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The Blackshirts ( Italian: 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 GermanyNazi Germany or the Third Reich commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933 1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of National Socialism with Adolf Hitler as dictator. The term Nazi is a short form of the German, who issued black uniforms for the SchutzstaffelFor other uses of the abbreviation SS see SS (disambiguation The Schutzstaffel or SS was a large paramilitary organization that belonged to the Nazi party. The Nazis regarded the SS as an elite unit, based on the Praetorian Guard, and selected on racial a, Oswald MosleySir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet ( November 16, 1896 December 3, 1980) was a British politician and founder of the British Union of Fascists. He was also the sixth baronet of a title established in 1720. Mosley's family were Anglo-Irish but his branc in the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly, William Dudley PelleyWilliam Dudley Pelley ( March 12, 1890- July 1, 1965) was an American Fascist and leader of the Silver Legion. Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, William Dudley Pelley grew up in poverty as the son of a Methodist minister. Largely self-educated, Pelley became a in the United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in, and Plínio SalgadoPlinio Salgado ( 1895— 1975) was the founder and leader of the 1930s Brazilian fascist movement known as " Integralism. Salgado, a minor literary figure, adapted Fascist and Nazi symbolism and salutes and wore a square mustache like Adolf Hitler. His move in BrazilThis article is about Brazil, the country. For other article subjects named Brazil see Brazil (disambiguation). The Federative Republic of Brazil Republica Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America..1 History
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.
2 Organization
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:
These units were also organized on the triangular principle as follows:
- 3 squadra = 1 manipolo(maniple)
- 3 manipolo = 1 centuria(century)
- 3 centuria = 1 coorte(Cohort)
- 3 coorte = 1 legio(legion)
- 3 legio = 1 divisio (field division) or
- 3 or more legio = zona (zone - an administative division)
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:
- the Anti-aircraft and Coastal Artillery Militia,
- the Forestry Militia,
- the Frontier Militia,
- the Highway Militia,
- the Port Militia,
- the Posts and Telegraph Militia,
- the Railway Militia, and
- the University Militia.
During the 1936 Abyssianian Campaign or Invasion of Ethiopia, the MVSN were able to raise six field divisons:
- 1st MVSN Division "23 Marzo"
- 2d MVSN Division "28 Ottobre"
- 3d MVSN Division "21 Aprile"
- 4th MVSN Division "3 Gennaio"
- 5th MVSN Division "1 Febbraio"
- 6th MVSN Division "Tevere"
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.
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.
