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An ally in WW1, Italy under Mussolini joined with Hitler in WW2 |
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Special thanks to militaria collector and historian Rudy D'Angelo for his expert help with this page. |
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in tropical uniform The Italian Army served alongside their German Axis partners in the battle for North Africa from 1940 to 1943. The
red enameled shield
("scudetto") on this Capitano's left arm identifies him as a member of the Sirte Division, which fought with the XXII Corps under Generale di Corpo d'Armata Petassi Manella, headquartered at Tobruk. The bustina was unique to Italian uniforms. |
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was worn on all fronts, in materials
ranging from light cotton to heavy wool. It featured practical ear-flaps
for cold & wind, and the split visor could be folded down to shade the
eyes when needed. This Capitano's ribbon bar displays two high awards: The Order of Military Merit (Officer Class), and the Military Medal for Valor in Gold. The red and yellow ribbon is of a medal that recognizes service in support of Francisco Franco's Nationalist rebels during the Spanish Civil War, and the diamond-shaped pin beneath the ribbons is an Albanian award for participation in the Italian effort against Greece and Yugoslavia in 1940-41. |
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The MVSN ("Militia Voluntaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale) was a Fascist Party organization rather like the German Nazi party's fanatical "brown shirts," the SA (Sturm-Abteilung). Later the MVSN was redesignated CCNN, a name derived from the Italian for their black shirts, or "Camiecie Nere." As fighting men the Black Shirts were at first longer on zeal and courage than on military leadership, tactics and training. In time, however, some Black Shirt units distinguished themselves in combat and gained elite status with the designation "M" Battalions. |
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This CCNN Centurione (equivalent to
regular army Capitano) wears on his black collar tabs the distinctive
"M" Battalion insignia, based on Mussolini's own signature.
His gold-bullion cap badge features the symbol of the Fascist
Party, the
"fasces" -- a sheaf of birch or elm rods bound together with a
battle-axe -- which hails from the time of the Roman Empire and signifies
the State's authority to impose discipline, either by birching or
decapitation.
In the early years the standard headgear for all Black Shirt ranks was a black fez. Later a black bustina (field cap) or, as seen here, a peaked visor cap were often worn by officers. The three bands of gold lace on his cap band and cuffs show the Centurione's rank. He wears the standard-issue Beretta Model 34 automatic pistol. On his left hip is his Poiniard/Pugnale MVSN Dagger. His decorations chronicle a distinguished Fascist Party career and service on several military fronts. The top row of ribbons shows the unofficial Fascist Party Campaign Medal with a date-clasp for 1922, when he was in his mid-teens. Next is the Fascist Cross in Gold, for outstanding contributions to the Party, followed by the Italian War Cross for military service. Below these are ribbons representing three campaigns -- Ethiopia, France, and Russia. He also wears the "Fronte Russo" (Russian Front) campaign badge. On his upper left sleeve is the CCNN Comando badge in gold bullion on black, worn by command officers of the CCNN. It bears the word FERT the motto of the Italian House of Savoy. It is an acronym that pre-dates the Fascist regime. It sometimes appears repeated three times on badges ("FERT FERT FERT") because is that it is understood as having three different meanings, each a phrase in Latin:
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Italy's Decima MAS Marines served proudly and well throughout the War. Decima means "Tenth," and M.A.S. abbreviates the Italian words for "Motor Torpedo Boat," which harks back to the unit's formation as a speedy seaborne attack force in World War I. This RSI period Capitano wears the distinctive metal arm shield of the Decima MAS. His rank is shown by the braid on his cuffs, here in a simplified yellow-thread version for battle dress. The collarless woolen tunic was unique to the Decima MAS and Italy's "Paracadutista" (Paratroop) forces. |
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The ribbon in his top buttonhole is for the German Iron Cross 2nd Class, which was also awarded to Germany's Italian Axis partners. His single medal ribbon is that of the Medal for Navy Valour in Silver, the Italian Navy's second-highest bravery award. Beneath it is the badge of the Italian Navy's elite "Nuotatori-Paracadutisti," or swimmer-parachutists -- air-and-sea commandos not unlike the now-famous U.S. Navy "SEALs." Below this badge is the Iron Cross 1st Class. On his right chest is the "Addestramento Germania" badge, given to members of the many Italian units who trained under the Germans. He also wears the signature Decima MAS M41 beret, with metal officer's insignia instead of the prescribed anchor-design cloth badge. This was a popular example of "Fuori Ordinanza" meaning "out of regulation" uniform among the Decima MAS. His weapon is the Carcano M38 "Mannlicher" carbine, for which he wears the standard-issue dual ammunition pouches on his leather utility belt. Tucked in the belt is a German "potato masher" M24 stick grenade. That weapon is his personal choice over the more normal and famous Italian made "Red Devils" or Bomba A Mano Model 35 grenades. One of the most notable innovations of the Italian Marines in World War II was the human torpedo (originally known in Italian as the Siluro a Lenta Corsa - "Slow-running torpedo"). This was an electrically propelled torpedo with two crew sitting astride the device and provided with instruments to control and navigate the craft. The warhead was detachable and was used as a limpet mine. The crew wore diving suits while operating the device. The torpedo would be carried to the approximate location of the target by another vessel, typically a normal submarine, and then launched. Its crew then piloted it underwater to attach its warhead to the target, and used the remainder of the chariot to escape. Operators of the human torpedo nicknamed it maiale ("pig") because the first model was so difficult to steer, while the British nicknamed it the "underwater chariot" and later built their own versions. The first attack of the Decima Flottiglia MAS under Ernesto Forza was on elements of the Royal Navy at Alexandria on 19th December 1941. The battleships HMS Valiant and HMS Queen Elizabeth were both severely damaged and out of operation for months. The Italians also carried out raids against shipping at Gibraltar using the merchant ship Olterra anchored at Algeciras with an underwater door to get within range of the harbour, and against shipping in Algiers Bay after the Allied North African landings. |
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The Army and Air Force parachute forces also wore the M41 collarless tunic. This Capitano of the famous Folgore Division paracadutistas is ready for a fight. ("Folgore" translates to Lightning Bolt). He wears the M42 para helmet in Army green, and the embroidered badge of an RSI-period Paracadutista officer on his left sleeve. The RSI period was the time following the surrender of the Royal Italian government to the Allies in September 1943 until April 1945, during which a "Repubblica Sociale Italiana" (Italian Social Republic) loyal to the exiled Fascist leader Benito Mussolini carried on in the Axis cause. |
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the Capitano's left pocket are his Army
parachute qualification wings. The large oval badge beneath
them bears the legend "Per
L'Onore D'Italia" ("For the Honor of Italy").
This phrase sums up the motivation of the Italian military who felt that
they had been betrayed by the capitulation to the Allies and elected to
continue fighting alongside the Germans to the end.
Below this badge is the Volontario di Guerra badge, also worn by RSI-era volunteers. Centered on his left pocket is an enameled pin commemorating the Folgore Division's valiant stand at El Alamein in 1942. So tenacious were they in the defence of their position, and so aggressive and courageous in their repeated counter-attacks, that the British commanding General said afterward, "During my long life as a soldier, I’ve never met such valiant men as the Folgore’s paratroopers." On this Capitano's right pocket is the Addestramento Germania, for Italian troops trained by the Germans. He also wears the ribbon of the German Eastern Campaign Medal in his top buttonhole. German medals were awarded to, and proudly worn by, many RSI-era Italian troops. Cradled on his lap is Beretta's highly regarded 9-mm submachine gun M.A.B. Model 38-A ("M.A.B." abbreviates "Moschetto Automatico Beretta," literally, Beretta automatic rifle). This sturdy and dependable weapon was used effectively both by the Italians and by their German allies, many of whom even favored it over their famous MP-40. These lightweight weapons have two separate triggers, one for semi-automatic and one for automatic fire. They use the same 9 mm ammunition as the Beretta Model 34 pistol, and have a firing rate of up to 500 rounds per minute. On his utility belt is a canvas and leather ammo pouch holding three forty-round magazines for the M.A.B. 38. Also visible is the wooden grip of his 8-inch M39 fighting knife. |
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