Bands (Italian Army irregulars)
Encyclopedia
Bande was in Italian military terminology the name used to designate irregular forces, composed normally of foreigners or colonial natives, with some Italian officers and NCOs in command. These units were employed by the Italian Army as auxiliaries to the regular national and colonial military forces. They were also known to the British colonial forces as "armed Bands".
.
The first of these troops employed by the Regio Esercito originated from a mercenary Arab force employed by the Ottoman Empire
and called Basci Buzuk
, that was created in Eritrea by the Albania
n adventurer Sagiak Hassan in the second half of the 19th century. In 1885 the Italian Colonel Tancredi Saletta, commanding officer of the first Italian troops involved in the conquest of Eritrea
, enlisted Bashi-bazouks in the service of Italy
.
As lightly armed irregulars the Bands were able to perform duties for which regular forces were unsuited and at lower cost.
The use of these Bands was initially done in the conquest of Italian Libya
, but was very important in Italian Somalia in the 1920s During the guerrilla war that started in Ethiopia after the 1936 Italian occupation of Abyssinia, there were many groups of irregular Bands supporting the Italian "pacification" (control) of this country: one ot the most renowned was the Gruppo Bande irregolari "Uollo Ambassel" in northern Ethiopia.
While most Bande were recruited in the various Italian colonies in Africa, many of these units were also created as auxiliaries during the Second World War in Albania
and in the occupied territories of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia
.
Not only the Italian Regio Esercito employed Bands but also the other branches of the Italian armed forces and corps. The Banda n° 9 "della Marina", formed of Greek-Orthodox and local young Italians from Dalmatia
, was established in Zara
under the control of the Italian Royal Navy
. These naval auxiliaries fought side by side with a company from the Reggimento "San Marco"
during the period 1941-43.
At the beginning of World War II
the Italian Viceroy Amedeo Duke of Aosta
gave lieutenant Guillet
command of the 2,500 strong Gruppo Bande Amhara, an irregular troops unit made up mainly of recruits from Ethiopia's region of Amhara
. This force was primarily a cavalry one, but also included camel mounted troops and some Yemen
i infantry led by Eritrean Ascari NCOs.
At the end of 1940, the Allied forces faced Guillet on the road to Amba Alagi
, and specifically, in the proximity of Cherù. He was charged with the task of delaying the allied advance from the North-West and his Eritrean Ascari were successful but suffered many casualties. Guillet's most important battle happened towards the end of January 1941 at Cherù when he decided to attack enemy armoured units. At dawn the "Gruppo Bande Amhara" charged a column of tanks armed only with swords, guns and hand grenades. They passed unhurt through the British forces who were caught unaware. Guillet then turned to charge again. In the meantime however, the British had organised themselves and fired horizontally with their howitzers. Their shells ripped open the chests of Guillet's horses and soldiers before exploding. This was the last cavalry charge the British faced and the last but one in the history of Italian cavalry.
Characteristics
A "Banda" (singular) was approximatively a company size unit. The larger unit was the battalion size "Gruppo Bande" (infantry) or "Gruppo Squadroni" (cavalry). The "Milizia" a regimental unit appeared briefly during the fascist period in the BalkansBalkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
.
The first of these troops employed by the Regio Esercito originated from a mercenary Arab force employed by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and called Basci Buzuk
Bashi-bazouk
A bashi-bazouk or bashibazouk was an irregular soldier of the Ottoman army...
, that was created in Eritrea by the Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n adventurer Sagiak Hassan in the second half of the 19th century. In 1885 the Italian Colonel Tancredi Saletta, commanding officer of the first Italian troops involved in the conquest of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, enlisted Bashi-bazouks in the service of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
As lightly armed irregulars the Bands were able to perform duties for which regular forces were unsuited and at lower cost.
The use of these Bands was initially done in the conquest of Italian Libya
Italian Libya
Italian Libya was a unified colony of Italian North Africa established in 1934 in what represents present-day Libya...
, but was very important in Italian Somalia in the 1920s During the guerrilla war that started in Ethiopia after the 1936 Italian occupation of Abyssinia, there were many groups of irregular Bands supporting the Italian "pacification" (control) of this country: one ot the most renowned was the Gruppo Bande irregolari "Uollo Ambassel" in northern Ethiopia.
While most Bande were recruited in the various Italian colonies in Africa, many of these units were also created as auxiliaries during the Second World War in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and in the occupied territories of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
.
Not only the Italian Regio Esercito employed Bands but also the other branches of the Italian armed forces and corps. The Banda n° 9 "della Marina", formed of Greek-Orthodox and local young Italians from Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, was established in Zara
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
under the control of the Italian Royal Navy
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
. These naval auxiliaries fought side by side with a company from the Reggimento "San Marco"
San Marco Regiment
The San Marco Regiment , located in Brindisi, are the marines of the Italian Navy. Until the middle of the 1990s the unit was known as the “San Marco Battalion” , until it was expanded beyond battalion size because of the new geopolitical situation after the end of the Cold War and an increasing...
during the period 1941-43.
Gruppo Bande Amhara
One of the most famous Italian irregular bands was the "Gruppo Bande Amhara".At the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Italian Viceroy Amedeo Duke of Aosta
Amedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta
Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta was the third Duke of Aosta and a first cousin, once removed of the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III. His baptismal name was Amedeo Umberto Isabella Luigi Filippo Maria Giuseppe Giovanni di Savoia-Aosta...
gave lieutenant Guillet
Amedeo Guillet
Amedeo Guillet was an officer of the Italian Army. He was born in Piacenza. Descended from a noble family from Piedmont and Capua, he graduated from the Academy of Infantry and Cavalry of Modena in 1930 and began his career in the Italian Army. Dying at the age of 101, he was one of the last men...
command of the 2,500 strong Gruppo Bande Amhara, an irregular troops unit made up mainly of recruits from Ethiopia's region of Amhara
Amhara people
Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...
. This force was primarily a cavalry one, but also included camel mounted troops and some Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
i infantry led by Eritrean Ascari NCOs.
At the end of 1940, the Allied forces faced Guillet on the road to Amba Alagi
Amba Alagi
Amba Alagi is a mountain, or an amba, in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debubawi Zone of the Tigray Region, Amba Alagi dominates the roadway that runs past it from the city of Mek'ele south to Maychew. Because of its strategic location, Amba Alagi has been the location of several battles...
, and specifically, in the proximity of Cherù. He was charged with the task of delaying the allied advance from the North-West and his Eritrean Ascari were successful but suffered many casualties. Guillet's most important battle happened towards the end of January 1941 at Cherù when he decided to attack enemy armoured units. At dawn the "Gruppo Bande Amhara" charged a column of tanks armed only with swords, guns and hand grenades. They passed unhurt through the British forces who were caught unaware. Guillet then turned to charge again. In the meantime however, the British had organised themselves and fired horizontally with their howitzers. Their shells ripped open the chests of Guillet's horses and soldiers before exploding. This was the last cavalry charge the British faced and the last but one in the history of Italian cavalry.
See also
- Amedeo GuilletAmedeo GuilletAmedeo Guillet was an officer of the Italian Army. He was born in Piacenza. Descended from a noble family from Piedmont and Capua, he graduated from the Academy of Infantry and Cavalry of Modena in 1930 and began his career in the Italian Army. Dying at the age of 101, he was one of the last men...
- DubatsDubatsDubats was the designation given to armed irregular bands employed by the Italian Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali in Italian Somaliland from 1924 to 1941...
- Gruppo Bande Amhara
- Hamid Idriss Awate
- ZaptiéZaptiéZaptié was the designation given to locally raised gendarmerie units in the Italian colonies of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, Eritrea and Italian Somaliland between 1889 and 1942....
- SavariSavariSavari was the designation given to the regular Libyan cavalry regiments of the Italian colonial army in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica. The word "savari" was derived from a Persian term for "horsemen" .-Organisation:...
- Italian SpahisItalian SpahisItalian Spahis were light cavalry colonial troops of the Kingdom of Italy, raised in Italian Libya between 1912 and 1942.-Characteristics:The Italian colonial administration of Libya raised squadrons of locally recruited Spahi cavalry after the conquest of Libya from the Ottoman empire.These...