The first Italian parachute units (incl. Paracadutisti) underwent specialist training and were formed shortly before the outbreak of World War II in Castel Benito, near Libyan Tripoli. It is worth adding that the first units, i.e. the two infantry battalions parachute units were formed from regular infantry units stationed in then Italian Libya. The first use of one of these battalions can be dated to 1941, when it was used in combat during the North African campaign. During World War II, two full airborne divisions named Folgore and Nembo were formed in the Italian army. It was also planned to create one, or perhaps two more divisions of this type in the Italian army, but these plans were not implemented. Without a doubt, the most deserving Italian parachute division was the Folgore division, formed in 1941 and initially trained to take control of Malta. When plans to invade the island were unsuccessful, the division was transferred to North Africa and fought as regular infantry. There, it took part in both battles of El-Alamein in 1942, suffering not only great losses, but also showing very high combat value, courage on the battlefield and the initiative of even rank-and-file soldiers. The division, as a result of losses and extreme exhaustion of soldiers related to the lack of water, was forced to capitulate to the British.
Battle of Anzio (the initial stage of the battle is Operation Shingle) was conducted from January 22 to June 5, 1944. At the beginning of June 1944, about 150,000 soldiers, supported by 1,500 guns, were involved in the operation on the Allied side. About 135,000 soldiers fought on the German side (in the same period). On the Allied side, the commander-in-chief of this operation was exercised by field marshal Harald Alexander, and on the German side - field marshal Albert Kesserling. The plan of the operation was born at the end of 1943 and assumed the landing of the Allied troops behind the German forces defending themselves in southern Italy and relatively close to Rome. The entire operation was to lead to the fastest possible completion of the operations on the Apennine and the liberation of Rome. Interestingly, the operation began for the Allies under very good auspices. The landing force in the Anzio area, launched on January 22, 1944, surprised the German troops and was successful, with relatively low losses of the Allies. On the first day of the invasion, much more field progress was made than had been envisaged in the original operation plan. Unfortunately, the commander of the Allied forces under Anzio, American General John Porter Lucas, was unable to take advantage of the initial success and got stuck on the bridgehead, giving the German troops time to consolidate the defense lines and launch counterattacks. As a result of a poor assessment of the situation, the operation at Anzio did not give the Allies the expected benefits, and very quickly turned into a battle of exhaustion. As a result, the Allied forces lost about 43,000 killed and wounded, and the German army - about 40,000 killed, wounded and captured.