Italy, Fascist State. A Medal of the Italian Military Mission in Croatia (NDH), c.1942
Item #EU14834
Price:
$1,390
Medal in bronze, partially enameled, 31mm, of Italian manufacture, in near mint condition, and rare.
Footnote: An Italian military mission (Reale Militare Italiana in Croazia) was sent to Zagreb just after signing Roman contracts on 18 May 1941 between NDH and Italy which was under command of Generale di Brigata Gioananni-Batista Oxilia (Torino, 18 November 1887 – 21 August 1953).
The task of Italian military mission was to maintain connection with Ministry of defense of NDH (Ministarstvo domobranstva NDH) and army command, based on Roman contracts, and to coordinate cooperation between Italian and Croatian military forces on the territory of NDH.
On 12 July 1941, the Italian military mission commander in Zagreb, Generale di Brigata Giovanni Battista Oxilia, demanded from NDH authorities to establish voluntary detachment for Eastern front under Italian command.
On 26 July 1941 the Light Transport Detachment (Lako-prevozni zdrug - Legione croata autotransportabile) was established as a part of the Italian Army.
In December of 1941, the Light Transport Detachment was sent to Italy, to Riva del Garda, for more training. In March of 1942, the regiment was sent to the Eastern (Russian) front as a unit within the Third Mobile Division "Principo Amadeo Duca d'Aosta" (part of Corpo Spedizione Italiano in Russia- CSIR). At this time, the regiment's commander was Croat Officer Egon Zitnik. First contact with the Russians Regiment was encountered at Pervomajska, which was followed by steady, continuous fighting. Officially the Light Transport Detachment was disbanded on 16 March 1943.