Military Organization Terms

Many thanks to Arturo Filippo Lorioli for contributing this article.

Here are the exact Italian translations of military organization terms. Guess they could be useful if somebody wish to give proper names to his Italian units when wargaming.

• Infantry = Fanteria
• Cavalry = Cavalleria
• Artillery = Artiglieria
• Anti-Air = Contraerea
• Anti-Tank = Controcarro
• Field = Campale
• Heavy = Pesante
• Mountain = da Montagna
• Costal = Costiera
• Engineers = Genieri
• Assault Eng. = Guastatori
• Blackshirts = Camicie Nere (CCNN)
• Parachutist = Paracadutisti
• Marines = Fanteria di Marina
• Motorcyclists = Motociclisti
• Motor = Motorizzato (pl, bn, rgt) or Motorizzata (coy, brig, div)
• Armour = A)- Corazzato (rgt) or Corazzata (brig, div) B)- Carri (pl, coy, bn).

Armanents

• MG = Mitraglieri
• SMG = Moschetti Automatici
• Mortars = Mortai
• Howitzers = Obici
• Flamethrowers = Lanciafiamme A
• nti-Tanks Rifles = Fuciloni Controcarro
• Armoured Cars = Autoblindo
• Self propelled = Semovente
• Trucks = Autocarri (Haevy, Medium, Light = Pesanti, Medi or Leggeri)
• Cars = Automobili
• Prime Movers = Trattori d'Artiglieria

Units

• Command = Comando
• Staff = Stato Maggiore
• Forward Observer = Osservatore d'Artiglieria

• Platoon = Plotone (Section for aty, Manipolo for CCNN)
• Company = Compagnia (Squadrone for cav., Batteria for arty, Centuria for CCNN)
• Battalion = Battaglione (Gruppo Squadroni for cav., Gruppo for arty, Coorte for CCNN)
• (Attention: Anti-tank artillery used Plotone, Compagnia and Battaglione terms like the Infantry)
• Regiment = Reggimento (Legione for CCNN)
• Brigade = Brigata
• Division = Divisione
• Corps = Corpo d'Armata
• Army = Armata
• ?? = Raggruppamento (a Brigade-level artillery command, usually the holding unit for Corps arty assets)
• Task Force = Gruppo Tattico
• Detachment = Distaccamento

That would be enough to translate the vast majority of military organization terms (so a Cmd.Assault Eng. platoon should be translated as Plotone Comando Guastatori, a Blackshirt MMG stand will be a Manipolo Mitraglieri Camicie Nere, and the a/c Coy - 1st Cav.bn- Lancieri di Novara cav.rgt will be the Squadrone Autoblindo, 1.Gruppo Squadroni - Reggimento Cavalleria "Lancieri di Novara"). Please note than in Italian the "level" of the units (platoon, regiment, division etc) is always placed before the branch of service (so an Infantry Division is translated as a Divisione Fanteria), and the "type" of unit (motor, mountain etc) is after the branch (so an m/c MMG is Mitraglieri Motociclisti).