Italian partisan brigades

The Italian partisan brigades were armed formations involved in the Italian resistance during the World War II.

They were formed on voluntary base by irregular soldiers and sometimes were organized by former army members who served in the Italian occupied territories. Those formations had been active between the 8 September 1943 (with the Badoglio Proclamation) and the end of the war on 6 May 1945.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 Components
* 1.2 Political affiliations
* 2 Partisan mountain formations in April 1945
* 2.1 In Italy
* 3 Other partisan formations
* 3.1 Notes about other formations
* 4 Partisan formations abroad
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 Bibliography
* 8 External links

## History[edit]

During the WWII, groups of partisans were formed after the Badoglio Proclamation by former members of the Royal Italian Army located in the north centre of Italy and in the territories occupied by the Kingdom like those of the Balkans. The former soldiers were then flanked by anti-fascists, exiles and expatriates.

In the autumn of 1943, the Direction of the Italian Communist Party suggested the formation of organized structures and promoted the creation of the Garibaldi battalions. These groups were conceived as assault brigades because they had to be immediately active but the organization would be formed during their activity.

### Components[edit]

During the war, new formations were continuously created until April 1945, and an important event was the creation of the General Command of Corpo volontari della libertà (CVL, "Corps of Freedom Volunteers") on 9 June 1944 in Milan,[1] where the headquarters of main partisan organizations were located. The CVL represented the partisan movement among Allies and the Italian government and it had the purpose of coordinate brigades and local National Liberation Committees.[2]

According to the communist members, the brigade formation implied a military-like model of organization with a hierarchy formed by General Command, divisions, brigades, battalions, companies, squads and groups.[3] It was also introduced the charge of the "political commissar" according to the experiences of the October Revolution and the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.[3] This kind of organization would be realized only in summer 1944, when also the other parties adopted the military-political structure, with or without "commissars" representing the party of reference.[3]

Brigades of army-men were formed mainly abroad by former soldiers and officers who did not accepted to be humiliated and imprisoned by the Nazis.[4] After the Armistice of Cassibile, Allies allowed the Kingdom to reorganize the remaining army forces which were initially left without any order but most soldiers decided to join the resistance brigades already active.[4]

According to the newspaper Avvenire, catholic formations were often in contrast with the other ones of different political sides, but during the liberation war there was still a collaboration from both the sides. Catholics who actively took part to the Resistance were 65,000 - 80,000 out of about 200,000 partisans.[5]

During the Resistance various formations merged and subdivided according to the situations of the operative areas, with different criteria and sizes. For example, some Garibaldi groups had a pyramidal structure:

* The Squad (Squadra), which was the lowest unit which was formed by 10-20 combatants
* Three Squads formed a Company (Compagnia) or Detachment (Distaccamento), with 30-60 combatants
* Three Companies or Detachment formed a Battalion (Battaglione) of 90-180 combatants
* Three Battalions formed a Brigade (Brigata) of 270-540 combatants
* Three Brigades formed a Division (Divisione) of 810-1620 combatants

### Political affiliations[edit]

Within the Corpo volontari della libertà there were the following political affiliations:

* Brigate Garibaldi, GAP and SAP were related to the Italian Communist Party (PCI)[3][6]
* Brigate Giustizia e Libertà, led by Ferruccio Parri, were related to the Action Party (PdA)[7]
* Brigate Matteotti were related to the Italian Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity (the name of the Italian Socialist Party at the time) led by Sandro Pertini and Giuseppe Saragat.[8]
* Brigate del popolo, Brigate Fiamme Verdi and Brigate Osoppo were related to the Christian Democracy (DC) and the catholic religion in general.[9]
* Brigate Mazzini were related to the Italian Republican Party (PRI).[10]
* The formations called badogliane (also known as azzurre or autonome) were mainly formed by those with liberal or conservative ideals, united by their loyalty towards the Monarchy. Born among the divisions of the Royal Army, they were affiliated with the House of Savoy and recognized Raffaele Cadorna as their military leader.[11] The azzurre formations maintained their hierarchical structure and they could give to the Resistance their war expertise and relations with the Allied Forces, essential for supplies and aids.
* Organizzazione Franchi of Edgardo Sogno represented the Italian Liberal Party and the monarchicals.[11]
* There were also Trotskyist organizations, like the Movimento Comunista d'Italia, and anarchic formations like Brigate Bruzzi Malatesta of Milan.[11]

Sometimes names were not closely linked to the relative parties: for example, the Osoppo Brigades of Friuli, which were born with an important contributions of PdA, accepted their dependence on DC and the Friulian clergy.[12] The Brigate Fiamme Verdi diversified themselves in the territory: the Lombard ones, formed by catholic intellectuals, became exclusive military formations with a liberal orientation; the ones of Reggio Emilia, instead, were directly led by DC as the Brigate del Popolo.[9] The Mazzini Brigades in Veneto did not a close relationship with PRI as the Lombard ones.

## Partisan mountain formations in April 1945[edit]

### In Italy[edit]

The following is a list of Division and Brigade Commands of partisan formations which operated in the mountains of centre-north Italy in April 1945, classified by partisan and historian Roberto Battaglia.[13]

There were:

* 46 Garibaldi formations
* 33 GL (Giustizia e Libertà)
* 12 Matteotti
* 4 Fiamme Verdi
* 15 autonomous formations

No.  | Operative areas  | Formations  | Notes

|
|
|

1  | Milan | Comando generale CVL Corpo volontari della libertà |
2  | Ossola | Divisione Garibaldi Redi
3  | Divisione Valtoce
4  | Divisione Flaim
5  | Divisione Beltrami
6  | Varese | Divisione Alto Milanese
7  | Brigata Greppi
8  | Brigata Passerini
9  | 1ª Brigata Loto
10  | Divisione Garibaldi Fratelli Varalli
11  | Divisione Garibaldi Pajetta
12  | II Aosta Valley | C 1ª Brigata Autonoma. Valle d'Aosta
13  | Divisione Matteotti Aosta
14  | 7ª Divisione Garibaldi Piemonte Elter
15  | 2ª Divisione Alpina GL Ferriera
16  | Brigata Autonoma GL Leone
17  | I Biellese | 5ª Divisione Garibaldi R. Maffei
18  | 12ª Divisione Garibaldi Piemonte Nedo
19  | III Canavesan Lanzo | 8ª Divisione Autonoma Giovane Piemonte
20  | Raggruppamento Brigata Matteotti Davito
21  | 7ª Divisione Garibaldi GL Canavesana
22  | Colonna GL R.Giua
23  | 2ª e 4ª Divisione Garibaldi Piemonte Unificate
24  | IV Susa \- Chisone | Brigata Matteotti Martorelli
25  | 4ª Divisione Alpina GL Stellina
26  | 3ª Divisione Garibaldi P.Deo
27  | 10ª Divisione Autonoma Val Chisone
28  | 13ª Divisione Garibaldi Pietrorame
29  | 9ª Divisione Autonoma De Vitis
30  | Divisione GL Campana
31  | 5ª Divisione Alpina GL S.Tosa
32  | Divisione GL Torino
33  | Divisione Matteotti Giachino
33a  | V Sangone Valley | Divisione Autonoma Valsangone
34  | VI Monferrat Langhe | 5ª Divisione Autonoma. Monferrato
35  | GMO GL
36  | Divisione Matteotti Rossi
37  | 6ª Divisione Autonoma. Alpi
38  | 9ª Divisione GL Ferreira
39  | I Divisione Garibaldi Piemonte Lanfranco
40  | Divisione Matteotti Cattaneo
41  | 8ª Divisione Garibaldi Piemonte Asti
42  | VI Monregalese Langhe  | 9ª Divisione Garibaldi Piemonte Imerito
43  | C IV Brigata Autonoma. Brà
44  | 3ª Divisione GL Langhe
45  | 11º Garibaldi Piemonte Langhe
46  | Left plain of Tanaro | 103ª Brigata Autonoma Amendola | Colonel commander Renato Gancia
47  | VI Monregalese Langhe  | 14ª Divisione Garibaldi Piemonte Capriolo |
48  | 2ª Divisione Autonoma. Langhe | Piero Balbo - Enrico Martini general commander
49  | 1ª Divisione Autonoma. Langhe |
50  | 4ª Divisione Autonoma. Alpina
51  | V West Cuneo | Divisione Matteotti Lungense
52  | 2ª Divisione Alpina GL
53  | 10ª Divisione GL
54  | 11ª Divisione Garibaldi Piemonte Cuneo
55  | XXV ª Brigata GL Bellano
56  | XXI ª Brigata GL Paglieri
57  | 1ª Divisione Alpina GL
58  | 3 ª Divisione Autonoma. Alpi
59  | Imperia | Divisione Garibaldi Cascione
60  | Divisione Garibaldi Bonfante
61  | II Savona | Divisione Bevilacqua
62  | Divisione Panevino
63  | Divisione Fumagalli
64  | VII Alessandria | 2ª Divisione Autonoma. Patria
65  | 10 ª Divisione Garibaldi Piemonte Italia
66  | 8 ª Divisione GL.
67  | 16 ª Divisione Garibaldi Piemonte Viganò
68  | Divisione Matteotti Marengo
69  | Oltrepò Pavese | Divisione Matteotti Barni
70  | 4 ª Divisione Garibaldi Lombardia Gramsci
71  | 2 ª Divisione GL Masia
72  | 3 ª Divisione Garibaldi Lombardia Aliotta
73  | VI Zone (between Alessandria and Genoa)  | Divisione Garibaldi Pinan Cichero
74  | Divisione Garibaldi Cichero
75  | Brigata Caio
76  | Divisione GL Matteotti
77  | Divisione Garibaldi Coduri | Eraldo Fico
78  | XIII Piacenza | 1ª Divisione GL Piacenza |
79  | Divisione Garibaldi Bersani Val d'Arda
80  | Divisione Valnure
81  | East-West Cisa Parma | Divisione Valceno
82  | Divisione Valtaro
83  | Divisione Garibaldi Monte Orsaro
84  | Divisione Cisa
85  | Divisione Garibaldi Ricci
86  | IV La Spezia | Divisione Garibaldi Picchiara
87  | Brigata Borrini
88  | Divisione Garibaldi Centocroci
89  | Brigata Muccini
90  | Brigata Giustizia e Libertà
90  | Reggio Emilia | Brigata Fiamme Verdi (RE)
91  | 1ª Divisione Garibaldi Reggiana
92  | Modena | Divisione Modena Pianura
93  | Divisione Modena Armando
94  | Divisione Modena Montagna.
95  | Bologna | Divisione Bologna Pianura.
96  | Divisione Bologna Montagna
97  | Forlì | Divisione Leggera Forlì
98  | Ravenna | Divisione Leggera Ravenna
99  | Ferrara | Brigata Ferrara
100  | Rovigo | Brigata Tasso
101  | Brigata Bonato
102  | Plain of Verona | Brigata "Verona" | Commander "Redi" (Renato Tisato)
103  | Brigata "Anita" | Commander "Gallo" (Cesare Albertini)
104  | Brigata "Stella Rossa" | Commander "Spartaco" (Armando Plazzi)
105  | Brigata "Adige" | Commander "Romeo" (Di Lorenzo Francesco)
106  | Brigata "Scaligera" | Commander "Cambrone" (Giovanni Ballarotto)
107  | Brigata "Italia" | Commander "Enzo" (Fiorenzo Olivieri)
108  | Brigata "Stella Pianura" | Commander "Siva" (Marcello Perazzolo)
109  | Brigata "Carlo Montanari" | Commander "Ettore" (Enzo Falcetta)
110  | Vicenza | Brigata Vicenza | Giacomo Prandina
111  | Padua | Brigata Damiano Chiesa | Vito Olivetti
112  | Brigata Silvio Trentin |
113  | Brigata Garibaldi (PD)
114  | Brigata Lubian GL
115  | Brigata Negri
116  | Brigata Pierobon
117  | Brigata Rutoli
118  | Venezia Mestre | Brigata Ruspo
119  | Brigata Pellegrini | Antonio Pellegirini "Carlo"
120  | Brigata Piave (VE) |
121  | Brigata Erminio Ferretto
122  | Brigata Iberati
123  | Brigata Gramsci (VE)
124  | Brigata Conti
125  | Friuli | 5ª Divisione Garibaldi Osoppo Friuli | [14]
126  | Divisione Carnia |
127  | Divisione Sinistra Tagliamento
128  | Divisione Destra Tagliamento
129  | Divisione Sud Arzino
130  | Brigata Rosselli (Friuli).
131  | Brigata Picelli
132  | 3ª Divisione Garibaldi Osoppo Friuli | [14]
133  | 1ª Divisione Garibaldi Osoppo Friuli
134  | Divisione Udine |
135  | 2ª Divisione Garibaldi Osoppo Friuli | [14]
136  | 4ª Divisione Garibaldi Osoppo Friuli
137  | Treviso | Brigata Bortolato. |
138  | Brigata Tito Speri
139  | Brigata Furlan | Antonio Furlan
140  | Brigata Orerto |
141  | Padua - Treviso  | Divisione Garibaldi Sabatucci
142  | Treviso  | Brigata Zancanaro
143  | Brigata Badini
144  | Brigata Treviso
145  | Piave (Belluno)  | Brigata 7º Alpini.
146  | Brigata Val Cordevole
147  | Divisione Garibaldi Belluno
148  | Brigata Fulmine
149  | Divisione Garibaldi N. Nannetti | Francesco Pesce
150  | Brigata Piave |
151  | Monte Grappa | Divisione Monte Grappa
152  | Mount Ortigara (Asiago plateau)  | Divisione Monte Ortigara | Commander Giacomo Chilesotti
153  | Bolzano | Divisione Val dell'Adige |
154  | Trento | Divisione Garibaldi "Ateo Garemi" | Commander "Alberto" (Nello Boscagli)
155  | Verona (Lessini)  | Brigata "Luciano Manara" | Commander "Paolo" (Luciano Dal Cero)
156  | Brigata "Pierobon" | Commander "Elvio" (Bortolo Antonio Deganello)
157  | Brigata "Avesani" | Commander "Gianni" (Gianpietro Marini)
158  | Sondrio | 1ª Divisione Alpina GL Valtellina. | Commander "Camillo" (Giuseppe Motta)
159  | Brescia | L 4ª Brigata Garibaldi Belotti |
160  | Divisione Fiamme Verdi Tito Speri
161  | Brigata GL Monte Suello
162  | 7ª Brigata Matteotti
163  | C 22ª Brigata Garibaldi (BS)
164  | Divisione Fiamme Verdi Lunardi
165  | Brigata GL Barnaba
166  | Gruppo Brigata Apolitiche - III settore.
167  | Formazione Chiari - V settore.
168  | Bergamo | Divisione Garibaldi (BG)
169  | Divisione GL Orobica
170  | Divisione Fiamme Verdi (BG)
171  | Como Lecco | 1ª Divisione Garibaldi Lombardia.
172  | 2ª Divisione Garibaldi Lombardia
173  | 16ª Divisione GL
174  | Divisione Puecher
175  | Brigata Piazza (Como)
176  | Brigata Benetta
177  | C 4ª Brigata Citterio
178  | VI Zone (between Alessandria and Genoa)  | Divisione Garibaldi Mingo

## Other partisan formations[edit]

The following are the Divisional and Brigade commands of partisan formations which operated during the Resistance and had not been classified by Battaglia.

No.  | Operative areas  | Formations  | Notes

|
|
|

1  | VI Zone (between Alessandria and Genoa)  | Battaglioni Matteotti Valbisagno |
2  | Como- Lecco  | 55ª Brigata F.lli Rosselli | See No. 172 of the previous table
3  | Umbria | Brigata Garibaldi "Antonio Gramsci" |
4  | Rome | Bandiera Rossa
5  | Marzabotto | Brigata Partigiana Stella Rossa
6  | Venice | Brigata partigiana Martiri di Mirano
7  | Massa | Battaglione Lucetti
8  | Friuli  | Brigata Osoppo | See No. 125,132,133,135,136 of the previous table
9  | Apuan Alps | Divisione partigiana Lunense | [13]
10  | Ravenna (plain)  | 28ª Brigata Garibaldi "Mario Gordini" | Arrigo Boldrini
11  | Umbria | Brigata Risorgimento |
12  | Pistoia | XI Zona Patrioti
13  | Tigullio | Divisione "Coduri" | Eraldo Fico
14  | ...  | Gruppo Patrioti della Maiella (Brigata Maiella) | Ettore Troilo
15  | Romagna | 8ª Brigata Garibaldi Romagna |
16  | VI Zone (La Spezia)  | Battaglione Val di Vara (Brigata Giustizia e Libertà) | Commander Daniele "Dany" Bucchioni
17  | Trentino (Tesino and Valsugana)  | Battaglione Gherlenda (Brigata Gramsci) | Commander Isidoro Giacomin "Fumo"

### Notes about other formations[edit]

The Brigate Osoppo were coordinated for a period of 1944 by unified military command of division together with the Brigate Garibaldi while having the organizational autonomy. An example of this was during the government of the partisan Free Republic of Carnia.

## Partisan formations abroad[edit]

Partisan formations abroad were significant and were formed by militars of former divisions of the Royal Italian Army located outside the current national borders at 8 September 1943, in the Balkans. Soldiers decided voluntarily to reorganize themselves in order to avoid the imprisonment by Nazis and to collaborate with local groups.[4] Among the formations, there were:

No.  | Operative area  | Formation

|
|

1  | Kingdom of Yugoslavia | Divisione Italia
2  | Italian occupation of Montenegro | Divisione italiana partigiana Garibaldi (Montenegro)
3  | Italian protectorate of Albania | Antonio Gramsci Battalion

## See also[edit]

* WWII portal
* Italy portal

* National Liberation Committee
* Italian Resistance Movement
* ANPI

## References[edit]

1. ^ "La costituzione del CVL Corpo Volontari della Libertà". A.N.P.I. di LISSONE - Sezione Emilio Diligenti (in Italian). 9 June 1944. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
2. ^ "Corpo Volontari della Libertà - CVL". ANPI (in Italian). 28 December 2010. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
3. ^ a b c d "Brigate Garibaldi". ANPI (in Italian). 3 January 2011. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
4. ^ a b c "La Resistenza dei militari". ANPI (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-09-08.
5. ^ Paouzi, Angelo (18 October 2014). "Cattolici d'Italia, partigiani di carne e di spirito". Avvenire (in Italian). Retrieved 22 September 2016.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
6. ^ Among the Brigate Garibaldi there were also leaders of the Italian Socialist and Republican Party.
7. ^ "Brigate Giustizia e Libertà". ANPI (in Italian). 10 January 2011. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
8. ^ "Matteotti". ANPI (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-09-08.
9. ^ a b "Fiamme Verdi". ANPI (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-09-08.
10. ^ "Brigate Mazzini". Storia e Memoria di Bologna (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-09-08.
11. ^ a b c "Formazioni Autonome". ANPI (in Italian). 5 January 2010. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
12. ^ "Brigate Osoppo". ANPI (in Italian). 11 January 2010. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
13. ^ a b Battaglia harvnb error: no target: CITEREFBattaglia (help).
14. ^ a b c The five Divisioni Garibaldi Osoppo are individuated by Battaglia because some unified military commands, existed for a long period of 1994 under request and solicitation of the Allies, included Garibaldi and Osoppo formations.

## Bibliography[edit]

* Battaglia, Roberto (1964). Storia della Resistenza Italiana (seconda edizione ed.). Turin: Einaudi.
* Oliva, Gianni (2002). Foibe: le stragi negate degli italiani della resistenza delle Venezia Giulia e dell'Istria. Milan: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore.
* Longo, Luigi (1947). Un popolo alla macchia. Milan: Mondadori.
* Secchia, Pietro; Frassati, Filippo (1962). La Resistenza e gli alleati. Milan: Feltrinelli.
* Secchia, Pietro (1971). Il Partito comunista italiano e la guerra di liberazione 1943-1945: ricordi, documenti inediti e testimonianze. Milan: Feltrinelli.
* Bianco, Dante Livio (1979). Le brigate Garibaldi nella Resistenza. Milan: Feltrinelli.
* Forni, Irnerio (1992). Alpini garibaldini: Ricordi di un medico nel Montenegro dopo l'8 settembre. Milan: Mursia.
* Il Veneto nella Resistenza, contributi per la storia di liberazione nel 50º anniversario della Costituzione. Venice: Associazione degli ex consiglieri della Regione Veneto. 1997.
* Sittoni, Giuseppe (2005). Uomini e fatti del Gherlenda. Strigno, Trento: Ed. Croxarie.

## External links[edit]

* "Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia" (in Italian).`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
* "Storie della Resistenza italiana". ANPI (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-09-08.