# Second Italo-Ethiopian War order of battle: Italy

The Italian order of battle for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War on 8 October 1935. The Ethiopian order of battle is listed separately.

## Comando Supremo Africa Orientale

Commander: General Emilio De Bono to November 1935, Field Marshal Pietro Badoglio November 1935 – June 1936
* 7th Artillery Group (77/28 field guns)
* Granatieri di Sardegna Battalion (coming from Italy)
* Alpini Battalion (coming from Italy)
* Guardia di Finanza Battalion (coming from Italy)
* 3 Assault Battalions (still in Italy)
* 7th Artillery Group (Obice da 149/13 howitzer) (coming from Italy)
* Engineer Unit Comando Supremo Africa Orientale
* Bombardment, Reconnaissance, and Fighter Aviation Command A. O. – Gen. Mario Ajmone Cat
** 3rd Air Brigade – Brig.Gen. Ferruccio Ranza Eritrea (145 aircraft)
*** HQ Flight (4 × Caproni Ca.101 light bomber/transport aircraft)
*** Reconnaissance Squadron (un-numbered):
**** 34th Reconnaissance Flight (8 × Romeo Ro.1 reconnaissance and ground attack aircraft) attached to Eritrean Corps
**** 38th Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1)
**** 41st Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1)
**** 103rd Reconnaissance Flight (9 × IMAM Ro.37)
**** 116th Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1)
**** 118th Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1) attached to II Army Corps
**** 131st Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1)
**** Libyan Reconnaissance Flight (11 × Ro.1) attached to I Army Corps
*** 106th Fighter Flight (7 × CR.20)
*** 4th Bombers Squadron – Brig.Gen. Attilio Matricardi
**** 14th Bomber Flight "Hic Sunt Leones" – (10 × Caproni Ca.101 D/2)
**** 15th Bomber Flight "La Disperata" – (10 × Ca.101 D/2)
*** 27th Bomber Squadron
**** 17th Bomber Flight (5 × Caproni Ca.111 light bombers)
**** 18th Bomber Flight (5 × Ca.111)
*** Hydroplanes Detachments (4 × Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.4 floatplane and 2 × CANT 25 flying boat fighter)
*** 7th Bomber Wing detached to Somalia with 38 aircraft – Brig.Gen. Ferruccio Ranza (see below)

## Northern Front – Eritrea

* I Army Corps – Ruggiero Santini
** 4th CC.NN. Division "3 Gennaio" (still in Italy) – Gen. Alessandro Traditi
*** 101st CC.NN. Legion, 104th CC.NN. Legion, 215th CC.NN. Legion
** 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" – Gen. Luigi Negri Cesi
*** 7th Alpini Regiment, 11th Alpini Regiment, 5th Alpine Artillery Regiment
** 26th Infantry Division "Assietta" – Gen. Enrico Riccardi
*** 38th Infantry Regiment "Ravenna", 63rd Infantry Regiment "Cagliari", 25th Artillery Regiment
** 30th Infantry Division "Sabauda" – Gen. Italo Gariboldi
*** 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment, 46th Infantry Regiment "Reggio", 60th Infantry Regiment "Calabria", 16th Artillery Regiment
** X Indigenes Battalion (Eritrean Ascari)
** XV Indigenes Battalion (Eritrean Ascari)
** Banda dello Scimezana (native troop)
** 5th Cavalry Squadrons Group
** 3rd Motorized Artillery Group (77 mm/28)
** 5th Motorized Artillery Group (105/28 cannons)
** Artillery Command of positions of Agame
** I Army Corps Engineer Unit
** Libyan Reconnaissance Flight (11 × Ro.1)
* II Army Corps – Pietro Maravigna
** 3rd CC.NN. Division "21 Aprile" – Gen. Giacomo Appiotti
*** 230th CC.NN. Legion, 252nd CC.NN. Legion, 263rd CC.NN. Legion
** 19th Infantry Division "Gavinana" – Gen. Nino Salvatore Villa Santa
*** 70th Infantry Regiment "Ancona", 83rd Infantry Regiment "Venezia", 84th Infantry Regiment "Venezia", 19th Artillery Regiment
** 24th Infantry Division "Gran Sasso" – Gen. Adalberto Principe (Adi Ugri-Quala zone)
*** 13th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo", 14th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo", 225th Infantry Regiment "Arezzo", 18th Artillery Regiment
** Gruppo Bande Altopiano (native troop)
** 10th Cavalry Squadrons Group
** Artillery Group Command (100 mm/17)
** Artillery Command of positions in western Tigre (Eritrean Ascari)
** 2nd Corps Engineer Unit
** 118th Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1) (Libyan)
* Eritrean Corps – Alessandro Pirzio Biroli
** 1st Eritrean Division – Gen. Salvatore di Pietro
** 2nd Eritrean Division – Gen. Achille Vaccarisi
** 1st Eritrean CC.NN. Battalion Group – Filippo Diamanti
*** 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Italian East African CC.NN. Infantry Battalions
*** East African CC.NN. MMG Company
** Banda dell'Hassamò (Irregular troop)
** 6th Cavalry Squadrons Group
** Native Cavalry Squadron Group (Eritrean Ascari troop)
** 2nd Motorized Artillery Group 77 mm/28
** 3rd Motorized Artillery Group 100 mm/17 gun
** 4th Fast Tanks Squadrons Group
** Artillery Command of positions in eastern Tigre
** Eritrean Corps Engineer Unit
** 34th Reconnaissance Flight (8 × Ro.1)(Libyan)
* Western Lowlands Zone – Brig.Gen. Amedeo Couture
** XXVII Indigenes Battalion (Eritrean Ascari)
** XXVIII Indigenes Battalion (Eritrean Ascari)
** Irregulars Foot Bands Group
** "Celere" (fast) Group
** Eritrea Fast Tanks Squadron
* Eastern Lowlands Zone – Brig.Gen. Oreste Mariotti
** XXIV Indigenes Battalion (Eritrean Ascari)
** XXVI Indigenes Battalion (Eritrean Ascari)
** Libyan Battalion
** Massaua Irregulars Band
** Northern Dankalia Irregulars Band
** Southern Dankalia Irregulars Band
** 7th Artillery Battery (120L25)
** 37th Artillery Battery (77L28 – pack camels)
Sent to the front in February 1936
* III Army Corps – Lt.Gen. Ettore Bastico
** 27th Infantry Division "Sila" – Gen. Francesco Bertini
*** 16th Infantry Regiment "Savona", 19th Infantry Regiment "Brescia", 20th Infantry Regiment "Brescia", 12th Artillery Regiment
** 1st CC.NN. Division "23 Marzo" – Gen. Filiberto Ludovico from Eritrean Corps
*** 135th CC.NN. Legion, 192nd CC.NN. Legion, 202nd CC.NN. Legion
Formed in January 1936
* IV Army Corps – Gen. Ezio Babbini
** 5th Infantry Division "Cosseria" – Gen. Pietro Pintor
*** 41st Infantry Regiment "Modena", 42nd Infantry Regiment "Modena", 29th Artillery Regiment
** 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre" – Gen. Umberto Somma
*** 114th CC.NN. Legion, 116th CC.NN. Legion, 180th CC.NN. Legion
** 5th CC.NN. Division "1 Febbraio" (still in Italy) – Gen. Attilio Teruzzi
*** 107th CC.NN. Legion, 128th CC.NN. Legion, 142nd CC.NN. Legion
Organized in March 1936
* Celere Column A.O. (Eritrea), Lt.Gen. Achille Starace
** 82nd CC.NN. Battalion "Mussolini"/6th CC.NN. Battalions Group, motorised
** 8th Artillery Group (77 mm/28, motorised)
** Included truck-transported machine-guns, armoured cars, altogether 3,000 men and 500 motor vehicles.

## Southern Front – Somaliland

* Graziani Column – General Rodolfo Graziani
** 29th Infantry Division "Peloritana" – Gen. Giuseppe Pavone
*** 3rd Infantry Regiment "Piemonte", 4th Infantry Regiment "Piemonte", 75th Infantry Regiment "Napoli", 24th Artillery Regiment
** Libyan Division (Libyan Colonial troops) – Guglielmo Nasi
** 6th CC.NN. Division "Tevere" (still in Italy) – Enrico Boscardi
*** 219th CC.NN. Legion, 220th CC.NN. Legion, 221st CC.NN. Legion, 321st CC.NN. Legion
** Regiment "Lancieri di Aosta"
** 6x Battalions, Royal Colonial Troop Corps (Arab-Somali Colonial troops)
** Camel Mounted Artillery
** 6x Dubat Bands (Companies of Somali Irregulars)
** Ogaden border region command – Colonel Luigi Frusci
*** 9 L3 tanks, 20 Armoured cars
*** 6 Royal Colonial Troop Corps Battalions (Arabo-Somali Colonial troops)
*** 6 Dubat Bands (Companies of Somali Irregulars)
*** 150 trucks
** Sultan Olol Dinke Column (Feudal Army) – Olol Dinke, Sultan of Sciavelli
*** 1000 Dubat (mounted Somali warriors of the Ajuran clan)
* 7th Bomber Wing – Brig.Gen. Ferruccio Ranza (38 aircraft)
** 25th Bomber Squadron:
*** 8th Bomber Flight (10 × Ca.101 bis)
*** 9th Bomber Flight (10 × Ca.101 bis)
** Reconnaissance Flight (10 × Ro.1)
** 107th Fighter Flight (8 × CR.20)

## Libya

Forces were deployed in Libya to threaten the Suez Canal should the British close it to Italian traffic. These units were considered to have taken part in the campaign.
* 18th Infantry Division "Metauro"
** 93rd Infantry Regiment "Messina", 157th Infantry Regiment "Liguria", 2nd Artillery Regiment
* 126th Infantry Division "Assietta II"
** 61st Infantry Regiment "Sicilia", 81st Infantry Regiment "Torino", 25th Artillery Regiment
* Motorized Division "Trento"
** 115th Infantry Regiment "Treviso", 116th Infantry Regiment "Treviso", 46th Artillery Regiment
* 7th CC.NN. Division "Cirene"
** 190th CC.NN. Legion, 196th CC.NN. Legion, 198th CC.NN. Legion, 241st CC.NN. Legion, 271st CC.NN. Legion, 267th CC.NN. Legion, 352nd CC.NN. Legion, 7th Motorized Artillery Regiment