Italian Blackshirt battalions

[MadDog]

Several sources seem to indicate that Italian blackshirt infantry battalions were smaller than the regular army counterparts (60%). Did this hold true for just those blackshirt battalions attached to regular army divisions, or also for the 4 blackshirt infantry divisions in Libya, 1940 ? Sources differ on whether or not the balckshirt division units were "full sized".

thanks,

Tom

[David W]

A full strength Battaglione CCNN would have had 735men & would have compared favourably with a Motorised Battaglione Fanteria. At least on paper!

P.S. There were really only three Divisione Blackshirt in Libya, the fourth was broken up & used to form Divisione Catanzaro.

[MadDog]

David (same person on comandosupremo ?), you say a full strength CC.NN battalion would be 735 men. I take it that you mean that the full strength battalion was for the separate 3 CC.NN divisions, and not the ones attached to the line infantry divisions ?

Sorry to labor the point, but I have so many conflicting reports. Is your value from Montanari or other similar source ? <-- I need to get a copy of this book.

thanks,

Mad Dog

[David W]

Yes & Yes!

[MadDog]

Thanks David.

Mad Dog