The tankers of Mussolini

The Armored Group "M" "Leonessa" of G.N.R. constituted a unicum among the Armed Forces of the Italian Social Republic. In fact, it was the most consistent and operational of the few units equipped with armored vehicles, operating above all in the anti-partisan struggle. But the "Leonessa" descended directly from the homonymous Tanks Group which, before the Armistice, was part of the 1st Armored Division "M" of the MVSN, consisting of personnel loyal to the Duce, renamed after July 25th 136th Armored Division "Centaur 2nd". After the Italian surrender, all the material of the Division was confiscated by the Germans, including the Panzer III, the Panzer IV and the Stug.III of the "Lioness". But part of the Division's staff refused to fight against the former allies and, putting the red "M's" and the black shirt back in search of weapons and tanks in the now empty Italian barracks, to continue the war alongside the Germans.

Paolo Crippa (23 April 1978) has cultivated his passion for Italian history since high school. His research interests are focused mainly in the field of military history and in particular on italian armored units from the 30s until the end of World War II. In 2006 he published his first volume, "I Reparti Corazzati della Repubblica Sociale Italiana 1943/1945", the first organic research carried out and published in Italy on the subject. In 2007 he published "Duecento Volti della R.S.I." and in 2011 " Un anno con il 27° Reggimento Artiglieria Legnano". He regularly contributes to several journals: Milites, New Historica, SGM - World War II, Batailes & Blindes, Armoured Vehicles and history of the twentieth century, Mezzi Corazzati, both as an author, or in collaboration with other researchers. He published with the editor Mattioli 1885 in 2014 "Italy 43 - 45 - Civil War improvised AFV's" (2014), "Italian AFV's of the Civil War 1943 - 1945" (2015) and "Italy 43 - 45 - AFV's and MV's of co-belligerent units" (2018).