by Guido Ronconi.
Hardback (6.3×9.5 inches). 304 pages. 2025 English translation of 2023 book.
Subtitle: One of the Last Airborne Operations by German Paratroopers in WW2
Between the long title and subtitle, I don’t have to explain what the book is about.
That said, I didn’t know the German 2nd Battalion, 6th Regiment 2nd Fallschirmjager Division did a paradrop on the Italian Army HQ in 1943.
The OOB analysis for both German and Italian forces, including weaponry, equipment, and other TO&E material, provides an excellent foundation for understanding how the attack was planned and carried out. The end result will surprise you, or at least it did me.
When Italy surrendered in September 1943, the Germans occupied the country up to the front line. A key objective was the HQ that controlled the Army in a little town called Monterotondo. The 2nd battalion was assigned using a paratrooper drop. Unfortunately, the Germans didn’t understand that actual military command was in the hands of the Commando Supremo. Ooops.
Even worse, all the HQ generals weren’t in Monterotondo, having been transferred to Rome. Double ooops.
The 2nd Battalion didn’t know that and dropped near the town. So began an operation to capture the Orsini Palace with the skill and verve of the good ol’ paratrooper days of 1940 and 1941.
As the operation concerned only a single battalion of a Command company, three infantry companies, and a heavy weapons company, the detail is down to squads and sometimes individual German soldiers. The Orsini Palance garrison is small and the relief force of two reduced Italian battalions is small as well.
You know what I’m going to say: This makes for a nifty scenario pitting a small experienced force with mostly small arms against a larger, less experienced force with small arms and supporting heavier weaponry.
The book contains 36 black and white photos and 10 generally useful black and white maps.
The prose may be more outlined bullet points than text, but the information within is golden. Even the end result of the operation was a surprise. This is a great little book about an obscure paratrooper operation.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
