Handbook of the Italian Army

WWII: 1940-43

reviewed by Bill Rutherford

Written and pub. by Jack Greene, P.O. Box 658, Cambria, CA. $10.00,48 page, many charts and tables.

This handbook details the Italian Army in as much depth as I've seen anywhere. Approximately 25 organization charts are included that describe almost every unit type that the Italians fielded. What keeps this from being a fairly dry tabulation of organizations and equipment (data is provided forthe main Italian AFVs, though this is not the focus of the book), is the ongoing commentary that introduces and is interspersed with the organization tables.

The relative effectiveness of the various formations are compared and commented on and notes are given regarding their roles and functions. A feature that I liked was the inclusion of "capsules", inserted in and around the charts, focusing on this item or that appearing in the charts - these are numerous and informative. One contained comments on the whereabouts of a specific division's artillery in 1941; another discussed the ineffectiveness of the 45mm mortar. Also included are an order of battle for Italian forces on the Eastern Front and an annotated bibliography. This last is something I'd like to see more often. Most of us haven't time to read everything - an annotated bibliography can point the reader at a specific piece of information in a hurry. The book's weak point lies in the area of final editing. Many sentences aren't complete; many that are are suspect in their make-up. This will seem nitpicky to many of you, but when I spend $10 on a magazine-format book, I expect it to be professionally edited! This aside, I found Greene's effort well done and a very good value for the money for any body interested in the Italian forces of WWII.

Reviewing Stand

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