Maefassi gas-operated conversion of the Mannlicher M.95 (8x56mmR)
This gas-operated, self-loading conversion of the Mannlicher M.95 rifle was designed by an Italian officer, Carlos Maefassi, while he was stationed in Ethiopia in the late 1930s. The conversion operates on a basic underbarreled gas piston with a long rack to allow the straight-pull bolt to reciprocate. A pistol grip was added to the stock. The Maefassi conversion was tested in about 1940 but never advanced beyond a prototype.
80th Infantry Division “La Spezia” (Italian: 80ª Divisione di fanteria “La Spezia”) was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The La Spezia was formed on 15 November 1941 and named for the city of La Spezia. The La Spezia division was the only air-transportable division of the army and earmarked for the planned invasion of Malta. In November 1942 the division was sent to Libya to participate in the North African Campaign. On 13 May 1943 the La Spezia surrendered to Allied forces in Tunisia.[1][2]
A unique unit even if reduced to regular infantry they would at the very least increase Italian representation. Armed with a bolt action rifle converted to semi automatic it would fit well at br2.
Perhaps a hybrid radio engineering squad sacrificing fire power to act more like a support squad. I would like to see a few more defensive squads mixed into the game.