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Raggruppamento Battaglioni Granatieri da Sbarco> Raggruppamento Speciale Granatieri ?

Dili

Member
"Il convoglio trasportava rinforzi per la guarnigione italiana della Corsica, occupata dalle truppe italiane nel novembre 1942: oltre metà delle truppe imbarcate sul Crispi dovevano andare a potenziare il Raggruppamento Speciale Granatieri (già Raggruppamento Battaglioni Granatieri da Sbarco, creato nel giugno 1942 ed inizialmente stanziato sull’Isola d’Elba), che era stato trasferito in Corsica l’11 novembre 1942, quando aveva partecipato all’occupazione di Bastia ed Ajaccio rimanendovi poi a presidio. Tale raggruppamento era originariamente composto da due battaglioni di granatieri; con il Crispi ne doveva arrivare in Corsica un terzo (III Battaglione Speciale)."
http://conlapelleappesaaunchiodo.blogspot.com/2018/11/francesco-crispi.html

I guess looking at date it was formed and its "sbarco" name was probably thought to employ it for Malta invasion but i don't remember seeing it in C3 OOB's.

Was this a new unit when formed in June 1942 or was with troops from other Granatieri regiments?
 
Mobilized 27-6-1942 for Esigenza C3 (Hq+I and II battaglione speciale Granatieri di Sardegna), never employed. Employed for esigenza C2 (France invasion-Corsica) on 11-11-1942. III battaglione mobilized 1943 for Raggruppamento Speciale (Corsica). III/raggruppamento Speciale semidestroyed with the sunk of Crispi on 19-4-1943. On 8/9/1943 the Raggruppamento Speciale (Hq+I,II,III bn) fight the Germans. From 1944 demobilized and employed for the Gruppo di Combattimento Friuli.
All the best
Maurizio
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
I am away from home at this time, so don't have access to my library. I will try to remember to look into this (re: C3, I am sure all the info is correct, just seeing if listed for C3) when I return home.

Pista! Jeff
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
Checked C3, the unit is not listed. Note that I am looking at the May 1942 documents, so these were written before this unit was mobilized. Given the later date (June 27), I assume this was an attempt to create additional amphibious units. Note that the original plan was to have already invaded Malta in June 42, so this unit would have been late to the party.

I did a quick scan of the chapters covering June and July to see if there is any mention of new units for C3. Nothing jumped out at me, but it was a very quick scan.

Pista! Jeff
 
Last edited:
In effect only C2 (SME file Fondo C2).....but the creation (Raggruppamento Speciale Granatieri) date it's ok.............I am very very (and very) pry for know what list of units employed in C3 have Jeff.........In 34 years of research I never find in SME documents a very esaustive list for C3 (That never was operative).......but??????
All the best
Maurizio
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
Maurizio
My source is Gabriele's Operazione C3: Malta published by the USMM. This is likely the most complete list of units available without going into the Army or Navy archives. Gabriele doesn't identify every unit involved (for example, missing are the corps support units, listed only as truppe e servizi di C.A.) but combat units tend to be listed. For example, the gruppo btg. CC.NN. da sbarco are listed. Given the units that are actually listed, the Raggruppamento Speciale Granatieri most certainly would have been listed if it was part of the operation.

I don't have access to an exhaustive list of R.E. units planned for C3, but I am working with what I have. This raggruppamento is too large not to have been listed in the information provided by Gabriele. Gabriele also provides the landing beaches and timelines for all the units; this raggruppamento doesn't appear in either the army or navy plans present in the book.

Gabriele cites the various files where the plans are stored in the archives, something like 26 boxes of materials. If you have access to the archives, you can used Gabriele's cites to search for what is available.

Pista! Jeff
 
Jeff
Jeff you're absolutely right, I also have a large amount of books on Operation C3 (including that of Gabriele that actually is the best (also) for me) and the Raggruppamento Speciale Granatieri is not among the units mobilized for C3. Unfortunately, the archives consulted by me, however, are very incomplete (the C3 was never operational) and therefore do not (never) give an exhaustive list of the units mobilized. However, I think that given the date of mobilization that was one of the units "patch" mobilized in a few months for the C2 ..... however, I will check the next time I go to Rome .......
Thanks for the "recovery" of the forum ... we hope to have many members and many (valid) answers .......
All the best
Maurizio
 
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