Saturday, 22 November 2014

Historic Italian Armoured Forces Organisation up to Feb 1941

Italian Armoured Forces 1940 [Troop Quality [TAC 9]

COMMANDO CARRI ARMATI DELLA LIBIA [29/08/1940]
Command Troops:
            Headquarters, with:
                        1 x command stand [Babini] and car
                        1 x staff radio truck
                        1 x recon FIAT 611 armoured car [or Lancia IZ]
Armoured Group, with:
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [Ist], with:
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M11/39 tank
                        3 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M11/39 tank
                                    2 x M11/39 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [IInd], with:
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M11/39 tank
                        3 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M11/39 tank
                                    2 x M11/39 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [IIIrd], with: [deployed 16/09/40]
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                        3 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                                    2 x M13/40 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [Vth], with: [deployed 11/11/40]
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                        3 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                                    2 x M13/40 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [VIth], with: [arrived 21/12/40]
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                        3 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                                    2 x M13/40 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [XXIst], with: [arrived 03/01/41]
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                        3 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                                    2 x M13/40 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [VIIth], with: [arrived 21/01/41]
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                        4 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                                    2 x M13/40 tanks
            10 x Light Tank Battalions, each with:
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command L3/35 tank
                        4 x light tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command L3/35 tank
                                    2 x L3/35 tanks
 Notes:
1 tank model per light battalion is 20mm armed version.
There are 3 x L3/35 Lancia Flamme tank models held in reserve which can substitute for any L3/35 tank model as necessary. [see attached engineer company below]

Light Tank Battalion Deployments:
IIIrd Light Tank Battalion [? ID] [converted to IIIrd Medium Tank Battalion by 16/09/40]
Vth Light Tank Battalion [17th ID] [converted to Vth Medium Tank Battalion by 11/11/40]
IXth Light Tank Battalion [? ID]
XIth Light Tank Battalion [? ID]
XXth Light Tank Battalion [? ID]
XXIst Light Tank Battalion [[? ID] broken up 12/12/40 to replace losses in other light tank battalions]
LXth Light Tank Battalion [originally attached to LXth Sabratha Infantry Division]
LXIst Light Tank Battalion [originally attached to LXIst Sirte Infantry Division]
LXIInd Light Tank Battalion [originally attached to LXIInd Marmarica Infantry Division]
LXIIIrd Light Tank Battalion [originally attached to LXIIIrd Cirene Infantry Division]

Ist Raggruppamento:
XXIst, LXIInd, LXIIIrd Light Tank Battalions, and one M11/39 Medium Tank Battalion
IInd Raggruppamento:
IXth, XXth, LXIst Light Tank Battalions, and one M11/39 Medium Tank Battalion

Real world tank battalion strengths were either 35 or 46 tanks depending if they had 3 or 4 companies each of 2 platoons of 5 tanks. [1 model equals 4 real vehicles]. The 50 tank three company organisation was adopted after the end of Operation Compass when there were sufficient M13/40 tanks available and shipped over from Italy. It was very rare for Medium tank battalions to then have its 4th company but the Armoured Car battalions were always organised with 4 companies.

The tank battalions had a multitude of colour schemes, the Ist and IInd each had a different unique camouflage pattern applied whilst the VIIth arrived in overall Army Grey-Green. Others were painted up in plain overall Army Sand, some then had Army Grey-Green splodges applied over this whilst a lot of the Light battalions were still in various pre-war splinter camouflage patterns, plain Army Sand or Sand and Grey-Green. The tank company markings then reflect more properly the number of companies and platoons they had.


Infantry Component and Supports

Bersaglieri Regiment, with:
            Headquarters, with:
                        1 x command stand and car
                        1 x staff radio truck
            2 x Anti-tank companies, each with:
                        1 x command stand and car
                        2 x 47mm AT guns and crew
                        2 x light trucks
                        1 x medium ammo truck
            Bersaglieri motorcycle battalion, with
                        Headquarters, with
                                    1 x command motorcycle stand
                        3 x infantry companies, each with:
                                    2 x motorcycle infantry stands
                        Machinegun company, with:
                                    4 x motorcycle MMG stands
            3 x Bersaglieri motorised infantry battalions, each with:
                        Headquarters, with
                                    1 x command stand
                        3 x infantry companies, each with:
                                    2 x infantry stands
                                    1 x medium truck
                        Weapons company, with:
                                    4 x MMG stands
                                    2 x 45mm mortar stands
                                    2 x Solothurn 20mm AT rifle stands
                                    4 x medium trucks
Artillery Regiment, with:
            1 x command stand and car
            1 x staff radio truck
            2 x Light Artillery Battalions, each with:
                        Headquarters, with:
                                    1 x command stand and car
                                    1 x spotter stand and car
                                    1 x staff radio truck
                                    1 x medium ammo truck with medium ammo trailer
                        3 x batteries, each with:
                                    1 x 75mm L/27 field gun and crew
                                    1 x support stand
                                    1 x artillery tractor
                                    2 x medium trucks
            2 x Light Anti-aircraft Batteries, each with:
                        1 x command stand and car
                        2 x 20mm L/52 AA guns and crew
                        2 x light trucks
                        1 x medium ammo truck
            Engineer company, with:
                        1 x command engineer stand and car
                        2 x engineer stands
                        3 x L3/35 Lancia Flamma light tanks with trailers
                        2 x large engineers trucks and large engineer trailers
The 3 x L3/35 Lancia Flamme tank models with the engineers are held in reserve and can substitute for any L3/35 tank model as necessary for specific operations.

BRIGATA CORAZZATA SPECIALE
Command Troops, with:
            Headquarters, with:
                        1 x command stand [Malleti] and car
                        1 x staff radio truck

Formed on 14/11/40 from units within the COMMANDO CARRI ARMATI DELLA LIBIA. It initially contained the following tank battalions. IInd, IIIrd, XXIst and LXth. By January 1941 its composition had changed to IIIrd, Vth and LXth tank battalions following combat losses. In addition to the tank battalions it contained all of the non armoured formations listed above.


ALTERNATIVE ORGANISATION TO BETTER MATCH REAL TANK NUMBERS
This gives more accurate tank model numbers and gives the right amount of command tanks per battalion than the other order of battle but doesn’t contain the right number of tank companies in each battalion as a result. [1 model equals 4 real vehicles]

Armoured Group, with:
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [Ist], with:
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M11/39 tank
                        2 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M11/39 tank
                                    3 x M11/39 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [IInd], with:
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M11/39 tank
                        2 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M11/39 tank
                                    3 x M11/39 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [IIIrd], with: [deployed 16/09/40]
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                        2 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                                    3 x M13/40 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [Vth], with: [deployed 11/11/40]
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                        2 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                                    3 x M13/40 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [VIth], with: [arrived 21/12/40]
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                        2 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                                    3 x M13/40 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [XXIst], with: [arrived 03/01/41]
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                        2 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                                    3 x M13/40 tanks
            1 x Medium Tank Battalion [VIIth], with: [arrived 21/01/41]
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                        2 x medium tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                                    3 x M13/40 tanks
                        1 x medium tank companies, with:
                                    1 x command M13/40 tank
                                    2 x M13/40 tanks
            10 x Light Tank Battalions, each with:
                        Battalion HQ, with:
                                    1 x command L3/35 tank
                        2 x light tank companies, each with:
                                    1 x command L3/35 tank
                                    3 x L3/35 tanks
                        1 x light tank companies, with:
                                    1 x command L3/35 tank
                                    2 x L3/35 tanks


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