Details: 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 organization that fought for Mussolini while Italy was under fascist rule; following the Duce's removal from power, the organization 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.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements Introduction
1: The Italian Army and Operation Barbarossa 2: A History of the MVSN 3: From the Initial Advance into Ukraine to the Christmas Battle 4: First and Second Battle of the Don River 5: The M Armoured Division
Conclusion: final assessment Bibliography Appendix: Anthem of the M Battalions.
