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R M batterie Bardia 1940

Do we know what RM manned coastal guns were emplaced in Bardia at the very end of 1940/ Early Jan 1941 during the attack by the Australian 6th Division?

Kind regards,
David.
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
The two versions of the official history list sixteen 120/25 guns manned by the R.M. (Montanari p. 250) or a battery of 120mm guns (Prima offensive Britannica p. 138).

Pista! Jeff
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
David

I believe they are both the same. Batteria for coastal defense doesn't have a precise meaning. It could be anything. The Australian official states that 26 coastal defense guns were captured (To Benghazi p. 199). Prima offensive britannica states the costal defense was a battery of 120mm and two batteries of 75/27-06 c.a. If the c.a. were 8 guns, then sixteen 120mm comes close.

Montanari is also the newer work, something that is a tie breaker for me.
 

FrancoFB

Member
Actually also the 120/25 were da posizione only for the army, they are old not deformation* pieces of french production, as the link

actually i'm not sure what would be english words, in italian are called "ad affusto rigido"
 

Dili

Member
Those 120/25 are not RM guns are GAF.
It is possible some 120/45 from destroyers sunk in Tobruk were put in Bardia but would need confirmation.
 
Thanks for the clarification over the GaF element of the guns. I don't know why, but I assumed that coastal guns were RM.

Do we know the precise locations of the batteries at this time?
 

FrancoFB

Member
Ramius page, that is not full safe, report 2 gruppi with 2 batterie each, in Bardia with the 300° raggruppamanto artiglieria della GAF
 
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