Italian order of battle for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War

The Italian order of battle for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War on 8 October 1935. The Ethiopian order of battle is listed separately.

Comando Supremo Africa Orientale

Commander: General Emilio De Bono to November 1935, Field Marshal Pietro Badoglio November 1935 – June 1936

  • 7th Artillery Group (Cannone da 77 mm/28 field guns)
  • 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 (Obice da 149/13 howitzer) (coming from Italy)
  • Engineer Unit Comando Supremo Africa Orientale
  • Bombardment, Reconnaissance, and Fighter Aviation Command A. O. – Gen. Aimone Cat
    • 3rd Air Brigade – Brig.Gen. Ferruccio Ranza Eritrea (145 aircraft)
      • HQ Flight (4 × Caproni Ca.101 light bomber/transport aircraft)
      • Reconnaissance Squadron (un-numbered):
        • 34th Reconnaissance Flight (8 × Romeo Ro.1 reconnaissance and ground attack aircraft) attached to Eritrean Corps
        • 38th Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1)
        • 41st Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1)
        • 103rd Reconnaissance Flight (9 × IMAM Ro.37)
        • 116th Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1)
        • 118th Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1) attached to 2nd Corps
        • 131st Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1)
        • Libyan Reconnaissance Flight (11 × Ro.1) attached to 1st Corps
      • 106th Fighter Flight (7 × CR.20)
      • 4th Bombers Squadron – Brig.Gen. Attilio Matricardi
        • 14th Bomber Flight "Hic Sunt Leones" – (10 × Caproni Ca.101 D/2)
        • 15th Bomber Flight "La Disperata" – (10 × Ca.101 D/2)
      • 27th Bomber Squadron
        • 17th Bomber Flight (5 × Caproni Ca.111 light bombers)
        • 18th Bomber Flight (5 × Ca.111)
      • Hydroplanes Detachments (4 × Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.4 floatplane and 2 × CANT 25 flying boat fighter)
      • 7th Bomber Wing detached to Somalia with 38 aircraft – Brig.Gen. Ferruccio Ranza (see below)

Northern Front – Eritrea

Sent to the front in February 1936

Formed in January 1936

Organized in March 1936

  • Celere Column A.O. (Eritrea), Lt.Gen. Achille Starace
    • 82nd CCNN Battalion "Mussolini"/6th CCNN Battalions Group, motorised
    • 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment
    • 8th Artillery Group (77 mm/28, motorised)
    • Included truck-transported machine-guns, armoured cars, altogether 3,000 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

Footnotes
  1. Barker 1968, p. 317.

References
  • Barker, A. J. (1968). The Civilising Mission: The Italo-Ethiopian War 1935–6. London: Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-93201-6.
  • De Bono, E. (1937). La conquista dell' Impero La preparazione e le prime operazioni [The Preparation and First Operations]. I (2nd ed.). Roma: Istituto Nazionale Fascista di Cultura. pp. 175–177. OCLC 46203391.
  • Gentili, Roberto (1992). Guerra aerea sull'Etiopia 1935–1939 [Air War in Ethiopia 1935–1939]. Firenze: EDAI. OCLC 797456198.
  • Mockler, Anthony (2003). Haile Selassie's War. New York: Olive Branch Press. ISBN 978-1-56656-473-1.
  • Pedriali, Ferdinando (1997). Guerra Etiopica 1935–1936 [Italian Aviation in the colonial wars – Ethiopian War 1935–1936]. L'aeronautica Italiana nelle guerre coloniali. Roma: Stato Maggiore Aeronautica – Ufficio Storico. OCLC 955062025.
  • Starace, A. (1937). La marcia su Gondar della colonna celere A.O. e le successive operazioni nella Etiopia Occidentale [The March on Gondar, the Expedited Column A.O. and Subsequent Operations in Western Ethiopia]. Milano: A. Mondadori. OCLC 799891187.
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