Paolo Morisi, Steel Centurions, (Helion & Company, 2023)
(Reviewed by Dom Sore)
The latest book on my extensive Italian army reading list is Paolo Morisi’s Steel Centurions, which looks at the Italian armoured formations of World War II. Beginning with the initial thoughts within the Regio Esercito after the introduction of tanks and ending around the surrender of the Italian Government on 8 September 1943, this is a story of hidebound thinking, lack of preparation, and logistical nightmares. Morisi conducts an in-depth analysis of the armoured formations, how they came about, where they were deployed, and how they performed, all presented chronologically in a softback 439 page book, consisting of ten chapters, five appendices and a bibliography.
This book is heavy on detail and analysis but written in an accessible manner. The failings of the Regio Esercito are laid bare, but at no point does the author fall into the ‘lions led by donkeys’ trap or imply they were all just rubbish. There is balance in the writing that highlights where those failings lay: the lack of preparation, the unsuitability of the armour and the economy, and tactical and strategic errors. But Morisi also gives credit where it is due: the improvement brought about by training, the esprit de corps in the face of overwhelming odds, and what they managed to do even in the face of their failings. You will also learn most of what you might need to know about where the armour fought and how it performed.
There are some editing issues in the book that stand out but don’t detract from; it looks like ‘Has’ has been used in place of ‘As’ in some parts, which hints at a cut-and-paste error, and there is also the strange appearance of the word “irrupted”. Four maps are included, but they are not enough to help position the forces, especially in the open desert of North Africa where deployments are often difficult to visualise. An index would have been useful too. However, the bibliography is extensive, so I can forgive a missing index.
Morisi’s book pulls no punches in exposing the failings of the Italian armour of World War II, but he also gives them credit when they do well. You will learn a lot from this book particularly with regards to Rommel and his performance even if that isn’t what the book is about. A few more maps would be nice but that doesn’t take anything away from the book. If you have any interest in North Africa during World War II, then this book is a must have. Buy it, you won’t be disappointed.
