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| Autonomous Military Formations | |
|---|---|
| Formazioni Militari Autonome (Italian) | |
_crowned.svg) Flag of the Kingdom of Italy | |
| Also known as |
|
| Country |  Italy |
| Allegiance | |
| Active regions | Italian Peninsula |
| Allies | |
| Opponents | |
The Autonomous Military Formations (Italian: Formazioni Militari Autonome), also known as Badoglian[a] or azure partisans, were groups within the Italian Resistance during World War II aligned with the Kingdom of the South.[2][3]
As the conservative faction within the Italian Resistance, this group consisted of Italian soldiers who, in extremis, abandoned fascism and pledged loyalty to the House of Savoy.[3] They fought Germany and the Republic of Salò in the pursuit of restoring the Italian monarchy.[4]
Nomenclature
editThese formations derived their nickname "Badoglian partisans" from Marshal of Italy and Prime Minister Pietro Badoglio. Referred to as "autonomous" because they operated independently from the National Liberation Committee (CLN) and maintained loyalty to the Kingdom of the South, they were often called "azure partisans" due to their distinctive blue neckerchiefs. The autonomous formations maintained no official ties to any political party or ideology, distinguishing themselves from the CLN partisans which supported particracy.[5]
Although the term "Badoglians" was originally a derogatory label from both the Italian Social Republic's fascists and the Resistance's left wing,[6] members of these formations used it themselves, though "azure" or "autonomous" were preferred. Beppe Fenoglio's novel A Private Affair, inspired by his real partisan experiences, captures this distinction:
"I'm not red, I'm Badoglian. That relieves you a little bit, huh?"[7]
— Milton to an RSI captured soldier, in Beppe Fenoglio, A Private Affair, Ch. X
In the context of the Italian Resistance, the colors represented the ideological affiliations of different partisan groups: the red color symbolized the Italian Communist Party partisans composed by the Garibaldi Brigades, named after Giuseppe Garibaldi; the green represented the partisans of the Action Party, a political group rooted in republican and liberal values. Their brigades were called Giustizia e Libertà ("Justice and Freedom").[8] Not all autonomous formations accepted the label "Badogliani." Among them were both monarchist and apolitical groups, identified as the "azure" and "autonomous."[8] The Badoglio government was perceveid as corrupt.[9]
History
editThe autonomous formations were largely composed of Royal Italian Army soldiers who either returned from Russia, repatriated after the 4th Army disbanded in 1943, or resisted German efforts to disarm them.[10] Among the first of these groups was the "autonomous band" led by Lieutenant Ignazio Vian in Cuneo in September 1943.[2] These units were organized militarily, led by army officers who generally aligned with moderate political views and nonpartisanship.[5] Their operations established secure rear bases, known as "presidi" (lit. 'garrisons')—such as the one in Mango, referenced in Fenoglio's novels—where they could regroup, shelter, and care for the injured.[11] Notable actions of the AMFs included the liberation of the Langhe region and operations in upper Liguria and Savona.
In the second part of the Libertarion of Italy, the independent formations were also integrated into the Corpo Volontari della Libertà, the armed force composed of all partisan groups and recognized by the Allies, the government and the CLN, under the command of General Raffaele Cadorna Jr., and where they were represented in the general command by Mario Argenton.
These formations, primarily comprising officers and soldiers of the Royal Army who had escaped capture by the Germans on September 8, 1943, were notable for their loyalty to the Kingdom of the South's government and the Allies (with some among the few who complied with the Proclama Alexander, which called for temporary disbandment in the winter of 1944). They operated almost exclusively independent of the CLN and lacked official ideological alignment, though most members held monarchist,[5] conservative,[3] Catholic,[4] and liberal views,[12] unified by their anti-fascist stance and strong opposition to communism. This latter characteristic led to their mistrust by the Italian Communist Party, which viewed them as influenced by "industrialists." These units did not include a political commissar.
In November 1944, Garibaldi Brigades commander Luigi Longo accused them of being engaged in "reactionary, disruptive, antiunitarian and unpatriotic maneuvers," speaking of "some commanders [of partisan formations] who do not give a damn about the political and military directives of the CLN, even though they sometimes claim to recognize its authority," who allegedly aspired "to be the Italian Mihajlovics’" (referring to the commander of the Chetniks – the monarchist and anti-communist Yugoslav partisans – Draža Mihailović), and threatened to make them suffer "the same fate as their Yugoslav champion."
In 1944, Garibaldi Brigades leader Luigi Longo criticized the AMFs for "reactionary, disruptive, and unpatriotic maneuvers," comparing them to Yugoslav monarchist partisans, the Chetniks. Though tensions persisted, the two groups occasionally collaborated, as in the partisan Republic of Alba.[13]
Key Components
editProminent formations within the AMFs included the 1st Alpine Divisions Group, led by Major Enrico Martini ("Mauri"),[14] operating in Piedmont, and additional units led by Piero Balbo and Maggiorino Marcellin. Other significant units included Colonel Carlo Croce’s "Five Days" Group, the Franchi Organization founded by Edgardo Sogno, and the clandestine Military Front led by Colonel Giuseppe Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo in Rome.
Divisions and Brigades
edit1st Alpine Divisions Group
- 1st Langhe Division (Commander: Enrico Martini)
- Castellino, Mondovì, West Langhe, Pedaggera Brigades
- 2nd Langhe Division (Commander: Piero Balbo)
- Belbo, Bormida, Asti Brigades
4th Alps Division
- Val Casotto, Val Mongia, Val Tanaro Brigades
Monte Ortigara Alpine Division (Commander: Giacomo Chilesotti)
Pasubio Division (Commander: Giuseppe Marozin)
Organizzazione Franchi (Commander: Edgardo Sogno)
Fronte militare clandestino (Commander: Giuseppe Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo)
Brigata Bra
Brigata Amendola
Brigata Alba
Brigata Canale
Divisione "Eugenio Fumagalli" (ex Gruppo Bacchetta), (Commander: Giuseppe Dotta)
Gruppo Cinque Giornate (Commander: Carlo Croce)
References
edit- ^ Sinclair, Upton (2023). Delphi Collected Works of Upton Sinclair (Illustrated ed.). Delphi Classics. ISBN 978-1-8017-0105-1.
Mussolini was expected back from Feltre, scene of the conference with Hitler, in the morning; already the Badoglio partisans knew [...]
- ^ a b "Formazioni Autonome". www.anpi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-10-30.
- ^ a b c Salvadori, Massimo L.; Duroselle, Jean-Baptiste; Shaw, Stanford J.; Revelli, Marco; Palla, Marco; Pavone, Claudio; Della Peruta, Franco Della Peruta; Bracher, Karl Dietrich; Bachelloni, Antonio; et al. (Raimondo Luraghi, Stefano Bellieni, Gabriele Ranzato, Giovanni De Luna, Giorgio Vaccarino) (2004). L'età dei totalitarismi e la seconda guerra mondiale [The Age of Totalitarianisms and World War II]. La Storia. Vol. 13. De Agostini. p. 706.
- ^ a b De Napoli, Domenico; Ratti, Antonio; Bolognini, Silvio (1985). La resistenza monarchica in Italia (1943-1945) (in Italian). Naples: Guida Editori. p. 10. ISBN 978-88-7042-887-2.
- ^ a b c Leoni, Francesco (2001). Storia dei partiti politici italiani [History of Italian political parties] (in Italian). Naples: Guida Editori. p. 504. ISBN 978-88-7188-495-0.
- ^ De Napoli, Domenico; Ratti, Antonio; Bolognini, Silvio (1985). La resistenza monarchica in Italia (1943-1945) (in Italian). Naples: Guida Editori. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-88-7042-887-2.
- ^ Fenoglio, Beppe (1990). Una questione privata (in Italian). Turin: Einaudi. p. 99.
Ma tu non vai a morire. Attento a non scivolare. Io non sono rosso, sono badogliano. Questo ti solleva un pochi no, eh?
- ^ a b Bontempelli, Massimo (2006). La Resistenza italiana (in Italian) (1 ed.). Cagliari: CUEC. p. 84. ISBN 88-8467-318-6.
- ^ Bontempelli, Massimo (2006). La Resistenza italiana (in Italian). Cagliari: CUEC. p. 76. ISBN 88-8467-318-6.
- ^ "Le missioni alleate e le formazioni dei partigiani autonomi nella Resistenza piemontese". Convegno Internazionale Missioni Alleate e Partigiani Autonomi (in Italian). Turin: L'arciere: 154. 1980. LCCN 82122899. OCLC 10376156.
- ^ De Napoli, Domenico; Ratti, Antonio; Bolognini, Silvio (1985). La resistenza monarchica in Italia (1943-1945) (in Italian). Naples: Guida Editori. p. 32. ISBN 978-88-7042-887-2.
- ^ Grassi, Fabio; Nicolosi, Gerardo (2008). I liberali italiani dall'antifascismo alla repubblica [Italian liberals from antifascism to the republic] (in Italian). Vol. 1. Rubbettino Editore. p. 442. ISBN 978-88-498-1920-5.
- ^ De Felice, Renzo (1997). "The Civil War 1943-1945". Mussolini l'alleato [Mussolini The Ally] (in Italian). Vol. 2. Einaudi. pp. 166–167. ISBN 88-06-11806-4.
- ^ Battistelli, Pier Paolo; Crociani, Piero (2015). Windrow, Martin (ed.). World War II Partisan Warfare in Italy. Elite. Illustrated by Peter Dennis. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-4728-0894-3.