Officer 6th Alpini Regiment Hat

[Custermen]

This is my WW2 Alpini Hat.  I made connection with a guy via my website and we traded a few items from our collection.  Among the things he sent me were two Alpini hats.  They are nothing like the fakes you see on eBay now.  Many of them were just a fedora that was reshaped and had a post-War insignia added.  I sold my 2nd Alpini Regiment hat and kept my 6th Alpini Regiment Hat.

Some of my photos don't show the Green color as it really looks.  The first photo isn't that great but the color is a little more accurate.

6th Alpini Regiment Hat with Red nappina 

This hat is very large, typical of early pre-War hats.

 

My experts said the silk band and the rank are for a Lieutenant.  I thought this would be a Sergeant.

 

 

 

 The natural light makes the nappina appear too bright.    

 

Another view of the stitching of the bill and the black sweat band and liner.  No markings--but the sweat band is sewn "closed".

 

For comparison, this is a photo that is dated about 1940.

   

 

Organization of the Alpini Divisions.

 

This Table show that the nappina (the pom-pom) was usually one of the three national colors.  However, notice that the 6th Alpini Regiment used BLUE and did not have a unit with a RED pom-pom.

So was there a unit in the 6th Alpini Regiment that wore the RED nappina?  Here is what I found.

There indeed was one unit of the 6th Alpini Regiment that had a Red nappina during their service in Russia.  It was the 216a Compagnia Armi di Accompagnamento (216th Heavy Weapons Company).

This company was originally a Bersaglieri 47/32 AT Company, of the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment.  It was headed towards North Africa when at the last minute, the Company (soldiers from Valtellina and Brescia) was transformed into an Alpini unit and attached to the 6th Alpini Regiment. In order to preserve the memory of their Bersaglieri origin, they called themselves "Bersalpini".  They were authorized to sew the Bersaglieri collar patches on the reverse of the collar (they have the same size and shape, Alpini green and Bersaglieri crimson) and they were issued red Nappine, i.e. the Alpini color that more closely matched the Bersaglieri crimson. During rear front "free time" the Bersalpini could also wear a pin representing a Fez (i.e. the Bersaglieri hat ).

 

Sure, it is possible that someone knew how unique this would be to have a Red nappina on this hat and just swapped out a Blue one for this Red one.  But I find it really interesting bit of history.  

 

Here is the complete history of the 6th Alpini Regiment.

 

6th Alpini Regiment.

  On September 10th, 1935 the 2nd Alpine Division “Tridentina” was formed and composed of the 5th Alpini and 6th Alpini Regiments and the 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment. In 1937 the battalions are reorganized and renamed: Vestone, Verona and Trento. The "Trento" battalion was placed under command of the newly formed 11th Alpini Regiment and participated in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.

   On June 21st, 1940 (one day before the French surrender) the “Tridentina” division began to advance with other Italian units into Southern France. The division was then sent to Albania, where it sustained heavy losses in the Italian attack on Greece. As the German Wehrmacht came to the aid of the beaten Italian armies in Albania in April 1941 through the invasion of Yugoslavia the “Tridentina” was sent repatriated for rest and refit.

  In September 1942 the “Tridentina” under the command of General Luigi Reverberi was sent together with the Alpini divisions Julia and Cuneense and other Italian units to the Soviet Union to form the ARMIR (Armata Italiana in Russia or Italian Army in Russia) and fight alongside the Germans against the Red Army.     The 6th regiment was augmented by the Val Chiese battalion (a 3rd battalion) before leaving Italy. Taking up positions along the Don River the Italian units covered part of the left flank of the German Sixth Army, which spearheaded the German summer offensive of 1942 into the city of Stalingrad.

After successfully encircling the German Sixth army in Stalingrad the Red Army’s attention turned to the Italian units along the Don. On January 14th, 1943 the Soviet offensive Operation Little Saturn began and the three Alpini division found themselves quickly encircled by the rapidly advancing armored Soviet Forces. After 12 days of heavy fighting the Julia and Cuneense divisions were completely annihilated. The remnants of the Tridentina were able to break the Soviet encirclement in the epic and desperate Battle of Nikolayevka on January 26, 1943 allowing the 4250 survivors (out of 15000 troops deployed) to reach German lines.

The few survivors of the 6th Regiment were repatriated and after the signing of the Italian armistice with the Allies on September 8th, 1943 the regiment was dissolved on September 10th, 1943 in the Italian village of Fortezza.

 

Here are some of my references.  The book on the Alpini's role in the escape from Stalingrad forces is a good history but not as well written as I wished.  Another good book is "Neither Fear Nor Hope", which is the biography of General Frido von Senger und Etterlin.  General Von Senger was the defender of Cassino.  Prior to this he was in charge of leading German forces to break through the Soviet lines and rescue the 6th Army--which he failed to accomplish.  

 

 

[Custermen]

Here is my 2nd Alpini Regiment hat that I sold last year.  It does NOT have any rank chevrons on the side.

This hat had a material on the edge of the hat.  This had has some wear and a few moth holes.  

The Gray ruler is used to ensure your color exposure is correct.  

[Proud Kraut]

Very nice, thanks for sharing!

[ScottG]

My 2x Great Grandfather was in the Alpini. Likely the 4th as he was from Cuneo. His Son served in WWI with the Italian Army and was a prisoner of the Germans, not sure what unit he was in or if he was Alpini, but likely he was as he also came from Cuneo. I have a neat painting of my 2x Great Grandfather in his uniform, it was done by my Aunt.   Scott

[Custermen]

11 hours ago, ScottG said:

My 2x Great Grandfather was in the Alpini. Likely the 4th as he was from Cuneo. His Son served in WWI with the Italian Army and was a prisoner of the Germans, not sure what unit he was in or if he was Alpini, but likely he was as he also came from Cuneo. I have a neat painting of my 2x Great Grandfather in his uniform, it was done by my Aunt.

That would be worth researching.  Thanks for sharing.

 

I was trading with this Italian contact.  I sent him some divisional history books and he sent me military items.  He sent me a WW2 helmet that was his grandfather's helmet.  He said his grandfather wanted me to have it because he was so grateful for the Americans liberating their country.  He sent me a photo, also---but not in a uniform.  I thought that was cool.  

[RRA227]

Nice stuff.  Rich A. in Pa.