ARDITI / FIAMMENERE

ORIGIN

Arditi (from the Italian verb ardire, lit. “to dare.” and translates as (“The Daring [Ones]”) was the name adopted by a Royal Italian Army elite special force of World War I in the first part of 20th century on Earth. They and the opposing German Stormtroopers were the first modern shock troops and have been defined as “the most feared corps by opposing armies.” Reparti d’assalto (Assault Units) was formed in the summer of 1917 by Colonel Bassi and was assigned the tactical role of shock troops, breaching enemy defenses in order to prepare the way for a broad infantry advance. The Arditi were not units within infantry divisions but were considered separate combat arms. The name Arditi was later used in 1919–20 by the Italian occupiers of Fiume who were led by Gabriele D’Annunzio, most of whom had been members of the Royal Italian Army. Their use of a uniform with black shirts and black fez was later taken up by Benito Mussolini’s paramilitary forces, the Blackshirts.

CURRENT AREA