400 Australians Shatter 2,500 Italian Troops - WW2

[@Skipper.17]

George Wooten is one of the unsung heroes of the Australian army. A very underrated general.

[@edwardhenseleit5887]

Even the Australians in battle are very underrated

[@anthonyeaton5153]

No mention of the British Royal Garrison Artillery as part of the attacking force. Par for the course, forget the Brits.

[@Skipper.17]

@ why not, they tend to forget the Australians.

[@ML6103]

​@@Skipper.17 lol exactly.

[@grahamjohnbarr]

Most of those Italians were brought to Australia. They were let out to work the Cane Fields. Many refused to go home. They brought their families out & settled in Australia. Growing up, I met a few of those ex Italian soldiers.

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

Yep, my grandmother grew up in rural NSW on a cattle and sheep farm. They had Italian POWs coming every day to work unguarded most of the time but they would sometimes borrow the .22 to get a few bunnies for rabbit stew and split their haul with the family. Many settled in the region post war - from what I understand they didn't have a choice but to head back to Italy where they packed up the family and headed straight back to Australia. At the time it wasn't unusual to see them wandering around town in their uniform fetching things for the camp or whoever they were working for. They knew they had no where to run to, got along with the locals and were out of the war.

[@russellforan4951]

And they where welcomed and prospered.

[@michaeldean1289]

Fantastic work once again guys! Great editing with stock photos and footage, also clever addition of excerpts from the original 1942 Italian war movie ‘Giarabub’ to provide an interesting insight into an overlooked battle!! A minor Italian Stalingrad, heroic 4 month stand by their forces defeated by our AIF boys! We need more of these stories to keep their memories alive so our Aussie heroes are never forgotten! Cheers 🇦🇺 😊❤

[@historyblitzofficial]

Thanks @michaeldean1289 we always appreciate you being one of the first to watch and comment on our videos. Thank you for the support!

[@anthonyeaton5153]

The Italian force was augmented by local recruits who promptly deserted. And what about the British Royal Horse Artillery which without, the battle might not have been won. Artillery is the king of the battlefield. PS. It was a pimple of a battle, Also it was a tactical victory not a strategic victory.

[@michaelmaguire8223]

Clarity Excellent ! Thank You ! Michael 🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@historyblitzofficial]

Thanks @michaelmaguire8223 we appreciate you saying that.

[@Stratasaver]

Awesome quality and so informative. Amazing!!!

[@historyblitzofficial]

Thanks @Stratasaver we really appreciate those kind words.

[@GojiraBiscuits.]

The lack of casualties during this specific campaign is actually quite astonishing. Especially by WWll standards, I think it shows a certain level of respect both armies had when facing each other. The Italians knew if they surrendered they would not be harmed by the ANZAC'S so therefore despite their greater numbers and defendable position. Eventually the officers made the decision to stop following orders in an effort to save their men. I'd say the lack of rations would of been a big factor in the moral of the Italian army and this following decision. What a horrid war this was. We sent millions of men and children off to fight and die for the ideals of a few hundred old men that didn't like each other. Though I suppose almost every war in history can be summed up like that.

[@mickryan2450]

Well daid

[@rednaughtstudios]

"We sent millions of men and children off to fight and die for the ideals of a few hundred old men that didn't like each other." I don't think you statement is at all accurate. The UK and Commonwealth forces were sent to stop dictatorships invading neighbouring countries. The Australian soldiers here were all volunteers.

[@pats3071]

They weren’t ANZACs they were Australian soldiers

[@raston1961]

Only heard about this battle today, many thanks to HISTORY BLITZ for your continued work in bringing other battles to remembrance.

[@historyblitzofficial]

Thanks @raston1961 we really appreciate you saying that.

[@davidcuttle4340]

My father was in this action and was wounded with a number of other men . He was in 2/9 . Private James Cuttle.

[@historyblitzofficial]

Wow thanks for sharing this @davidcuttle4340.

[@davejensen7922]

Lest we forget

[@JAMIN.IT.DEEP.]

Nice one Aussies went like clockwork artillery dropping short most unfortunate large amount wounded. They seem to know when too or not too a little more than some other's. They seem to be were the enemy axis forces are first pushed back like a little later with Rommel . Japanese in kodida trail they have Shown to stand tall when others are on there knees.

[@historyblitzofficial]

Thanks @JAMIN.IT.DEEP, yes our WW2 veterans were certainly a breed of their own. Exceptional soldiers, every one of them.

[@markjohnston9017]

Old Aussie joke, about Italian tanks have 1 forward gear and 9 reverse gears.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

That is not an Aussie joke

[@markjohnston9017]

@anthonyeaton5153 oh yes it is matey, my uncle who served with 7th division told me that one.

[@sigmaoctantis1892]

Why do they have one forward gear? In case they're attacked from the rear.

[@ML6103]

I remember hearing this one growing up. To be fair I wouldn't want to fight for Mussolini either.

[@detecting_Nathanael]

One of my uncles was in this - he was in the 2/9th Battalion.

[@graemeparry2317]

Italian Officers:- "Donta worry, therea only 12 Austraylians." Forward Italian observer:- "No Sir, 400 Austraylians." Italian Officer:- " Putta downa youra weapons, wea givea up!!!!"

[@leandabee]

Brilliance once again, 1. Aussie soldiers bravery and resilience 👌👏👏👏, and 2. Wonderful story with unbelievably stunning footage and great dramatic background music and with the velvety tones of the narrators voice 😌🤗. I salute you all 🙋🏼‍♀️😊

[@Mrbuckaroonie..]

Pretty sure the Italians knew they were on the wrong side.

[@andysparks1973]

Once they understood they were going to lose.

[@Richardford-l1m]

I think they left a zero off the number of Italians.

[@leongt1954]

If I'm not mistaken Aus troops held out against overwhelming odds in Vietnam too very similar to this

[@dynamitedingo8183]

Battle of Long Tan.

[@historyblitzofficial]

@leongt1954 @dynamitedingo8183 we recently covered the Battle of Long Tan in our video titled "When a 700-Man Human Wave Attack Shook Australian Platoon To The Core"

[@anthonyeaton5153]

What has Vietnam to do with a WW2 battle?

[@trojanthedog]

​@anthonyeaton5153 Are you being purposefully obtuse?

[@SamO-ik2cm]

The Australians are always outnumbered and almost always win

[@bluedogreddogstumpy5868]

My farther George Wallace was in this battle- he lost his best mate in the charge. Brilliant doco thank you sir. Not enough history about this.

[@michaelfoort2592]

Italians are lovers, not killers

[@geofftottenperthcoys9944]

History says otherwise!

[@MantaLad]

Tell the romans that!

[@crocodiledundee8685]

Can you provide a bibliography. I’ve never heard of this battle would appreciate learning more about it.

[@historyblitzofficial]

Hi @crocodiledundee8685, we will share this with you via email.

[@mylesdobinson1534]

Just one criticism, why is doug out Doug featured in the comments about the leadership team?

[@alansivkoff282]

Exactly, dugout was strutting his Phillipines field Marshall persona at the time. Instead of training up the local Phillipinos, he chose press releases and staged events to persue his media profile.

[@historyblitzofficial]

Thanks @mylesdobinson1534, and yeah maybe not the best selection there. It was primarily there to show George Wootton in a leadership huddle. It's sometimes difficult to locate footage or images from that actual arena or battle. But good point, thank you.

[@BC-op7rj]

Maybe he was on holidays in Libya while Ord and Eisenhower readied the Philippines for war?

[@mickryan2450]

Yes

[@anthonyeaton5153]

It might be because it is poor history.

[@ST-wm5gd]

This was awsome, be great if you had maps flash up to show these positions updated battle by battle.

[@kimmckenzie6848]

I don't think the Italians had their heart in it. They were pretty quick to change sides when Mussolini was dispatched.

[@SamO-ik2cm]

Changing sides when it suits them is a great Italian tradition

[@AndyViant]

Honestly War Thunder should have the M11/39 and M13/40 in the British tree. I think the Australians probably used them in combat more than the Italians.

[@logic.and.reasoning]

People dont understand Aussies. When pushed, we laugh and show our defiance and guts to stand strong. We dont cry, we make others fear our resolve.

[@garyandrews5104]

A very important story and event in history…. Many/most of the images have little to do with this story and are silly … maps would have been better … amateurish

[@jwgolf5442]

What an unfair man count mismatch to only put 2500 Italians against that many Aussies, they’d need at least 5000 maybe to make it a bit fairer.