The Italian Army of World War I

by David Nicolle, Raffaele Ruggeri (Illustrator)

Overview

The dilemma of the young Italian kingdom and the experience of her army in the Great War were unique among the combatant nations. Late to enter the war against the Central Powers, she faced a massively defended Austro-Hungarian front in the north, including strong mountain features, as well as distractions in the Balkans and a simultaneous rebellion in her Libyan colony. Costly and repeated battles on the Isonzo front culminated in the disaster of Caporetto in October 1917, followed by a remarkable revival and eventual victory in 1918. This concise study describes and illustrates the Italian Army's campaigns, organisation, uniforms, weapons and equipment – including the famous 'death companies' and Arditi assault troops.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782006930
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	11/20/2012
Series:	Men-at-Arms , #387
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Dr David Nicolle was born in 1944. He worked in the BBC Arabic service before going 'back to school', gaining an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies and a PhD from Edinburgh University. He later taught World and Islamic art and architectural history at Yarmuk University, Jordan. He has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years.

Raffaele Ruggeri lives and works in Bologna, Italy. He has a particular personal interest in the armies and forces of the Ottoman Empire, and has illustrated several titles for Osprey on this subject.
David Nicolle is Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Medieval Studies, Nottingham University. He is the author of numerous books on aspects of medieval military history, including many for Osprey.
Raffaele Ruggeri was born in Bologna where he still works and lives. After studying at the Fine Arts Academy, he worked in several areas of graphics and design before deciding to devote himself to illustration. He has long been interested in military history and has illustrated a number of books for Osprey including MAA 547, Roman Army Units in the Eastern Provinces (2) and CBT 55, Roman Legionary vs Gallic Warrior.

Table of Contents

Italy and the Great Army; Chronology; Mobilisation, Strength & character; line Infantry; Elite & Specialist units; Weapons; Cavalry & Mechanised troops; technical troops; Support troops; Colonial & naval troops; Select bibliography & further reading; the plates; Index