Paracadutisti could work – they are close to the Bersaglieri in terms of firepower, spirit and design (special uniforms, iconic look). The Guastatori could work too. With flamethrowers they would fill a spot we haven’t talk about yet, an anti-garrison unit. Flamethrowers are the counter weapon for garrisons and green cover. The Guastatori would fill the spot; armed with flamethrowers with a few abilities (Italian bengalore mines, heavy grenades, flame nades). At the end we have 3 (or 2) useable candidates for a special infantry here – depending on what is needed. 

Special armoured unit

• In CoH this spot is used by the Axis for an anti-air tank, a special artillery or special support unit (Stuka zu Fuß upgrade, StuG IV, Bergetiger, Panzerwerfer, Uhu, Ostwind). The problem is the italian arsenal. There is only one prototype of an anti-air tank, the Semovente M15/42 Antiaereo – the Italian Wirbelwind. It would be interesting to see it ingame and with the “Black prince” there are argument for and against such a tank. To be honest I can identify only two vehicles: the SPA-Viberti AS.42 and the L6/40 tank. 
• The L6/40 tank could be the “Panzer II Luchs” of the Italian faction; fast with a rapid-fire gun, deadly against infantry – and like the Luchs it could see problems in lategame when a medium tank could blast it away. Furthermore, the 2cm gun is already the weapon of the AB armored car. The L6/40 and the AB armored car had the same turret – the chassis is the biggest difference here. So why add a second “2cm armed vehicle”? Well. The L6/40 could offer an interesting upgrade; a flamethrower upgrade. We had already talked about the flamethrower as a weapon against heavy cover and garrisons. We had seen a number of armored flamethrowers in CoH so there is some reference; SdKfz 251 with flamethrower, Churchill croc, Sherman flamer, KV flamer tank, the JgPz 38t Flamer, ectpp. With the Eastern Front mod for CoH 1 we have tested (and still use) a secondary flamer upgrade for the soviet T-34 tanks. It would be a proven concept. 
• Candidate 2 is the SPA-Viberti AS.42, the Italian heavy “jeep”. With a large variety of upgrades it could be an interesting vehicle; with the 2cm anti-air it would be threat for soft-targets and it would fill the anti-air vehicle gap. With the 47/32 gun it would be a fast counter unit against early armored cars. In lategame engagements it would be an easy target for tanks or heavy vehicle counters but in early and midgame engagements the vehicle could be nasty.
• Both vehicles would be fitting into a hit-and-run concept. The L6/40 would cause some balance conflicts with the AB armored car. The AS.42 would be a harassment unit and would fit into a hit-and-run concept too. 

Support unit (bonus/modifier unit)

• A special slot. The CoH WE had the officer to boost the army, the British had the officers for the vet system, PE had the Bergetiger for its vehicle gameplay, US Forces in CoH2 have an officer system and the Ostheer in CoH2 had the callin officer. The Italians are an infantry based faction with hit-and-run aspects (because of its light armament). An officer would be an option here; a unit to boost the stats, adjust modifiers and/or allow additional vet, abilities or upgrades. Fascist officers – Italian commissars – could do the trick OR german officers, because they were used in the Italian RSI divisions to guarantee their moral and loyalty. But the infantry officer would be boring because we have seen it so often. Because of the light vehicles an Italian recovery vehicle could work here too but there are no candidates. Another candidate could be a CoH 1 PE like vampire unit. An Lince armored car, an AS.42, an AB armored car; they all could work with a vampire like ability: sneak into enemy’s territory to “steel” resources, to gather information or to salvage wrecks and vehicles for ammunition and fuel. Such an unit could help the light vehicle gameplay by gathering resources and information. The unit would fit; an Italian light vampire.

Optional:

Armoured Artillery

• Hummel, Priest, Sexton, Wespe, Bishop; all of them are armored artillery guns we had seen or will see in the CoH games. So why shouldn’t Italy get such a vehicle. Well. The problem is the vehicle. Italy hadnt developed such a vehicle early in the war. With the Semovente da 149/40 they build a single prototype. It was an unarmored vehicle but armed with a heavy long range artillery gun. Another candidate is the good old Semovente 75/18 limited to indirect fire only. It would be a slot for the vehicle but it wouldn’t be a classic selfpropelled artillery gun like the other guns. It would fell like an enforced decision. 

Heavy tank destroyer

• The heaviest tank destroyer would be the Semovente 105/25. On paper it would be an acceptable candidate. When the Bassotto isn’t needed for the regular unit tree in combination with M tank the Bassotto would be “must-have” unit here in a battlegroup as Italian heavy tank killer. It had enough firepower and an “acceptable armor” for the job.

Elite infantry

• Italy had many candidates here. So I will list the must-haves here. The Alpini is THE elite unit here. With the height combat modifier in CoH3 the Alpini would benefit from the new combat concepts. With their alpine hat and their distinctive uniforms, they would be easy to spot and easy to recognize. 
• The next “must-have” elite unit is the fanteria di marina; The Decimas Division and the San Marco Navals are candidates for elite unit. The Decima soldiers had joined the germans. They were accepted by the Wehrmacht units. They are flexible in design so they could be formed and armed based on the combat role; Breda LMG 30, Beretta MAB 38 smgs, flame grenades, ect. Offensive or defensive; the navals could do the job and like the Alpini they had a distinctive uniform and visual style. 
• The Arditi are another candidate. The are “Italian commandos” trained for infiltration, sabotage, and close combat. The Arditi could use an CoH1 PE trick; unit spawning in a neutral building. They were experts in infiltration, and they were fighting in their homeland. Armed with captured weapons like British Sten SMGs they could server in harassment missions similar to the old PE Fallschirmjäger soldiers. 
• The 4th and last candidate is the Italian airborne infantry. When they are not needed to the regular tree they should be added here. They had a distinctive uniform and visual style. 
• With 3 “must-haves” – Alpini, Navals and Airborne soldiers – it will be difficult to find spots and roles. Aplini could profit from the new height modifiers, Navals could get additional ground combat modifiers with special adjustments for red cover or light cover. The airborne soldiers are close combat experts and candidates for sprint abilities and received accuracy modifiers; hard hitting and hard to supress.

• We had talked about the topic with the Guastatori and the L6/40 flamer tank. With focus on garrison gameplay and the new breech mechanic flamethrowers could get more attention in CoH3 so Italy could need a flamethrower weapon. With Guastatori and L6/40 there are two types of flamethrower units; “special infantry” and/or vehicle based. When needed the flamethrower could be added by an upgrade for the regular pioneers. At the end it is once again a design question; With guastatori there is no need for more flamers. 

• During my research I haven’t found any special information about Italian snipers or sniper weapons. It seems to me that the Italians didn’t had sniper scopes or special snipers at all and to be honest a faction without sniper could work and is not essential for a faction. But help is welcome. When someone has additional information feel free to post.

• Italy never build a “heavy” tank like the germans or soviers or British or americans. By itlaian nomenclature the P.26/40 was THE Italian heavy tank but compared to other nations it is a medium tank and not a heavy like the Tiger. 
• When Italy need a heavy Tank the only option is a german based battlegroup with a german Tiger call. It could work. It is a boring solution, but it would work.

[Rocket Artillery]

• Italy had no rocket artillery. Perhaps a german Nebelwerfer could be mixed into a potential Tiger battlegroup but at the end the rocket artillery is a nice additional weapon but not needed for a working faction and/or concept.

Special faction features 

Veterancy and unit training

The RSI field army was trained in Germany. Many men were sent there for months to be trained in german tactics and strategies. Here they were drilled on german heavy weapons and used as “labour”. The first RSI units arrived in germany in late 1943/early 1944. The first soldiers returned in summer 1944 like the already well-trained men of the 3rd RSI Division.

With this background we could think of the veterancy. In CoH 1 one of the distinctive features of Wehrmacht was the Kampfkraftcenter; a tier building to buy vet for vital resources and to enforce the vet level of the unit type. With the Italian background we could think of a modified version for the Italian army.

The Italians could train units without vet for a regular prize. Now you could decide: By paying additional resources and time you can train vet units. Starting on the base prize the vet1 unit could cost 130% more resource compared to the base prize and such a unit would need twice as long to be trained as the non-vet version. With this system u could get a hybrid of the CoH 1 Wehrmacht vet and tech system for the Italians adding. The system would force players to plan and decided when to train what kind of unit. At the beginning of the game, you could decide; send in many non-vet troops early in the game or spend some resources and time to send in a high vet elite unit to kick some asses. 

With such a system you would need some basic units that can’t be adjusted by vet training. Fascist base units like a squad of Squadristi or Legionarios; simple line infantry, can hit when in cover and still – and bad accuracy when on the move. Other units like Bersaglieri, Cacciatori Carri, AB armored cars, M or P tanks, Semoventi; they all could benefit from such a system.

With such a system it is a bit difficult to decide about gaining general vet ingame. The CoH 1 We couldn’t do it so I think it should be possible in CoH 3. Perhaps there could be a split; the non-adjustable units could gain vet – and turned into vet units near the HQ (e.g. “promote” a Legionary squad into a Bersaglieri unit) and the buyed-vet units could gain vet ingame but would need much more experience compared to the regular values of other vet gaining units.

Unit reinforcement and healing

One of the core aspects of CoH is reinforcing and healing units suffered in combat. In CoH Halftracks had a special role for "on battlefield" reinforcement. For the italians this is a questionable idea/design because of the lack of APCs. But with fighting in Italy we have to option of forward HQ and/or the old CoH 1 British/CoH 2 Westheer system. Fighting in Italy should allow RSI infantry to turn building and structures into "HQ" or "occupied positions" (i think i will stick to the "occupied" term here). 

With occupied positions you can heal and reinforce your soldiers "near" the frontline. They could work as forward retreat points and perhaps they could allow some basic unit production (Legionario or Esploratori infantry, perhaps MGs, Mortar and/or light infantry guns - when available by the concept).

But the concept had a big drawback: With such a system Italy would be vulnerable for artillery attacks. A good player who had spot the retreat would focus his indirect weapon fire on the occupied positions to achiev some "full unit kills". That is one of the biggest drawbacks.

But to be honest i would like such a system more than adding a boring first-aid-vehicle or infantry ability.

So the system here is up for some debate. To be honest i could even think of "more" systems like an HQ activated ability to allow italian infantry to heal and reinforce in the field when the ability was acitivated. Such a general on map system would turn the italians into a small powerhouse because most CoH nations had to retreat to a certain position to heal and reinforce - or they would need certain units and abilities. With a time based activated ability the italians could reinforce in combat and on the field allowing for a heavy infantry based pushing power.

Well. As u can see there are perhaps even more ways. At the end the system to heal or reinforce will be linked to the gameplay of the faction. Heavy and aggressive gameplay will need a on-the-field-system. A defensive gameplay could work with stationary systems and abilities. To keep it simple: at the end Italy will need a system because without a flexibale healing or reinforcing system the faction would be an easy prey.

FINAL CONCLUSIONS

After 33 pages in word (jupp, sry…) we can summarize: Italy has a lot of potential ingame content. It is enough to build an axis sided faction in terms of gameplay, signature content, design and balance. We have everything we need. I have shown u some pro and con arguments and design decisions that should be kept in mind for such a faction. 

With all this said I would say that we have a candidate for a heavy infantry based specialised faction. The Italians are tending a bit into the direction of the CoH 1 Panzer Elite – I know, many persons wont like a PE 2.0 but it is a new game so it could be done better.

The Italians have some core infantry designs for the base stuff and some experts for all kind of combat situations and scenarios. The infantry is supported by a hit-and-run-based vehicle pool. The vehicles are that durable but depending on the faction design choices they had enough potential to take the fight. 

The concept for the Italians would be “drain the enemy into death”. They would get to a position, prepare their forces and when the enemy is showing up the would send in the hit-and-run units to pump as much damage as possible before getting behind a safe line, repair, reinforce, regroup and repeat.

At the end I have to say thank you very much for your time and your interest. 

Thx @ Relic for CoH 3.

Feel free to comment and discuss and lets try to help Relic with bringing us the Italians in CoH 3.

When u like the idea and concept analyse i could bring u 2 other concepts. So feel free to tell when u are interessted in an other - shorter - analyse for a potential all-side-italian-faction analyse and a "Commonwealth army" aka Canadian/polish faction analyse!

Sources and files i had used are listed in my google sheet. Click >> HERE << when u want to check it out! Thx!

This is an incredible article. I did have some thoughts as to how to include the Italians in a way that represents both the Royal Army and the RSI.

  What if the Royal Italian Army (pre-armistice) can be a fully fleshed out faction that will represent the Italians in Multiplayer as well as independent Battlegroups during the African and Sicilian Campaigns (both of which were heavily implied in the trailer and concept art), while the Repubblica Sociale Italiana can be a slightly scaled down version, taking elements from the Royal Italian Army (reskinned to represent the RSI, of course) to be incorporated as a special singleplayer-only force for the mainland Italian campaign, such as RSI detachments on the campaign map that can be attached to German units and unique Wehrmact campaign abilities to call-in RSI units for support on the battlefield?

Or, if they're feeling ambitious, perhaps a unique campaign-only RSI battlegroup utilising both Italian and German units.

  I also agree entirely in the case of not using prototypes. As a keen British/Commonwealth player, I don't want to see the Black Prince, for example.

Wow @LordRommel ,

This is outstanding. I admit I had to stop halfway, I thought I was almost done at the AT gun section and realized I was just about halfway. I will have to go back at another time to finish this read. You Germans love your analytics! And to think this coming from me, I am as longwinded a poster as there is, or perhaps not since you've outdone yourself here but my longwinded threads aren't filled with such great detailed historical data, this is great intel. I respect the amount of great data you provided in this thread, it's impressive and for the most part it sounds factual and not overly opinionated. I hate not finishing reading it now either, I am borderline OCD when starting something I refuse to finish but I couldn't maintain focus after a certain point besides my concentration weighing pro's/con's of continuing develops and I decide finishing it another time when I can reset my focus will be best. Perhaps next time you can break it down into multiple threads? The first the history and your bio, the next factions, then one would be weapons, then armor? Or perhaps most readers like finding it one single thread to your method. Anyways, I couldn't get through all the sections but will in my next read through. For any age this is great stuff but for a 32 year old it's even more impressive the level of historical detail you go into. Great work.

I actually must say that out of all of that content the thing that stood out the most to me was your response to Tartan, creating a faction that is AND/OR is a great idea. I like that "wildcard" faction idea. I even like the idea instead of making it two separate battle groups with 3 for allies and 3 for axis, having the same used for both. I really like this concept as I believe as most people, the entire game is based in Italy, to not have a proper faction dedicated to the Italians would be borderline unacceptable. It's like if they went to the Pacific and said we "may" include the Japanese, I mean c'mon I get that Germany in Italy was different but they must have their own faction and not just call-in units.

I do think LordRommel that you may be focused too much on the historical accuracy, I think Relic mentioned their commitment too to historical accuracy in their Dev threads but for me I love history and I love video games, but if I had to choose a fun game at the expense of historical accuracy then I would choose unrealistic over realistic and less fun, that's just my opinion. I think they can try to do both but I lean more towards if it's not exactly historically accurate but makes for a great gameplay, then go for it within the realm of not ruining the realistic theme. And once again this is coming from me who always prefers Axis vs. Allies in comp stomp or pvp matches. I like accuracy but not so painstakingly accurate that the game is not fun because of the model gun they are using or the type of tank was not used in that specific region of Italy at the time. I can overlook those instances, as I mentioned just don't start getting crazy and put lasers on dolphins or Super soldier serum troops etc.

I think you bring up the biggest hurdle in creating a standalone Italian faction which is the balance work, just like PE and Brits in COH 1 before it's an uphill challenge because it's sort of a moving target. In game development I don't know if there is enough time for them to pivot into a direction in a way that they haven't already begun the foundation already underway. It's almost like they have to actually finish the game by July 30th 2022 and then just have two solid months of patching and updating the game prior to it's actual launch. Whatever their launch date is they'll have to have an internal deadline to work out all the kinks and issues waaaaay prior to actual release to avoid launching a faulty, buggy, unbalanced, laggy mess that ruins the experience. To say that is obvious or common sense is accurate but guess what, EVERY single year there are games that launch that have no business being released in the state that they are in, no excuses it's got to have worked out those bugs by purchasing time. No excuses or promised patches weeks later, no let's get it right and launch those patches for DLC or the minor bugs etc, but let's not do it at the frustration of the community with poor execution upon launch.

I upvoted this post, great input and data for the dev team, thank you for educating me as well.

- Art of War

Darkknights wrote:

Sad to tell you Relic has decided to use Italian as battlegroups: Italian artillery, and Coastal defense for Germany. Like they said many times in many videos, Coh3 gonna start with 3 factions: US, UK, and Ger.

In the latest video they have specifically said the Italians are still under development, they want to show that they were on both sides of the battle for Italy. The details on how they are going to show up are still being worked out and discussed.

Though I would agree that the likelihood for a stand alone faction for Italy is slim to none for the main release. The more people post on here and discord showing the desire for a stand alone faction, the more likely it will be after release, they will highly prioritized the Italians going forward.

It has been called for consistently since the pre-alpha and the Devs have gone out of their way to acknowledge the communities interest by mentioning the Italians specifically a good number of times. They are listening and I am sure they are going to give it special attention after release.

All of this to say I am sure we will see a stand alone faction in COH3.

After some time it is time to have a look at a potential setup for Italian battlegroups for a proposed RSI army faction. 

So lets have a look!

The CoH 3 battlegroup system is a kind of development of the CoH 1 doctrine system and the CoH 2 commander system; 

The battlegroup should add variety and gameplay focus and gameplay options to a faction. Furthermore, battlegroups and doctrines and commanders followed a kind of "theme". E.g. with the german armored battlegroup we will see heavy Tiger tanks that will have some impact on a game (Tiger"fear") based on the idea of the heavy german tank detachments that were send into battle to break the allied onslaught. We know that we will see Panther tanks and Nashorn tank destroyers too. Both vehicles are likely candidates for additional still unknown german battlegroups. These vehicles are "heavy“, and they will add some heavy punch to a german player to influence the battle by his plan and for his advantage. 

But battlegroups are more than tank and/or unit callins. In CoH1 the doctrines had support abilities and effects to boost a type of gameplay. The US infantry doctrine (CoH1) had a large focus on the US Ranger infantry and the indirect artillery fire support. The US airborne doctrine had many munitions-based air force callins for recon missions, soft target strikes and heavy target strikes. Such a munition ability like the P-47 Thunderbold bombardment - or the german V1 munition strike - had some heavy hitting potential that could change the entire game situation.

On the other side these doctrines had abilities to help the faction. With the Opposing Fronts AddOn PE doctrines infantry could mine cap points or buildings by doctrinal ability. Tank hunter infantry got a boost by another doctrine, ect. ect. 

CoH2 had enforced the gameplay idea. Commanders were adding weapon packages like soviet PPsH SMGs for conscripts to boost pushing capabilities or german G43 rifles for midrange defensive firepower. We saw vehicle wrack salvage operations, healing abilities, mine placing abilities and many other small gameplay elements.

With all this said battlegroups are a large pool of possibilities and offer a big set of gameplay influencing options. 

With all this said it is time to have a look into some RSI themes battlegroups here.

To get an insight of the possibilities it will help to look into the history.

First of all beside all propaganda and historical memes the italian soldiers had some skills and abilities that could be utilised for potential battlegroups. 

Raggruppamento and Italian arms skills – Possible battlegroup content

One of the remarkable skills of the italian army was the gunnery skill and bravery of the italian artillery crews. Large parts of the italian artillery were 75mm up to 100mm guns. For ww2 standards the guns were small and couldnt deliver a large amount of effective HE rounds. But beside these gun based disadvantages the italian artillery gunners were well trained. At the battle of Sicily the 3rd US Infantry Division landed at Licata, a small harbor town at the Sicilian western coastline. Here the GIs met some fears resistance by the italian artillery crews. Because of the precise bombardment of a naval artillery train the 3rd US Division had to stop the landings at one of the beach sectors (red beach) for some hours to avoid additional casualties. The US Army needed the support of the naval Destroyer USS Buck to silence the artillery train. But even with the train out of action the US still met resistance by the remaining artillery positions and artillery crews that had taken shelter around the town. The US Army had to fight down one gun position after another. It took the US Army several hours to clean Licata from the italian artillery nests. Often the italian artillery guns shot on the US infantry until the GIs had captured the gun position. With the artillery guns silenced and the gun crews killed the remaining italian infantry surrendered. The battle of Licata showed the bravery and gunnery skills of the italian artillery crews. Often the italian infantry was kept in combat only by the support of the remarkable italian artillery crews. Even the german army recognized the skills of the italian artillery gunners so they recruited many italian artillery gunners into the german artillery units where they supported the Axis forces in the defense of Italy. 

Another example of the gunnery skills is the battle of Garfagnana where artillery men of the 2nd artillery group “Bergamo” supported the 4ª Divisione alpina "Monterosa" in combat. Here the 2nd group was able to support the Alpini soldiers with well-timed and precise fire support missions and short on point artillery bombardments. With the light Obice da 75/13 (Škoda 7,5 cm Vz. 1915) guns they were able to move fast in the mountain region allowing them to support the Alpinis in many situations with surprising fire. The 2nd group achieved enough success to get a formal appreciation by the german officers and men attached to the 4th Alpini Division. The US 92nd Division on their side – the victims of the 2nd group – were convinced that they were hunted by a large axis artillery formation instead of the 12 guns of the 2nd artillery group. The GIs were surprised that they were barraged by the small but skilful alpini artillery unit.  

The artillery theme allows for many different types of artillery abilities ranging from fast light precise munition based strike abilities or special target missions like destroying garrisons or target vehicles and weak spots up to callins and/or construction unlocks for artillery gun callins and/or artillery emplacements. 

Likely candidates for a battlegroup callin is the Obice da 75/18 modello 34. The Obice da 75/18 modello 34 is a small pack howitzer like artillery piece with an effective HEAT round that could destroy a Sherman tank in range of up to 700m. The gun was used for the Semovente 75/18 SPGs. The gun could be moved on the battlefield by its gun crew. The gun would be a suitable candidate for a midgame callin.

Another heavy candidate is the Obice da 149/19 modello 37. The 149mm gun was a heavy artillery piece. The RSI army had up to 50 guns in its inventory. 2 of its 4 frontline divisions had a full artillery group with 12 guns à 3 batteries (4 guns per battery). The gun was modern and robust. It had a remarkable range of up to 14km. Its disadvantage was its size and weight. The gun was so good for army standards that it was kept in service until 1974 before it was replaced with modern pieces. The gun needs a gun mover to be pulled into firing positions. In CoH gameplay terms the gun would be a constructional emplacement. It could be compared to the CoH1 US infantry doctrine US 105mm M2A1 howitzer or the german 10,5cm LeFH 18. Based on the gun calibre it would be closer to the CoH1 OF Hummel SPG gun or CoH2 soviet 152mm ML-20 emplacement stats but here it should allow for long range heavy artillery support allowing to counter allied emplacements or fortifications. 

Another typical CoH doctrine/battlegroup element is the callin infantry.

With CoH3 height differences will get a major combat boost that should influence the game and the units. New technical additions have the potential to be used for new units and/or weapons ingame. Here a new terrain modifier should add new combat modifiers for units in battle. A consequence of the new height is the potential for a new type of infantry with height combat advantage and height combat modifiers; mountain infantry – and here Italy had an elite mountain infantry corps – the “Alpini”. The Alpini were recruited from the local population of the Italian alps. They are one of the oldest (most likely THE oldest) mountain combat trained soldiers of modern western armies. They were trained in mountain warfare, skiing and climbing. In consequence not all men could become an Aplini soldiers in the Italian armed forces. 

After the armistice the RSI army was interested in forming many new alpini units as fast as possible. One of the results was the 4ª Divisione alpina "Monterosa". The division saw its combat debut against allied forces at the Gothic line where it fought the 1st Brazilian Division. Its biggest moment came with the winter 1944 when the division started a small local counteroffensive against the US 92nd Division. The offensive was a tactical success pushing the US units back. The “Italian battle of the bulge” allowed the 4th Alpini division to take a new better defensive position that was defended until March 45. After the battle the division was ordered into the western alps to protect the Torino flank against the advancing free French forces that were pushing into the alps. Here the division fought with bravery delaying the advance of the French forces that were far bigger compared to the small axis units in the region. 

The Alpini would utilise the new hight modifier for combat. Based on the historical layout they wont be effective against enemy’s armor so they would be a soft target counter and a defensive unit designed to fight and dominate enemy’s infantry when handled with skill and situational awareness. 

Beside the Alpini the RSI army had many additional candidates for typical CoH callin infantry. They could be designed for whatever is needed. Arditi could server as SMG armed assault/charge in infantry. Paracadutisti are another likely candidate. Unlike their allied comrades they never dropped into combat by parachute so they would serve as an elite callin infantry to counter softtargets. They would be close to the CoH 1 OF PE german Fallschirmjäger callin infantry.

One of the biggest questions marks is the Bersaglieri infantry here. They could serve as a standard midgame multirole callin infantry with AT upgrade potential (Panzerschreck/PzFaust) and rifle upgrades (SMGs, LMGs, better long-range rifles, ectpp). When there is NO Bersaglieri infantry in a regular line up the Bersaglieri must be part of the battlegroups because the Bersaglieri formed the Italian “version” of the mobile infantry trained for movement and combined arms operations. Furthermore, the Bersaglieri have a special “esprit de corps” and a typical visual appearance that could be used for a fast recognition on the battlefield and for some additional combat modifiers. 

With the callin infantry done it is time to have a look at the classic CoH callin content, the mechanised content aka vehicles, and tanks! And here we have one of the most fascinating parts of the military history of the Italian armed forces.

Corpo di carristi – motorised classic CoH callin content

The biggest elephant in the room is the Italian tank force. 

Unlike many myths and memes the Italian tank force was an “elite” within the Italian army (please keep in mind; elite is here a special qualified force/unit and not ‘elite’ in terms of superhuman being or extraordinary stuff). 

In the 1920s the Italian society was an agricultural society. Before the war the Italian government subsidised fuel and motor vehicles. The government planned to modernise, to motorise and to reform the Italian society. More people should have access to motor vehicles. They should learn to drive and by driving they should be motivated to learn more about engineering and construction. The army was part of the program because the army was lacking persons who could drive vehicles. After ww1 the amount of drivers had risen. Motorization had become a core element of the armies after ww1 and the Italian army was no exception. The armed forces got more and more vehicles and needed more and more drivers. Unfortunately, the “mechanisation program” of the Italian government couldnt generate enough drivers so the army founded several army driving schools to generate more personal for their needs. The lack of drivers had consequences for the Italian tank forces. Tanks were complicated and needed special handling. Tank drivers needed more driver training compared to a regular truck driver. Based on the background the Italian tank corps, the trained tank crews, the carristi, formed an “elite” within the army because they could drive vehicles and track vehicles. Until the end of the war skilled tank men were always in short supplies for Italy and because of their training and recruitment the carristi were popular heroes and ideals for the Italian society. For that reason the remaining carristi were often shown in the parades of the RSI state to boost morale and to rebuild trust into the new RSI army. 

Because of the lack of trained personal the Italian army invest a lot of time and money into the tank crews (compared to the other Italian arms and branches). Beside the limited driver training (compared to US or GER standards) the Italian tank crew got a lot more firing training and practice. In 1940 the standard Italian tank gun, the high velocity 47mm gun, was state of the art. The gun had a superb accuracy and unlike its British counterpart, the 2pdr gun, the Italian Cannone da 47/32 modello 1935 had a potent explosive (HE) round. Sure, the Italian industrial output was limited but the quality of the guns was unexpected and good. High velocity and high quality allowed for remarkable shooting and ballistic characteristics (and that hadn’t changed till today!). 

The gun characteristics were noted by the german forces too. In 1943 after the partial successful counterattack at Mozzagrogna the 1. Flamm-Kompanie, Panzer-Regiment 26, 26. Panzer-Division (1st flamethrower tank company, 26th tank regiment, 26. PzDiv) send a report to the "höherer Panzer-Offizier" (senior armour officer) at the Oberkommando Süd (commander in chief south). Here they reported: “In spite of major automotive deficiencies, the good effectiveness of the weapons in the 7.5 and 10.5cm Sturmgeschütz (ital.) [Italian assault guns; Semovente 75/18 and Semovente 105/25] has earned special mention; they shot very well.”

(And to add a comment here to end some other memes and myths; unlike many memes the Italian tank design was quiet visionary with a modern but underpowered Diesel engine and radios. The problem of the Italian tanks was the limited design competition, limited industrial capacity and the pressure from the frontlines demanding more tanks instead of new modernised tanks.)

Solid driver training, remarkable gunnery skills and accurate guns were the result of a quiet modern tank doctrine; the “guerra di rapido Corso”, the Italian “Blitzkrieg doctrine”. The doctrine was modern and very potent and to get close to these doctrinal concept Italy put a lot of effort in the tank crew training and skills resulting in a very small but decent trained and capable tank crew corps. 

The biggest downside of Italian armor were missing metals to mix and produce high quality armor steel and missing welding technologies. Keep in mind that Germany protected its welding techs because they were advanced and modern for the time and they allowed Germany to produce steel constructions many other nations cant realise or reproduce. So the welding tech was a german state secret. As a result, the Italian tanks weren’t that well armored compared to the paper stats and in comparison with other allied or german tanks. 

To sum up the Italian tank history we can say that the Italians had modern concepts and ideas for their tank arm but because of the war and the industrial and social limitations the Italian tank design and development stopped in 1940 where it turned from development into evolving (boosting and upgrading the existing tank models). Against all these odds the Italian tank crews were brave and courageous and when looking into their performance in combat they performed way better compared to the credits they received for their actions. Their tank performance felt victim to german blaming and allied silence resulting in a today’s bad reputation. 

One last point here is the historical situation of the Italian carristi after the armistice. With the foundation of the new national army the Italians tried to build up a new tank force but the germans were sceptical, so they took all available Italian armor to give it to german formations. The new RSI tank corps had to take any tank they could find – or to be more precise here – or that was forgotten by the german occupation forces. At the end the RSI state managed to collect a colourful fleet of Italian tanks and assault guns. Confronted with the facts the germans accepted that the RSI state was able to build a small party militia-based tank force, so they allowed the RSI state to use the armor for internal security. Unlike the Italian royal army tank crews, the RSI tank crews didn’t saw any big armor clashes at the front. They were reduced to a parade and partisan hunting force sitting for the most time at the barracks because of the lack of fuel, spare sparts and situations to take advantage of armored combat elements. For that reason, only a very small number of RSI carristi saw tank combat and that happened only in March 1945 when the axis frontline collapsed in Italy. With the breakthrough of the Gothic line in early 1945 the RSI forces send all available tank forces to the area near Piacenza to protect the Italian oil fields at the Po river valley. Here they Italian Carristi met the allied tanks for the last time in battle with some limited success (depending on the sources u can find some tank kills by Leonessa armored group’s M tanks and/or a long tank duel between some Semovente 47/32 and allied armored cars and light tanks) before they were forced to retreat because of the advancing allied behemoth. At the end the tank clashes at the outskirts of Piacenza had no influence on the outcome of the entire battle for Italy but it marked the swansong of the Italian ww2 carristi. 

To end with a sidenote here; many of the former ww2 carristi rejoined the army after the war becoming the first Italian tank men after the end of ww2 in the new democratic Italian NATO army. The first tanks of the new democratic Italian army were former M tanks and Semoventes that were left behind by the retreating carristi at the river Po valley.

With all this background we can look into their battlegroup potential. With all these said we have to think of a well selected armored callin fleet. When u have read my essay u will remember that the tanks here are dominated by the basic faction layout so at least one battlegroup will have access to the Italian P.26/40 medium tank or the Semovente 105/25 assault gun. Both tanks aren’t a real “Tiger” or “Panther” or “Elefant” like tank callins but they are good enough to deal with the main allied armor – the Sherman tank. A Semovente 105/25 could be balanced to deal with a Churchill tank too. 

To compensate the lack of armor the Italian callin tanks could be designed for hit-and-run-tactics. With the new side armor feature and the Italian gun characteristics there are arguments for high accurate (often hitting) Italian flank sniping tanks. M tanks could be made veteran tank callins with special abilities like engine overdrive, camo or HEAT round abilities allowing for rapid accurate gun firing that could force allied tanks to take shelter against a well-placed and well supported Italian tank.

Italian tank battlegroups could allow ammunition switch or munition-based abilities. Italian tank rounds like the 47mm Proietto Controcarri Effetto Pronto or Effetto Pronto Speciale HEAT shells could penetrate 100mm+ armor on short ranges. Heavier rounds like the 105mm shell of the Semovente 105 could penetrate 90mm of armor at 1000m with the HEAT shells. 

Veteran tank callins, munition based special abilities activating special rounds and high accurate gun fire will be the key feature of possible Italian battlegroup tank callins. 

Beside the tanks the Italian army had access to some special vehicles that were candidates for different battlegroup constellations. 

One special vehicle is the SPA-Viberti AS.42. Developed for the Arditi units to counter the British LRDG forces the AS.42 was a heavy multirole vehicle with different weapon upgrades/settings. Unfortunately, the Arditi were never used in their intended long range infiltration missions and many AS.42 were kept in the Italian capital of Rome to serve with the colonial and capitol police forces to maintain order and control. Here in Rome the AS.42 saw combat against the german forces that were trying to capture Rome and to demilitarise the Italian army after the armistice. After the armistice only small numbers (there are no confirmed numbers) were reused by RSI forces. The vehicle is a classic candidate for a midgame callin in a battlegroup thanks to its upgrade potential. With a 2cm Breda AA gun or a 47mm AT gun the heavy “jeep” could serve as a nasty harassment unit against unprepared allied forces. 

But beside the AS.42 there are other “special” candidates for vehicle callins. Since CoH 1 we are familiar with the “glass canon” vehicles like the Marder III. Italy used even more fragile but still impressive versions of a glass canon; the gun armed trucks. One of it – the Lancia 3ro autocannone da 90/53 – has some nice hard-hitting potential and could be a suitable battlegroup callin. One of these guns was used by the RSI forces in the battle of Anzio. Unknown by many people Italian soldiers - more than 5.000 italian soldiers - served at the Anzio beachhead frontline helping the german army to contain the allied beachhead. Part of the Italian forces was the Decima Mas – the Xmas Flottiglia – militia. The Xmas send many men and material to the Anzio frontline. One of the Xmas artillery units, the reggimento Artiglieria “Condottieri”, had at least a single Autocannone da 90/53 in its ranks (plus perhaps a L6/40 tank). The gun served at the Anzio front, but its fate is unknown. The gun was most likely destroyed at the front. Ingame such a gun would be a typical glass canon. It has hard hit potential that could be compared to the german 88 Flak guns. It would be a threat for allied armor and aerial targets. Such a weapon is ideal for the “gamble” element of the doctrine/battlegroup game design; at the right moment such a glass canon could be devastating for the enemy – or it will be a nightmare for the player who had used the glass canon because it felt victim to an ambush or attack without any game impact. That is a typical element for CoH doctrine design; a callin could bring high rewards or it could be a waste of resources. 

These callins would most likely work like any other callin in the history of the CoH series. 

But the weapon callins formed only a small part of the doctrine lineup. Looking into the current concepts for the CoH3 battlegroups we can see many other elements that were used for the battlegroups; Boost abilities, smoke barrages, veteran mechanics, healing and/or weapon drops and many other aspects. 

Above Italian skies

But there is one big player in the room that is often seen in CoH battlegroups (or doctrines/commanders): The Air Force. 

And here is the problem for the Italian side; With the end of the Royal Italian Air Force, the Regia Aeronautica, the RSI state had to rebuild its aerial forces. For that reason, the RSI state founded the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR) in late 1943. The first commander of the RSI air force, tenente colonnello (Lieutenant colonel) Ernesto Botto, met the german airforce commander Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring to talk about the formation of the new Italian air force. The result was the Göring-Botto-agreement. With the agreement Italy formed a new air force with over 1.400 pilots, 3.500 specialists and 3.500 officers and 30.000 ground soldiers (defending airfields, anti-air gunners, paratroopers, ect ect). Furthermore, the new Italian air force recruited over 40.000 men for the german anti-air artillery in Italy and an additional 45.000 men for labour duties (airfield repairing, infrastructure maintenance and other labour duties). But with the Göring-Botto-agreement the germans accepted that no italian aircraft should and would bomb Italian soil. As a result, the new ANR consist of fighter, transport, and torpedo-bomber units. The ANR had no aerial ground support forces or units. Germany accepted the deal because they needed fighter units to stop the allied strategic bombing campaign and no offensive tactical air force. 

With such a history a potential RSI army had no access to aerial abilities beside the “classic” aerial recon ability. Ground target strikes, strafing runs; all the classic aerial abilities of the CoH franchise aren’t available to the RSI army by the RSI air force. Sure, u could fill the gap with the german tactical air support elements but for obvious reasons I have ignored the “german option”. 

The RSI battlegroups

With all these said it is time to think of the consequences for potential RSI battlegroups (or Raggruppamento; the Italian version of a Kampfgruppe/adhoc combat command). 

A typical battlegroup will have at least 1~2 callins. The current battlegroup concepts have up to 3, perhaps 4 callins. With the RSI forces we could think of some infantry callins like elite infantry, mountain infantry or upgrade heavy infantry. They could be combined in combat groups with an additional vehicle (armored personal carrier, light tank, light spg (L6/40, Semovente 47/32, ect ect.). We have “heavy vehicle” callins for mid and lategame options (P.26/40 and/or Semovente 105/25, Autocannone da 90/53 and other callins). 

We can think of an RSI battlegroup build around heavy artillery emplacements (Obice da 149/19 modello 37, AA cannone da 90/53).

Beside the classic elements RSI battlegroups could allow weapon packages with german anti-tank weapons (Panzerschreck, Panzerfäuste). Different mine types could be added by battlegroups (AT mines, special trap mines, alert mines, ect ect).

With the missing air support the biggest munition-based focus would be centred around the Italian artillery forces. With their skill and bravery, we could think of passive abilities like combat boosts/modifiers near artillery guns/by artillery guns. There could be regular smoke barrages, fast accurate sniping barrages, heavy bombardments, incendiary barrages and all the other elements. HEAT shells could allow for anti-tank abilities like special time-based rounds for guns, direct fire abilities for artillery pieces and/or munition-based area effects with hard target killing potential.

When looking into Italian themed abilities we could think of a special mortar ability based on the 45mm Brixia that was used for position sniping and assaulting. The battle of Garfagnana could inspire some fast territory capping abilities. The fact that the RSI forces are fighting in Italy could allow for abilities like turning neutral ambient buildings in forward HQs or healing stations. The fact that the Italians know their country and their people could allow for spy abilities like the radio interception in CoH2. The fact that the RSI army was always looking for men and material could inspire salvage abilities or “premium pay” (when ability is active RSI army gets manpower, munition and/or fuel for killing enemys). 

END

I hope that u had some fun and got some ideas for potential RSI battlegroups. 

I have touched many stories in short here.

When u are interested in more historical content for the upcoming theatre feel free to leave a comment and/or wish.

Thank you very much!

Sources and files i had used are listed in my google sheet. Click >> HERE << when u want to check it out! Thx!