Bands ( it, Bande) was in Italian military term for irregular forces, composed normally of foreigners or natives, with some Italian officers and NCOs in command. These units were employed by the Italian Army as

auxiliaries Auxiliaries are support personnel that assist the military or police but are organised differently from regular forces. Auxiliary may be military volunteers undertaking support functions or performing certain duties such as garrison troops, ...

to the regular national and colonial military forces. They were also known to the British colonial forces as "armed Bands".

Characteristics

A (singular) was approximatively company sized. The larger unit was the battalion size (infantry) or (cavalry). The a regimental unit appeared briefly during the fascist period in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. The first of these irregular units employed by the originated from a mercenary Arab force employed by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, called ''

Bashi-bazouk A bashi-bazouk ( ota, باشی بوزوق , , , roughly "leaderless" or "disorderly") was an irregular soldier of the Ottoman army, raised in times of war. The army chiefly recruited Albanians and Circassians as bashi-bazouks, but recruits ...

'' (which became "basci buzuk" in Italian), that was created in Eritrea by the

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

n adventurer Sagiak Hassan in the second half of the 19th century. In 1885, the Italian Colonel Tancredi Saletta, commanding officer of the first Italian troops involved in the conquest of Eritrea, enlisted Bashi-bazouks in the service of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. As lightly armed irregulars the were able to perform duties for which regular Italian and colonial troops were unsuited and at lower cost. Locally recruited bands were employed in the conquest of

Italian Libya Libya ( it, Libia; ar, ليبيا, Lībyā al-Īṭālīya) was a colony of the Fascist Italy located in North Africa, in what is now modern Libya, between 1934 and 1943. It was formed from the unification of the colonies of Italian Cyrenaica ...

from 1911 to the 1930s. Their Somali counterparts played an important role in

Italian Somaliland Italian Somalia ( it, Somalia Italiana; ar, الصومال الإيطالي, Al-Sumal Al-Italiy; so, Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaalida), was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th centu ...

during the 1920s.Irregular Bands in the Battle of Belet-Uen in Somalia (in Italian)
/ref> In Italian Somaliland, the Italians also employed

Dubats Dubat (Arabic: العمائم البيضاء(دُوب عد); ḍubbāṭ: English: ''White turban'') was the designation given to members of the semi-regular armed bands employed by the Italian " Royal Corps of Colonial Troops" (''Regio Corpo di ...

; levies that were maintained on a permanent basis and were better trained and equipped than the . During the guerrilla war that continued in Ethiopia after the 1936 Italian invasion, Banda were recruited amongst groups collaborating with the Italian regime. One of the best known of these was the in northern Ethiopia. While most were recruited in the Italian colonies in Africa, many units bearing this designation were also created as

during the Second World War in Albania and in the occupied territories of the former

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...

. The other branches of the Italian armed forces and corps created . The n° 9 , formed of

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their na ...

and local young Italians from Dalmatia, was established in Zara under the control of the (Italian Royal Navy). These naval auxiliaries fought side by side with a company from the from 1941 to 1943. After the fall of Asmara the group (reduced to just 176 soldiers) did

guerrilla war Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics ...

for many months.

Notes

{{Italian colonial empire Military history of Italy Italian East Africa Italian colonial troops

Characteristics

See also

Notes