Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Interwar => Topic started by: Happy Wanderer on July 11, 2015, 10:50:13 AM
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Gentlemen,
To aid in my current project would anyone have the organisation detail of the italian Colonial Cavalry unit, the Penne Di Falco force i.e. Eritrean mounted troops?
If able, I’m looking at specific positions of command and named titles but any info would certainly be appreciated, preferably form the squadron level down to the individual troop.
Hope the brains trust can track this one down.
Happy W
PS Does anyone do a good Eritrean mounted cavalry figure circa 1935?…or a type that could be converted?
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What I have found is a cavalry squadron composed of; a command HQ, four troops and a mule train, totalling 110 men.
Assuming a HQ of two officers, four Troop HQs of two officers and a trumpeter. This leaves 4 Troops with 96 men i.e. 24 mounted askaris per troop (96/4=24). This would give three squads of one Corporal and 7 men per squad....
...does that sound close to anything anyone can find?
(http://digilander.libero.it/wrnzla/immagini20/cavall-sciumbasci-muntaz.jpg)
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Their organisation earlier was "Squadrone indigeni: su 2 plotoni e i sezione mitragliatrici", so 2 troops and a machine gun section. In the '20s it was five officers, 25 Italian NCOs and troopers and 127 'ascari'. I'm guessing two in the squadron HQ (+2 NCOs), one in the MG section (+2 NCOs) and one each for the troops (+2 NCOs each), after that I don't know.
'But' an Italian site has the 'squadron' disbanded in 1935 when the two Eritrean Divisions were formed before the invasion and it becomes part of a cavalry 'battalion'.
For your viewing and reading pleasure:
http://www.albertoparducci.it/photo_gallery/Cavalleria%20AOI1.htm
http://www.albertoparducci.it/photo_gallery/Cavalleria%20AOI2.htm
http://www.regioesercito.it/reparti/mvsn/ordmilerit.htm
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regio_corpo_truppe_coloniali_d%27Eritrea
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/1%C2%AA_Divisione_eritrea
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...why thanks for that...I stumbled upon that site yesterday and couldn't quite make out the organisation, which you have so ably done just there ...in part ;)
I've seen a couple of other sites that give varying totals up to 150 which equates also with the numbers of 1920s organisation you've described...a tad confusing!!
The Regio Esercito site had the 110 figure and four troops which I also had seen on another site..just snippets of google translate words...again, not sure. This ties in nicely however with the way the Spanish cavalry regiments are formed except there would be four instead of two troops.
Damn confusing!
I was hoping one of our Italian speaking friends might have access to a manual or such and be able to nail down the details including the support elements of the machine gun sections..command appointments, etc.
Happy W :D
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Italian is 'similar' to Spanish which helps, not that I'm perfect at that either. :D
I'm tempted to say that cavalry units tended to be 'binary' in terms of numbers of troops and squadrons (or platoons and companies), for some reason I don't know. Having said that this will probably be the occasion when they're not.
::)
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I believe empress makes 28mm infantry for their Ethiopia war range
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"I believe empress makes 28mm infantry for their Ethiopia war range"
They certainly do...and lovely they are as well. I was thinking of them mounted, not dismounted. Essentially lance armed mounted askari cavalry.
Happy W
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Might have to do some conversions then.
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"Insert Quote
Might have to do some conversions then."
The head swap would be pretty easy. It's find the rider with lance in the right attire. Castaway Arts do a couple but I was hoping to find more than their two pose variation.
Happy W