The Arditi

During World War I, Italy's army wasn't the most powerful when compared to that of the British, French, or German. However, Italy had its own organization of soldiers who were feared on the battlefield. These soldiers were known as the Arditi, which translates to "The Daring Ones". The Arditi were known as shock troops, which meant that they would lead an aggressive frontal assault, and were experts in hand to hand combat. The Arditi's were heavily armored and given the best equipment the army could offer, such as the Villar-Perosa machine pistol & the Fiat machine gun. They also received much better pay & overall treatment compared to regular soldiers, and were praised for their bravery & actions. The Arditi's are most well known for their victory in the Alps against Austro-Hungary. As the front reached a stalemate and victory seemed impossible, the Arditi were sent in to break the stalemate. The first attack took place on Monte Fratta, where 500 Austro-Hungarian soldiers were captured along with artillery & machine guns. Another notable was at San Gabriele where the Arditi took 3,100 prisoners, 55 machine guns, & 26 artillery pieces. Attacks like these helped secure the Alps & contributed to the ultimate Italian victory.