"Regular" Colonial Italian Cavalry?

[axabrax]

I'm working on a "late" colonial Italian force suitable for the Second Ethiopian war and Interwar gaming, and I can't determine whether the Italians had any primarily European horsed cavalry units. I figure it would be fairly easy to model such units with pith helmet conversions or other heads from the Empress SCW range, but I'd like to have at least some basis in historical fact. The Osprey on the Ethiopian war mentions quite a bit of cavalry but only specifies the Eritrean cavalry and some camel pack train units specifically on live mounts  but only mechanized and cycle units for the regulars.

Thanks for the advice

~ Steve

[italwars]

definitivly not.....the only Italian European Cavalry that saw service in Africa were some few riders before years Adwa Campaign so about 1885...no action at all..just maybe some parade to amaze the natives in Asmara

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/06-Cavalleggeri_1885-86.jpg

http://www.collezioni-f.it/museo/lodi/12.jpg


and, in 1912, not in East Africa..but during the Conquest of Libia...some squadrons of Cavallegeri di Lodi saw quite a few actions...charging decisvly in one occasion the Turkish and their Arab irregulars allies
http://images.delcampe.com/img_large/auction/000/215/469/142_001.jpg
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTAwOVgxNjAw/z/jDUAAOSwiCRUjCxq/$_35.JPG

so, if you want to stick, in your games, to something historically correct , you would have to field the Eritrean Cavalry in Ethiopia  ..in some cases..also a few Lybians riders where present....our Colonial native units where certainly not inferior to the Italian ones...including their panache and dashing actions..up to WW2 where in a pair occasions, as mentioned also by the British Official History, they dared to charge ennemies  AFVs and deployed batteries obliged to fire point blank as last resort to stop the Eritrean crazy charge..

[axabrax]

Thanks for the info. It's odd because a number of non-Eritrean cavalry squadrons are listed in the orbats, but I guess they all must have been mechanized in some fashion. It's a shame that there really aren't any outstanding figures for the Eritrean cavalry. The only ones I know of are from Castaway Arts, and they are from a much earlier period, quite small and not quite on par with the other stuff that's available in my opinion.

[italwars]

a part Eritrean Cavalry...the only other Cavalry listed on Italo-Ethiopian orbats..could be, as asid before, Lybian ones...and, in case of Italian Cavalry, they probably refer to unit "colonne autocarrate"...that's an hoc  formation made of "dismounted" cavalrymen operating in lorries in full transported columns..

[winder]

Sorry to hijack your post axabrax, but im interested in the "Gruppo Bande a Cavallo Amhara" and you both seem very knowledgeable so I though I would ask: what was the uniform they wore? So far I have only really done some Google Image searching but some pictures show men with turbans, while others show almost a fez?

And yeah Axabrax, I have had trouble finding any suitable cavalry figures for a similar project, a shame because they would be lovely to have on the table!

[italwars]

the mounted Bande where numerous..semi regular and with various sub.-units composing single bands...the subject is not the less complex indeed...from memory, at least in campaign uniform, the sported preferably turbans..but i have at home, now i'm at work, the definitive book on the subject..so i'll post you again some infos...
for the moment i send you those links..from an ItalianArtist that i know and that made a lot of research..they refer to Gruppo Bande Amahra on Campaign in WW2

http://www.albertoparducci.it/photo_gallery/Image128.jpg

http://www.albertoparducci.it/photo_gallery/Image121.jpg

http://www.albertoparducci.it/photo_gallery/Image129.jpg

[winder]

Thankyou Italwars, that is a great help! Don't feel any pressure to supply any more information either, I don't want you to go out of your way.

[axabrax]

 No worries Winder.  It's a fascinating topic, and I'm just as interested in the World War II Cav as the earlier units.  It's also gotten to the point where the models that I use will be based on what I think I can convert easily as there are so few purpose-built models available for Italian units of a suitable high sculpting quality. It's really a shame that Empress never fleshed out their Ethiopian War range.

I am thinking the unit you mentioned above could be created with either the Empress Afghan cavalry for a more irregular look or the Spanish Civil War cavalry for regulars using head swaps. (The afghans already come with separate heads, so that would be easy.)

 You could then add the Moroccan heads from the SCW range and file off the beards or perhaps do swaps from Foundry Zanzibaris.  I also have some Basmachi heads from Studio Siberia that would be useful.

Italwars: any more info would be appreciated!  I can already see these guys charging tanks in our East Africa games

Steve

[italwars]

Hello Axabrax and Wind...about converting for Semi-Regular East African Eritrean Cavalry i had less problems because my scale is 20mm...but for what i experimented the main difficulty was to find a mini with that bandolier on the chest typical of Italian Cavalry...and also British
http://www.albertoparducci.it/photo_gallery/img54.jpg

o ill go for an Italian WW2 Cavalryman..(those awful Strategia Nova ones maybe) or maybe a British WW1 type.

http://wk.frothersunite.com/sc/pulp/imagww2/italy/SET2.jpg


..obviously changing head as suggested...the typical standing collar of Colonial Native Cavalry should also be reproduced..with some minor putty work it should be simple

another way could be to use Askari Penne di Falco from early period..the headress should be changed as suggested above but the overall aspect of the uniform..standing collar, bandolier, leggings..are similar..try to imagine those Hawk Feathers painted in kaki and with added turban..not very from what you need for WW2 actions..don't forget that, if you retain the fez and paint the figure in kaki you will have a plausible regular Eritrean Cavalry of the "Penne di falco" (Hawk Feathers)..which are also nice units to depict
from Falcon USA
http://www.oocities.org/timessquare/zone/3323/_borders/webfalcon4.JPG
From Strategia Nova
http://www.strategianova.it/images/Usato_28mm/PennFaalco_Ca.jpg

Said that..and while you imagine ten period which, among others, is one of my favourite..in my next and coming scan section i'll post all the info and plates, not present in the web and from my library, you could need on the subject
regards

[winder]

Wow thankyou both for the info, I was wondering italwars, with the Penne di Falco, would these miniatures from castaway arts fit? They seem like they are designed to be them so I was thinking of trying them, a mate who has some of the infantry say the sculpts are much better than the small photos make out

[italwars]

yes they are nice sculpts
please comepare those picts referring to "late" Penne di Falco (that is 1935 up to WW2..also if , in campaign , it could be more appropriate a bustina forage cap instead of the expensive tarbusc)  compared to early (1896) ones as depicted by castaway, strategia e Tattica and Falcon...of course i suggest you castaway..cause falcon are almost impossible to order and S&T not well defined and of a bad metal...

late equipment/details
http://digilander.libero.it/wrnzla/immagini17/penne_di_falco.jpg
WW2 Penne di Falco
http://www.albertoparducci.it/photo_gallery/img59.jpg
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqJ,!gwE160cou),BNl4OLy-zw~~0_35.JPG
http://digilander.libero.it/wrnzla/immagini18/IV_penne_di_falco.jpg

Early Penne di Falco as made by above mentioned manufatures
http://www.albertoparducci.it/photo_gallery/Image122.jpg

castawy Penne di Falco
https://secure.iig.com.au/castawayarts/images/product/20120313181840_ic18.jpg

as you can see you can go with castaway Penne di Falco..from pict, history and from what i've read the had been given Italian Cavalryswords..but , many of them, adopted cuved Abbyssinian ones..i can also suggest you, for sure, that lances where left at barracks maybe used only for escort/parades...in some accounts of them charging British/Indian troops and Abbyssinian patriots they employed carbines and grenades...together with swords