Italian Order of Battle Second Italo-Abyssinian War

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The following is the Italian Order of Battle at the beginning of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War as of October 8, 1935.

Contents

[edit] Commando Supremo Africa Orientale

Commander: General Emilio De Bono to 11/1935, Field Marshal Pietro Badoglio 11/1935 - 6/1936

  • 7th Artillery Group (77mm/28)
  • Granatieri Battalion (coming from Italy)
  • Alpini Battalion (coming from Italy)
  • Guardia di Finanza Battalion (coming from Italy)
  • 3 Assault Battalions (still in Italy)
  • 7th Artillery Group (149/13) (coming from Italy)
  • Engineer Unit Comando Supremo Africa Orientale
  • Bombardment, Reconnaissance, and Fighter Aviation Command A. O. - Gen. Aimone Cat
    • 3rd Air Brigade - Bgd. Gen. Ferruccio Ranza Eritrea with:(145 aircraft)
      • HQ Flight - (4 x Ca.101)
      • Recon Squadron (un-numbered), with :
        • 34th Recon Flight (8 x Ro.1) attached to Eritrean Corps
        • 38th Recon Flight (10 x Ro.1)
        • 41st Recon Flight (10 x Ro.1)
        • 103rd Recon Flight (9 x Ro.37)
        • 116th Recon Flight (10 x Ro.1)
        • 118th Recon Flight (10 x Ro.1) attached to 2nd Corps
        • 131st Recon Flight (10 x Ro.1)
        • Lybian Recon Flight (11 x Ro.1) attached to 1st Corps
      • 106th Fighter Flight (7 x CR.20)
      • 4th Bombers Squadon - Bgd. Gen. Attilio Matricardi
        • 14th Bomber Flight "Hic Sunt Leones" - (10 x Ca.101 D/2)
        • 15th Bomber Flight "La Disperata" - (10 x Ca.101 D/2)
      • 27th Bomber Squadron
        • 17th Bomber Flight (5 x Ca.111)
        • 18th Bomber Flight (5 x Ca.111)
      • Hydroplanes Detachments (4 x MF.4 and 2 x CANT 25)
      • 7th Bomber Wing detached to Somalia with 38 aircraft - Bgd. Gen. Ferruccio Ranza (see below)

[edit] Northern Front - Eritrea

  • Eritrean Corps - Alessandro Pirzio Biroli
    • 1st Eritrean Division - Gen. Salvatore di Pietro
    • 2nd Eritrean Division - Gen. Achille Vaccarisi
    • 1st (23rd of March) CCNN Division - Gen. Ettore Bastico
    • 1st Battalion Group CCNN dell'Eritrea - Filippo Diamanti
      • 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Italian East Africa Backshirts Infantry Battalions
      • East Africa Blackshirts MMG Company
    • Banda dell'Hassamò (Irregular troop)
    • 6th Cavalry Squadron Group
    • Native Cavalry Squadron Group (Eritrean Ascari troop)
    • 2nd Motorized Artillery Group 77mm/28
    • 3rd Motorized Artillery Group 100mm/17
    • 4th Fast Tanks Squadrons Group
    • Artillery Command of positions in eastern Tigre
    • Eritrean Corps Engineer Unit
    • 34th Recon Flight (8 x Ro.1)(Libyan)
  • Western Lowlands Zone - Brig. Gen. Amedeo Couture
    • XXVII Battalion indigeni (Eritrean Ascari)
    • XXVIII Battalion indigeni (Eritrean Ascari)
    • Irregulars Foot Bands Group
    • "Celere" (fast) Group
    • Eritrea Fast Tanks Squadron
  • Eastern Lowlands Zone - Brig. Gen. Oreste Mariotti
    • XXIV Battalion indigeni (Eritrean Ascari)
    • XXVI Battalion indigeni (Eritrean Ascari)
    • Lybian Battalion
    • Massaua Irregulars Band
    • Northern Dancalia Irregulars Band
    • Southern Dancalia Irregulars Band
    • 7th Artillery Battery (120L25)
    • 37th Artillery Battery (77L28 - pack camels)

Sent to the front in Feb. 1936

Formed in Jan. 1936

Organized in March 1936

  • Celere Column A.O. (Eritrea) - Ten. Gen. Achille Starace
    • 82nd CCNN Battalion "Mussolini"/6th CCNN Battalions Group, motorized
    • 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment
    • 8th Artillery Group (77mm/28, motorized)
    • Included truck-transported machine-guns, armored cars, altogether 3000 men and 500 motor vehicles.

[edit] Southern Front - Somaliland

  • 7th Bomber Wing - Bgd. Gen. Ferruccio Ranza (38 aircraft)
    • 25th Bomber Squadron, with :
      • 8th Bomber Flight (10 x Ca.101 bis)
      • 9th Bomber Flight (10 x Ca.101 bis)
    • Recon Flight (10 x Ro.1)
    • 107th Fighter Flight (8 x CR.20)

Notes:

  • The 7th (Cirene) CCNN Division was deployed in Lybia to threaten the Suez Canal should the British close it to Italian traffic. It was never deployed to Ethiopia, but was considered to have taken part in the campaign. It actually acted as a local garrison and engaged in various construction projects.

[edit] See also

[edit] Sources

  • De Bono, E., La preparazione e le prime operazioni, Rome: Istituto Nazionale Fascista di Cultura, 1937. pp. 175-177.
  • Starace, A., La marcia su Gondar. Milan: A. Mondadori, 1937.
  • Mockler, Anthony, Haile Selassie's War, New York: Olive Branch Press.
  • Gentili, Roberto, ‘ Guerra aerea sull’Etiopia 1935 – 1939 ’ ( Air war in Ethiopia 1935 – 1939 ), Firenze : EDAI, 1992
  • Pedriali, Ferdinando, ( Stato Maggiore Aeronautica – Ufficio Storico ), L’aeronautica Italiana nelle guerre coloniali – Guerra Etiopica 1935 – 1936 ( Italian Aviation in the colonial wars – Ethiopian War 1935 – 1936 ), Roma : Stato Maggiore Aeronautica – Ufficio Storico, 1997

[edit] External links