Hello, I just discovered this sub and I absolutely love it (undergrad history student, aspiring to study revolutionary/napoleonic france, besides the point)
My mother's side of the family is italian and I am aware of two family members who served in the italian military and I'd like to learn more, trace their experiences, learn some family history.
But I have precious little information, and a petty big restriction. I am in the US in a college town so the internet is pretty much my only accessible source. However, language is not much of an issue, I can read italian decently well.
Here is what I know, and any ideas or suggestions on where to look would be much appreciated, thank you very much!
Vincenzo Lolli, awarded the Croce di Guerra with the inscription "Al Caporale della 157 batteria artiglieria di montagna Lolli Vincenzo da Atri (Teramo) Comandante di colonna munizioni di una batteria impegnata in aspro combattimento, con ardimento e fermezza contribuì ad assicurare in modo perfetto il rifornimento, attraverso zona completamente soggetta al tiro avversario. Valona (Albania) 5 giugno 1920" (short translation: awarded for exemplary service in an artillery battery during the Vlora war). He was born in 1900, too late to be drafted for WWI, which further complicates matters, and this albanian action appears to have happened in just the imperfect moment between the de-mobilization after 1918 and before Mussolini's re-organization in the 1920's. The only relevant source I could find on my own was a site memorializing Italian Alpine groups/regiments/battalions (http://www.vecio.it/cms/index.php/reparti-alpini), which, as far as I can tell, mountain artillery units were attatched to. However, this 157th battery is nowhere to be found in this directory. I have some biographical information such as where he was born, I just figured finding military records might be easier to find. He was a foreign laborer before WWII in france and germany, and it is believed in the family he was drafted into the german military and fought in the eastern front, but this is unconfirmed. All I know is he died during a bombardment on the 12th of May 1944 in what is now the Czech Republic, don't know the name of the town or whether it was an allied or german bombing, or whether he died as a civilian or soldier.
Donato Ameli, who did serve in WWI, and was awarded the cross of the Ordine di Vittorio Veneto in 1970 (no other information, or whether he was even present for that battle, as I understand it it was a blanket honorific for all service in WWI)
I understand this is a very specific question, and is more asking for help looking for sources rather than a historical discussion, it just occurred to me this might be an appropriate place to ask. Thanks again
If you don't receive an answer here, you could try to ask about your family history and research there in r/genealogy as well.