Gazala Battles May 1942
TO&E Part 1:
Axis Formations

133rd Littorio Armored Division

by Jeff Glasco


Troop Quality: Trained, Morale: 8 unless otherwise noted
    Divisional Headquarters, with:
      1 command stand
      1 car
      1 staff radio truck

    133rd Tank Regiment

      Regimental Headquarters, with 1 command M 14/41 tank
      11th Tank Battalion, with
        Battalion Headquarters, with 1 command M14/41 tank
        3 Tank Companies, each with 3 M14/41 tanks

      12th Tank Battalion (as 11th Tank Battalion)

    12th Bersaglieri Infantry Regiment, with: Troop Quality: Regular, Morale: 8

      Regimental Headquarters, with:
        1 command stand
          1 car
          1 staff radio truck
          1 recon AB-41 armored car

        Motorcycle Company, with:

          1 command motorcycle infantry stand
          2 motorcycle infantry stands
          1 motorcycle MMG stand

        23rd Bersaglieri Infantry Battalion, with:

          Battalion Headquarters, with:
            1 command stand
            1 car
            1 recon motorcycle infantry stand

          2 Infantry Companies, each with:

            1 command infantry stand
            2 infantry stands
            1 MMG stand
            2 medium trucks

          Antitank Company, with:

            1 command stand
            2 47L32 AT guns
            2 gun crew stands
            2 light trucks

        36th Bersaglieri Infantry Battalion (as 23rd Bersaglieri Infantry Battalion)

        ?? Bersaglieri Weapons Battalion, with:

          Battalion Headquarters, with 1 command stand and 1 car
          Antiaircraft Battery, with 2 20L65 AA guns, 2 gun crew stands, and 2 light trucks
          Mortar Company, with 1 81mm mortar stand (ds) and 1 medium truck
          Machinegun Company, with 2 MMG stands and 1 medium truck

        ?? Bersaglieri Antitank Battalion, with:

          Battalion Headquarters, with 1 command stand and 1 car

          Antiaircraft Battery, with:

            2 20L65 AA guns
            2 gun crew stands
            2 light trucks

          Antitank Company, with:

            1 command stand
            2 47L32 AT guns
            2 gun crew stands
            2 light trucks

    133rd Artillery Regiment, with:
    Troop Quality: Regular, Morale: 8

      Regimental Headquarters, with 1 command stand, 1 car, and 1 staff telephone truck

      II Battalion, 133rd Artillery Regiment, with:

        Battalion Headquarters, with:
          1 command stand
          1 spotter stand
          2 cars
          1 staff telephone truck
          1 medium ammo truck with trailer

        3 Batteries, each with:

          1 75L27 field gun
          1 gun crew stand (ds)
          1 tractor
          1 support stand
          1 medium truck

        554th Artillery Battalion, with:

          Battalion Headquarters, with 1 command Carrp Commando and 1 medium ammo truck with trailer
          3 Batteries, each with 1 Semovente M-40

        556th Artillery Battalion (as 554th Artillery Battalion)

      III Battalion /Lancieri Novara, with:

        Battalion Headquarters, with:
          1 command L6/41 light tank
          1 recon motorcycle infantry stand

        2 Tank Companies, each with:

          1 command L6/41 light tank
          1 recon motorcycle infantry stand
          3 L6/41 light tanks

    Frank's Notes

    Whew! A lot of notes here. The Littorio Division is tough to get right, because it was shipped over in dribs and drabs, some of the units were sunk in transit, and the rest were cannibalized to bring Ariete and Trieste up to strength. Then replacements were sent over to bring Littorio up to strength, but not all of them were in place by the start of the Gazala battles. I'II try to go through them branch by branch and hope this makes sense.

    1. Medium Armor The original three medium tank battalions in the division were the 10th, 11th and 12th. The first to arrive was the 11th, which was unloaded in February and immediately detached to the Trieste Division. In March, the 10th and 12th Battalions were sent over. The 12th was sunk in transit, and the 10th, upon landing, was immediately assigned to the Ariete Division's tank regiment (to replace the 7th Battalion, which had been destroyed in the Crusader fighting). This left the Littorio's tank regiment with none of its organic tank battalions by the beginning of May. In May, the 51st Separate Medium Tank Battalion was sent over and assigned to the Littorio, and in either May or June (I have seen both mentioned) enough replacement tanks were sent over to re-equip the 12th Battalion. So for Gazala, the 133rd Regiment certainly had the 52nd and may have had the 12th.

    I have a theory about the 51st Battalion which I have never seen confirmed in print but which makes too much sense not to mention. The 52nd Medium Tank Battalion had been sent across in late 1941, I believe as a newly added organic tank battalion of the Trieste Motorized Division, which arrived about the same time. The 52nd was attached to the Armored Corps Reconnaissance Group (RECAM) instead, though, and was destroyed during the Crusader fighting. The 51st Battalion, I believe, had been raised to give the Trento Division an organic battalion. However, since the Trento was no longer functioning as a motorized division (see below) it was used to flesh out the Littorio. Note that the Trento's divisional engineer battalion is the 51st, while the Treiste's engineer battalion is the 52nd. I rest my case.

    2. Light Armor: The division's light tank battalion was, as Jeff notes, the 3rd Lancieri di Novara, the first tank unit in North Africa to use the L6/41 light tank. However, it was not present at the start of Gazala, arriving in-theater in late May or early June. It hustled forward and arrived after the Gazala line had cracked. It was involved in the early skirmishing around Tobruk fortress and in is first action lost virtually all of its tanks (which is why you don't hear too much about it).

    3. Semoventes: The original two battalions of Semovente 75s assigned to the division were the 551st and 552nd, which arrived in Africa in January '42 and were immediately given to the Ariete Division (and redesignated 5th and 6th Battalions of the 132nd Artillery, as correctly noted by Jeff). The 554th and 556th were then sent over as replacements and fought with the Littorio, but there is some question as to when they actually arrived at the front. I don't believe that they were there when the offensive lacked off, but, like the 3rd Lancieri di Novara, might have arrived in time for the final clashes.

    4. Bersaglieri: The 12th Bersaglieri Regiment was shipped over with three battalions: the 12th Motorcycle Infantry and the 23rd and 36th Motorized Infantry. I am not sure of the designation of the regiment's heavy weapons battalion but I am fairly confident that it was not sent across to Africa with the rest of the regiment. I am fairly certain also that there was no antitank battalion at this time. The 12th Motorcycle was sunk in transit and so did not serve with the regiment at Gazala. It was rebuilt In Africa as an antitank battalion, and so by the battle of El Alamein fought with the regiment in that role (which may explain Jeff's reference to an unknown AT battalion here).

Gazala Battles May 1942 TO&E Part 1: Axis Formations TO&E

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