The Cacciatori d'Africa (literally "African Hunters") were Italian light infantry and

mounted infantry Mounted infantry were infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infant ...

units raised for colonial service in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Cacciatori units later served in Somalia, Eritrea, Tripolitania and

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή ��παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...

for the

Italian colonial empire The Italian colonial empire ( it, Impero coloniale italiano), known as the Italian Empire (''Impero Italiano'') between 1936 and 1943, began in Africa in the 19th century and comprised the colonies, protectorates, concessions and dependenci ...

. Partially mechanised in the early 1920s, the Cacciatori d'Africa remained part of the ''

Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali The Royal Corps of Colonial Troops ( it, Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali or RCTC) was a corps of the Italian Armed Forces, in which all the Italian colonial troops were grouped until the end of World War II in Africa. History Many of the Askaris in ...

'' () until 1942.

History

Eritrea

After the 1887

Battle of Dogali The Battle of Dogali was fought on 26 January 1887 between Italy and Ethiopia in Dogali near Massawa, in present-day Eritrea. History The Italians, after their unification in 1861, wanted to establish a colonial empire to cement their great p ...

, the Governor of

Italian Eritrea Italian Eritrea ( it, Colonia Eritrea, "Colony of Eritrea") was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy in the territory of present-day Eritrea. The first Italian establishment in the area was the purchase of Assab by the Rubattino Shipping Company in 1 ...

Depretis decided to increase Italian military forces to reconquer lost territory and secure the colony. The Royal Decree n. 4783 of 14 July 1887, created a new corps comprising three battalions of infantry, plus a squadron of mounted soldiers, in Eritrea as part of the ''Corpo Speciale per L'Africa'' (Special Corps of Africa). Recruited initially amongst volunteers from the

line infantry Line infantry was the type of infantry that composed the basis of European land armies from the late 17th century to the mid-19th century. Maurice of Nassau and Gustavus Adolphus are generally regarded as its pioneers, while Turenne and Mo ...

and

grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...

regiments of the metropolitan army, the Cacciatori d'Africa were subsequently partly conscripted from Italian colonial settlers. Intended as swift infantry Jäger-like

skirmishers Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an i ...

, the foot soldiers were supported by mounted infantry that rode on horses or camels. In 1887, the Cacciatori d'Africa included five

battalions A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

. With a regal decree of December 11, 1892, recruitment included Italian colonists, and the five battalions were reduced to one, composed of six companies. The

Royal Corps of Colonial Troops The Royal Corps of Colonial Troops ( it, Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali or RCTC) was a corps of the Italian Armed Forces, in which all the Italian colonial troops were grouped until the end of World War II in Africa. History Many of the Askaris in ...

was established in February 18, 1894, and the Cacciatori participated in the 1896

Battle of Adwa The Battle of Adwa (; ti, ውግእ ዓድዋ; , also spelled ''Adowa'') was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Ethiopian forces defeated the Italian invading force on Sunday 1 March 1896, near the town of Adwa. The d ...

, where they were stationed at an

Adigrat Adigrat (, ''ʿaddigrat'', also called ʿAddi Grat) is a city and separate woreda in Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is located in the Misraqawi Zone at longitude and latitude , with an elevation of above sea level and below a high ridge to the we ...

fort under the command of Major . The Cacciatori left Eritrea when the Royal Corps of Colonial Troops was reorganized in 1919.

Libya

After the

Italo-Turkish War The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War ( tr, Trablusgarp Savaşı, "Tripolitanian War", it, Guerra di Libia, "War of Libya") was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911, to 18 October 1912. As a result ...

, the formation 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 a ...

, and the outbreak of World War One, the Libyan people rebelled, particularly the

Senussi The Senusiyya, Senussi or Sanusi ( ar, السنوسية ''as-Sanūssiyya'') are a Muslim political-religious tariqa ( Sufi order) and clan in colonial Libya and the Sudan region founded in Mecca in 1837 by the Grand Senussi ( ar, السنوس ...

population. The "Cacciatori d'Africa" was a volunteer force established to protect the Italian colonists and equipped with trucks and armored cars.

Italian East Africa

The name "Cacciatori d'Africa" was eventually reused by the 40th Infantry Division Cacciatori d'Africa in

Italian East Africa Italian East Africa ( it, Africa Orientale Italiana, AOI) was an Italian colony in the Horn of Africa. It was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the Se ...

during the Second World War.

Uniforms and equipment

Eritrea

The Cacciatori d'Africa had standard armament for colonial troops. Up until the

in 1896, they continued to use muskets and rifles of the

M1870 Italian Vetterli The M1870 Vetterli was the Italian service rifle from 1870-1891. In 1887, it would be modified into the repeating M1870/87 Italian Vetterli-Vitali variant. The Vetterli rifle used the 10.4mm Vetterli centrefire cartridge, at first loaded with bl ...

and models. Those were replaced by the more modern

Carcano Carcano is the frequently used name for a series of Italian bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating military rifles and carbines. Introduced in 1891, this rifle was chambered for the rimless 6.5×52mm Carcano round (''Cartuccia Modello 1895''). It ...

rifles. On the right side of their helmets, the foot infantry wore a feather, while the mounted infantry had a black feather.

Libya

The uniforms were the standard grey-green of colonial or "continental" units of the Italian Kingdom. The infantry also wore black

gorget patches Gorget patches (collar tabs, collar patches) are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform (gorget), used in the military and civil service in some countries. Collar tabs sign the military rank (group of ...

with a red border marked by a . The first helmets they used were made of cork, as was typical for colonial military units. In the 1910s, they switched to khaki pith helmets, inspired by the English cavalry of the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

. During the 1920s, the pith helmets were replaced with hats similar to the Cappello Alpino, without a feather or tassel. Canvas

bandolier A bandolier or a bandoleer is a pocketed belt for holding either individual bullets, or belts of ammunition. It is usually slung sash-style over the shoulder and chest, with the ammunition pockets across the midriff and chest. Though functio ...

s were also often used, much like hunters, the

Zaptié Zaptié was the designation given to locally raised gendarmerie units in the Italian colonies of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica (later Italian Libya), Eritrea and Somaliland between 1889 and 1943. Origins and duties The word "zaptié" is derived from the ...

, and the

Méhariste Méhariste is a French word that roughly translates to camel cavalry. The word is most commonly used as a designation of military units. French camel corps Origins France created a corps of méhariste camel companies (''Compagnies Méharistes S ...

Military structure

1888

* Special African Corp (General

Alessandro Asinari di San Marzano Alessandro Asinari di San Marzano was an Italian politician, general, and Senator of the Kingdom of Italy Biography Born in Turin on March 20, 1830 , Alessandro Asinari of San Marzano enrolled in the Turin military academy leaving it just eigh ...

**1st Brigade (General Carlo Genè) ***1st Special African Regiment (Colonel ****1st Battalion (Major Carlo Rodano) ****2nd Battalion (Lieutenant Colonel Giovan Battista Luciano) ****Battalion of

Bersaglieri The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, (, "sharpshooter") are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, which ...

***2nd Special African Regiment (Colonel Camillo De Charbonneau) ****3rd Battalion (Major Camillo Fiore) ****4th Battalion (Major Pio Carlo Di Majo) ****5th Battalion (Lieutenant Colonel Gustavo Ferrua) ***Squadron of cavalry ***Brigade of artillery, with four companies of gunners ***Command company ***Health company ***Logistics company ***Transport company ***

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 ...

irregulars

1923

* **1st Battalion (

Zuwarah Zuwarah, or Zuwara or Zwara (Berber language: At Willul or Zwara, ) is a coastal Berber-speaking city in Libya. Zuwara or At Willul is famous for its beaches and seafood. It is situated west of Tripoli and from the Tunisian border. It is the ...

) **2nd Battalion (

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in t ...

) * **3rd Battalion (

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη ('' Berenice'') and '' Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Gha ...

) ***1st Squadron Armored Car (8 Lancia 1ZMs) ***2nd Squadron Armored Car (3 Lancia 1ZMs, 2 Fiat-Terni Tripoli, 2

Lanchester armoured car The Lanchester armoured car was a British armoured car built on the chassis of the Lanchester "Sporting Forty", it saw wide service with the Royal Naval Air Service and British Army during the First World War. The Lanchester was the second mo ...

s) **4th Battalion ***1st Squadron Armored Car (12 Fiat-Terni Tripolis) ***2nd Squadron Armored Car (8 armed

Fiat 15 The Fiat Tipo 15 is a light military truck produced by Fiat Veicoli Industriali. Introduced in 1911, the Tipo 15 was used by the Royal Italian Army in the Italo-Turkish War and in the First World War. It was also produced in the Soviet Union as ...

trucks) **5th Battalion

1935

* {{ill, Regio corpo truppe coloniali della Libia, it, lt=Royal Colonial Troops of Libya **1st Infantry Regiment of Africa ***Command company ***1 battalion of tank hunters ***1 battalion of

Milizia Coloniale The Milizia Coloniale was an all-volunteer colonial militia composed of members of the Fascist ''Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale'' ("Volunteer Militia for National Security") or MVSN, commonly called the "Blackshirts". It is considere ...

***1 storage depot **2nd Infantry Regiment of Africa ***Command company ***1 battalion of tank hunters ***1 battalion of

***1 storage depot Military units and formations of Italy Military units and formations of Italy in World War II Military units and formations of the Industrial era Military units and formations established in 1887 Military units and formations disestablished in 1937 Infantry units and formations Mechanized units and formations Military history of Africa