Dear Friends and Colleagues, these are some information about my new book : Gli Specialisti. I Reparti Arditi ufficiali e la Squadra X nella lotta antipartigiana 1944-45 (“Specialists”. The Brave Officials Unit and the X Squad in the anti-partisan warfare 1944-45), Mattioli 1885, Fidenza, 2014. “Specialists”. The Brave Officials Unit and the X Squad in the anti-partisan warfare Scientific essay in which I tell the vicissitudes of the Reparti Arditi Ufficiali (R.A.U.) – Brave Officers Units and “X” Squad. Starting from the concept of counterinsurgency, the monograph develops with the story of these two units, entering more and more into detail. Also using the prospect of the two combat units of Italian Social Republic Army, examines the lives of soldiers, their training, operations and anti-partisan and partisan forms of violence. Both R.A.U. and “X” Squad turned out very effective in combating resistance, they managed to achieve significant results, even if their main goal was never reached: the partisan movement was never eradicated. With the establishment of the Italian Social Republic, in September 1943, Italy rushed into the vortex of civil war. To the north, the country was militarily occupied by German troops. In the south, by the Anglo-Americans. While, in the mountains and in the cities, bands of armed resistance were formed to hit the Germans and Fascists. Initially, the Italian Social Republic underestimated the partisan problem. Then, in 1944, the top political-military took note, that the phenomenon of resistance was steadily rising. It was then decided to globalize the fight against guerrillas, involving all the Republic Armed Forces. In particular, the National Republican Army was asked to play a role as a tip in counterinsurgency by creating special anti-partisans units. Therefore, in July 1944 the Raggruppamento Anti Partigiani (R.A.P.) – Anti Partisans Group was formed, which included Specialists: Brave Officers Units and “X” Squad. Both Brave Officers Units and “X” Squad operated mainly in Piedmont (in some cases in Liguria, Valle d’Aosta and Lombardy), from summer 1944 to May 1945, performing counterinsurgency actions, both in urban and extra-urban areas. The Brave Officers Units - as the name suggests - were composed exclusively by officers trained in anti-partisan tactics, in particular, in the use of the same resistance fighting’s methods (ambushes, actions in civilian clothes, etc.). “X” Squad was a special unit, numerically small, created for informational and espionage actions: these men and women had to carry out intelligence and espionage, infiltrating, generally, within the bands. The two units took part in all major counterinsurgency operations in Piedmont: in November 1944, for example, distinguished themselves in the reconquest of Alba. Both R.A.U. that the “X” Squad turned out very effective in the fight against the partisans, even managing to achieve significant results. The main objective for which they were created, however, was never reached: the resistance movement in Piedmont was never destroyed. The study combines elements of military history, cultural history and anthropology. The study is innovative and this research must be inserted in that academic history area that study the Italian Social Republic, fascist violence and repression of the partisan phenomenon in Italy between 1943 and 1945.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 10:10:37 +0000
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