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2nd Motorised Independent Commando Company, Polish 2nd Armoured Brigade. A while back I got some interesting questions about the structure of this unit. Here is some more information.
It was mainly made up of Italian (and some Yugoslav) ranks, but commanded by Polish officers and senior NCOs. This is not as unusual a match as one may think; Italians and Poles follow the same religion.
Poles, who are talented linguists, do not generally find Italian as a hard language to master. Remember, many Polish officers were already fluent in any/all of French, German and Russian. There is also a shared idea of patriotism/liberation.
The company was called the 111th Bridge Protection Company. This was most likely to conceal the true nature/identity of the company from the Germans i.e. sabotage and demolition. They wore and used the same equipment as other Polish units i.e. British in origin.
These Italians (and Yugoslavs) often confused outsiders such as the military police and civilians. Here, you had what appeared to be Polish troops speaking in Italian. Indeed the official language of the company was a mixture of Polish and Italian!
The company was used after Monte Cassino, seeing action at Monte Freddo. In the summer and autumn of 1944, the Independent Company was attached to the Krechowiecki Lancers and Carpathian Uhlans. Brigade HQ clearly saw the benefits of having an independent company at its disposal
Several of the Italian troops were ex bersaliers, mountain troops and paratroopers. The company wasn't limited to actions within 2nd Armoured Brigade. It also spent some time attached to the Itallian Maiella Brigade that also had some Polish officers.
