132ª Divisione Corazzata Ariete

From Victory In Europe

132ª Divisione Corazzata Ariete
Tag:	[DCA]
Campaign:	ViE#9
Affiliation:	Axis
Country:	Italy
Type:	Italian Tank Division
Allies:	None
Opponent(s):	4AF
Rank System used:	Italian Army
Squads:	Carristi, Artiglieria, Bersaglieri
Commander:	Generale di Divisione Mini-Shifty
Record:	12-8

The 132ª Divisione Corazzata Ariete was the Axis division of ViE#9. It was an Italian armoured division and fought against the US Navy's 4th Atlantic Fleet.

Contents 1 History 2 Commanding Officers 3 Structure 4 Ranks 5 See also

History

The Ariete Armoured Division was formed in Milan in February 1939 and designated the 132nd. It was initially made up of the 8th Bersaglieri (motorised infantry) regiment, the 32nd tank regiment (equipped with L3/35 light tanks and a few M11/39 medium tanks), the 132nd artillery regiment, and additional divisional support units. The division was moved to the French border at the outbreak of World War II, but it was kept in reserve during the short campaign on that front.

Later, some battalions of the 32nd Tank Regiment (the I and II M11/39 Medium tank battalions and the III and V M13/40 Medium tank battalions) were moved to Libya to become part of the Special Armoured Brigade belonging to General Rodolfo Graziani’s 10th Army. From December 1940 to February 1941 the British Western Desert Force overran the 10th Army, occupying the whole of Cyrenaica and endangering the Italian presence in Northern Africa.

It was then decided to employ the whole Ariete Division on that front line, and on the 24 January 1941 the first echelons of the Division disembarked at Tripoli. From February 1941 to November 1942 the Ariete Division took part to Northern Africa campaign attached to the 20th Motorised Corps, beside Rommel's Deutsche Afrika Korps.

In particular, reinforced in 1941 with the 132nd Tank Regiment (which later completely replaced the 32nd, disbanded on mid-1942) it took part in the first German – Italian counteroffensive to re-conquer the Cyrenaica, and the siege of Tobruk. With this Regiment, its battalions (initially the VII, VIII and IX, the former two later replaced by the X and XIII), now equipped with M13/40 and/or M14/41 medium tanks, and starting in early 1942 the V and VI battalions, equipped with M40 75/18mm semoventi (assault gun) from the 132nd Artillery Regiment, the Division continued its exceptional operational performance in the deserts of Libya and Egypt.It later took part, during the 2nd counteroffensive, in the invasion of Egypt and the three battles of El Alamein.

During the last of these battles it consciously immolated the whole of its about 120 obsolete tanks in the attempt to counter the enemy offensive and cover the withdrawal of the Army, gaining once again the praise of both enemies and allies. On 4 November at about 15:30, the few surviving tanks, surrounded by an overwhelmingly superior enemy, broadcast their last message, quoting:

Enemy tanks broke through South of ARIETE Division. ARIETE thus surrounded, located 5kms northeast of Bir-el-Abd. ARIETE tanks fight! Then they were destroyed to the last tank.

Commanding Officers

• Primo Maresciallo dell'Impero BRANCALEONE
• Generale di Divisione Mini-Shifty
• Colonnello SexyLemming
• Tenente Colonnello Piojo
• Maggiore ch_mie
• Capitano CrazyCanadian
• Capitano Misfit

Structure

The division was divided into three squads:

Artiglieria [Defense]

CO

Capitano

• [DCA]D*3|Misfit

XO

Maresciallo Capo

• [DCA]D^3|Whitesniper

NCOs

Enlisted

• [DCA]D/2|Allan

• [DCA]D/3|Sundown
• [DCA]D/3|Crispdust

• [DCA]D/4|Whiskas
• [DCA]D/4|Tyrone-shoelaces
• [DCA]D/4|Ewok

• [DCA]D/5|Russell
• [DCA]D/5|Gladio
• [DCA]D/5|Sutrov
• [DCA]D/5|Moltz

Carristi [Attack]

CO

Capitano

• [DCA]A*3|CRAZYCANADIAN

NCOs

Maresciallo Maggiore

• [DCA]A^2|Fantomet

Maresciallo Capo

• [DCA]A^3|Diver - Medal team XO.

Enlisted

• [DCA]A/1|Barake

• [DCA]A/2|Hilti
• [DCA]A/2|iSuck

• [DCA]A/3|aga
• [DCA]A/3|Romans
• [DCA]A/3|Troubadour
• [DCA]A/3|Peanut
• [DCA]A/3|Sab

• [DCA]A/4|sugna
• [DCA]A/4|RADIO_ACTIVE|DF|
• [DCA]A/4|RALPH
• [DCA]A/4|unR34L
• [DCA]A/4|joppe
• [DCA]A/4|NeTTzwerg
• [DCA]A/4|Sirjess
• [DCA]A/4|REDRUM_TEF
• [DCA]A/4|grape
• [DCA]A/4|jeppe
• [DCA]A/4|Blight
• [DCA]A/4|zax

• [DCA]A/5|SturmBruder
• [DCA]A/5|Popsicle
• [DCA]A/5|Woods
• [DCA]A/5|Dasfraad
• [DCA]A/5|Leifmeister
• [DCA]A/5|Shinigami
• [DCA]A/5|ThunderStruck
• [DCA]A/5|TheHammer
• [DCA]A/5|fujitsu
• [DCA]A/5|SittinDuck
• [DCA]A/5|Metallica
• [DCA]A/5|FuriousGeorge
• [DCA]A/5|Bad Haggis
• [DCA]A/5|Minstrel
• [DCA]A/5|Rhymes
• [DCA]A/5|Bunkerer
• [DCA]A/5|St3fan

Bersaglieri [Elite]

CO Colonnello

• [DCA]**|SexyLemming

XO

Aiutante di Battaglia

• [DCA]E^1|Kakarshi

NCOs

Aiutante di Battaglia

• [DCA]E^1|Thanatos

Enlisted

• [DCA]E/3|Dolly
• [DCA]E/3|Dolle

• [DCA]E/4|souL
• [DCA]E/4|DeadlyFreud
• [DCA]E/4|Beluga
• [DCA]E/4|Spriggan.VTN

• [DCA]E/5|Galzac
• [DCA]E/5|eXzet

Ranks

Created by BRANCALEONE for ViE#9

Ranks

Enlisted Rank Name	Tag	Image	NCO Rank Name	Tag	Image	CO Rank Name	Tag	Image
Soldato (Private)	/5		Maresciallo Ordinario (2nd Warrant Officer)	^4		Sottotenente (2nd Lieutenant)	*5
Caporale (Corporal)	/4		Maresciallo Capo (1st Warrant Officer)	^3		Tenente (1st Leutenant )	*4
Caporal Maggiore (Corporal-Major)	/3		Maresciallo Maggiore (Chief Warrant Officer)	^2		Capitano (Captain)	*3
Sergente (Sergeant)	/2		Aiutante di Battaglia (Master Warrant Officer)	^1		Maggiore (Major)	*2
Sergente Maggiore (Sergeant-Major)	/1					Tenente Colonnello (Lt. Colonel)	*1
						Colonnello (Colonel)	**
						Generale di Divisione (Major General)	***
						Primo Maresciallo dell'Impero (CinC)	****

See also

• 3° Reggimento Bersaglieri - the first ever Italian division and arguably the best in ViE history

Divisions of ViE
Campaign:	ViE#1	ViE#2	ViE#3	ViE#4	ViE#5	ViE#6	ViE#7		ViE#8		ViE#9	ViE#10	ViE#11	ViE#12	ViE#13	ViE#14	ViE#15	ViE#16
Axis Division:	1-GJ	2-KF	3-RB	4-FJ	5-PzJ	AZUL	KK-A	KK-N	BFC	RONA	DCA	Ax90	4TC	DTR	DTR	Ax369.	11.Nord	DCV
Allied Division:	US1ID	US2AD	US3ID	SAS	A10MD	US6AD	3.SA.	8.GA	A28	A9	4AF	PPCLI	8AAF	3DSK	2AIF	617Sqn	RGR	FSSF