Italy, Fascist State. A 184Th Nembo & 185Th Folgore Airborne Divisions Medal

Bronze, obverse illustrating an advancing paratrooper bearing a rifle on the ground, one in the process of landing and two others descending in the background, a plane in the sky above, reverse illustrating a parachute fronted by an upward-pointing sword and wing, flanked by the battle honours of "EL ALAMEIN" above "TAKRUNA" on the left and "CRIZZANO" above "FILOTTRANO" on the right, inscribed "CENTRO MILITARE DI PARACADUTISMO" above and "FOLGORE-NEMBO" below, the inscriptions separated by branches of laurel leaves on either side, 35.5 mm, light contact and spotting, near extremely fine.

Footnote: The first units of Italian parachutists were trained and formed shortly before the Second World War in Castel Benito, near Tripoli in Libya, where the first Military Parachuting School was located. Later the school was moved to Tarquinia in Italy. On September 1, 1941 the Royal Italian Army raised the 1st Parachute Division in Tarquinia. The division was intended to be used in Operation Hercules, the planned Axis invasion of Malta. In June 1942, the division's name was changed to 185th Airborne Division Folgore and its regiments renumbered and renamed as well. In North Africa, the division participated in the Battles of El Alamein, where the division was the protagonist of a strong resistance against the attacking Commonwealth forces, managing also to drive off some attacks conducted by tanks and heavy infantry. In the course of the Second Battle of El Alamein, the division was completely destroyed and therefore, officially disbanded on November 23, 1942. Before embarking for Africa, the 185th Parachute Infantry Regiment was detached from the Folgore and remained in Italy with one its battalions, to help raise the 184th Airborne Division Nembo (Italian for Nimbus). After the Armistice of Cassibile between the Allies and Italy, most of the troops of the Nembo stationed on Sardinia decided to side with Italian King Victor Emmanuel III and began to fight the retreating German troops. Subsequently, the remnants of the Nembo were used to form the Folgore Combat Group of the Italian Co-Belligerent Army in 1944. The combat group was equipped with British material and uniforms and fought as part of the British XIII Corps in the Italian Campaign. During the war, the fascist regime in Northern Italy fielded the 1st Parachute Arditi Regiment Folgore, which also fielded a Nembo and a Folgore battalion.