"Arditi - The Daring Ones".With grenades in hand and daggers in their teeth, the ferocious men of the Royal Italian Army's "Arditi" Corps hold a special place in Italian military history - Right alongside Caesar's Legions, and Garibaldi's LegionsOriginating with Cristoforo Baseggio's elite "Death Company" from 1915-1916, the first "Arditi" men emphasized speed and shock tactics tactics for great success in the early years of the Italian front. Official formalized in 1917 as contemporaries of the infamous German "sturmtruppen" ("stormtroopers") of the First World War, the Arditi would serve as the Kingdom of Italy's elite shock troops. Unlike their heavily armed trench raiding contemporaries, they were primarily utilized a light assortment of grenades and daggers for maximum speed and aggression. The tactics proved extremely effective in the confined quarters of trench warfare, and gained the corps a legendary status in Italian military history. The Arditi would be again remobilized, fighting on both sides of the splintered Italian Army after 1943 during the Second World War. In memory of these early shock troops, operators of the modern Italian Army's 9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment ("Colonel Moschin") and the Italian Commando Frogmen carry Arditi colors and battle honors.
Patch features the motto of the House of Savoy, "Foedere et Religione Tenemur" which translates roughly to "Treaty and Religion Bind Us" - appearing similar to the Assault badge worn on the arms of Arditi troops during the latter half of the First World War.
Produced in the standard 2.75 x 2.5" size with hook velcro backing.
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