Good afternoon to all,
Our family are trying to pinpoint where exactly our Uncle fought during WW2. We have already received his Ruolo Matricolare, and after a year of constant research (including the services of a professional researcher here in Italy) it appears that our Uncle’s Foglio Matricolare and Scheda di Prigionia have either been lost, or destroyed. There is no “official” record of him serving overseas, however we have photos of him in North Africa as well as several letters he wrote whilst a Prisoner-Of-War in Algeria.
At the time of his imprisonment (letters are all dated from 1944) he held the rank of Vice-Brigadiere with the Carabinieri Reali. Photos of him in North Africa show him in the early war grey-green woolen uniform (rather than the lighter tropical version) and one photo of him heavily bandaged with numerous abrasions/scrapes appear to indicate that he was wounded in action. Strangely, other photos of him in North Africa show him in a civilian suit in the company of uniformed Italian military personnel (in tropical uniform) and a priest. It appears he was in Casablanca, Morocco a few months after the armistice in 1943, and by September of 1944 was in a POW camp (NATOUSA Prisoner of War Enclosure 178) located in Oran, Algeria.
I have already spoken with the National Historical Museum of the Carabinieri here in Italy, as well as numerous archives yet no one appears able to determine exactly which Carabinieri units were present in Africa Settentrionale.
Perhaps a long shot, but might any of our fellow members be aware of any quality books or other publications on the subject of Italy in A.S? Utilising the Italian Order of Battle as at 1943 doesn’t help, but unfortunately neither does our meager single page of our Uncle’s Ruolo Matricolare.
Kindest regards to all.
Our family are trying to pinpoint where exactly our Uncle fought during WW2. We have already received his Ruolo Matricolare, and after a year of constant research (including the services of a professional researcher here in Italy) it appears that our Uncle’s Foglio Matricolare and Scheda di Prigionia have either been lost, or destroyed. There is no “official” record of him serving overseas, however we have photos of him in North Africa as well as several letters he wrote whilst a Prisoner-Of-War in Algeria.
At the time of his imprisonment (letters are all dated from 1944) he held the rank of Vice-Brigadiere with the Carabinieri Reali. Photos of him in North Africa show him in the early war grey-green woolen uniform (rather than the lighter tropical version) and one photo of him heavily bandaged with numerous abrasions/scrapes appear to indicate that he was wounded in action. Strangely, other photos of him in North Africa show him in a civilian suit in the company of uniformed Italian military personnel (in tropical uniform) and a priest. It appears he was in Casablanca, Morocco a few months after the armistice in 1943, and by September of 1944 was in a POW camp (NATOUSA Prisoner of War Enclosure 178) located in Oran, Algeria.
I have already spoken with the National Historical Museum of the Carabinieri here in Italy, as well as numerous archives yet no one appears able to determine exactly which Carabinieri units were present in Africa Settentrionale.
Perhaps a long shot, but might any of our fellow members be aware of any quality books or other publications on the subject of Italy in A.S? Utilising the Italian Order of Battle as at 1943 doesn’t help, but unfortunately neither does our meager single page of our Uncle’s Ruolo Matricolare.
Kindest regards to all.