Italian Forces in Spain

Overview

by Greg Novak

This is Part 2 of the Quick Gamer's Guide to the Spanish Civil War, which began in CPQ 7. See Part 1, for the equipment data charts.

The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War caught the government of Italy off guard, and led to a heated debate within it as to the course of action Fascist Italy should take. The initial response of Benito Mussolini was to reject any aid to the rebels, especially since all reports from Italian diplomatic personnel in Spain indicated that the rebellion had no chance of success. However, the newly appointed Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano argued that some aid should be sent to prevent the establishment of a communist state in Spain, and he soon won Mussolini over to his viewpoint. After all, if a "Popular Front" government was established in Spain, it would fall under the influence of the already existing "Popular Front" government in France. Such an alliance, under the control of anti-Fascist elements, would not be in Italy's best interest. Thus, the Italian government reversed its position, and began to send aid to the Nationalist side.

The first request by the Nationalists was for aircraft to help cover the transfer of troops and supplies by sea from Spanish Morocco to Spain. With the majority of the Spanish Navy loyal to the Republic, the Nationalists lacked control of the narrow seas between these area. While troops could and were flown to Spain by transport, the needed supplies to keep these troops in the field had to be brought by ship. Lacking warships, the Nationalists needed aircraft that could prevent the Republican Navy from cutting this vital supply line.

In late June, crewmembers of the Royal Italian Air Force were asked to volunteer for special service overseas. The Italian government ordered 12 S­81 medium bombers to be flown directly to Spanish Morocco, while a number of CR-32 fighters and supporting elements were shipped by sea to the same area. All aircraft were officially removed from Italian service, and repainted in Nationalist markings, while the crewmen enlisted in the Spanish Foreign Legion. Three of the bombers were lost en route, with two forced down by a lack of fuel in French Morocco. The surviving aircraft carried out their mission and permitted the movement of the needed supplies to the mainland by sea. Though the transfer of troops by air caught the attention of the world at the time, it was the supplies that were proved the key to the survival of the Nationalist cause at this time.

From September to December, Italy continued to support Nationalist Spain, sending a mixture of aircraft, weapons and some personnel. While aircrews and pilots were allowed to fly combat operations, army personnel were sent to serve as trainers on the newly provided weapons, not to see combat. Due to a lack of antitank weapons at the front, these advisors found themselves and their assigned trainees pressed into front-line service in October of 1936.

At this point in time, Italian forces in Spain made up the following units:

    Headquarters, with: 1 Command Stand 1 Car 1 Supply Truck
    Tank Company, with: 3 CV 3/33 Tanks
    8 Infantry Gun Batteries, each with: 1 Gun Crew Stand 1 Light Truck 1 65L17 Infantry Gun
    3 Antitank Gun Batteries, each with: 1 Gun Crew Stand 1 Light Truck 1 47L32 Antitank Gun

Notes

1. The infantry gun companies were numbered 1 to 8, while the antitank companies were numbered as the 1st to 3rd.

2. These units did not serve together but were divided among the Nationalist columns serving in the field.

3. The actual Spanish request had been for batteries of 20L65 AA guns to counter the growing Republican Air Force. Due to an error in translation, infantry guns and crews were shipped to Spain instead.

Italian Ground Forces in Spain

Due to the ad hoc nature of the Spanish Civil War in its early stages, both Italian and other military observers became convinced that a well-trained and equipped force would have a decisive effect on the war. To help reach that goal, the Italian government offered to equip and train two brigade-sized formations for the Nationalist Army. These formations were to have Italian officers and NCOs as a cadre, with the remaining personnel recruited from the ranks of the Falange Party. To this offer, the Nationalist government quickly agreed, and authorized the formation of the 1st and 2nd Mixed Brigades.

In addition, as a show of Italian support for Nationalist Spain, the Italian government decided to send to Spain what was to be known as the Corpo Truppe Volontarie (Corps of Voluntary Troops or CTV). This was to be a small corps-sized unit recruited from the ranks of the B Blackshirt Militia and the Italian Army. It was thought that such a unit would provide the National­ists the well-trained and equipped forces that were needed, and help bring the conflict to an early close. It was also thought that the exploits of such a force would gain glory for the arms of Italy in the eyes of the world. To ensure this, the CTV was ordered to remain intact and under Italian control at all times, and was not to be broken up and scattered throughout the Nationalist Army.

It should be noted that the Nationalist government was not consulted nor asked about this formation, and that the arrival of the CTV in Spain took that government by surprise. As a standard argument of the Nationalist platform was the need to remove foreign influence from Spain, the arrival of the CTV was an embarrassment. Neither requested nor wanted, the CTV could not be sent home without offending a badly needed ally, and the Nationalist cause was forced to accept this gift.

The CTV was made up of three divisions of Blackshirt Militia, one mixed brigade of Blackshirt Militia, one Italian infantry division and supporting elements. Many of the men serving in the Blackshirt formations and the supporting army formations were volunteers. It should be pointed out that the relative high pay offered to those who volunteered had some incentive to an Italy going though the effects of the Great Depression.

The CTV numbered at first almost 50,000 men, of whom 20,000 were Italian Army and 30,000 were members of the Blackshirt Militia. While strong on paper, the five formations of the CTV averaged about 6000 men, giving the force five very weak divisions. One problem from the start of the CTV's career in Spain was that replacements were rarely sent, with the result that some formations were disbanded in order to keep others up to strength. The organization of the different elements when in arrived in Spain in early 1937 was as follows:

Italian Forces in Spain

Related

Quick Guide to the Spanish Civil War [Part 1: CPQ 7]

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© Copyright 1995 by Greg Novak.
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