Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1068

 1016 ITALY

As provisionally fixed by the ' Gazzetta Ufficiale ' of November 25, 1919, the future field army will be composed of 15 Territorial Army Corps, sub- divided into 30 divisions and 2 cavalry divisions, and includes — the General Staff and Commands of the larger units, the Royal Carabinieri, Infantry. Cavalry, Artillery, Engineers, Aerial Corps, the Military Districts, Invalid and Veteran Corps, Mechanical Transport, Railway Transport, Medical Corps, Supply Corps, Administrative Services, Veterinary Corps, the Military Schools, Institutes and various Technical establishments, the Army and Navy Supreme Tribunal and the Military Penal Establishments.

Besides the above-mentioned units permanently maintained on service, other units and corps that are generally formed at time of mobilisation for instructional duties of a temporary nature, or for internal duties, will form part of the Royal Army. The establishment of the active army in January, 1921, was 250,000 men.

The army corps consists of 2 divisions, the divisions of 2 brigades of infantry each of 3 battalions, and of artillery, engineers and auxiliary services. A regiment of Bersaglieri and a proportion of heavy artillery will be attached to each army corps.

Each regiment of Bersaglieri (light infantry) consists of 3 battalions of infantry and 1 battalion of cyclists, the cyclists being intended to supple- ment the cavalry in the field. The Alpini are frontier troops, specially organised to defend the mountain passes leading into Italy ; they consist of 8 regiments (26 battalions) of Alpine infantry, and 2 regiments of 36 mountain artillery batteries.

Cavalry divisions each consist of 2 brigades of 2 regiments and of a horse artillery regiment. Each cavalry regiment comprises regimental head- quarters, 2 squadron groups and 1 depot squadron.

. The regiments of field artillery, heavy field artillery, heavy and coast artillery each comprise 1 headquarters, 4 groups and a depot. The me- chanically transported artillery is composed of a headquarters, 5 groups anil a depot. The regiment of horse artillery comprises 1 headquarters, 2 groups and a depot.

The Carabinieri are a force of military police. They are recruited by selection from the army, and they remain in the ranks of the force until they have completed 3 years' service. They then serve in the reserve of the Carabinieri for 4 years, after which they are transferred to the territorial militia for the remainder of their service, and are reckoned as a part of the army.

The total number of men mobilised by Italy during the war was 5,615,000. The casualties amounted to : —

Dead in the zone of operations .... 424,921 ,, in rear of the zone of operations. . . 22,000 ,, as prisoners of war ..... 50,000

Total dead .... 496,921

,, wounded. . . . . 949,576

The garrison of Libya consists of 3 infantry battalions, 4 companies mounted infantry, 2 field batteries and 2 mountain batteries as colonial troops recruited voluntarily in Italy for 3 years' service. The native army is to consist of 12 battalions, 6 squadrons, 6 mountain batteries, 3 camel squadrons, etc.