Auto-Saharan Company
Encyclopedia
The Auto-Saharan Companies (Compagnie Auto-Avio-Sahariane) were Italian military units specialised in long range patrols of the Sahara Desert. The units operated from the late 1930s to the Italian surrender in 1943.
Two aircraft sections (Sezioni Aeroplani) were formed in order to operate together with the Saharan companies. Each section had four planes for reconnaissance and liaison, the most effective of which was the twin engined Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli
.
In concept, the Auto-Saharan Company was similar to the British Long Range Desert Group
(LRDG) which was created (as a partial copy) in 1940, except that the Company also had the support of its own air arm to assist in long range reconnaissance and ground attack.
A small battle with the British LRDG happened on January 31, 1941 near the oasis of Kufra
, in southeastern Italian Libya
. The British were intercepted by the Compagnia Autosahariana di Cufra, an Italian unit similar to the LRDG, in the Gebel Sherif
valley. The LRDG had one man killed and three men captured, including Major Clayton, and three trucks destroyed during the battle. The Italians losses were five killed and three wounded, and one truck was abandoned. Four member of the LRDG escaped by walking 200 miles (321.9 km) to safety in ten days with no food and only a 2 gallons (9.1 l) water can between them. The patrol arrived back in Egypt on 9 February; it had covered about 4500 miles (7,242 km), experiencing the loss of six trucks, four by enemy action and two by mechanical breakdowns. One vehicle with a broken rear axle had been towed about 900 miles (1,448.4 km) before it could be repaired. Total casualties were three dead and three captured. Major Clayton was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
.
The "Auto-avio-Sahariane Compagnie" fought against the LRDG in 1941 and 1942, but their activity was reduced because of lack of gasoline. Under Del Pozzo leadership these units did an incursion inside Egypt and in November 1942 defeated the British raiders in two small skirmishes. After El Alamein
they lost their Libyan troops, but they were enlarged to 5000 men (all Italians) in Tunisia as "Raggruppamento Sahariano" under general Mannerini orders
The Mannerini Raggruppamento fought hard in the area of Mareth and Sfax (Operation Pugilist
), till the final Italian surrender in Africa in May 1943.
). One of the AS37 in the HQ platoon was equipped with radio in order to maintain real time liaison with the aircraft during operations.
In 1942 the organisation of the companies was revised, other than the HQ platoon, a company was made up with one infantry motorized platoon, one machine guns motorized platoon, one 20mm cannons motorized platoon and one 47/32 anti-tank cannons motorized platoon. They could rely on 7 off-road vehicles (AS.37 or AS.42) and 10 trucks (LANCIA 3 RO
). A single company was manned by 5 officers, 3 NCOs, 2 Italian enlisted and 133 Libyan enlisted.
. Following the successful experience made by Italian units operating together with the nationalists in the Spanish civil war
, the installation of 20mm Breda machineguns on medium trucks was begun in 1939. The gun-carriage, without its legs, was made fast to the vehicle with a pin. During the war the 20mm Breda machineguns utilized different kind of ammunitions, initially were available HE air defence ammunitions and HE piercing ammunitions. At the end of 1942 was used also a piercing incendiary ammunition type. The standard Italian anti-tank cannon Ansaldo-Bohler 47/32
was used by Saharan motorized units mainly mounted on revolving platforms on LANCIA 3 RO
lorries but also on AS.37 or AS.42. The 47/32 was able to fire various kind of HE, piercing and piercing-exploding ammunitions. Maximum useful range as an anti-tank cannon was 700 meters, the piercing power at 650 meters with 30 degrees impact angle was 40 mm, at 1600 meters the piercing power was reduced to only 30 mm. Since the beginning of the war, due to the progress in tank design, the usefulness as an anti-tank weapon of the 47/32 was very limited, and it proved effective only against light tanks and armoured cars.
and nicknamed "Ghibli". In Tunisia the "Raggruppamento sahariano" had no air support, but one Ca.309, left in Libya because damaged, was repaired and remained active in Africa until May 1943.
The Ca.309 (with a 3 crew) was a low-wing cantilever monoplane
with a piston engine fitted to each wing, and was intended to serve as a reconnaissance
and ground-attack aircraft. It had 3 × 7.7 mm (.303 in) Breda SAFAT machine guns and could drop bombs for up to 330 kg.
History
The Saharan companies were first formed in 1923 with the purpose of patrolling the space among the Italian forts in the Libyan Sahara desert. In 1938 the five existent companies were reorganized as motorized units with their own aerial support. The companies received new off-road vehicles and a light aircraft section (manned by Regia Aeronautica personnel). In March 1941 five new Compagnie Sahariane were formed.Two aircraft sections (Sezioni Aeroplani) were formed in order to operate together with the Saharan companies. Each section had four planes for reconnaissance and liaison, the most effective of which was the twin engined Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli
Caproni Ca.309
-See also:...
.
In concept, the Auto-Saharan Company was similar to the British Long Range Desert Group
Long Range Desert Group
The Long Range Desert Group was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The commander of the German Afrika Corps, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, admitted that the LRDG "caused us more damage than any other British unit of equal strength".Originally called...
(LRDG) which was created (as a partial copy) in 1940, except that the Company also had the support of its own air arm to assist in long range reconnaissance and ground attack.
A small battle with the British LRDG happened on January 31, 1941 near the oasis of Kufra
Kufra
Kufra is a basin and oasis group in Al Kufrah District, southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. Kufra is historically important above all because at the end of nineteenth century it became the center and holy place of the Senussi order...
, in southeastern Italian Libya
Italian Libya
Italian Libya was a unified colony of Italian North Africa established in 1934 in what represents present-day Libya...
. The British were intercepted by the Compagnia Autosahariana di Cufra, an Italian unit similar to the LRDG, in the Gebel Sherif
Gebel Sherif
Jebel Sherif is a mountain in southeastern Libya, about 130 km southwest of Kufra. It was the site of an action during the Battle of Kufra.-References:*http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/WH2-1Epi-fig-WH2-1Epi-e017a.html...
valley. The LRDG had one man killed and three men captured, including Major Clayton, and three trucks destroyed during the battle. The Italians losses were five killed and three wounded, and one truck was abandoned. Four member of the LRDG escaped by walking 200 miles (321.9 km) to safety in ten days with no food and only a 2 gallons (9.1 l) water can between them. The patrol arrived back in Egypt on 9 February; it had covered about 4500 miles (7,242 km), experiencing the loss of six trucks, four by enemy action and two by mechanical breakdowns. One vehicle with a broken rear axle had been towed about 900 miles (1,448.4 km) before it could be repaired. Total casualties were three dead and three captured. Major Clayton was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
.
The "Auto-avio-Sahariane Compagnie" fought against the LRDG in 1941 and 1942, but their activity was reduced because of lack of gasoline. Under Del Pozzo leadership these units did an incursion inside Egypt and in November 1942 defeated the British raiders in two small skirmishes. After El Alamein
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
they lost their Libyan troops, but they were enlarged to 5000 men (all Italians) in Tunisia as "Raggruppamento Sahariano" under general Mannerini orders
The Mannerini Raggruppamento fought hard in the area of Mareth and Sfax (Operation Pugilist
Operation Pugilist
Operation Pugilist was an Allied operation in Tunisia during the Second World War. In his General Plan, General Bernard Montgomery stated "...the object of operation Pugilist is to destroy the enemy now opposing Eighth Army in the Mareth position, and to advance and capture Sfax." Pugilist itself...
), till the final Italian surrender in Africa in May 1943.
Organisation
In 1940 a Compagnia Sahariana, according to regulations, was composed of four platoons (one HQ, two motorized and one machine guns), the strength was 4 officers, 7 NCOs and 32 Italian enlisted together with 77 Libyan enlisted. The company operated with 16 AS37 off-road cars and 3 trucks (FIAT 634FIAT 634
The FIAT 634N is the military variant of the civilian FIAT 632 heavy truck manufactured by Italian manufacturer FIAT V.I from 1933 to 1939...
). One of the AS37 in the HQ platoon was equipped with radio in order to maintain real time liaison with the aircraft during operations.
In 1942 the organisation of the companies was revised, other than the HQ platoon, a company was made up with one infantry motorized platoon, one machine guns motorized platoon, one 20mm cannons motorized platoon and one 47/32 anti-tank cannons motorized platoon. They could rely on 7 off-road vehicles (AS.37 or AS.42) and 10 trucks (LANCIA 3 RO
Lancia 3 RO
-Lancia Ro:The Lancia Ro was the first of a family of Lancia 4x2 heavy truck, starting in 1933. The Ro was built with two versions, a three cylinder gasoline engine or a two cylinder diesel engine. The Ro was particularly robust truck, considered reliable, requiring little maintenance, and easy...
). A single company was manned by 5 officers, 3 NCOs, 2 Italian enlisted and 133 Libyan enlisted.
Weapons
The most common and versatile weapon used by Auto-Saharan Companies was the Cannone-Mitragliera Breda 20mm mod.35Breda Model 35
The Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 modello 35 , also known as Breda Model 35, was a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun produced by the Società Italiana Ernesto Breda of Brescia company in Italy and used during World War II. It was designed in 1932 and was adopted by the Italian armed forces in 1935...
. Following the successful experience made by Italian units operating together with the nationalists in the Spanish civil war
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, the installation of 20mm Breda machineguns on medium trucks was begun in 1939. The gun-carriage, without its legs, was made fast to the vehicle with a pin. During the war the 20mm Breda machineguns utilized different kind of ammunitions, initially were available HE air defence ammunitions and HE piercing ammunitions. At the end of 1942 was used also a piercing incendiary ammunition type. The standard Italian anti-tank cannon Ansaldo-Bohler 47/32
Cannone da 47/32 M35
The Cannone da 47/32 M35 was an Austrian artillery piece produced under license in Italy during World War II. It was used both as an infantry gun and an anti-tank gun....
was used by Saharan motorized units mainly mounted on revolving platforms on LANCIA 3 RO
Lancia 3 RO
-Lancia Ro:The Lancia Ro was the first of a family of Lancia 4x2 heavy truck, starting in 1933. The Ro was built with two versions, a three cylinder gasoline engine or a two cylinder diesel engine. The Ro was particularly robust truck, considered reliable, requiring little maintenance, and easy...
lorries but also on AS.37 or AS.42. The 47/32 was able to fire various kind of HE, piercing and piercing-exploding ammunitions. Maximum useful range as an anti-tank cannon was 700 meters, the piercing power at 650 meters with 30 degrees impact angle was 40 mm, at 1600 meters the piercing power was reduced to only 30 mm. Since the beginning of the war, due to the progress in tank design, the usefulness as an anti-tank weapon of the 47/32 was very limited, and it proved effective only against light tanks and armoured cars.
Vehicles
The vehicles most commonly used by Saharan Companies were the following:- Trattore Leggero SPA TL.37TL.37The TL.37 was an Italian military vehicle of World War II. Model SPA, called TLA . The tractor was designed to accommodate six people, draw artillery pieces of 75mm and 100mm at a speed of 40 km/h on road and trailers carrying ammunition with of a capacity of 100 shells and to cross slopes of...
“Libia”. The TL.37 was a versatile four-wheeled artillery tractor with all-wheel steering. The vehicle, designed in 1937, was powered by a four-cylinder gasoline engine, the 52 hp SPA 18R. It had a maximum speed of 38 km/h (23.6 mph) and could carry 800 kg (1,763.7 lb). It could carry six passengers in two front seats and four back seats. The “Libia” variant differed from the basic TL.37TL.37The TL.37 was an Italian military vehicle of World War II. Model SPA, called TLA . The tractor was designed to accommodate six people, draw artillery pieces of 75mm and 100mm at a speed of 40 km/h on road and trailers carrying ammunition with of a capacity of 100 shells and to cross slopes of...
artillery tractor in having a larger fuel tank and specially designed Pirelli tires. Some TL.37 “Libia” variants were armed with a 20mm Breda cannon or Cannone da 47/32 M35Cannone da 47/32 M35The Cannone da 47/32 M35 was an Austrian artillery piece produced under license in Italy during World War II. It was used both as an infantry gun and an anti-tank gun....
anti-tank gun. - Autocarro Sahariano SPA AS.37SPA AS.37The SPA AS.37 was an Italian military vehicle of World War II. The AS.37 Autocarro Sahariano was developed as from 1937 on the frame of the TL.37 artillery tractor and was especially conceived to be employed in the North-African desert...
. This vehicle, also based on the TL.37TL.37The TL.37 was an Italian military vehicle of World War II. Model SPA, called TLA . The tractor was designed to accommodate six people, draw artillery pieces of 75mm and 100mm at a speed of 40 km/h on road and trailers carrying ammunition with of a capacity of 100 shells and to cross slopes of...
artillery tractor, was capable of higher speed (50 km/h); the cargo capacity was also increased about 25% to 4,190 kg. The AS.37 had a flat truck bed with two benches facing each other. Starting in 1941, some of them were armed with a 20mm Breda cannon. - Camionetta Desertica SPA-Viberti AS.42SPA-Viberti AS.42The SPA-Viberti AS.42 Sahariana was an Italian reconnaissance car of World War II. The AS 42 Sahariana was developed by SPA-Viberti using the same chassis as the AB 41 armored car, including its four-wheel steering, specifically for desert operations, primarily in a reconnaissance role...
, this vehicle, specifically designed to operate in the desert, was a four-wheel-drive car that entered into service with Saharan units in November 1942. It was built on the same chassis as the AB.40/41 armoured carAB 41The Autoblinda 41 was an Italian armored car in use during World War II. It was armed with a 20 mm Breda 35 autocannon and a coaxial 8mm machine gun in a turret similar to the one fitted to the Fiat L6/40, and another hull mounted rear-facing 8mm machine gun.-Description:The AB 41 was based...
but it was not armoured. It was powered with a 100 hp gasoline engine and reached a maximum speed of 85 km/h. This easily recognizable vehicle had racks on the sides to carry 24 jerrycanJerrycanA jerrycan is a robust fuel container originally made from pressed steel. It was designed in Germany in the 1930s for military use to hold 20 litres of fuel. The development of the Jerrycan was a huge improvement on earlier designs, which required tools and funnels to use.-Uses:Today similar...
s (mostly fuel) and carried a spare tire on the front hood. It could accommodate a crew of six and weapons such as the 20mm Breda cannon, the Cannone da 47/32 M35Cannone da 47/32 M35The Cannone da 47/32 M35 was an Austrian artillery piece produced under license in Italy during World War II. It was used both as an infantry gun and an anti-tank gun....
, the 20mm Solothurn S-18/100Solothurn S-18/100The Solothurn S-18/100 20 mm Anti-Tank Cannon was a Swiss & German anti-tank rifle used during the Second World War. It had a semi-automatic action in a bullpup configuration. As a result of its large, powerful ammunition the gun had a tremendous recoil, and its size made portability difficult...
anti-tank rifle, and up to three Breda mod. 37 machineguns. The AS.42 was 1.49 meters high, 5.20 meters long and 1.80 meters wide. - Camion FIAT 634FIAT 634The FIAT 634N is the military variant of the civilian FIAT 632 heavy truck manufactured by Italian manufacturer FIAT V.I from 1933 to 1939...
. This truck, the military variant of the civil FIAT 632, was 3.24 meters high, 7.43 meters long, and 2.40 meters wide. It had six wheels, two on the front axle and four on the rear axle. It had a maximum load of 7640 kg and a maximum speed of 40 km/h. It was powered by a diesel engine. It was used by Saharan units to transport troops or supplies. - Camion Lancia 3 ROLancia 3 RO-Lancia Ro:The Lancia Ro was the first of a family of Lancia 4x2 heavy truck, starting in 1933. The Ro was built with two versions, a three cylinder gasoline engine or a two cylinder diesel engine. The Ro was particularly robust truck, considered reliable, requiring little maintenance, and easy...
. This very effective and reliable vehicle was another six-wheeled truck like the FIAT 634. More than 12,000 were built for the Regio Esercito. It was powered by a 5 cylinder, 93 hp diesel engine, giving it a speed of 50 km/h. It was 3 meters high, 7.25 meters long, and 2.35 meters wide. It was able to carry up to 8 tons of cargo. The 3 RO used by Saharan companies had a 20mm Breda cannon or 47/32 anti-tank gun on a rotating platform on the flatbed.
Air support
Every "compagnia" was supported until November 1942 by 3 airplanes, model Caproni Ca.309Caproni Ca.309
-See also:...
and nicknamed "Ghibli". In Tunisia the "Raggruppamento sahariano" had no air support, but one Ca.309, left in Libya because damaged, was repaired and remained active in Africa until May 1943.
The Ca.309 (with a 3 crew) was a low-wing cantilever monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
with a piston engine fitted to each wing, and was intended to serve as a reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
and ground-attack aircraft. It had 3 × 7.7 mm (.303 in) Breda SAFAT machine guns and could drop bombs for up to 330 kg.