[1][2] During the battle of Pindus his regiment was surrounded by Greek troops and suffered heavy losses, but managed to break out of the encirclement and reach the Italian lines, after bitter fighting in freezing weather.

[1][2] On 29 September 1943 Dapino was given command of the 1st Motorized Group, the first combat unit of the Italian co-belligerent Army established to fight alongside the Allies for the liberation of Italy from the Germans.

[1][3][2] The 1st Motorized Group had its headquarters in San Pietro Vernotico and began training in Montesarchio, amidst great difficulties, under the direct control of the Allies.

Dapino tried to obtain from the government the assignment of a special allowance for operations, in order to prevent the pay received by the Italian fighters from being excessively lower than that given by the U.S. Fifth Army to its own soldiers, which negatively affected the morale; as the government refused, he granted on his own initiative an extraordinary allowance of ten lire for the soldiers and eighteen for the non-commissioned officers, a fait accompli that was later approved by the Army General Staff.

[4] Dapino obtained from the Fifth Army a food table similar to the American one, but which did not include some kinds of comfort, such as wine and cigarettes; the Ministry of War in Brindisi refused to provide these goods, since "this groupment carries out activities in favor of the Allies and is supplied by them".