Whether by design, fate, or plain old bad luck, some military units of the Second World War were
thrown into combat again and again. The fighting men of these units battled their way through
multiple campaigns and countries. In this video, we shed light on five of these battle-hardened
and combat-tested units, focussing on those lesser-known or seldom covered.
The Italians don’t have the best reputation among World War Two history buffs,
but it’s important to note that many of their major military failures
were due to issues with supply, not fighting spirit.
The Italians had plenty of fighting spirit, and it seems it was concentrated with the Bersaglieri.
Bersaglieri were the cream of the Italian infantry corps.
Recruits were selected for their above-average height, strength, and physical stamina. Each had
to pass a set of gruelling fitness challenges, and all were qualified marksmen. It was difficult to
earn the coveted Capercaillie helmet feathers that marked a Bersagliere out, and Bersaglieri were
so proud of their accomplishment that they wore the feathers on their combat helmets into battle
Small Bersaglieri units were often attached to Italian infantry divisions,
but they also fought collectively in elite infantry formations. During the war,
thirteen individual Bersaglieri regiments saw combat. The most distinguished was the 3rd
Bersaglieri Regiment, which fought alongside the Wehrmacht during Operation Barbarossa. This unit
was awarded two Gold Medals of Military Valour, the Italian equivalent to the Medal of Honor or
Victoria Cross. The first of these was awarded for the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment’s performance
during the invasion of Ukraine. The regiment continually attacked the Soviet rearguard,
astounding the enemy with their speed and manoeuvrability. In the early stages of the
campaign, Soviet soldiers often surrendered when they found out they were facing the Bersaglieri.
But their tenacity cost the Bersaglieri dearly. Constant fighting whittled away their number
until, by 1943, less than one-third of the original Bersaglieri remained.
Even in this dire situation, they stayed strong, earning another Gold Medal for defending against
wave after wave of Soviet attacks in the Donetsk region. They fought until they were
out of ammunition, then held the Soviets off with bayonets. By the time Italy capitulated,
the 3rd Bersaglieri had been fighting so long it had effectively been destroyed.
Just like the Italians, the French army copped a poor reputation after the Second World War, but
this was largely due to the failures of just a few leaders. Some French foot-sloggers fought across
the whole of western Europe and North Africa, earning themselves a formidable reputation.
Chief among them was the French Foreign Legion’s 13th Demi-Brigade.
The 13th Demi-Brigade was formed in North Africa in early 1940 from French-speaking volunteers of
other units. They were first deployed to Norway, where they battled the invading Germans around
the frigid ports of Narvik and Bjerkvik. Several soldiers of the 13th distinguished themselves in
combat and were awarded the Norwegian War Cross with Sword, Norway's highest award for gallantry.
After France fell, the Legionnaires escaped to London and were subsequently sent to central
Africa, where they campaigned to secure the French colonies of West Africa, Equatorial Africa,
and Gabon from the Axis. Keeping the Italians on the run, the 13th distinguished itself
during the Battle of Keren and was transferred north to fight in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign.
Their most famous engagement, however, was during the Battle of Bir Hakeim
from May to June 1942. Defending the south end of the Allies’ Gazala Line,
the 13th held off determined attacks by Rommel’s Panzers for weeks without reinforcement.
The area around their position was surrounded by so many destroyed
vehicles that the Germans could no longer push through, having to rely on infantry.
The 13th later landed in the south of France as part of Operation Dragoon
and fought for its liberation.
Half a world away, in the Pacific theatre,
the soldiers of a Japanese unit had earned a reputation as some of Japan’s
toughest and most experienced warriors. They were the 5th Infantry Division.
Before the Pearl Harbour attack, the 5th Infantry Division,
otherwise known as the Koi Division, had been fighting in China for four years straight.
They began in August 1937, fighting in Operation Chahar against the Nationalist Chinese,
and later in the Battle of Pingxingguan against the Communists. The 5th Infantry
Division also formed the core of the forces sent to invade French Indochina in 1940.
The Koi Division redeployed to Malaya in 1941 to fight the British Indians.
Benefitting from significant experience in China,
the battle-hardened division crushed the 11th Indian Infantry Division at the Battle
of Slim River. 5th Division infantrymen smashed through the Indian defences and pushed 16 miles
into the Allied rear, causing an estimated 3,000 casualties. They relentlessly battled southwards,
defeating the Australians at the Battle of Maur and clearing the route to Singapore in January
1942. They were chosen as one of the two divisions to lead the charge into Singapore,
and defeated the Australians again, taking the critical Tengah airfield.
Now considered one of, if not the most, experienced Japanese infantry division,
the 5th fought in the Philippines and in the New Guinea campaigns.
But it was here they were undone. Suffering badly from Malaria and malnourishment,
the battle-hardened troops who had survived war in China, Indochina, Malaya, Singapore, and the
Philippines now fell in droves, far from home, in New Guinea. The remnants continued to fight
in Rabaul and Guadalcanal before surrendering on Ceram island at the end of the war.
When Germany Blitzkreiged Poland in 1939, the Polish army suffered defeat after defeat—all
units except one. The 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade, commanded by Colonel Maczek, was
never defeated in open combat against the Germans and even managed to slow the advance of
two whole panzer divisions to a bitter crawl. In the battles of September 1939, the outnumbered
10th Brigade ensured the Germans made no more than 10 kilometres’ headway per day. But it wasn’t to
last. The invasion of eastern Poland by the Soviet Union sealed the country’s fate, and
the 10th Brigade was forced to escape to France. Here, they joined the recreated Polish Army and
again fought against the invading Germans. They fought hard, but a lack of heavy weapons and
the rout of French troops on their flanks forced them to escape yet again, this time to Scotland.
In February 1942, Polish armoured corps veterans were organised into a new unit,
the 1st Polish Armoured Division. As the most popular and experienced Polish commander around,
Maczek was promoted to general and took charge of this rebadged force. He also took delivery
of several hundred brand-new Sherman and Crusader tanks—the division’s workhorses.
After two years of training, General Maczek led the 1st Armoured Division into combat in Normandy.
During the push into France, the 1st had the crucial job of closing the Falaise pocket,
enveloping no less than 15 German divisions and 500 panzers in a deathtrap in western France,
thereby opening the way for the Allies to liberate Paris. The 1st Armoured went
on to liberate significant portions of Belgium and the Netherlands—where
they became folk heroes and where many settled after the war.
In 1935, Germany formally renounced the Treaty of Versailles and embarked
on an unprecedented rearmament program. Three Panzer divisions were formed, and one, the 3rd,
was headquartered in Berlin. Tankers of the Wehrmacht’s 3rd Panzer Division fought on the
Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War and took part in Germany’s Anschluss of Austria.
When war broke out in September 1939, the 3rd Panzer Division lead the charge into Poland.
It comprised 391 tanks, more than any other unit; however relatively few of
these were modern Panzer IVs—most were older Panzer Is and IIs. Nevertheless,
the 3rd proved its worth in the Polish campaign, fighting in the north against the Pomeranian Army.
Later, the division fought in Belgium and the Invasion of France.
But it was on the Eastern Front that the Wehrmacht 3rd Panzer Division
really showed what it could do. While initially fighting as part of Army Group Centre,
the 3rd was redeployed south to take part in the Battle of Kiev.
The Wehrmacht encircled and destroyed no less than 700,000 Soviet troops during this decisive battle,
and the Red Army was severely weakened by the loss of some of its most experienced soldiers.
The 3rd stayed on the Eastern Front for the duration of the war. It got as far as Moscow in
1941 but was bogged down with the rest of the Wehrmacht by the winter and rains of 1942. It
fought at Kursk in 1943, the largest tank battle in history, where it was defeated and forced to
pull back by determined Soviet counterattacks. Fighting a rearguard action through Ukraine,
Romania, Poland, and Hungary, the 3rd eventually surrendered to US forces in Austria in 1945.
Those were five of the most experienced and battle-hardened units of the Second World war.
But what do YOU think? Did YOU know the Italian Bersaglieri were fighting on the Eastern Front
against the Soviets? How do YOU think African troops of the Foreign Legion coped with fighting
in frigid Norway? Which unit do YOU think had the toughest time? Let us know in the comments!