July 1st, 2011 at 1:59PM
Did you know that the Italians were not really prepared when war came in 1915, and started off with a serious shortage of rifles, machine guns and artillery, and soon they were searching the countrys old arsenals for any available guns. The revised wartime battalion had three rifle companies, each having two MG’s (most of them the m1914 6.5mm Fiat-Ravelli), and also an integral MG company with eight guns. The standard battalion also had a platoon of four mortars and in addition to this one platoon of pioneers. The principal rifle used by the Italian Army was the bolt-action 6.5mm Mannlicher­Carcano m1891 with a six-round magazine. (Many Territorial units still used the ancient 10.4mm Vetterli M1871 single shot guns.) The Mannlicher-Carcano m1891 Cavalleria had a special short barrel and a folding bayonet. (This weapon much later became infamous: it was one of these that Lee Harvey Oswald used when he shot and killed president Kennedy in Dallas in 1963.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5FPHZmmN9I btw I love the brewster body shield they used as you can see in the video.

Did you know that the Italians were not really prepared when war came in 1915, and started off with a serious shortage of rifles, machine guns and artillery, and soon they were searching the countrys old arsenals for any available guns. The revised wartime battalion had three rifle companies, each having two MG’s (most of them the m1914 6.5mm Fiat-Ravelli), and also an integral MG company with eight guns. The standard battalion also had a platoon of four mortars and in addition to this one platoon of pioneers. The principal rifle used by the Italian Army was the bolt-action 6.5mm Mannlicher­Carcano m1891 with a six-round magazine. (Many Territorial units still used the ancient 10.4mm Vetterli M1871 single shot guns.) The Mannlicher-Carcano m1891 Cavalleria had a special short barrel and a folding bayonet. (This weapon much later became infamous: it was one of these that Lee Harvey Oswald used when he shot and killed president Kennedy in Dallas in 1963.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5FPHZmmN9I btw I love the brewster body shield they used as you can see in the video.

11 notes #10.4mm Vetterli M1871#6.5mm Mannlicher­Carcano m1891#Italians#Kennedy#Lee Harvey Oswald#WWII#artillery#battalion#body armor#firearm#m1914 6.5mm Fiat-Ravelli#machine guns#mortor#pioneers#rifle#shortage#war#weapon#weaponry#brewster body shield