Italy was led into the war by Benito Mussolini, the fascist prime minister who had formed an alliance with Nazi Germany in 1936. I have used four sources: Battle Front, SHQ, Artizan Designs, and Crac des Chevaliers. Page 1 of 2 1 2 ... British Army 1939-1940 - temperate combat uniforms ... With the Invasion of Italy, US Lend Lease Battledress uniforms were often worn (although not worn in Europe). That fall, British forces went on the offensive against the Italians. To the south, British forces captured Adrano and–finally–Catania. The arrival of the 88th was a much-needed respite for the Fifth Army. https://www.ww2-weapons.com/british-army-in-the-mediterranean-1940 Where the background colour is pale, the … On 1 February 1944, the rest of the 88th Division began their trip to Italy. Upon arrival in Naples, the 88th became the first draftee division to enter a combat zone in World War II. This WW2 Painting Guide shows how to paint the 2 New Zealand Division, and other Commonwealth/British, who fought in the Mediterranean.It solely uses Vallejo Model Colour range of paints.. There, German and Italian ships waited to ferry troops and equipment across the two-mile passage to the Italian mainland. In September 1943, 191 soldiers of Montgomery's 8th Army downed guns and refused to take part in the battle for Salerno in southern Italy. Fighting a brilliant rearguard action, German army units crept back from their narrowing front toward the beaches of the Straits of Messina. Non formation signs Arm of Service. The majority of men were caught between 1940 and 1942 and then imprisoned in POW camps stretching from Nazi-occupied Poland to Italy. The intent of my website limits a full review of … WWII British Uniforms Guide: British Army Discussion in 'WWII' started by Cobden, Jun 28, 2007. The spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the final Allied attack during the Italian Campaign in the final stages of the Second World War.The attack into the Lombardy Plain by the 15th Allied Army Group started on 6 April 1945, ending on 2 May with the formal surrender of German forces in Italy. During the attack, the British only lost two aircraft. Discussed in detail from May 1939 the system was summarised in a War Office letter of 12 April 1940 [4] updated in 1941, 1942 and 1943.. All vehicles carried arm of service (AoS) markings comprising a 9 in (23 cm) square with a white two or three digit number (both one and four digits were occasionally used). The last units came ashore by 21 February, and the entire division was reunited in Naples. On Oct. 13, 1943, one month after Italy surrendered to Allied forces, it declared war on Nazi Germany, its onetime Axis powers partner. During the Second World War, over 170,000 British Prisoners of War were captured by German and Italian forces, after defeats in France, North Africa and the Balkans. Organization of British & Other Nationalities This page provides general details of the organization of the British 8th Army during the Italian Campaign, including the other nationalities of the British Commonwealth. On Nov. 12, 1940, aircraft flying from HMS Illustrious struck the Italian naval base at Taranto, sinking a battleship and damaging two others.