As bad as it was for the fascist tankers who lost half of their force in the attack’s first three minutes, it was far worse for the Italian infantry. The Americans slaughtered them. Of the 42 Italian soldiers who came down the hill to support the tank attack on the seemingly stranded Americans, the paratroopers killed, severely wounded, or incapacitated 28 before the fascist non-com broke off the assault.
With the threat from the Italian infantry neutralized, Genero’s force concentrated all of its firepower on the remaining fascist tanks and armored cars. Between the anti-tank gun and the Bofors, American gunners destroyed or severely damaged all four of the Italian tanks. They also put two armored cars out of the fight.
The Americans suffered few casualties. The fire from the Italian ta
