Arditi, 100 years of combat Made in Italy

(To Francesco Bergamo)
13/03/17

The 2017 is the Centenary of the birth of the Arditi !. A fighting method envied by the whole world. Antonio Merendoni, an expert in the fight against white weapons, has studied them and on Wednesday he has described their history and lethal potential in a conference organized by the Lagunari of Venice at the Mater Barracks in Mestre. A simple and direct way to let them know in detail. History and technique are fascinating subjects, but above all the transmission of knowledge helps and stimulates to find new solutions. Colonel Massimiliano Stecca opens the intervention recalling the Centenary and the importance of the Arditi. The audience, composed of military experts of individual combat such as Captain Pansini and civil experts of the body to the white weapon as Sandro Martinelli, follows with interest.

100 years of fighting Made in Italy!

Antonio Merendoni as a scholar and instructor of the system scrima (fencing, cutting arms and toe) of the Italian military tradition, in his constant research on the subject has known in the years' 80 some Arditi, now ninety years old. He had his stories told and taught the fighting techniques, also supported by the historical references of President FNAI (National Arditi Federation of Italy) General Umberto Calamida. In a country with a short memory like ours, some things must be remembered.

1915

The war begins. It is long, wearing and stalled. At this point there is a character who in addition to being a very valuable fighter (two silver medals) is also a great innovator: Lieutenant Colonel Giuseppe Alberto Bassi. He has the idea of ​​creating special assault departments. Keep in mind that the Italians were the first to create special bodies and for more or less known cases then they were copied from all over the world. The Arditi will be the decisive élite during the battles of the Piave and Vittorio Veneto.

It is authorized!

He is authorized to create assault departments composed of volunteers. It's the 29 July 1917. On the moral and physical level between the brave soldiers and the Arditi there was no difference: tenacity, courage, strong camaraderie, skill in the fight against each other, physical resistance. Everything changed on a tactical level. The first, the daring soldiers, stopped when they reached the first line; while the latter, attacked on more points, penetrated in depth and then attacked on the sides on the rear, thus allowing line regiments to attack frontally.

The idea served to overcome the cross-linked machine-gun combination that caused many losses and poor progress. Bassi realized that it needed much more to break the binomial. Thus he elaborated three specific points in the three phases of the assault. First phase: surprise attack with hand grenades, daggers and flamethrowers. Second phase: deep penetration to prevent the settling of the enemy in a second defensive line. Third phase: attack on the sides of the defensive line. The specifications for the first, personnel trained to open gates between the reticulates. For the second: personnel trained to the specific use of the machine guns that had to follow the coverage of the assault step by step. For the third, penetration in depth with light armament maintaining position.

Bassi wrote a report to his superiors, who were favorably impressed because they were always looking for new offensive improvements. The 29 July, in the presence of Vittorio Emanuele, took place the first demonstration with excellent results. Authorization for the creation and provision of the assault units arrived. Bassi, therefore, had the rifle and the musket abandoned to equip men with dagger, bombs and a personal defense gun. Copernican Revolution: in the narrow and narrow spaces, the dagger and hand grenades are more effective than long rifles.

Training

Training of volunteers at the Center, in Sdricca di Manzano, also called the "School of Courage". Athletic preparation with Captain Razzi: race and jump of reticulars. Remember that the Arditi threw bombs during the jump of the reticulates. Fighting body to body and bare hands. Captain Razzi will study a specific form of struggle by exploiting the principles of the Japanese struggle acquired through the alliance with Japan. Launch bombs to the limits of their physical safety.

Real training, so much so that there will also be many injuries during extremely hard training.

To us!

Major Freguia created the motto of the brave "To us!"The complete motto was that the people in charge shouted:"To whom the honor?"And the others answered:"To us!"

Equipment

The Ardito had the characteristic dagger that was nothing but the readjustment of the warehouse inventories of the old "Vetterli" bayonets. Blade shortened enough to not clutter and bandage as a guard. For the tip fighting method, like the Italian one, those homemade daggers went very well. A haversack full of hand grenades. A gun.

Weapons

The heavy machine gun was not suitable for the specific actions of break-ins and progress towards the enemy trench. Better then the launch of hand grenades.

Apparel

The helmet was worn on the reverse for convenience. Bersaglieri jacket cyclists because open in front and therefore did not prevent movements during the launch of the grenades and hand-to-hand combat with the dagger. Lapel with flame colored according to provenance: Bersaglieri, red; infantry, black; alpine, green.

Weight supplied

The bold carried a weight of 15 kg and 100 gr unlike the line infantry of 22 kg and 850gr.

The tactical couple

Bassi found that in the barracks are formed pairs that compensate and are understood to be wonderful. The pair must remain in pairs even on the battlefield. Here is a brief passage from his diary: "A two-person society possesses elements that do not exist in any of the two that make it up and which are born and emanate when they join in giving life to society. The subjects are strengthened, the perception becomes ready and lively, the visual acuity ..."According to the brilliant innovator, the couple was the indispensable base for the actions of the Arditi. Bassi divided the platoon into four teams. For each team, five or six pairs of men. The agreement reached by the couples proved to be deadly both in the melee and in the elimination of the positions of the enemy machine guns.

The embryo to the test

The embryo of the idea that will then lead to the myth of the Arditi came to light

the 7 june when the major Bassi, without any specific preparation, gave order to his battalion to attack the "Dosso del Palo". Surprise: bent conquered with few losses. Why did they make it? Simple, Bassi reversed the order of attack: he sent the platoons forward with light machine guns and hand grenades. As it happens only in Italy: letter of demerit for having disregarded the order and then promotion on the field for the brilliant solution.

Melee combat

There is nothing more deadly than a man armed with a knife. Once entered into the enemy trench, the little lateral space available to the enemy leaves little scope for improvisation: the one who is most trained wins. The Ardites proved it very well. Hand-to-hand combat was their specialty. A few well-tested moves and completed with determination and speed were certain assurances to the success of the assault. Their guard was special: left leg and left arm forward, while the right side was backward: leg and hand wielding the dagger. A series of simple and effective combinations made it possible to get the best out of it. The disarming of the adversary was contemplated, but it hardly happened.

The conference ends

A question to Merendoni: the Arditi knife fighting method is comparable and the modern one of Krav Maga or similar?

"Each method has its own characteristics, but keep in mind that the Arditi has been tested during the war with the results that have been seen".

Now, after the historical explanation, it would be interesting to see live, perhaps with a special conference, the system applied with simulated fights. After all we are talking about an Italian combat method envied by the whole world by 100 years!