The Kingdom of Italy

In Part Two of this series, we will be taking a look at the symbols, leaders, tactics, and equipment of each of the major powers. This will be a small selection of archetypes, and is in no way comprehensive, nor does it try to be.

The flag of the Kingdom of Italy, bearing the simplified crest of the House of Savoy

The emblem of the National Fascist Party, defacto national emblem of Italy, which is dominated by the PNF.

The naval ensign of the Regia Marina

The wing roundel of the Regia Aeronautica

Duce (Leader) Benito Mussolini, the leader of the National Fascist Party (PNF) and dictator of Italy

Benito Mussolini had taken power in Italy in 1922 after marching on Rome with his Fascists and compelling the King to appoint him Prime Minister. Il Duce, as he was called by his followers, set about building a cult of personality. He also set about building up the Italian military to allow him to realize a goal of restoring his vision of the Roman Empire, with a goal of establishing dominance over the Mediterranean which propaganda began to refer to as “Mare Nostrum”, the old Latin term for the sea, meaning literally “Our Sea”. He oversaw rearmament of the ground forces, development of tanks, a modern air force and navy, as well as wars in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and the annexation of Albania. He was somewhat cautious, however, as war loomed in Europe again in 1939, not wanting to cast his lot with the Germans unless he was certain that the British and French threats could be overcome, and as late as the 1938 Munich Conference Italy served as mediators in the disputes between Germany and the Western Powers, and it was far from certain what camp Italy would join in a new war, particularly considering their decision to renege on their commitments to the Central Powers in the Great War.

King Victor Emmanuel III

Another possible wildcard in the equation was the continued presence of the King, Victor Emmanuel III. The King was the only head of state to lead a major power in both world wars, although after 1922 he had been sidelined into a figurehead by Mussolini. Despite this, the King enjoyed significant popularity among the people, although he generally acquiesced to the behavior of Mussolini’s regime, slowly undermining his own authority, but the possibility that he might reassert his position remained possible, particularly in the event of war.

Italian troops in 1940 - WIkimedia

The Italian soldier in the Second World War had been mostly reequipped from his Great War counterpart, although the difficulties experienced by the Italian industrial sector meant that older items of kit would still be widely used. The basic uniform consisted of an open collar grey wool tunic and matching trousers, with a grey shirt worn underneath, sometimes with a tie. The leather gear was very similar to that used in the last war, with an unusual system of the suspender straps connecting to a loop on the ammunition pouch, which was worn on the center front. The design of other gear was also quite similar to the last war, such as the unchanged entrenching tool ans very similar mess kit. The French adrian helmet had been replaced in 1933 with a domestic steel design, and was worn along with a version of the forage cap called the bustina, which was worn as a general use field cap. Pith helmets were also used in tropical regions, along with lighter desert uniforms in khaki.

The Carcano M38 Fucile Corto (Short Rifle)

Part of the modernization process for the Italians was to replace the aged M1891 Carcano rifle. This process included not just updating the rifle, but also replacing the 6.5mm round nose cartridge with an improved 7.35mm spitzer round. The new design was a universal short rifle, albeit bordering on a carbine in length, fitted with a fixed rear sight, reinforced German style bayonet lug, side mounted sling and three piece cleaning rod stored in the butt. The weapon also replaced the traditional sword bayonet of the M91 with a short knife style, uniquely capable of folding despite being detachable, combining the combat utility of a folding bayonet with the handiness of a short knife not permanently mated to the rifle.

The main issue that hampered the Italian armaments industry had always been poor manufacturing capacity, and that reared fact it’s ugly head once again in the leadup to war. It was apparent that production of the 7.35mm rifles was not sufficient to supplant the older rifles in inventory, and to make matters worse the rifles were almost identical, leading to a real danger of soldiers using the wrong type of ammunition with potentially catastrophic results, to say nothing of the strain put on the already wobbly Italian logistic system by two separate service rifle cartridges. As a result, production of the M38 was altered to use the older 6.5mm to ease logistics and allow the use of stockpiled ammunition, and efforts were made to remove the 7.35mm rifles from the system. Large numbers of Italian troops would still be armed with older M91 rifles and carbines, and in general the Carcano was an acceptable, if underwhelming, rifle.

The Beretta M1934

Italian attempts to upgrade their handguns had been somewhat more successful than the programs for a new rifle. Pietro Beretta, one of the world’s oldest firearm manufacturers, had begun producing military automatic pistols in 1915, and that original design had continued to evolve since the end of the Great War into the Model of 1934, a simple single action automatic chambering the 9x17mm Corto cartridge, known in the United States as the .380 ACP. Despite this, there were still difficulties in production, and various older models, including the black powder Bodeo revolver, remained in service.

Italian submachine guns were primarily the Beretta MAB38 series, a dated looking weapon whose looks belied it’s effectiveness, with it’s wooden stock and relatively large size. It was in truth an extremely effective modern submachine gun chambering the 9x19mm parabellum cartridge that would develop a reputation for accuracy and reliability during the war, proving popular with German forces as well as Italians.

Italian machine guns were substantially less effective, with the fragile Breda M30 and cumbersome M37 being outdated designs feeding from fixed magazines and strip trays, respectively. The M30 in particular was also infamous for being unreliable in adverse conditions.

A Macchi C.202 fighter

The Regia Aeronautica was considered among the best in the world in 1939, but in many ways it was merely a facade. Like the French Army, it boasted large numbers and some modern equipment, but the majority of it’s inventory was outdated, and the poor industrial base of Italy had resulted in great difficulties in getting modern aircraft into service. The chief advantage to the Italian pilot was experience, as many had served in the Spanish Civil War, including alongside German pilots, which would be of help, presuming the Italians got into a war before combat experience was gained by the British and French to offset this. Fighters in use during the war would range from the excellent, if underarmed, MC.202, to the common but obsolete CR.42, which was the final biplane fighter adopted by a major power. They also operated a fleet of bombers based mainly around the SM79, an aging but still effective trimotor design, as well as the P.108, the only four engine heavy bomber in production by one of the Axis Powers at the outbreak of war, although only small numbers were available.

An M13-40 medium tank

The Italian tank arm is often considered something of a joke in the popular history of the Second World War. The main issue again lies primarily with Italian industry, and the decision had been made before the war to concentrate on producing larger numbers of small tankettes, as Italian industry was not capable of producing sufficient numbers of modern tanks on the level of the Germans or other powers. The bulk of the Italian tank arm was a step below their counterparts during the war, with the M13-40 medium tank in reality more like a rather slow light tank for example. The only Italian tank that was truly competitive, the P26-40 heavy tank (more like a medium tank to most countries in terms of armor and armament), was only produced in minuscule numbers too late in the war to be of any consequence.

The Italian battleship Roma

The Regia Marina had been undergoing a significant program of modernization during the interwar years, and boasted a powerful fleet in 1939. A series of modern battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines were available, as were refitted and upgraded older designs. In terms of performance the new ships of the Italian fleet could match anything the British or French could muster, although they did suffer from a notable lack of radar equipment as well as a lack of experienced crews. Also problematic was, again, Italian industry, which would almost certainly struggle to build new ships and repair the existing ones should they be damaged. Still, it is safe to say that the Regia Marina was likely the most competitive of the Italian service branches at the outset of war.