Story of the two RSI battalions "Mussolini" - fake) SS award redux

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

while checking my collection of french "39-45 Magazine", i found out that issue 105 had an extensive report on a conference (Milano, March 14, 1987) by Teodoro Francesconi on the Regiment "Luciano Manara" of the R.S.I.

The article deal also with the first ever R.S.I. fighting unit, the unit created by officer Rino Cozzarini in late August 1943, which was called "Battaglione Mussolini". After a short period of training with Wehrmacht instructors,
the first blood of the battalion was on October 30, and the unit lost against the US Army 192 dead (of around 700 volunteers).
Cozzarini was KIA on November 10 (there is a typo in the french text, it says "1").
The unit was then destroyed in the next days.

Battaglione Volontari Bersaglieri M "Benito Mussolini"

[Costituito con elementi arruolati a ridosso della Linea Falciano-Mondragone, tra il Volturno e il Garigliano]

(Capitano Rino [Cesare] Cozzarini MOVM)

Forza: 650 Caduti in combattimento: 192

Ricompense: 1 MOVM - 2 MAVM - 19 MBVM - 2 EK I Kl. - 2 EK II Kl.

In the same time, various units of Bersaglieri were created in the R.S.I. Amongst them :

- the full 1st division "Italia"

1a Divisione Bersaglieri "Italia"

[Costituita ad Heuberg con personale volontario, di leva, richiamato e tratto dai Campi di Internamento]

(Col. i.g.s. Mario Carloni - col. i.g.s. Guido Manardi - gen. div. Mario Carloni)

Forza: 10.900 Caduti in combattimento o assassinati : 433 , più rilevante numero di senza croce

Ricompense: 1 MOVM - 41 MAVM – 71 MBVM

1° Reggimento Bersaglieri

(Ten. col. Giuseppe Zelli - Jacobuzzi)

I Battaglione

(Cap. Rodolfo Sullini)

II Battaglione

(Cap. Lucchesi-Palli)

III Battaglione

(cap. Aldo Brunialti)

2° Reggimento Bersaglieri

(Ten. col. Spitaleri - col. Trillini - col. Bartolomeo Gandini)

I Battaglione

(Cap. Giuseppe Ferrario)

II Battaglione

(Cap. Ciancio)

III Battaglione

(Cap. Faletti)

Gruppo Esplorante Divisionale [1a Divisione "Italia"]

(Ten. col. Alfredo Tarsia - ten. col. Bartolomeo Gandini - cap. Gerardo Chisté - cap. Ientile)

Compagnia Anticarro Divisionale

(Ten. Mario Valchi - cap. Boccasavia)

CIV Battaglione Complementi

(1° Cap. Branchetti - cap. Lucchesi-Palli)

- the reco units of the 2nd division "Littorio" and the 4th "division Monterosa"

Gruppo Esplorante Divisionale [ 2a Divisione "Littorio"]

(Cap. Galigani - cap. Nello Presico - cap. Anco Marzio Da Pas)

Gruppo Esplorante Divisionale [4a Divisione "Monterosa"]

(Magg. Girolamo Cadelo - cap. Weintz - ten. col. Emanuele Andolfato - magg. Villa)

- the battalion "Fulmine" of the "Decima Divisione" (ex "Decima Mas").

Battaglione Bersaglieri "Fulmine" [X Divisione F.M.]

(Ten. vasc. Sergio Scordia - ten. vasc. Giuseppe Orrù - ten. vasc. Elio Bini - ten. vasc. Giuseppe Orrù)

Forza: 325 Caduti in combattimento o assassinati: 115

Ricompense: 1 MAVM alla Fiamma del Battaglione - 7 MAVM - 19 MBVM - 15 CGVM - 22 EK II Kl

- the 3rd Regiment of Milano

3° Reggimento Volontari Bersaglieri

[Costituito con elementi arruolati a Milano - Scuole di Porta Nuova - e veterani del 3° Reggimento Bersa- glieri - Sciolto il 10 febbraio 1944, quando i Battaglioni furono resi autonomi]

(Ten. col. Alfredo Tarsia)

XVIII Battaglione (IV D.C.)

(Magg. Pietro Grana - cap. Giovanni Bisio)

Forza media: 1.110 Caduti in combattimento o assassinati: 11, oltre 120 senza croce

Ricompense: 5 MAVM - 11 MBVM - 12 EK II Kl.

XX Battaglione (II D.C.)

(Magg. Antonino Mistretta - cap. Pietro Borroni)

Forza media: 930 Caduti in combattimento o assassinati: 55, oltre 90 senza croce

Ricompense: 6 MAVM - 12 MBVM - 10 EK II Kl.

XXV Battaglione (III D.C.)

(Cap. Luigi Paggiarino - cap. Giuliano Falomi)

Forza media: 850 Caduti in combattimento o assassinati: 9, oltre 90 senza croce

Ricompense: 6 MAVM - 8 MBVM - 6 EK II Kl.

LI Battaglione (I D.C.)

(Ten. col. Giovan Battista Garibaldo)

Forza media: 790 Caduti in combattimento o assassinati: 10, oltre 120 senza croce

Ricompense: 9 MAVM – 12 MBVM - 1 EK IKl. - 10 EK II Kl.

– the one that will interest us – was the 8th Regiment “Luciano Manara”.

Reggimento Volontari Bersaglieri "Luciano Manara"

[Costituito con elementi arruolati a Verona - Deposito 8° Bersaglieri - e veterani del Reggimento]

(Ten. col. Vittorio Facchini - ten. col. Antonino Salvo)

I Battaglione "Benito Mussolini"

(cap. Armando Cavalletti - cap. Ezio Mognaschi)

Forza media: 700 Caduti in combattimento e in prigionia o assassinati: 410

Ricompense: 1 MBVM al Labaro - 1 MOVM - 12 MAVM - 23 MBVM - 12 CGVM - 1 EK I Kl. - 32 EK II Kl.

II Battaglione "Goffredo Mameli"

(Magg. Leonardo Vannata - cap. Mario Maltinti)

Forza: 600 Caduti in combattimento o assassinati: 72

Ricompense: 6 MAVM - 16 MBVM - 5 CGVM - 2 EK I Kl. - 42 EK II Kl.

III Battaglione "Enrico Toti"

(Magg. Sandro Bonamici)

Forza: 450 Caduti in combattimento o assassinati: 19

Ricompense: 8 EK II Kl.

This unit took the history of the 8th Regiment of the Royal Italian Army, which was part of the famous “Ariete” division in North Africa.

The 8th Regiment “Luciano Manara” was founded by colonel Vittorio Facchini, with around 3000 to 4000 soldiers in 3 battalions :

* Battalion “Benito Mussolini”
* Battalion “ Goffredo Mameli”
* Battalion “ Enrico Toti”

The first battalion « Mussolini » was the core unit of the 8th Regiment and was directly under the supervision of Facchini.
Around 550 soldiers – most of them taken from future italian POW in the railway station of Verona – were recruited by Facchini with the help of the german command of the city.
Facchini also got some italian nationals from the 29. SS division “Italien” (less than 200 it seemed).

From THIS POINT starts the whole error about the battalion "Mussolini" :

- in R.S.I. military reports, the battalion was sometimes said to be from the Waffen-SS

- it was sometimes called “Bruno Mussolini” or even “Stephano Rizzardi” by error

Stephano Rizzardi was one of the first killed Bersaglieri of the battalion in Slovenia, in late 1943. His mother the countess Rizzardi made the flag of the batallion afterwards.
The name of Stephano Rizzardi will be given to the “Black Brigade” of Verona, a different unit.

The first battalion (created by Rino Cozzarini) or the second battalion (from the Luciano Manara Regiment) called "Mussolini" NEVER had any direct link with the Waffen-SS.

You can find many other infos on these italian blogs :

http://rinocozzarini.blogspot.fr/

http://bersaglierivolontari.blogspot.fr/

See You

Vince

[oldflagswanted]

R.S.I. unit flags ???

... french "39-45 Magazine", i found out that issue 105 ...
... The article deal also with the first ever R.S.I. fighting unit, ...
which was called "Battaglione Mussolini". ... In the same time,
various units of Bersaglieri were created in the R.S.I. Amongst them :
- the full 1st division "Italia" ...1° Reggimento Bersaglieri ...

Hello FV:
So did the R.S.I. have any unit flags?
If so do post what they looked like?
OFW

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

i'm quite a newbie on the subject but yes, most if not all RSI units and "elite" forces of the Royal Italian Army had flags.

@ The battalions "M" (Royal Italian Army) were "elite" forces used almost like the heavy tank battalions for the Germans (they were Army-level units).
They were created in 1941, and it seemed that some did not disband when Mussolini was arrested in 1943.

Those "pre-RSI" elite forces had similar flags for each unit :

Some pictures (date unknown, pre 1943 it seemed) :











More infos here :
http://battaglionim.blogspot.it/

@ I Battaglione "Benito Mussolini" (8th Regiment “Luciano Manara”).
One of the first KIA Bersaglieri was Stefano Rizzardi, in December 1943.
His mother, Countess Rizzardi, made the unit flag.



The picture is not that good, and is taken from the "39-45 Magazine" article.

@ The other RSI units (+65000 soldiers) had a lot of flags, but i can't tell a lot about them.

The next page is quite interesting, with a lot of pictures of flags :
http://forzersi.blogspot.it/

See You

Vince

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

courtesy of a WAF member, here is a drawing of the I Battaglione "Benito Mussolini" (8th Regiment “Luciano Manara”) flag.



See You

Vince

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

an essential document, which explain a lot of "errors" about the battalion "Mussolini". Courtesy of a WAF member.

This document from February 27, 1945 is giving a lot of infos :

- the I Battaglione "Benito Mussolini" (8th Regiment “Luciano Manara”) had his name changed for "Rizzardi" in 1945, but it was a change only on paper.
The unit (as veterans said afterwards) was always called "Mussolini".
It seemed that Countess Rizzardi even sent a letter to Benito Mussolini to ask to have his name kept for the battalion (and not to have the name of her son given to it).

- it is said that the battalions "Rizzardi/Mussolini" and "Tagliamneto" were fighting under supervision of the Waffen-SS (nota : i need to work this subject because the fights in Slovenia/Italy need a lot of work to be fully understood). But many other units fighted Under Waffen-SS command and supervision, and they were NOT Waffen-SS units (best example : the german or foreign police battalions and regiments).
Because this zone of war (Venezia-Giulia) was strategic, Germany wanted to have the north-east of Italy under his own military (and after the war political and economical) command. Therefore Germany asked a full control of the italian units in the "Adriatisches Kustenland" area.

- it is said that both units were fighting hard and very honourably against partisans.



As usual, Germany was using its own names for areas and units.
The battalion "Mussolini" ("Rizzardi" on paper from 1945) was called by the OKW :
- from October 1943 : Italian Kusten-Festung-Btl. 15
- from September 1944 : Polizei(Freiwilligen-Btl. Adriatisches Kustenland 2
Both names were not used by the italian soldiers.
But like for many foreign units, the italian officials from the Trieste area didn't had the permission to visit the italian units (!).
The Germans wanted to keep their full control on foreign volunteer units.

See You

Vince

[Controbanda]

Hi,

while checking my collection of french "39-45 Magazine", i found out that issue 105 had an extensive report on a conference (Milano, March 14, 1987) by Teodoro Francesconi on the Regiment "Luciano Manara" of the R.S.I. .....

Hi vince, very interesting post !
Teodoro Francesconi was one of the fews that came home of Battaglione Mussolini after the war (the most of soldiers died in Tito Prisioner camp /lager).
In his book "Bersaglieri in Venezia Giulia-storia del battaglione Mussolini"he confirm that they were a RSI unit under the supervision of SS, that they didn't like, but was mandatory in order to continue to fight there.
the first post & the letter shows by you confirms that Battaglione Mussolini was a well know RSI battalion without any link as SS unit (except for the supervision)exspecially confirm that there was any confusion also at that wartime about that matter, is it correct?
cheers
controbanda

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hello Controbanda,

yes you are absolutely correct.

Many thanks for the additional infos of Mr. Francesconi.

See You

Vince