Introduction

Caraktère Press & Editions has sent Armorama two of their titles for review. These two titles are ‘The dictionary of the units of the Axis in North Africa’ and ‘132nd Divisione Corazzata Ariete’, both provide details on the North Africa campaign during World War 2. In this review I will look at ‘132a Divisione Corazzata Ariete’, this title specifically looks at the time the 132a Divisione Corazzata Ariete spent in North Africa.

The following is the introduction that Caraktère Press & Editions provided on this title.

132a Divisione Corazzata ‘Ariete’ is unquestionably the best known unit of the Italian Royal Army, the Regio Esercito, having fought during World War Two. Spearhead of the Italian Forces in North Africa, its name remains associated with the victories of the Africa Korps and battles which gave rhythm to the operations in Libya and Egypt from 1941 till 1942.

However it suffers, like all Italian troops from poor equipment and logistics, which place it in de facto, qualitively and quantitatively in a situation of inferiority in front of its German ally and their opponents.

Alternately criticised and praised by Erwin Rommel, the division acquires some experience by being next t the powerful German War machine, and its numerous victories make them an Elite unit, recognised by all.

I have made some corrections to the above text from what was provided.

Review

I should say that right from the very start that these titles are printed in French only and my French is limited to what I can remember of school lessons last taken 34 years ago, plus a few questionable terms learnt since leaving school. As such any European member who has reviewed books previously and can read French will be considered for any future titles that Caraktère Press & Editions opt to send us.

The new release from Caraktère Press & Editions consists of 127 pages. All of the text in this title being in French does hurt its appeal to anyone who can’t read French, but due to this title consisting primarily of period photographs than text this should not put the potential customer off spending the €24.90 that the book costs. The book is laid out in a year and month format, the dedicated text has been kept minimal, perhaps 5% or so is turned over to text with the rest of the book being turned over to graphics and period black and white photographs.

The period black and white photographs in this title from Caraktère Press & Editions are all of a very good quality, especially good when considering the age of them. The photographs cover both infantry and armour at work, rest and play, as the saying goes. The full colour graphics covering the vehicles, both armoured and soft skins plus the artillery pieces. All of the photographs or series of photographs are accompanied by captions as are the graphics. In order to give the reader an idea of the amount of desert traversed there is also a map of the region provided.

Conclusion

This book is one of those titles that does not matter what language it is printed in, as the photographs are the making of this title. Anybody interested in the Italian participation in the North Africa Campaign during World War Two should keep an eye out for this title from Caraktère Press & Editions or certainly consider ordering it as a reference title. I know that the French language makes the text useless to anyone who cannot read French, but as I stated it is a very small part of the book, and so I highly recommended it regardless of your reading abilities. It is also worth considering if there is some text you want to read you can use one of the free online translation sites.