A book about Italian army in 1914 - 1918, second part - Armament, Equipment, Protective Gear and Badges. The book has 736 pages, well illustrated with over 1200 photos. The book is bound in linen with a protective cover. Gallery below shows example pages.
Autor: Francesco Frizzera, Davide Zendri and the others
ISBN: 978-3-903341-39-5 (German) or 978-3-903341-40-1 (English) 978-3-903341-41-8 (Italian)
Issue info: 736 pages, over 1200 colour photos, including present-day photos and illustrations, bound in linen. Size: 29.5 x 26.0 cm.
- Book is published by Verlag Militaria, highly appreciated military history publishing house.
- We send the book in 14 days after receiving the payment.
ITEM DESCRIPTION IN ENGLISH
At the outbreak of the First World War, Italy was a country where a process of industrialization had begun, but with a delay compared to major continental competitors. The State, pursuing great power policies, had established an Army based on mass conscription and compulsory military service that, in the event of conflict, could rely on the option of enlisting and calling up millions of citizens, similar to what happened in most European states and empires.
The size of the mobilization, which involved over five million adult males, the duration of the conflict and the innovations introduced during the war – specific to trench warfare or linked to the use of new and different offensive systems – put the Italian industrial, logistical and supply apparatus to the test.
This illustrated double volume recounts the transformations experienced by the Italian Army during the war, through the presentation of over 500 weapons, equipment, protective gear, badges and decorations. Divided into 14 chapters, written by 15 authors, the text delves into the evolution of edged weapons and firearms (short, long, individual, team firearms) and the progressive introduction and development of hand and rifle grenades. It then focuses on individual equipment, equipment for mountain warfare, the use and development of wire cutters, equipment in military healthcare and communication tools. The volume than presents individual protection systems (gas masks and protective gear developed for chemical warfare; trench shields), with a review of individual fatigue and work equipment (fatigue uniform, other protective clothing, footwear). It ends with the presentation of insignias, badges and official medals in use by the Italian Army, during the war and in the aftermath of the conflict.
The items described come from the collections of the Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra and other public and private international collections. The repertoire covers all the army’s supplies – except for artisanal production – up to the end of the First World War and is accompanied by a very rich black and white photographic apparatus, with over 500 historical photos, aimed at better describing the pieces.
