Italian Army & Blackshirts

Mussolini famously boasted that the Italian army had eight million bayonets standing at the ready. In actuality, the standing Italian army was far smaller than that, with huge numbers of troops conscripted into a war they neither believed in nor understood. The fighting ability of units of the Italian army varied greatly, with much of the rank and file lacking proper equipment, transport and even motivation. Still, there were several key battles in North Africa and the Eastern Front where they performed well. Initially, the standard rifle was the Carcano Model 1891 as used in World War I. A shortened version was introduced in 1941 (the M91/41); this along with the M38 Carbine, was intended to replace the M1891 – the shorter barrels being far more practical for the infantry to carry and manoeuvre. These latter two weapons are represented in our new plastics. Also represented is the M91/38 cavalry carbine – typically issued with a fixed rear sight (set to 200 metres) and a folding bayonet. The excellent 9mm Beretta M38 was the standard sub-machine gun. The Italian light machine gun – the Breda Model 1930 – suffered from a slow rate of fire, the same small calibre ammunition as the squad’s rifles, and a mechanism prone to jamming and breakage. Camicie Nere (Blackshirts) Militia The MVSN or Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (Voluntary Militia for National Security) was made by the Fascist Party into a paramilitary organization similar in concept to the German SS. The rank and organizational terminology used by the MVSN was very close to that of ancient Rome, with legions, centuries, cohorts, maniples and so on. Mostly concerned with territorial security and counter-partisan activities, in wartime the Camicie Nere were organized into ‘assault legions’ that were fielded alongside regular army infantry divisions to reinforce them and as a way to ‘politicize’ the Regio Esercito. The quality of these militia units varied immensely, ranging from barely trained village bullies to veterans of the Spanish Civil War and highly motivated ‘Giovani Fascisti’ (young fascists). The Sprue The Italian uniform changed several times during the course of the war and we chose the pattern that could best represent a wide array of troops, at different times during the war, and in different theatres of operation. At 28mm scale, these are ideal to represent M37 or M40 tunics. We have also included the Camiciotto Sahariana pullover smock for added variety. Weaponry includes the M91/41 rifle, M91/38 Carcano Cavalry Carbine, M38A Beretta SMG, M38 Carcano carbine, M1934, 9mm Beretta pistol and Breda M30 LMG. A wide variety of headgear for the Italian Army and Blackshirts are included – M33 steel helmets, Bustina cap, M1935 pith helmet, Blackshirt soft fez & Blackshirt hard fez. Not only that but the sprue contains masses of optional extras such as two types of gas mask bags, goggles, bayonets, combat knives, etc! Box contains 30 plastic highly customisable Italian Infantry, with decal sheet and assembly guide.

Mussolini schept op dat het Italiaanse leger acht miljoen bajonetten klaar had. In werkelijkheid was het staande Italiaanse leger veel kleiner dan dat, waardoor een groot aantal troepen werd gedwongen tot een oorlog waarin ze niet geloofden of begrepen. Het gevechtsvermogen van de eenheden van het Italiaanse leger varieerde sterk, met veel rang en bestand ontbreekt apparatuur, transport en zelfs motivatie. Desondanks waren er verschillende belangrijke veldslagen in Noord-Afrika en aan het oostfront, waar ze goed werken. Aanvankelijk was het standaardgeweer het Carcano-model in 1891, dat werd gebruikt tijdens de Eerste Wereldoorlog. In 1941 werd een verkorte versie geïntroduceerd (de M91/41); deze is ontworpen met de M38-karabijnhaak om de M1891 te worden. De kortere vaten zijn veel comfortabeler te vervoeren en te manoeuvreren voor infanterie. Deze laatste twee wapens zijn vertegenwoordigd in onze nieuwe kunststoffen. De M91/38 cavalerie karabijnhaak is ook afgebeeld, meestal uitgerust met een vast achtervizier (ingesteld op 200 meter) en een opvouwbare bajonet. Het uitstekende 9 mm Beretta M38-pistool was het standaard machinegeweer. Het Italiaanse Breda 1930-geweer had last van een lage vuursnelheid, hetzelfde kleine kaliber munitie als troepsgeweren en een mechanisme dat vatbaar was voor blokkering en breuk.