One doesnt have to go back very far in history to see Italians as some of the most prodigious warriors in the world, in fact, their martial history is probably more splendid over time than any other nation on earth (Roman Empire, city states of Milan, Genoa and Venice and so on). For centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire Italians were the most sought after mercenaries in the medieval world and individual Italian city states took on entire countries and won.
So what do you think went wrong? Because clearly something did go wrong with the Italians as a martial race in the modern era. Any thoughts?
"Comrade Lenin left us a great legacy, and we fucкed it up." - Josef Stalin
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I'd say it was the Roman Catholic Church's fault. Being based in Rome prevented any sort of centralization from occuring.
Quote: Machiavelli wrote about that in The Prince. He stated that having mercenaries was part of a ruler's downfall because the could not be trusted. ![]() "By what standard of morality can the violence used by a slave to break his chains be considered the same as the violence of a slave master?" - Walter Rodney
Carius wrote:
Quote: First of all, Oswald did NOT assassinate Kennedy or the police officer J.D. Tippit. Secondly, the weapon used for the job wasn't a Carcano rifle.
Soviet cogitations: 2
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 19 Jan 2009, 21:43 New Comrade (Say hi & be nice to me!)
well you have to realize that the Italians in Russia were rottenly equipped..
they didn't have proper clothing. It was made with "Autharichic Wool", they didn't have anti freeze oil for their guns and they had shoes made with cardboard... The ARMIR (Italian Army in Russia) managed to pull out from the disaster, but at a terrible price. I rememberr a story that a veteran from that campaign told me.. He was a seargent in the Tridentina Division and his regiment was preparing to go to Poland and he had to collect equipment for his unit, spare uniforms and so... He saw that the equipment was of poor quality and refused to sign the acquisition form. The comander of the logistic block simply went apeshit with him, he thretened him to courtmartial him, but this stubborn seargent refused to collect the items. In the end a captain that surveid the scene told him.. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid I'll have to punish you.. you were right but I'm forced to punish you" and he gave him three days of C.P.R. (Cella di Punizione di Rigore = Rigorous Punishment Cell). Theese three days of jail saved the seargent from going to USSR and saved his life, because the regiment in which he served, which was a mountain artillery regiment was annhilated in during the battle for Stalingrad. Quote:They did have clothing that was sufficient to begin with, especially the mountain troops, who were originally designed for going to Caucasus Mountains. Quote:Generalization; they did. Only after things took a torn for worse at Stalingrad front did the supply decrease. Quote:Only after things took a turn for worse. Quote: The Italian forces stationed around Stalingrad were the last to retreat. Radio Moscow reported that the only enemy still undefeated around Stalingrad was the Italian army. They held their ground long after many stereotypes would have seen them retreating and surrendering in masses.
Soviet cogitations: 2932
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 16 Aug 2006, 17:30 Party Bureaucrat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beda_Fomm
Owned. Read the forum rules! A wiki link is not welcome, especially when it's just put there without at least some explanatory comments. sptnz ![]() Ideology transforms human beings into subjects, leading them to see themselves as self-determining agents when they are in fact shaped by ideological processes. L. Althusser
Soviet cogitations: 7
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 02 Apr 2009, 12:16 New Comrade (Say hi & be nice to me!)
The Italians in WWII were a pretty good force, Some of their battles are noteable. I guess though because a lot of the world in most eyes had focussed on other The five major powers, The USSR, The UK, U.S.A, Japan, and Germany. Because a lot of the war seems to be europe in big famous battles as D-Day, The battle of britain, Stalingrad, and ofcourse the Fall of berlin, Im not sure if its because Italy wasnt famous for the holocaust like germany or they didnt fight in enourmous battles in europe, but people ( mostly the ones i talk to ) focus world war II on the the pacific and european fronts, not really the Italian and African fronts so much.
I've noticed that too. But it should be worth noting that the Italians couldn't even capture Ethiopia without help from Nazi Germany.
Once capitalists know we can release the Kraken, they'll back down and obey our demands for sure.
_Comrade Gulper
italy is not famous for the holocaust because they rehabilitated the old regime to prevent communist takeover. in the territories controlled by them there were still mass killings and concentration camps. in some cases their atrocities were higher than german in occupied territories. and their armies were one of the worst ones, morale and equipment wise.
![]() Jugoslavija je bleda slika premrzlega partizana zato je njeno ljudstvo navajeno trpeti zato je njeno ljudstvo pripravljeno umreti. -Via Ofenziva Forum Rules
Brave Italians? The imperialist policies are a shame to the Italians, as almost everything Carius says to celebrate Italy is.
Moris is right about the holocaust. As to the Romans being the ancestors of all modern Italians, it is clearly a myth. Italy was inhabitated by lots of other peoples when it was conquered by the Romans: Osco-Umbrians, Greeks, Sardinians, Sycanians, Messapians, Etruscans, Celts, Venetians, Raetians... The Romans did not obviously exterminate all those peoples, though cases of deportation happened, and the sole descendants of Rome's people could not reasonably outnumber the indigenous peoples. Then other peoples came: Goths, Huns, Longobards, Byzantine Greeks, Arabs etc. everyone necessarily leaving descendants, though I should disagree with comrade Konev because I think they cannot have outnumbered the Roman or indigenous peoples... We are not so Germanic in appearance... If you tremble at the slightest indignation done to a fellow human, then you are my comrade-in-arms. Commander E. Guevara de la Serna
in my opinion us slovenians are actually closer to romans than italians are (citizens of city of rome could be excepted from this since i was told that they avoided migrations of longobards and goths). when slavs moved to the present territory of slovenia we pretty much enslaved every christian we could find and we were exempted from migrations of the people unlike the rest of the areas around the former empire and through out the history our territory was pretty much ethnically clean (after we joined frankish empire which eventually became the holy roman empire and later under habsbourg crown, our territory was not conquered by any other occupational force until world war 1) and in majority consisted of descendants of those slavs and romans.
![]() Jugoslavija je bleda slika premrzlega partizana zato je njeno ljudstvo navajeno trpeti zato je njeno ljudstvo pripravljeno umreti. -Via Ofenziva Forum Rules
Depending on how you define "Roman", Greeks are pretty close to that as well. We've pretty much remained ethnically unchanged since Byzantine.
"Don't know why i'm still surprised with this shit anyway." - Loz
Soviet cogitations: 319
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 20 Feb 2010, 11:57 Resident Admiral
As Italian i just would like to points some things among some true "rubbish" told by different people (probably caused by prejudicies (good or bad) or not much knowledge).
The Italian Army went in war TOTALLY unprepared and ready to face the Allied Forces, the Army had levels of training and equipment of WWI-era, the air force had very nice airplanes but produced one-by-one (and not in series) with serious errors of consideration (biplanes as main fighters). The only "strong" force was possibly the Navy with some very good projects and large units that could match with the British ones. The main defect of the Italian Army was however the poor convinction of the soldiers. The Army WASN't fascist, but mainly Monarchists and monarchist officers were in contrast with the fascist hierarchy. The "common soldier" wasn't neither a fascist neither really interested to fight .. still there was a great courage and strength of despair in many difficult moment. As Italian i openly admit the terrible massacres commited by our army, the ones in Libya and Ethiopia were directly planned by the Fascist hierarchs as the ones in the Balcans. The common officer or soldier usually had only suspicion and bewilderment for the Nazis and the German soldiers.. not "all happy allied against the Allied forces". In Battles, the Italian Army proved to could not resist at the impact and at the tactics of the British (Africa) and Soviet (Ussr) armies.. and often the only grounds for pride were single acts of single individuals. That's the exact comment also for the Navy theatre. The Italian Navy had wonderful ships (the Vittorio Veneto class battleships or the Zara class heavy cruisers) but had lack of experience and strategy. Still the most amazing actions were realized by little teams of commandos and frog-men. (some of fascist origin, some not..) As Italian i can tribute to the common italian soldier, betrayed by our fascist leaders, left alone by the Germans (escaping on trucks) to walk and die in the african desert or in the russian snow during the retreats. Returned at home and facing only the silence of shame.. Then.. the awareness of being exploited by the criminal Nazi-fascist war-machine... and finally the decision to take the rifle and walking on the mountains, joining the partisan brigades of liberation to free the Italy from the obscurantist fascism.
Soviet cogitations: 55
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 09 Feb 2011, 12:58 Ideology: Social Democracy Pioneer
I agree with 1RedItalian. Alot of the things that are circulating on this post are rumours. While I cannot deny that my country did not commit atrocities, I would not consider them to be above Nazi atrocities. Another thing to remember is that Mussolini was Hitler's plaything. On 24th July 1943, the Fascist council was summoned by Mussolini. In that same session, many of the council members, including his son-in-law, Galeazzo Ciano, voted to remove Mussolini from power. Although, the motion was passed, Mussolini fled and set up a shadow government called the R.S.I Ciano was dismissed from Foreign Minister under the new government. However, under Fascist and German pressure, Ciano and others were arrested. Hitler attempted to convince Mussolini to have Ciano and the others shot. Mussolini resisted and Hitler began sending threats. Eventually, Mussolini was forced to have them shot.
As for the invasion of Ethiopia, it took place in 1935. Historians will know that this was the time of the Economic Depression. Countries across the world were suffering from food shortages, lack of resources amongst other things. Mussolini's invasion was an attempt to help improve conditions in Italy. Make no mistake, I am not trying to defend Mussolini. I believe, however, that it was Hitler's doctrines of Ruthlessness that began to ware off on Mussolini. After a while, he probably just became a machine that ordered any sort of attack at any opportunity on any target without considering loss of life. ![]() "Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem." Joseph Stalin Quote: How exactly would invading (desert) Ethiopia and having to ship food (etc.) to 200+ thousand soldiers 2000 km from home improve conditions in Italy?
Soviet cogitations: 55
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 09 Feb 2011, 12:58 Ideology: Social Democracy Pioneer
It wasn't just food. All countries at that time were suffering from the depression: America, Germany, Italy...etc so it is likely that they were hoping to find natural resources or something to trade.
![]() "Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem." Joseph Stalin
Soviet cogitations: 319
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 20 Feb 2010, 11:57 Resident Admiral Comrade Whiggon wrote: There was also an huge need for internal propaganda reason. The country needed a "bloody adventure", i've the great opportunity to speak with my grandma (still alive) that was a teen during the WWII, there was a large exaltation about the AOI (eritrea+ethiopia+somalia) in an absurd idea to re-build the Roman Empire. I'm lucky enaugh to have a book for schools for young fascists of the time and it's simply ridiculous.
Soviet cogitations: 58
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 05 Feb 2013, 02:59 Ideology: Marxism-Leninism Pioneer
Please refrain from insulting your fellow posters. If you have a specific point or question to make you are free to do so in a polite and respectful manner, but your post as it stands adds nothing but animosity to the discussion.
Last edited by Shigalyov on 19 Feb 2013, 15:37, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: insults removed
Owing to the nature of comments in here I am going to temporarily lock this topic. If anybody has any serious additions to make to the discussion simply pm me and it can be unlocked.
______________________________ Edit: I am unlocking this topic now, but would like to insist that people make a special effort to avoid posting racially offensive material. That sort of thing has no place in a forum like SE. Last edited by Shigalyov on 30 Mar 2013, 13:08, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: topic unlocked |
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