Military Model Scene

Title: Panzer Soldaten
Author: Paolo Morisi
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN: 978-1-78155-819-5

A new release from Fonthill Media, and despite the title, detailing the story of the Italian Blackshirt volunteer units and their combat record on the Eastern Front. Within the book you will discover how they were given the German nametag. A 289-page hardback, though it is also available in e-book format.
The book opens with some background to the involvement of Italian forces on the Eastern front, before the detailed account of the MVSN (Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale), the anti-communist militia commonly known as the Blackshirts. These groups of volunteers, largely ex-servicemen themselves, and the units that served alongside Italian Royal Army units. Organised in the M Battalions, it details how they fared in the fighting in along the banks of the River Don, on the flank of Stalingrad. The units shared the suffering of the Italian Army as they lacked heavy anti-tank weapons and trucks. Much of what they did relied on infantry weapons, fighting at close quarters with grenades, mortars and flamethrowers. They fought well against Soviet attacks over the winter of 1941/42 and held out, but the Soviet army learnt and progressed with new tactics by the winter of 1942/3. The Italian units were finally forced to retreat in 1943, largely on foot and suffering heavy casualties. To bolster Mussolini, Hitler agreed to provide equipment and training for an M Armoured Division, which was based near Rome and working up with training when Mussolini was replaced and there was a danger of an Italian Civil war. The book is rounded off with some conclusions and assessment of their contribution during the war.
I learnt a lot about the story of the Blackshirts from this one, some tough fighting on the Eastern Front, all in context with a Russian opponent who was learning lessons from their early failures as well as the internal conflicts in Italy itself, alongside their relationship with Germany as part of the Axis. A few sections of archive images to illustrate the story and a history that uses unit records and personal accounts to establish what happened. I found it a fascinating read, with some interesting insights.
Thanks to Fonthill Media for the review copy.

Robin