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British Captured Artillery North Africa

ThomasW

New Member
Hello,

I was wondering if anyone has some info or sources on Captured 25pdrs in use with the Italians in North Africa or can point me in the right direction. I've seen numerous times on the internet that both Italian & German units used Captured British Artillery but my internet skills have failed me in a search for more info.

Some points I'm trying to better understand are:
- When/Where were they captured?
- How were they employed by Italian units?
- Photos?
- Markings/Camoflauge of the Guns?
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
Given that the Germans tended to horde captured material, I would be surprise to read anything indicating that the Italians used captured British guns.

That being said, I vaguely remember someone did post a picture long ago in a place far, far away, of Italians manning captured 25 pdrs.

Hummmm....

Pista! Jeff
 

Slavomir

New Member
Looking at my notes, I have a quote from Montanari stating that Italians had 200 guns on the eve of the first Alamein, including some 50 captured 25pdrs.

Best regards

Slavomir
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
Slavomir

Thank you for that info. I found the quote in vol III, p.433. What Montanari states isn't clear that the guns are under Italian control.

...,300 pezzi tedeschi e 200 italiani (comprendendo nel numero una cinquantina di pezzi da 25 libbre di preda bellica).

I did find the picture I remembered. From Cappellano p.107.
Italian 25pdr.jpeg


From Cappellano pp.104–105. My translation, words in [ ] added by me to aid clarity.

The Italian field artillery units in North Africa made extensive use of 25-pound 88/27 guns captured from the British. In September 1942, 20 British guns with abundant ammunition were lying in the Tobruk laboratory of the artillery repair service. He cites the report by General Scotti, commander of the Trento motorized division, on the operational cycle in North Africa from 20 May to 30 July 1942: “... (the artillery regiment, editor's note) recovered and restored to efficiency 12 British 88 guns and by training the minimum number of personnel necessary for their operation. This proved to be highly effective and invaluable due to their greater range in disruptive fire on enemy strongpoints, in counter-battery when the same [type of] British guns closed to a distance of between 9,000 and 10,500 m, in disrupting enemy motor vehicle traffic to and from positions in progress or in preparation.” Some batteries captured during the offensive in Cyrenaica in the summer of 1942 remained for a long time in line with the 1st Army of General Messe up to Tunisia and with the Ariete division up to El Alamein.

Pista! Jeff
 
The news is not very correct .... it is true that many 25 pdr pieces were also captured by the Italians but only a small part of them were used in AS and among other things almost exclusively by the Trento and the Trieste also in Tunisia ... the vast majority of them went instead to form coastal batteries used autonomously in continental Greece (at least a hundred pieces)
All the best
maurizio
 
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