Blackshirts The Blackshirts ( , or squadristi ) were fascist paramilitary armed squads in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the end of World War II . Blackshirts were officially known as the Voluntary Militia for National Security ( Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale , or MVSN ) . The term was later applied to a similar group serving the British Union of Fascists before World War II , to the SS in Nazi Germany , and to members of a quasi - political organization in India . Inspired by the military prowess and black uniforms of the Arditi , Italy ' s elite storm troops of World War I , the Fascist Blackshirts were organized by Benito Mussolini as the military tool of his political movement . The founders of the paramilitary groups were nationalist intellectuals , former army officers and young landowners opposing peasants ' and country labourers ' unions . Their methods became harsher as Mussolini ' s power grew , and they used violence and intimidation against Mussolini ' s opponents . History . The Blackshirts were established as the " squadristi " in 1919 and consisted of many disgruntled former soldiers . It was given the task of leading fights against their bitter enemies – the Socialists . They may have numbered 200 , 000 by the time of Mussolini ' s March on Rome from 27 to 29 October 1922 . In 1922 the " squadristi " were reorganized into the " milizia " and formed numerous " bandiere " , and on 1 February 1923 the Blackshirts became the Volunteer Militia for National Security ( " Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale " , or MVSN ) , which lasted until the Italian Armistice in 1943 . The Italian Social Republic , located in the areas of northern Italy occupied by Germany , reformed the MVSN into the Republican National Guard ( " Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana " , or GNR ) . Organization . Benito Mussolini was the leader , or Commandant - General , of the blackshirts , but executive functions were carried out by the Chief of Staff , equivalent to an army general . The MVSN was formed in imitation of the ancient Roman army , as follows : Basic organization . The terms after the first are not words common to European armies ( e . g . , the Italian " battaglione " has cognates in many languages ) . Instead , they derive from the structure of the armies of ancient Rome . These units were also organized on the triangular principle as follows : Territorial organization . The MVSN original organization consisted of 15 zones controlling 133 legions ( one per province ) of three cohorts each and one Independent Group controlling 10 legions . In 1929 it was reorganized into four " raggruppamenti " , but later in October 1936 it was reorganized into 14 zones controlling only 133 legions with two cohorts each , one of men 21 to 36 years old and the other of men up to 55 years old , plus special units in Rome , on Ponza Island and the black uniformed " Moschettieri del Duce " ( " The Leader ' s Musketeers " , Mussolini ' s Guard ) and the Albanian Militia ( four legions ) and Colonial Militia in Africa ( seven legions ) . Special militias were also organized to provide security police functions , these included : Ethiopian Campaign . During the 1935 - 36 Abyssinian Campaign seven CCNN Divisions were organized : The first six Divisions were sent to Ethiopia and participated in the war . Blackshirt Division organization . Organization of Blackshirt Divisions ( 3 October 1935 ) . The Blackshirts Rifle Battalions had three rifle companies but no MMG company . The rifle companies had three platoons ( three squads with one LMG each ) . Each Legion had a MMG company with four platoons of three weapons each ( plus two spare ones ) . The Blackshirts replacements battalions were organized as the Blackshirts Rifle Battalions , but its platoon were overstrength ( 60 men each ) and with only 1 x LMG in each platoon . Spanish Civil War . Three CCNN Divisions were sent to participate in the Spanish Civil War as part of the Corpo Truppe Volontarie . The Blackshirt ( Camicie Nere , or CCNN ) Divisions contained regular soldiers and volunteer militia from the Fascist Party . The CCNN divisions were semi - motorised . The 3rd CCNN Division was disbanded and consolidated with the 2nd CCNN Division in April 1937 after their defeat at Guadalajara . After the campaigns in Northern Spain in October 1937 , the 2nd CCNN Division was consolidated with the 1st CCNN and renamed the XXIII de Marzo Division " Llamas Negras " . World War II . In 1940 the MVSN was able to muster 340 , 000 first - line combat troops , providing three divisions ( 1st , 2nd and 4th - all three of which were lost in the North African Campaign ) and , later in 1942 , a fourth division ( " M " ) and fifth division " Africa " were forming . Mussolini also pushed through plans to raise 142 MVSN combat battalions of 650 men each to provide a " Gruppo di Assalto " to each army division . These Gruppi consisted of two cohorts ( each of three " centuriae " of 3 " manipoli " of 2 " squadre " each ) plus Gruppo Supporto company of two heavy machine gun " manipoli " ( with three HMG each ) and two 81 mm mortar " manipoli " ( with 3 Mortars each ) . Later 41 Mobile groups were raised to become the third regiment in Italian Army divisions as it was determined through operational experience that the Italian arm ' s binary divisions were too small in both manpower and heavy equipment . These mobile groups suffered heavy casualties due to being undermanned , under equipped and under trained . The three divisions were destroyed in combat in North Africa . The MVSN fought in every theater where Italy did . Ranks . Mussolini as " Comandante Generale " was made " Primo Caporale Onorario " ( First Honorary Corporal ) in 1935 and Adolf Hitler was made " Caporale Onorario " ( Honorary Corporal ) in 1937 . All other ranks closely approximated those of the old Roman army as follows : Generals : Commissioned Officers : Other Ranks : Legacy . The ethos and sometimes the uniform were later copied by others who shared Mussolini ' s political ideas , including Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany , who issued brown shirts to the " Storm Troops " ( " Sturmabteilung " ) and black uniforms to the " Defense Squad " ( " Schutzstaffel " , also colloquially known as " Brownshirts " , because they wore black suit - like tunics with brown shirts ) , Sir Oswald Mosley in the United Kingdom ( whose British Union of Fascists were also known as the " Blackshirts " ) , William Dudley Pelley in the United States ( Silver Legion of America or " Silver Shirts " ) , in Mexico the Camisas Doradas or " Golden Shirts " , Plínio Salgado in Brazil ( whose followers wore green shirts ) , and Eoin O ' Duffy in the Irish Free State ( Army Comrades Association or " Blueshirts " ) . " Blueshirts " can also refer to Canadian fascists belonging to the Canadian National Socialist Unity Party and to the members of Falange Española , the most influential party within Franco ' s dictatorship in Spain . The paramilitary fascist Iron Guard members in Romania wore green shirts .