This is a comprehensive history of Italian mountain troops (the Alpine infantry "Alpini" and the mountain artillery "Artiglieria da Montagna") from the 1870s to the present. The Alpini suffered a crushing defeat to the Ethiopian army at Adwa in 1896. During WWI, the Italian mountain troops fought against Austrian Gebirgsjäger high in the Alps. This fighting, known as the war of snow and ice, involved some of the most demanding mountaineering and high-elevation combat of the modern era. Grueling mountain battles continued during the Second World War, and the Alpini remained ready to fight through the Cold War and beyond. The book addresses unit organization and development, missions, uniforms and equipment from the inception of these units, through both world wars and to the present.
The narrative history of the Alpini is accompanied by more than 300 photographs. This is the first English-language history of this elite troop.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Finazzer, Enrico
Title
Alpini. Italian Mountain Troops. 1872 to the Present
Details
English text, 480 bw- and colour photos, maps, large format. 256 pages.
State
new
Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 77 Lower Valley Road PA 19310 Atglen, Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika
