| Unit Name: | Auto-Saharan Company |
| Dates: | 1 July 1937 - 13 May 1943 |
| Role: | Reconnaissance Intelligence gathering Raiding operations |
| Nickname: | "La Compagnia" |
| Equipment: | Trattore Leggero SPA TL.37 "Libia", Autocarro Sahariano SPA AS.37, Camionetta Desertica SPA-Viberti AS.42, Camion FIAT 634, Camion Lancia 3 RO |
| Battles: | Second World War |
| Disbanded: | 13 May 1943 |
| Notable Commanders: | Alberto Mannerini |
The Auto-Saharan Companies (Compagnie Auto-Avio-Sahariane) were Italian military units specialised in long range patrols of the Sahara Desert. Companies were formed around expert soldiers (called "Arditi Camionettisti"), riding AB 41 armored cars and FIAT and Lancia light trucks customized to operate in the desert. The units operated from the late 1930s to the Italian surrender in 1943.
The Saharan companies were first formed in 1923 by a conversion of dromedary mounted troops, Méhariste, to patrol between the Italian forts in the Libyan Sahara desert in Italian Libya. These units were formed with mixed Italian and Libyan personnel. In 1938 the five existing companies were reorganized as motorized units with their own aerial support. The companies received new off-road vehicles and a light aircraft section (manned by Regia Aeronautica personnel). In March 1941 five new Compagnie Sahariane were formed.[1]
Two aircraft sections (Sezioni Aeroplani) were formed in order to operate together with the Saharan companies. Each section had four planes for reconnaissance and liaison, the most effective of which was the twin engined Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli.
In concept, the Auto-Saharan Company was similar to the British Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) which was created (as a partial copy) in 1940, except that the company also had the support of its own air arm to assist in long range reconnaissance and ground attack.
During the North African Campaign the Auto-Saharan Companies were tasked to conduct reconnaissance. The number of active companies varied from three and five during the war, and each company was equipped with 20 to 30 vehicles and three Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli light aircraft for reconnaissance.
In 1940, at the beginning of the war, these companies were part of the Maletti Group but located at the oasis of Kufra, in southeastern Italian Libya. On January 31, 1941, the British LRDG were intercepted by the Compagnia Autosahariana di Cufra in the Gebel Sherif valley.[2] [3]
In this victorious skirmish[4] British members of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) suffered one man killed and two taken prisoner, included Major Clayton, and the loss of three desert vehicles. The Italians suffered three killed and three injured. The remaining four British soldiers fled through the Libyan desert to the Nile. Major Clayton was conferred a Distinguished Service Order.[5]
The Compagnie Auto-avio sahariane continued their confrontations with the LRDG in 1941 and 1942, but their activity was reduced because of lack of gasoline. Under Dal Pozzo leadership these units made an incursion inside Egypt and in November 1942 defeated the British raiders in two small skirmishes.[6] After El Alamein they lost their Libyan troops, but they were enlarged to 5000 men (all Italians) in Tunisia as Saharian Group ("Raggruppamento Sahariano") under the orders of General Alberto Mannerini.[6]
The Mannerini Raggruppamento fought hard in the area of Mareth and Sfax (Battle of the Mareth Line),[7] [8] until the final Italian surrender in Africa in May 1943.[9]
In 1940, a Compagnia Sahariana, according to regulations, was composed of four platoons (one HQ, two motorized and one machine guns), the strength was 4 officers, 7 NCOs and 32 Italian enlisted together with 77 Libyan enlisted totaling 120 men. The company operated with 16 AS.37 off-road cars and 3 trucks (FIAT 634). One of the AS.37 in the HQ platoon was equipped with radio in order to maintain real time liaison with the aircraft during operations.
In 1942, the organisation of the companies was revised, other than the HQ platoon, a company was made up with one infantry motorized platoon, one machine guns motorized platoon, one 20mm cannons motorized platoon and one 47/32 anti-tank cannons motorized platoon. They could rely on 7 off-road vehicles (AS.37 or AS.42) and 10 trucks (LANCIA 3 RO). A single company was manned by 5 officers, 3 NCOs, 2 Italian enlisted and 133 Libyan enlisted.
The most common and versatile weapon used by Auto-Saharan Companies was the Cannone-Mitragliera Breda 20mm mod.35. Following the successful experience made by Italian units operating together with the Francoists in the Spanish Civil War, the installation of 20mm Breda machineguns on medium trucks began in 1939. The gun-carriage, without its legs, was fixed to the vehicle with a pin. During the war the 20mm Breda machine-guns used different kinds of ammunition, initially HE air defence and HE piercing. At the end of 1942 armor-piercing incendiary ammunition was also in use.
The standard Italian anti-tank cannon Ansaldo-Bohler 47/32 was used by Saharan motorized units, mainly mounted on revolving platforms on LANCIA 3 RO lorries but also on AS.37 or AS.42. The 47/32 was able to fire various kinds of HE, piercing and piercing-exploding ammunition. Maximum useful range as an anti-tank gun was 700m (2,300feet), the piercing power at 650m (2,130feet) with 30 degrees impact angle was 40 mm, at 1600m (5,200feet) the piercing power was reduced to only 30 mm. Since the beginning of the war, due to the progress in tank design, the usefulness as an anti-tank weapon of the 47/32 was very limited, and it proved effective only against light tanks and armoured cars.
The vehicles most commonly used by Saharan Companies were the following:
Every "compagnia" was supported until November 1942, by 3 Caproni Ca.309 aircraft, nicknamed "Ghibli" (Desert Wind). In Tunisia the "Raggruppamento sahariano" had no air support but a Ca.309, left in Libya because of damage, was repaired and remained active in Africa until May 1943.[10] The Ca.309 (with a 3 crew) was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a piston engine fitted to each wing, and was intended to serve as a reconnaissance and ground-attack aircraft. It had 3 × 7.7 mm (.303 in) Breda SAFAT machine guns and could carry bombs up to 330 kg.