Italian order of battle for the Second Italo-Ethiopian 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.

Comando 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)
        • Libyan Recon Flight (11 x Ro.1) attached to 1st Corps
      • 106th Fighter Flight (7 x CR.20)
      • 4th Bombers Squadron – 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)

Northern Front – Eritrea

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.

Southern Front – Somaliland

Notes:

  • The 7th (Cirene) CCNN Division was deployed in Libya 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.

See also

Sources

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  • 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

External links