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Subject:
Italian Armed Forces - I - A brief history - Indipendence wars (1848-1871)
FT_Italy
5/10/2005 1:42:37 PM
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Dear friends and readers of StrategyPage, I have seen that on this site there is really few material about Italian military things, and often this material is superficial or even wrong. Thus I intend to write five main articles (history, Army, Navy, Air Force, weapons industry), in case divided into smaller ones, about Italy.
Military history of modern Italy began on the "Risorgimento" (Resurrection of the Nation) wars, mainly against Austrian Empire. At that time Italy was divided into many little states, quite the same states that marked Renaissance era - unlike for Venetian Republic, annexed by Austria during napoleonic wars and then united with Milan territory, yet owned by Absburgs. In 1848 emerged as the major peninsular power the Sardinian Kingdom (Piedmont), under Savoia (Savoy) royal dinasty. The first indipendence war broke out in that year, opposing Italian states under sardinian leadership to Austria. But, after some starting victory, Piedmont was soonly leaved alone in the war, and in 1849 it was finally defeated in the battle of Novara.
King Carlo Alberto was forced to abdicate in favour of his son, Vittorio Emanuele II. In the following ten years Piedmont made great improvements in industrial development, general modernisation of the country, consolidating its British-like parliamentary institutions and by gaining the favour of Britain and France after sending 15,000 men in the war of 1856 against Russians. The merit was to be due to the first minister of the King, Camillo Benso, count of Cavour. Thus a treaty was signed with France: Emperor Napoleon III would have helped Sardinians to conquer Northern Italy in exchange of the region of Savoia (Savoy) and of the city of Nizza (Nice). On 1859 Austria declared war upon Piedmont: the second war of indipendence. Joint French and Sardinians armies soonly defeated Austrian forces in Lombardia; a special volunteers corp, the "Cacciatori delle Alpi" (Alps light infantrymen), was led by general Garibaldi to the conquest of the alpin part of the region. The victoriuos armies were ready to invade Veneto when the unexpected happened: in a separate side, France signed the peace with Austria, and only Lombardia was assigned to Piedmont. This was a major incident in the relations between Sardinia and France: after that, all French efforts were to tackle Italian reunification. The incident was closed the following year, after the "Impresa dei Mille" (thousand-men venture). On 1860 Garibaldi landed with about one thousand volunteers in Marsala, on the Sicilian west coast, and the goal was to conquest all the Neapolitan Kingdom. The landing was protected by British frigates, which prevented Neapolitan Navy to intervene. After winning many battles against regular Neapolitan forces (as Calatafimi, Palermo, Milazzo, Volturno, etc.) and after calling thousands of local volunteers under his command, Garibaldi was able to hand over the entire Kingdom to King Vittorio Emanuele II. In the meanwhile, Sardinian forces had occupated Emilian states, Tuscany and the most part of the Pontifician (Pope's owned) States. In all the conquered territories, population voted to be annexed to Piedmont. To see the new territorial gains to be recognised, Piedmont was forced to cede Savoy (the royal house region of origin) and Nice (Garibaldi was born in this city) to France. In 1861, Vittorio Emanuele II (he kept the numeration of Sardinian Kings anyway) was finally crowned King of Italy. In the same year were formed the Italian Army, by regular Sardinian forces and Garibaldi volunteers, and the Italian Navy, by the union of previous Italian states Navies.
The new state did not include some historically Italian regions: Roma (Rome) and its countryside, owned by the Pope under the protection of the French Army; Veneto (the region of Venice), Trentino (Southern Tyrol), Trieste and Istria, Dalmazia (Dalmatia), all owned by Austria; Corsica, Nizza (Nice) and Savoia (Savoy), owned by France; Ticino, in Switzerland; Malta, owned by British. The most part of the wars fought by Italy were to conquer one or more of these territories.
But the first engagement of Italian Army was not in a war against foreign powers: from 1861 to 1865 it had to break off borbonic uprising, mainly from local old-known bandits, in Southern Italy. 100,000 were engaged against the guerrilla. Borbons were the royal family of Neapolitan Kingdom.
On 1866 Italy was allied to Prussia against Austria: this was the third indipendence war for us. It opened with two shameful defeats. The Italian Army was divided in two branches: 100,000 men with the King and the general Lamarmora was the main attack force, from Lombardia trough Garda lake countryside and Verona (the same path of 1848 and 1859); 75,000 commanded by the general Cialdini were displaced south of river Po, as reserve. Austrian faced these 175,000 men with only 100,000 soldiers, and were in risk to be enveloped. The main army, advancing, met Austrian counterparts (quite all the army) in Custoza, near Verona. Only a few battalions and squadrons were engaged, and Italian soldiers repeled Austrians, but, due to a lack in command skill by the King and Lamarmora, Italians turn back to their bases. On the south, the never engaged Cialdini's army retreated west due to the panic ofits commander (soonly removed). On the sea, Italian Navy led by Admiral Persano was heavily defeated by the inferior forces of Austrian Admiral Tegethoff in Lissa, in front of the Dalmatian shores. Persano was processed and degraded. Meanwhile in Boemia Prussian Army passed from victory to victory and so Austrian were forced to retreat part of their land units. Italians regular forces were thus able to conquer the entire Veneto, looking forward to Trieste, while a new volunteer formation led by Garibaldi defeaed Austrians in Bezzecca, near Trento. But armistice came as Prussia defeated Austria, and Italy gains only Veneto.
On 1870, France and Prussia went to war. Napoleon III was finally defeated and captured in Sedan, while French troops pull out of Rome. On the 20th of september 1870, after a brief fighting against Pope's guards, the "eternal city" came newly Italian after 1,400 years. On 1871 it was proclaimed capital of the Italian Kingdom. |
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