Blackshirts Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Blackshirts or the camicia nera were Fascist paramilitary groups in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the end of World War II. They were organized by Benito Mussolini after his disgust with the corruption and apathy of the liberal and later socialist Italian government. Originally envisioned as reformers, their methods became harsher as Mussolini's power grew, and they used violence, intimidation, and murder against Mussolini's opponents. One of their distinctive techniques was force-feeding castor oil, often laced with petrol. The uniform and ethos were later copied by others who shared Mussolini's political ideas, including Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, Oswald Mosley in the United Kingdom, William Dudley Pelley in the United States, and Plínio Salgado in Brazil.
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2 Organization 3 Ranks 4 Uniforms 5 See also 6 External links |
Established as the squadrista in 1919 and consisted of many disgruntled former soldiers which may have numbered 20,000 by the time of Mussolini's March on Rome in 1922. In 1922 the squadrista were reorganized into the milizia and formed numerous bandera and on 1 February 1923 they became the MVSN or Milizia Voluntaria per la Sicurezza Nationale, which lasted until the Italian Armistice in 1943. The Italian Social Republic, northern Italy occupied by Nazi Germany, reformed them into the GNR or Garda Nationale Repubblicca.
Benito Mussolini was always the Commandant General, but executive functions were carried out by the Chief of Staff, equivalant to any army general. The MVSN especially was formed in imitation of the old Roman army as follows:
The fall of the Italy and the disbandment of the MVSN saw the establishment of the GNR, saw the emergence of the brigata nera or Black Brigades.The 40 Black Brigades consisted of ex-MVSN, ex-Carabinieri, ex-soldiers and others still loyal to the fascist cause. They, like there German counterparts, the SS, committed many acts of heroism as well as many atrocities. Other fascists organizations existed till after the war with most quietly going away as time went on.
Mussolini as Commandante Generale was made Primo Corporale Honoria(First Honorary Corporal) in in 1935 and Adolf Hitler was made Corporale Honoria(Honorary Corporal) in 1937. All other ranks closely approximated those of the old Roman army as follows:
The MVSN wore the basic army uniform, either the grey green or khaki drill with a black shirt and tie, black collor patches bearing silver metal fascia (the Roman bundle of sticks wrapped around an axe which represented legal authority) and a black fez with tassles.
Rank insignias were similar to those of the army with enlisted rank stripes in black braided chevrons and officer ranks stripes in black braid with the top-most having a lozenge shaped loop instead of the army's round or oval loop.
They also wore a black colored version of the standard Italian army helmet again with a silver fascia on the front, although later in the war they war a standard grey-green army helmet with a black stenciled fascia on the front.
The GNR wore a black shirt or turtle necked shirt or sweater with black helmets and Italian army trousers.
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Organization
These units were also organized on the triangular principle as follows:
The MVSN original organization consisted of 15 Zonas controlling 133 legions of three coortes each and one Independent Group controlling 10 legions. In 1929 it was reorganized into four Raggagruppamentos but later in October of 1936 was reorganized into 14 Zonas controlling only 133 legions with two cohorts each, one of men 21 to 36 years old and the other of men up to 55 years old, plus special units in Rome, on Ponza Island and the black uniformed Moschettiere del Duce (The Leader's Musketeers), Mussolini's Guard and the Albanian Militia (four Legios) and Colonial Militia in Africa (seven Legions).
Special Militias were also organized to provide security police functions, these include:
During the 1936 Abyssianian Campaign or Invasion of Ethiopia, the MVSN were able to raise six field divisons:
In 1940 the MVSN was able to muster 340,000 first line combat troops, providing three divisions(1st, 2d and 4th) and provided a Gruppo di Asalto of two coortes (each of three centuria of 3 manipolos of 2 squadras each) plus Gruppo Support company of two heavy machine gun manipolos (with three HMS each) and two 81 mm mortar manipolos(with 3 Mortars each), to each army division. The three divisions were wiped out in combat in North Africa. The MVSN fought in every theater that Italy did.Ranks
Uniforms
See also
External links