24 October 1942, 9.40 p.m.on a full moon night 1,000 British cannons open fire simultaneously onn the German-Italian stations, it is hell lasting 20 interminable minutes. The last act of the Battle of El Alamein has begun.

Its outcome will be decisive for the fate of the entire Second World War. Battling El Alamein are the General Berard Law Montgomery, Commander of the British Imperial Forces, comprising British, New Zealand, Australian, Indian, South African and French troops, and the General Erwin Rommel, Commander of the Afrikakorps leading the Italian-German troops.
The glare of weapons dispersed in the sky flooded with light: the fate of the Italo-German army was already written in numbers: men, means, fuel, everything played in favour of the British. Mistakes of strategy in the past months, such as the failed invasion of Malta, a strategic port of call fundamental to adequately face the war commitments in North Africa, will cost the Axis troops dearly.
On 4 November, the battle was over, the casualties give the size of the battle: 9,000 Germans, 13,500 British, 17,000 Italians.
The last to give up will be the Italian Paratroopers of the Folgoreheroic courage that deserves the honour of the enemy and the memory of those who survive, and of those who continue to serve this glorious unit with honour today.
From 'El Alamein' by Paolo Caccia Dominioni:

Three Italian prisoners, a general and two colonels, get out of a car.
They wear the uniform of the 'Folgore': they are Frattini, commander, Bignami, deputy commander, and Boffa, commander of the parachute artillery.
An interpreter approaches.
"Are you the commander of the Folgore? A British general wishes to greet you'.
General Hugues, of the 44th, the division that suffered the main snub in the attack on the 'Folgore', introduced himself.
The three Italians and the Englishman, standing and impaled, greet each other.
The Englishman nods to extend his hand: Frattini is motionless.
The English hand retracts.
'Word had spread' says Hugues "that the commander of the 'Folgore' had fallen. I heard that this is not true and I want to say that I am happy."
Frattini: "Thank you".
"I also wanted to say that in my long military life I had never met soldiers like those of the Folgore."
Introduction
At km 120 of the Alexandria-Marsa Matruh coastline, two armies and two brilliant strategists faced each other: Rommel, Commander of the Afrika Korps, and Montgomery, Commander of the British 8th Army.
In 1942, there was only a small station along the railway from the Nile Delta to the Libyan border, which the British had extended to the vicinity of Tobruk.
Situated on the Gulf of the Arabs, the location, 180 kilometres from Maesa Matruh and 105 from Alexandria, was just a name on the map. No one could have imagined that men at arms under a dozen flags (other than the 'two flags' of the name) would do battle in this desolate place: the Italian-Germans, determined to reach Alexandria, Cairo and Suez, the British, the troops of the Commonwealth and the Allies equally determined to block the way for the former.

In 1940, in anticipation of Italy's entry into the war and an advance by our Tenth Army in the direction of Egypt, the British Commander of the Middle East, General Archibald Wavell, and the Commander of the French Armeé d'Orient, Enerale Maxime Weygand, carried out a reconnaissance at El Alamein, having assessed the importance of the position, which was difficult to reach from the south. When the Italians reached El Alamein, they discovered that some concrete works, prepared by the British, bore the date 1940: a clear sign that the defences had not been improvised.
So, a position difficult to circumvent, in fact, a little less than 60 kilometres from the coast, the desert, broken here and there by small reliefs that became of great tactical importance and overlooked to the south by the 217 metres of the natural rocky 'pyramid' of Quaret El Himeimat, plunges towards the depression of El Qattara (134 metres below sea level), studded with shifting sands and sagging ground.
Another curiosity, this one very important, is that in the El-Alamein area were found the only freshwater springs in that part of the Egyptian Western Desert.
The obvious disproportion of forces on the field, in favour of the British (the British Eighth Army numbered 220,000 men, against the 96,000 of the German-Italian Afrika Korps), was aggravated by the lack of supplies and the fact that sea transports to Libya were relentlessly torpedoed by the British.
Deployments and battle plans
From north to south, the deployment of the German-Italian Axis was as follows: in the north, the infantry divisions 'Trento', 'Bologna' and 'Brescia'. At the southern end, the 'Folgore' Parachute Division, which had just arrived in North Africa. Behind the 'Folgore', the 'Pavia' division. In the front line, supporting the Italian forces, the German 164th Division and General Ramcke's Parachute Brigade. The manoeuvre units, held in second line, were the "Littorio" armoured division and the 15th Panzerdivision to the north, and the "Ariete" armoured division and the 21st Panzerdivision to the south. In reserve were the "Trieste" Division and the German 90th Division.

The deployment adopted by Montgomery consisted of the 30th Army Corps in the north, the 13th in the south and, behind them, the best trained and best armed unit, the 10th Armoured Army Corps.
The 30th Corps included the Indian, New Zealand, Australian and South African divisions; the 13th Corps included two British divisions, two French brigades and a Greek brigade.
The British General thus had at his immediate disposal three armoured divisions and the equivalent of seven infantry divisions. The concentration of such huge forces required many ingenious measures of concealment and many precautions.
His plan was to attack the centre of the northern sector, where the 'Trento' and 164th German divisions were deployed, attempting to break through into the section held by the Italians, who were considered weaker and worse armed than their Germanic comrades. This was done by opening two corridors in the minefields, through which the armoured vehicles that were to eliminate the enemy panzers would pass. The tanks would protect the infantry advance and wipe out the frontline Axis units. In a second step, the Italian-German covering troops were to be destroyed. Finally, the reserves were to be eliminated.
Montgomery's plan was a feint to the south and then to attack in force to the north. In the preceding days in preparation, he had disguised and camouflaged (even availing himself of a film scriptwriter - Barkas- and an illusionist - Maskelyne) a very strong concentration in the north (86 infantry battalions, 150,000 men, several thousand vehicles, 3247 guns, thousands of tons of supplies, 1350 tanks. 1200 aircraft) while preparing another much smaller and haphazard contingent in the south, which misled Rommel before he left; more than convinced that the British with the forces they had in the south could not mount an offensive before November.
Above all, it was necessary for Great Britain to prevent the enemy air force from fully realising the impressiveness of the preparations. This effort was crowned with complete success so that the attack came as a complete surprise to the enemy.
In the absence of Rommel (who was hospitalised in Germany at the end of September), the battle began at precisely 9.40 p.m. on 23 October 1942, on a moonlit night, when Montgomery's 1,000 guns opened fire simultaneously along the front, concentrating their fire on the artillery positions on the Axis troops for some twenty minutes; the firing was then directed against the positions occupied by the infantry.
The Battle, initial impact
At 10 p.m. on 23 October 1942, the infantry action was triggered, to be followed by the shock action. Under the protection of artillery fire, made more effective by aerial bombardment, the XXX and XIII Corps advanced, commanded respectively by Generali Leese and Horrocks, They attacked on a front of four divisions; the entire XXX Corps tried to open two gaps through the enemy's fortified lines.
Behind it followed the two armoured divisions of the 10th Army Corps (General Lumsden) to exploit the eventual success.

Significant progress was made under the protection of a massive fire; by dawn, deep pockets had been created in the enemy ranks. However, so far no breach had been opened in the Germans' deep system of minefields and defensive arrangements. The resistance of the Germans and Italians was fierce, greater than expected.
But at dawn on 24 October, the British 30th Army Corps reached its assigned objectives, but its tired and exhausted infantry could not help secure the passage of tanks through the gap opened in the northern sector. Meanwhile, the German General Stumme, Rommel's replacement, died 24 hours after the start of the battle. According to some sources of aploplexy, with a revolver shot to the temple, according to others.
In the early hours of the 25th Montgomery reported to senior commanders, giving orders to push the armoured forces back into the attack before dawn, in accordance with his initial instructions. Indeed, during the day more ground was gained after fierce fighting; the high ground called Kidney Ridge became the scene of a furious battle with the enemy's armoured divisions, the German 15th and the Italian 'Ariete', which launched a series of violent counter-attacks.
At Hitler's request, Rommel left the hospital and resumed command in the late afternoon of the 25th. Bitter fighting took place throughout the 26th along the deep pocket opened up to that point in the enemy lines, and especially still in the Kidney Ridge area.
The German air force, which had remained in place for the previous two days, issued a final challenge to British air superiority. There were several skirmishes, most of which were resolved in Montgomery's favour.
The efforts of the 13th Army Corps delayed, but failed to prevent the transfer of the German armoured units to what Rommel now knew was the decisive sector of the battle. This movement was, however, severely hampered by the RAF.
Throughout the 27th and 28th of October a violent battle raged for the high ground at Kidney, unleashed repeatedly by the German 15th and 21st Armoured Divisions, which had just arrived from the southern sector.
The British advance resumed on the 28th in the corridors, under the rapid and deadly fire of German anti-tank guns; British tanks put out of action already numbered in the dozens.
It is the climax. On the 28th evening, some three hundred British tanks are destroyed. The British 1st Armoured Division, across the corridor, is at some point in danger of being attacked and pushed back by the German 21st Panzer Division.
Montgomery, to avoid the worst, pushed the 7th Armoured Division north and ordered the 9th Australian Division to also strike north. The situation did not look bright. The commander of the Eighth Army thought he would break through in about ten hours, but instead his calculations turned out to be horribly wrong.
At this point, the British General gave orders to carry out the decisive breakthrough (operation 'Supercharge', i.e. 'water hammer').
The decisive breakthrough, 'the Supercharge'
This is how Operation Supercharge unfolded, in the words of British General Alexander: 'On the night of 28 and then again on 30 October the Australians attacked northwards towards the coast, finally managing to isolate four German battalions that remained in place. The enemy seemed firmly convinced that we intended to attack along the road and the railway line and reacted to our punt with extreme energy. Rommel moved the 2nd Armoured Division from its position west of our salient, added the 90th Light Division guarding the northern flank of the same salient and launched the two units into furious attacks to disengage the encircled troops. The place left vacant by the 2nd armoured division brought forward the 'Trieste' division, which was his last remaining reserve unit. While Rommel was so hard at work, deploying his last remaining fresh formations in an attempt to disengage a single regiment, we were able to complete the reorganisation of our forces for Operation Supercharge without being disturbed. The magnificent punt by the Australians, carried out in an uninterrupted series of fierce battles, had turned the fortunes of the entire battle in the British favour.
At 1 a.m. on 2 November, Operation Supercharge began. Protected by a barrage of 300 artillery pieces, the British brigades attached to the New Zealand Division broke through the enemy defence system and the British 9th Armoured Brigade surged forward. However, they ran into a new line of defence, strong with numerous anti-tank positions, along the Ei Rahman track. A long fight ensued that cost the brigade heavy losses; however, the corridor behind it was kept open and the British armoured division was able to advance along it'.

On the evening of 2 November, according to the same German sources, the German armoured divisions, which started the battle with 240 efficient tanks, lined up only 38 of them, but instead of falling back on 3 November came a peremptory order from Hitler, instructing the Afrika Korps to be killed on the spot rather than retreat one metre. So Rommel sent orders to all units to resist at all costs, refusing to accept the pleas of his generals, who were against this course of action.
In the early hours of day 4, the 5th Indian Brigade unleashed a lightning attack eight kilometres south of Tel El-Aggagir, with success.
Montgomery is in full advance, having now bypassed the Italian-German anti-tank barrage. The German General Von Thoma, in the front line, surrendered to the British, thus not respecting the order Hitler had imposed on his men. At 3.30 p.m., a message reached Rommel: the Italian division "Ariete" no longer existed, it had immolated itself to hold the positions.
The British opened a twenty-kilometre wide breach. At 8 o'clock in the evening, when he learns that the British armoured brigade has already reached the coastline, Erwin Rommel decides on the only possible solution: retreat.
The last to surrender at El Alamein will be the Paratroopers of the 'Folgore', clinging to the ground to the south, on the edge of the El Qattara depression they face that 13th Army Corps, which, according to the British version, only has to engage in a false purpose, while in reality it is forced to fight one of the hardest and most exhausting local breakthrough battles of the entire front.
The Italian paratroopers of the Folgore resisted for thirteen days WITHOUT GIVING AN METRE, without water and without food.
Exhausted, and out of ammunition, they continued to fight, attacking with their daggers, and at the British invitation to surrender, surrounded by the British, they mounted the carcasses of the wagons, chest out and daggers raised, and answered with the cry: "FOLGORE!!!"
Departing Italy in five thousand, three hundred and four officers and troops remained.
At the surrender, the boys were awarded the Honour of Arms and the name of the division, FOLGORE, with their exploits immediately and inevitably became legend.
Courage against steel: the role of the Folgore, worn, BUT NOT WINNED
On the evening of 23 October, as described, the sudden preparation of the enemy artillery began, heralding the imminence of the attack.
The British had 2,000 new tanks of the most modern types, (more than 1,300 were used in the battle) mostly American, a very strong air force that dominated the skies unchallenged, some 3,000 guns of all calibres and high power, and an ammunition stockpile that allowed them to drop thousands of tons of shells on our lines for weeks at a time.
From the edge of the depression of El Qattara down to the sea, a gigantic flash suddenly ignited, merging into a single volcanic blaze, accompanied by thousands of bursts that completely submerged our deployment, from the line of strongholds to the artillery positions and beyond, to disrupt and destroy anything that could strengthen our resistance. The use of smokescreens paralysed observation, obstructed cannon fire and prevented us from seeing the enemy's moves as they prepared to close in under our defences to attack them.
The 'Folgore' awaited the imminent clash with the firm resolve to oppose the adversary with the utmost commitment and make the British pay dearly for their ambitious project.
Our boys seemed thrilled by the atmosphere of battle and the exceptional spectacle unfolding around them, and they waited fearlessly for events to unfold to meet with the British and give them a 'welcome'.
At 8.40 p.m. on 23 October, the adversary began an artillery barrage of unprecedented violence and proportions that continued uninterruptedly throughout the night on the 24th and fully invested the entire front garrisoned by the 'Folgore' Division.
From the detection of the flashes, it could be calculated that no less than 150 pieces (later confirmed as 200) were acting against the front of the 187th regiment alone. Despite the massive artillery fire, the occasional clanking of conspicuous masses of tanks could be heard clanking under the paratroopers' positions.
When, amidst the bursts and flashes that lit up the positions, the commanders' order 'to battle stations' was heard, a single cry was heard, loud and unanimous 'Folgore! Immediately afterwards, numerous enemy patrols, protected by fog screens, attempted to reach the minefields to open up gaps, but were inexorably repulsed.

In the central sector, the advanced company, the 6th commanded by the Captain Marenco, he had himself exterminated after a violent hand-to-hand combat; Of the 90 paratroopers that made up the company, only about 20 were able to fall back towards our main line of defence. They had destroyed 30 tanks and killed about 150 British. On the afternoon of the 24th, in an attempted counter-attack, the commander of the grouping fell Lieutenant Colonel Marescotti Ruspoli who was awarded the Gold Medal of Remembrance.
At around 14.00 hrs on 25 October, a column of some 40 tanks (4th Light Armoured Brigade of the British 7th Armoured Division) and two infantry battalions attacked the stronghold of the 12th Company of the IV/187th commanded by the Captain Cristofori. After a very violent fight, which led to hand-to-hand combat phases, the enemy was repulsed with particularly bloody losses, leaving 22 immobilised tanks on the ground.
During the night of the 26th, the adversary made a last attempt to break the 'Folgore' front. Having ascertained the solidity of our line, he decided to mass against the salient of Deir el Munassib, with the aim of seizing it and then breaking through along a valley alignment (Deir el Munassib-Deir Alinda), which departs from those positions.
After the usual artillery and fog preparation, at moonrise (10 p.m.) the 69th Infantry Brigade (British 50th Division) and units of the "Free France" Brigade moved in three columns to attack the positions of the 4th/187th Regiment. One column, made up of two battalions of the "Green Howards" regiment and an armoured car company, resumed the failed afternoon attack against the 12th company's stronghold; another column, made up of degaullist assault elements, engaged the 10th company; a third column, made up of battalions of the "Royal West Kent" regiment (44th British Division) and the IV/8th Hussars tank battalion (7th Armoured Division), invested the stronghold manned by the 11th company from all sides. At the same time, the positions of the 2nd Battalion were engaged by other units. At 11 p.m. the entire front of the 187th Regiment was thus pressed on all sides.
Aliquots of the 9th Battalion in 2nd Stack were moved during the night to reinforce the wings of the deployment, which were particularly threatened. Towards 01.00 hours, the direct attacks against the positions of the 10th and 12th companies could be considered to have been crushed. The adversary columns, following the heavy losses suffered, desisted from any attempt to advance and were content to keep the defence engaged.
The situation of the 11th Company, however, was serious. The company's various fire centres, which were attacked on all sides and pressed from close by the tanks, defended themselves desperately. The fight lasted extremely violent for a couple of hours; then, one by one, the anti-tank pieces ran out of ammunition and, unable to be resupplied because they were isolated, were forced into silence. The automatic weapons were overwhelmed by the tanks. At 04.00 hours only a couple of fire centres still held out; almost all the men in the company had fallen back on their positions.
In this action the company commander fell heroically, leading a last desperate attempt to counterattack. Captain Costantino Ruspoli whose memory was awarded the gold medal.

At first light on the 27th, the Commander of the IV/187th (Captain Valletti) four times wounded, but remained voluntarily on the spot, ordered a counter-assault, which was executed by a platoon under the command of the Lieutenant Raffaele Trotta, Commander of the 47/32 gun company assigned as reinforcement to the 4th battalion.
At the end of the action, the lost positions were recaptured and firmly held, after which Lieutenant Trotta was replaced by Lieutenant Gallo, who in turn was wounded and handed over command of the battalion to the Major Vagliasindi.
During the course of the 27th day, the enemy, effectively countered, attempted a further attack against the positions of the 10th/IV with degaullist elements reinforced by a battalion of the Queen's Royal Regiment (British 44th Division). The immediate, decisive reaction of the garrison and the timely intervention of the artillery crushed the attack and the enemy was repulsed with heavy losses.
During the assault, the company commander fell heroically at the head of his men, Lieutenant Gastone Simoni whose memory was awarded the gold medal.
The Artillery Major Francesco Vagliasindi of the 185th regiment, whose group had been disbanded due to losses, and who had requested the honour of taking command of an infantry division, fell at the head of the IV/187th regiment.
On the 28th, the exhausted enemy did not renew their attacks, limiting themselves to beating our positions with violent artillery and mortar fire.
In the following days, after some local clashes, the opposing fronts stabilised.
The offensive attempted by the enemy against the 'Folgore' had bloody failed after six days of fierce fighting and futile attacks. The adversary had only succeeded in partially occupying an advanced stronghold, but without affecting the solidity of the positions or the line of resistance in the slightest. The enemy had left several hundred casualties on the ground; 52 tanks were lost by them; 164 men, including 12 officers, were captured.
The blood tribute offered by the battalion and group commanders of the 'Folgore' was particularly significant: out of 16 officers commanding 9 units, there were 15 casualties (10 killed and 5 wounded).
General Alexander, speaking of the fighting in those days, wrote: 'It was found that the enemy was in strength and well posted, so the attack was not persisted in'.
With regard to the two groupings into which the 186th was divided, it has been said that the attack was carried out in two directions: from east to west, mainly on the front of the Seventh Battalion (Tantillo grouping) and essentially conducted by infantry.
On the VII Battalion front, the attack continued until 31 October, with ups and downs, due to our counter-attacks conducted with the support of tanks. It began with the destruction of our centres in the observation zone, which had been superhumanly defended with hand grenades and Molotov cocktails; it culminated on 26 October with the enemy setting up a pocket in the centre of the battalion's resistance position; and finally, repulsed by our counterattack on 27 October, with the elimination of this pocket and the capture of a major, 3 captains, 4 lieutenants, 207 soldiers, weapons and ammunition: in front of our positions, 67 enemy armoured vehicles were counted half destroyed. On 28 October, a British 'parliamentarian' appeared to ask for a truce of arms, in order to give burial to the fallen on both sides. The truce, which was granted, lasted three hours; at the end, the recovered placards of the fallen were exchanged: 50 paratroopers, about 150 British.

The enemy regrouped and settled about 600 metres from our lines, and between 29 October and the night of 1 November resumed their efforts, which they conducted, however, it seemed, with little decisiveness and perhaps only for demonstrative purposes: they left another fifty prisoners in our hands after our reaction.
On the 5th Battalion front, the actual contact with the enemy took place at around 3 a.m. on 24 October. Here too, it did not come as a surprise, because as early as midnight, the advanced post at Qaret el Himeimat had given news that a strong mass of enemy mechanised vehicles was being paraded from the south-east to the north-west: an undoubted prelude to a wraparound attack against the exposed wing of our general's deployment.
For this eventuality, given the nature and also given the meagreness of the forces available, the battalion commander, with the full agreement of the regimental commander, was oriented towards the following concept to reduce to the extreme the men and means deployed at the foot of the southern offshoots of the Munaquir el Daba ridge, overlooking the salty depression, to guard the minefield existing there and with the precise task of disorienting the enemy with their action while giving the command a safe alarm; to react upwards with an immediate counter-attack against the enemy infantry facing the plateau from the south (now without the support of armoured vehicles, necessarily delayed by the impervious nature of the accesses), thus catching them by surprise, when they would have believed they had easily achieved success. For this purpose, the battalion commander, after having taken and gathered together all the men not strictly necessary for the service of arms, had about 3 platoons supported by some mortars. For its part, the regimental command deployed as mentioned a few hundred metres north of Naqb Rala, arming with makeshift personnel some 47/32 anti-tank pieces (which had arrived unmanned on the 23rd) had set up a prudent barrage, facing south of the Naqb Rala gorge; he had a handful of men made up of the elements of the liaison and command platoon; he had arranged for the influx (should the events of the action have made this necessary and possible) of men from the neighbouring rear centres of the VI battalion deployed in the plain: because, should it come to those extremes, he judged that he had to play all for everything.
The enemy action against the battalion's right flank was resolved quickly and in the most brilliant manner for us: the bursting of a few mines and the sudden brief and intense burst of machine-gun fire, the dropping of hand grenades by the observation elements below, warned that contact had been made at the foot of the South Ciglione of Munaquir el Daba and that the enemy infantry would be imminent on the Naqb Rala Plateau. The battalion commander divided the reinforcements into two wings for action on the right flank and in the front of the attackers; the regimental commander with the very modest formation headed for the Fifth Battalion headquarters. But his intervention was not necessary; the Fifth Battalion resolved the situation by its own means. As soon as, in the uncertain pre-dawn light, he saw the enemy infantry, recognisable by their distinctive helmets, silently sweeping across the plateau, the battalion commander unleashed a few swift mortar rounds and heavy machine-gun bursts on them and, shouting "Savoia", "Viva l'Italia", "Folgore", gave the signal for a counterattack: the servants of the mortar company also entered the fray. The enemy halts, tries to resist but is overwhelmed and pressed, until the last man has cleared the plateau, descending the southern slopes of Munaquir el Daba. The battalion commander, his deputy commander, the mortar company commander, and other officers are wounded, sensitive losses being the overall price of success. But on the front of the 5th battalion, the enemy made no further attacks.
Between the VII and V is deployed the VI; the latter does not suffer any serious breakthrough attempts, but bears considerable losses in bombardment actions and in patrol actions that develop, particularly active, towards the section held by the VII, protecting its left flank.
By the end of October, everything seemed to be moving towards relative calm. The enemy was repulsed, but the overall losses suffered, especially in the cadre, were very heavy: For the 186th Regiment, the Deputy Regimental Commander (Lieutenant Colonel Ruspoli), the VI battalion commander (Major Bergonzi) and some company commanders; among others, the commander of the 5th battalion (Major Izzo), the adjutant in 1st of the regiment (Captain Maggiulli), the Medical captain Guberti.
The commands of battalions V and VI are held by newly promoted captains, the companies are largely commanded by second lieutenants or non-commissioned officers; the strength of the units is reduced to a few men. But the regret for the loss of so many and so many comrades-in-arms is virile; far from repressing the spirits, it exalts in everyone the proud pride of having everywhere repulsed the enemy by fighting strenuously. The general situation forced the Army command to order the retreat of the entire front: the order to the 186th was carried by the Vice Commander of the Division General Bignami at 9.30 p.m. on 1 November: immediate execution; new line of deployment to be taken by dawn on 2 November: Rain Pool-Karet el Kadim; prohibition of any destruction that might in any way reveal the movement to the enemy; means of transport available for towing pieces and for loading at least part of the ammunition reserves; food and water (which had been stockpiled in view of strenuous resistance in place) none
Everyone realised that the most painful affair was beginning for the regiment and the division; but everyone was determined that this would also become the most glorious and remain legendary. The retreat into the desert.
The British BBC at the end of the battle on 11 November commented as follows: "The remains of the Folgore Division have endured beyond all human possibilities"..
The retreat

The battle is now won for the British and the way is open for their tanks to pursue the enemy across the now obstacle-free desert. Rommel is now in full retreat, but there is only enough transport and fuel for part of his troops and the Germans take precedence in the use of vehicles. Several thousand men belonging to the six Italian divisions are thus abandoned in the middle of the desert with little water and food, and with no other prospect than that of being surrounded and sent to concentration camps.
The battlefield was strewn with destroyed or unusable tanks, cannons and abandoned vehicles. The German air force gave up the desperate attempt to counter the air superiority of the RAF, so that the British air force operated almost undisturbed, relentlessly attacking with all its might the long columns of men and vehicles fleeing westwards. The retreat was to be another masterpiece of the field marshal, because despite the defeat suffered Montgomery was unable to encircle and finally destroy the Afrika Korps.
However, at the end of the battle four Germanic and eight Italian divisions ceased to exist as fighting units. The British captured 30,000 prisoners with huge amounts of all kinds of material. Here began the odyssey of the 70,000 survivors of the battle of El Alamein: 3,400 kilometres in the desert, vainly pursued by the enemy as far as Tunisia. Survivors and fallen, they enter, inevitably, into legend, remembered not only by their homeland, but also by the enemy itself.
Quotes on the Heroics of the Folgore at the Battle of El Alamein
Nino Arena, from the book 'FOLGORE'.
"Not a single white cloth. Not one man raised his arms. 32 officers and 272 paratroopers, wounded and exhausted, were still in the ranks, weapons drawn, standing, when the enemy captured them. Deprived of water and supplies for seven days, and without ammunition, and having responded with yet another "FOLGORE!" to calls to surrender with their arms raised."
British Radio Cairo correspondent, Hearth Brighton, 9 September 1942
"The Italians fought very well. The Folgore Parachute Division, in particular, resisted beyond all possible human capacity and beyond all possible hope."
Reuter Agency, London, 11 November 1942
"Admirable momentum and courage of the Italian Paratroopers of the Folgore Division".
BBC, 3 December 1942
"The last survivors of the Folgore were picked up, lifeless and armed. No one surrendered. No one was disarmed."
Honours
Gold Medal for Military Valour War Flag of the 185th Parachute Artillery Regiment "Folgore "
Parachutist artillery regiment of the glorious "Folgore" Division, in union with the divisional units assigned to it, for three months, without pause, valiantly worked in numerous offensive and defensive actions, always crushing the impetuous advance of the enemy, enormously superior in numbers and means. In the epic battle of El Alamein, exhausted by the losses he suffered, having ceased all supplies of water, food and ammunition, with the faith that only the most sublime love of country can generate, he disdainfully rejected, to the cry of "Folgore" repeated invitations to surrender, thus demonstrating that the superiority of his means could overpower the Italian paratroopers, and never bend them. Through countless episodes of collective and individual heroism, he prolonged the resistance until the total exhaustion of all means of fighting, imposing himself on the respect and admiration of the enemy, thus writing one of the most shining pages of valour for the Italian Army.
North Africa, 22 July - 12 October 1942; Battle of El Alamein, 23 October - 6 November 1942.
Gold Medal for Military Valour War Flag of the 186th Parachute Regiment 'Folgore'
Parachutist Regiment of the glorious "Folgore" Division, in union with the divisional units assigned to it, for three months, without pause, valiantly lavished itself in numerous offensive and defensive actions, always crushing the impetuous advance of the enemy, enormously superior in numbers and means. In the epic battle of El Alamein, exhausted by the losses he suffered, having ceased all supplies of water, food and ammunition, with the faith that only the most sublime love of country can generate, he disdainfully rejected, to the cry of 'Folgore', repeated invitations to surrender, thus demonstrating that the superiority of his means could overpower the Italian paratroopers, and never bend them. Through countless episodes of collective and individual heroism, he prolonged the resistance until the total exhaustion of all means of combat, imposing himself on the respect and admiration of the enemy, thus writing one of the most shining pages of valour for the Italian Army.
North Africa, 22 July - 12 October 1942; Battle of El Alamein, 23 October - 6 November 1942.
Gold Medal for Military Valour War Flag of the 187th Parachute Regiment 'Folgore'
Reggimento paratroopers of the glorious 'Folgore' Division, in conjunction with the divisional units assigned to it, for three months, non-stop, valiantly worked in numerous offensive and defensive actions, always crushing the impetuous advance of the enemy, enormously superior in numbers and means. In the epic battle of El Alamein, exhausted by the losses he suffered, having ceased all supplies of water, food and ammunition, with the faith that only the most sublime love of country can generate, he disdainfully rejected, to the cry of 'Folgore', repeated invitations to surrender, thus demonstrating that the superiority of his means could overpower the Italian paratroopers, and never bend them. Through countless episodes of collective and individual heroism, he prolonged the resistance until the total exhaustion of every means of fighting, imposing himself on the respect and admiration of the enemy himself, thus writing one of the most shining pages of valour for the Italian Army.
North Africa, 22 July - 12 October 1942; Battle of El Alamein, 23 October - 6 November 1942.
Other War Flag Honours:
- 1st Carabinieri Battalion and 183rd Regiment 'Nembo': 2 Silver Medals
- 183rd Regiment 'Nembo': 1 Bronze Medal
- 184th Regiment 'Nembo': 1 Military Cross
Individual Honours:
- 6 Military Orders of Italy
- 62 Gold Medals
- 424 Bronze Medals
- 536 War Crosses
Amidst the no longer deserted sands, the boys of the Folgore, the flowering flower of a people and an Army in arms, stand guard for eternity.
Lt Col. Col. Giovanni Alberto Bechi Luserna, Chief of Staff Parachute Division "Nembo"
Fallen for an idea, without regret, honoured in the memory of the enemy himself, they show Italians, in good and adverse fortune, the path of honour and glory.
Wayfarer, arrest and reverence.
God of Armies, receive the spirits of these boys in that corner of heaven that you reserve for martyrs and heroes.