From February 1941, the 132nd Armored Division “Ariete” fought alongside the German Afrika Korps (DAK) until November 1942, and then in the Italian Motorized Corps (Corpo d’Armata di Manovra), later known as the 20th Motorized Corps. Equipped with M13/40 and M14/41 battle tanks, the “Ariete” fought in the Western Desert of Libya and Egypt during 1941. The Ariete’s first units disembarked Tripoli on 24 January 1941 and was assigned on 15 August 1941 to the XX Army Corps.

On April 16th, Rommel spearheaded an offensive from the western front, deploying the 132nd Armoured Division “Ariete”. In response, the 2/48th Australian Battalion launched a counter-offensive, resulting in the capture of 803 enemy soldiers. Later in the morning, the 132nd Armoured Division “Ariete” renewed their attack, managing to penetrate some of the most forward Australian positions. However, lacking infantry support, they withdrew after losing five tanks to enemy fire. In May 1941, it participated in the siege of Tobruk against the Australians. The 8th Bersaglieri Regiment of the 132nd Armoured Division “Ariete” had captured most of the Australian positions at the battle of Salient (a front of 5 km and depth of 3.2 km) for a total loss of about 500 Italians.

On November 19, at Bir El Gubi, the Italians of the “Ariete” fought fiercely during Operation “Crusader” (November 18- December 30/ 1941) and repelled British Crusader tanks, destroying 52 to 80 enemy tanks while losing 34 and had 132 men as casualties (16 Killed in Action, 50 Wounded in Action and 66 Prisoners of War). On the morning of November 24th, Rommel assumed control of both the Afrika Korps and the “Ariete” Division. The Italians, advancing towards Bir Ghirba, received orders to proceed to Fort Capuzzo to eliminate any resistance and establish a connection with the 21st Panzer Division. There they engaged two battalions of the 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade and a company of the 22nd New Zealand Infantry Battalion. Zealanders were overrun early on 27 November and 700 prisoners were taken.

In the battle of Point (Hill) 175 (November 29- December 1), New Zealand officer Howard Kippenberger wrote afterward: “Around 5:30 p.m., the cursed 132nd Armored Division Ariete appeared. Five battle tanks were in the lead, followed by twenty, and then a huge column of transports that fell directly onto our infantry on Hill 175.” Just after 5:00 p.m. on November 29th, the 21st Battalion was overrun by elements of the 132nd Armoured Division Ariete. Then, the cpmmander General Mario Balotta ordered the division to keep moving north to the escarpment and the Ariete Division had then turned west towards Point 175.

There, the New Zealanders mistook the Italian tanks for South African armoured cars and they were suddenly taken completely by surprise. About 200 men of the 21st Battalion were taken prisoner and the 24th and 26th battalions met a similar fate at Sidi Rezegh on 30 November. During operation “Crusader”, the New Zealanders suffered 880 dead, 1,699 wounded and 2,042 captured, most of them in these attacks while the “Ariete” had 4,731 total personnel losses. An attack executed by the Italians against the New Zealanders failed, and at dawn the following day, they launched yet another futile assault, losing 19 battle tanks.

On November 29-30, they captured several British, Indian, and New Zealand soldiers. When the battle turned against the Axis, the “Ariete,” along with 23 German tanks, counterattacked, defeated the British-Indian Royal East Kent Regiment, and captured/neutralized 1,000 prisoners, decimating the regiment. They also showed the same determination in the battle for Hill 204, buying valuable time for other units. However, when they returned to their lines after a allied attack, they were left with almost no tanks, only 30 by December 15, due to losses. At dawn on 5 December,German armoured units arrive near Point 188, which they recaptured after a tank engagement and headed towards Bir el Gubi. The Ariete and Trieste Divisions were also sent, but the former was stopped by an Allied attack, although the following night managed to reach Bir el Gubi and joined the German tanks.

In fierce and determined fighting of December 20th in Point 204 by a combined attack of Ariete, the 15th Panzer Division, with 8th Bersaglieri Regiment and 115th Lorried Infantry Regiment overran the Royal East Kent Regiment which lost over 1,000 men killed or captured with only 71 men and a battery of field artillery escaping. By December 15th, both the Afrika Korps and the Ariete Division were critically low on operational tanks, with only eight for the former and about thirty for the latter. Rommel, showing great concern over a perceived southern flanking move by the British armor aordered the evacuation of the Gazala line on the night of December 15th, despite strong objections from Italian generals and Crüwell.

Then came the great victory for the Axis forces at the Battle of Gazala, where Tobruk fell, from May 26 to June 21, 1942. In the early morning hours of May 27, experienced Italian tankers broke through the lines of the 3rd Indian Motorized Brigade, suffering 23 tank losses (some repairable) and 80 casualties while inflicting 440 casualties on their opponents and capturing another 1,000 prisoners, including Rear Admiral Sir Walter Cowan, along with rich spoils.

From May 27 to June 2, they were consumed by stubborn but unsuccessful assaults against the flawless defensive positions of the Free French at Bir Hakeim. The strong resistance, 75mm artillery, and a minefield caused the destruction of 42 tanks and 124 casualties on May 27 alone. However, Rommel had the solution. On June 5, with the spearhead elements of the “Ariete” and mainly the 21st and 15th Panzer Divisions, they destroyed 60 tanks, cutting off 3 infantry battalions, 1 regiment, and 4 artillery battalions.

The “Ariete” was also involved in the breakout battle at Alam el Halfa (August 30 – September 5). However, outdated tanks, fuel shortages from the destruction of tankers (the 21st Panzer was almost immobilized), and especially overwhelming Allied air superiority forced Axis forces to retreat. Subsequently, the major battle of El Alamein followed, where the “Ariete” was completely dissolved after fierce resistance. At the beginning of the battle, it had 100 tanks (mostly M 14/41) and 16 self-propelled guns 75/18.

Rommel wrote about its action in this battle in his diary: “Huge clouds of dust could be seen south and southwest of the command center, where the desperate struggle of the small and ineffective Italian battle tanks of the 20th Motorized Division raged against the hundreds of British heavy tanks that had come to their open right flank. Later, Lieutenant Colonel Von Luck, whose battalion I sent to cover the gap (…) told me that the Italians, who at that time represented our most powerful motorized force, fought with exemplary courage. One tank after another blazed, while a huge British barrage of artillery fell continuously on the infantry and artillery positions.”

The last signal from the commander of the “Ariete,” Francesco Antonio Arena, around 15:30, was “Enemy battle tanks penetrated south of the Ariete. The Ariete has just been encircled. Location 5 km northwest of Bir El Abd. The battle tanks are still in action.”

“At the Ariete, we lost our oldest Italian comrades, from whom we probably always demanded more than they could do – with their poor equipment,” Rommel added.

With the remnants from other units, the Ariete Tactical Group was formed from scratch, with the remaining tanks and men. On December 13, 1942, Axis reconnaissance aircraft located about 300 vehicles north of the Marada oasis and south of El Agheila. It was the New Zealand phalanx attempting to encircle Rommel’s positions. The “Desert Fox” wanted to counterattack, but the tragic and permanent fuel shortage forced him to retreat. The 7th Armored Division fell on parts of the rearguard composed of Italians from the Ariete Division. The Italians fought with determination, contained the allied attack, and pushed them back.

Then, in his diary, Rommel wrote: “Late in the morning, a superior enemy force launched an attack on the Ariete (…) Harsh battles ensued with the British battle tanks and lasted almost ten hours. The Italians conducted a magnificent struggle, for which they deserved the utmost recognition. Eventually, in the evening, the British were forced to retreat behind a counterattack by the Centauro Division, leaving 22 battle tanks and 2 armored vehicles on the battlefield. (…)”

Together with the remaining units, they surrendered to the Allies in Tunisia in May 1943.

Sources:

K. Kippenberger, “Infantry Brigadier: The Author’s Experiences in Greece, North Africa and Italy from 1939 to 1944”, 1949.

W. Murphy, “The Relief Of Tobruk, Official History Of New Zealand In The Second World War”, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1961.

M. Montanari, “Operations in North Africa: Second Part Tobruk (March 1941 – January 1942)” and “Third Part (January 1942 – November 1942), Italian Army Office Historical , Rome, 1990.

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