WW2 Italian blankets

[Jan B]

Hello to all

I picked up an italian ww2 blanket recently to serve as a good alternative for the highly priced german standard blankets. Price was rather cheap, condition is overall good. I'm planning to use it in my 1944 era "verwundetenest-display".

Now, I need some information on the eagle with RA-marking. Was this typical for italian wartime blankets? From which date on did it appear on blankets?
And last but not least what does it mean exactly?

I know that postwar italian blankets are very similar except for the eagle right?

Thanks in advance for the help

Cheers

Jan

[Bill Grist]

Blanket

Jan, Your blanket (RA) is Royal Italian Airforce... BILL

[Jan B]

Jan, Your blanket (RA) is Royal Italian Airforce... BILL

Thanks Bill for your quick reply

If "Royal" it should be pre-1945,right? Could you confirm if these were used by axis-forces during ww2? Again, sorry but I lack all the knowlegde on these kind of things.

If anyone has the italian army-equivalent to share, that would be kind!

Cheers

Jan

[derspiess63]

Bill is correct...it's a "Regia Aeronautica" blanket ans yes,"Regia" (Royal)means that it's been made at least before September 8th 1943,after that date the Airmen who joined the Germans were encadred into the "Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana" and all the devices of the Royal Family of Savoia were deleted from all the items and cut off the white,central part of the "Tricolore",while the ones who, like my late father, joined the USAAF,flew under the colors of the "Aeronautica Cobelligerante" and again...no devices belonging to that family of bl##dy traitors (excepting the Duke of Aosta who was a real hero and the last King,Umberto,a Prince loved by anyone,son to the bl##dy coward dwarf King Vittorio Emanuele III°!) were happily tollerated by the soldiers!It would look GREAT on a German outfit,especially so if in Africa (RA fought gallantly there ans shared many field equipments with the Germans) or in Italy (liberated goodies!)!
Manny

[Jan B]

Bill is correct...it's a "Regia Aeronautica" blanket ans yes,"Regia" (Royal)means that it's been made at least before September 8th 1943,after that date the Airmen who joined the Germans were encadred into the "Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana" and all the devices of the Royal Family of Savoia were deleted from all the items and cut off the white,central part of the "Tricolore",while the ones who, like my late father, joined the USAAF,flew under the colors of the "Aeronautica Cobelligerante" and again...no devices belonging to that family of bl##dy traitors (excepting the Duke of Aosta who was a real hero and the last King,Umberto,a Prince loved by anyone,son to the bl##dy coward dwarf King Vittorio Emanuele III°!) were happily tollerated by the soldiers!It would look GREAT on a German outfit,especially so if in Africa (RA fought gallantly there ans shared many field equipments with the Germans) or in Italy (liberated goodies!)!
Manny

Youre the man Manny. Thank you a thousand times for the detailed information!

Cheers

Jan

[Bill Grist]

Blanket

Thanks Bill for your quick reply

If "Royal" it should be pre-1945,right? Could you confirm if these were used by axis-forces during ww2? Again, sorry but I lack all the knowlegde on these kind of things.

If anyone has the italian army-equivalent to share, that would be kind!

Cheers

Jan

Jan, yes Royal Italian refers to WW2 period.. Now after the surrender of Italy in 1943 the RSI was formed in the North of Italy, after the rescue of Mussolini and were under direct control of the Germans................. RA= REGIA AERONAUTICA The Airforce, RE REGIO ESERCITO The Army, RM REGIO MARINA The Navy......... RSI Repubblica Sociale Italiana (1943-1945) BILL

[Jan B]

Jan, yes Royal Italian refers to WW2 period.. Now after the surrender of Italy in 1943 the RSI was formed in the North of Italy, after the rescue of Mussolini and were under direct control of the Germans................. RA= REGIA AERONAUTICA The Airforce, RE REGIO ESERCITO The Army, RM REGIO MARINA The Navy......... RSI Repubblica Sociale Italiana (1943-1945) BILL

Thanks Bill for the additional information...I was aware of the fact that the RSI was founded under german control in 43', but hadn't a clue about the marking "R.A."!

Good day to all

Jan

[Fritziii]

Nice blanket, I just pulled one of these out of a flea market this morning, talk about a thick heavy blanket. Are these rather uncommon?

Fritz

[Jean-Loup]

This one was given to me by an elder from the mountains(now dead). He told me he had found it near several killed German soldiers at Col de Braus, and there are some "fold matching" shrapnel holes that seem to confirm this story.

JL