Overview

‘Panzersoldaten!’ is a history of the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (MVSN), commonly referred to as the Blackshirts due to their wartime attire. They were an anti-Communist paramilitary organisation that fought for Mussolini while Italy was under fascist rule; following the Duce’s removal from power, the organisation was quickly swept up by the Italian Army, and forced to swear allegiance to the king. Some, however, defected and continued to fight for the Axis alliance as volunteer units in the German Army. This volume covers the history of the Blackshirt Division during the campaign on the Eastern Front, focusing on its relations with the Italian Army, the history of the MVSN, its advance into Ukraine, and the First and Second Battles of the Don River. Morisi, using almost exclusively contemporary resources and battalion war diaries, as well memoirs from senior officers of the division, has created a definitive analysis of the Blackshirts.

Full Product Details

9781781558195

Table of Contents

Reviews

This gem of a book offers a look at the M battalions that did yeoman's work on the Eastern Front. -- Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

Author Information

Paolo Morisi is a military historian who has written extensively on the Italian Army during World War One and Two. He has published several books and articles on such topics as the Folgore Parachute Division, the Alpini and Austro-Hungarian stormtroopers of the First World War, the Savoia Marchetti S.79 torpedo bomber and the Axis air forces of the Second World War.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available