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The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, Sahara Grouping (''Raggruppamento Sahariano'') and 57th Bersaglieri Battalion from the ''Trieste'' Division fought in the [[Battle of El Guettar]] in March 1943, distinguishing themselves near El Hamma–El Guettar, with several Bersaglieri eventually taken prisoner.<ref>"The Italian forces that managed to impress the GIs most were the Bersaglieri units. With a tradition going back to the old Piedmontese army, composed of carefully selected troops, and equipped with greater numbers of artillery and vehicles, these units sometimes exceeded the performance of the German forces in Africa. A soldier of the 4th Ranger Battalion who had battled against them at Senad Pass in Tunisia in 1943 remembered them as "big shots" while he was on his way to Sicily, and hoped that he would not encounter them again on the island. He did, however, and more bloody clashes with the Bersaglieri left him convinced that they were indeed "Italy's toughest troops." The Crash of Ruin: American Combat Soldiers in Europe during World War II, Peter Schrijvers, p. 52, Springer, 1998</ref><ref>"At El Guettar a few battalions of well-supported Bersaglieri held up the infantry columns, though the Americans did well in capturing Jebel Mcheltat." The Army Quarterly, p. 160, William Clowes & Sons, Limited, 1943</ref>

It was noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref><ref></ref>}}

It was noticed that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them on El Hamma Ridge:{{cquote|The enemy positions seemed impregnable, and, in fact, the Italians manning them held out for three days. Next morning Rommel ... replaced the Italians with crack German troops ... but the enemy, finally fellback into the ravine...the morale of 20-year-old prisoners fresh from the Russian front was low, they made no attempt to hide their satisfaction at being out of the war.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19430401&id=zjRAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TVkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2804,4830439&hl=en Fighting French Troops' Part Advance in Advance on Gabes, The Glasgow Herald, 1 April 1943]</ref>}}

On 23 March, the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attack Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrate the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref>The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>   

On 23 March, the 10th Panzer Division and supporting 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attack Lieutenant-Colonel Robert H. York's 1st Battalion from the 18th Infantry Regiment (US 1st Infantry Division) and the Panzers penetrate the valley between the US 1st and 3rd Battalions, reaching a position about six miles behind the 1st Battalion.<ref>''"On March 23, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. York commanded the 1st Battalion of an Infantry Regiment of the First Division, which was in position on the northeastern slopes of Djebel Berda, generally facing Hill 369, about seven miles east of El Guettar. At dawn that day, the German 10th Panzer Division and elements of the Italian 7th Bersaglieri Regiment attacked the 1st Division with at least two hundred vehicles. Colonel York's regiment, owing to its position, bore the brunt of the attack. The enemy tanks succeeded in penetrating the valley between the 3d and 1st Battalions which held the high ground on either side and some of the enemy tanks reached a position about six miles to the rear of the 1st Battalion before the attack was finally broken down."'' Infantry Journal, Volumes 54-55, p. 42, United States Infantry Association, 1944</ref>The Panzer Division with the help of the Bersaglieri riding in half-tracks, trucks and motorcycles overrun the US 32nd Field Artillery Battalion and part of the US 5th Field Artillery Battalion, with the Italian Supreme Command reporting that 170 Allied troops had been captured in the counterattack.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19430324&id=M4ohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dZgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2523,3907893&hl=en Yankee Units Within Hour's Drive of Sea; Blast 30 Nazi Tanks, Reading Eagle, 24 March 1943]</ref>