5th CC.NN. Division "1 Febbraio"

The 5th CC.NN. Division "1 Febbraio" (Italian: 5ª Divisione CC.NN. "1 Febbraio") was an Italian CC.NN. (Blackshirts militia) division raised on 15 July 1935 for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War against Ethiopia and disbanded shortly after the war. The name "1 Febbraio" was chosen to commemorate the founding of the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale on 1 February 1923.[1]

Organization

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Below follows the division's organization during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and the cities, in which its CC.NN. battalions and companies/batteries were raised.[1]

  • 5th CC.NN. Division "1 Febbraio"
    • 107th CC.NN. Legion "Cairoli", in Pavia
      • Command Company
      • CVII CC.NN. Battalion, in Pavia
      • CLXXXVI CC.NN. Battalion, in Lucca
      • 107th CC.NN. Machine Gun Company, in Pavia
      • 107th CC.NN. Artillery Battery, in Pavia (65/17 infantry support guns)
    • 128th CC.NN. Legion "Randaccio", in Vercelli
      • Command Company
      • CXXVIII CC.NN. Battalion, in Vercelli
      • CXXIX CC.NN. Battalion, in Arona
      • 128th CC.NN. Machine Gun Company, in Vercelli
      • 128th CC.NN. Artillery Battery, in Vercelli (65/17 infantry support guns)
    • 142nd CC.NN. Legion "Berica", in Vicenza
      • Command Company
      • CXLII CC.NN. Battalion, in Vicenza
      • CCXLII CC.NN. Battalion, in Vicenza
      • 142nd CC.NN. Machine Gun Company, in Vicenza
      • 142nd CC.NN. Artillery Battery, in Vicenza (65/17 infantry support guns)
    • V CC.NN. Machine Gun Battalion
    • V Artillery Group (65/17 infantry support guns, Royal Italian Army)
    • V Mixed Transport Unit (Royal Italian Army)
    • V Supply Unit (Royal Italian Army)
    • 2x CC.NN. replacement battalions
    • 5th Special Engineer Company (Royal Italian Army)
    • 5th Medical Section (Royal Italian Army)
    • 5th Logistic Section (Royal Italian Army)
    • 5th Carabinieri Section

The supply unit had 1,600 mules and the mixed transport unit 80 light trucks. The division engaged in war crimes in Ethiopia during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.[2]

Sources

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  • Lucas, Ettore; de Vecchi, Giorgio (1976). Storia delle Unità Combattenti della MVSN 1923-1943. Giovanni Volpe Editore. pp. 63 to 116 plus errata.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Divisione CC.NN. "1 Febbraio"". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  2. ^ Del Boca, Angelo (2007). Il gas di Mussolini. Il fascismo e la guerra d'Etiopia. ISBN 9788835958598.