1887 DOGALI BERSAGLIERE OFFICER & INFANTRY OFFICER

 Coming back to this project and planning to spend some time on the white flashing Italian beaches, I prepared a fitting troops for the sand. So I went on with the project of the Italian Army that fought at the Battle of Dogali.

It was missing just the Infantry Officer. So I prepared a Lieutenant of Infantry, on foot, shooting with his duty pistol and holding in the other the sword to repell the Abyssianian enemy. 

The blue - Savoy sash is the symbol of the tradition of the Italian Army, of the National Team (Euro 2020 huraaaa!) and I carried and still have at home - as my father before me - this sash. Honour and pride of a tradition.

1887 - Dogali. Italian Army
Infantry Lieutenent 
(Copyright Michele L. SAVASTA FIORE)

From this figure it was quite easy to transform it into a Bersagliere Lieutenent to honour my father, Captain of the 3rd Regiment Bersaglieri "Majora Virisbus Audere"

                                                    1887 - Dogali. Italian Army
                                                            Bersagliere Lieutenent 
                                                                                        (Copyright Michele L. SAVASTA FIORE)

I do find this uniform very beautiful. To note that the Officers - just to be better visible by the enemies! but it was still a romantic way of warfare - wore a blue-Savoy sash around the colonial helmet. Note also the ranks insigna: a golden knot on the sleeves, with a golden arrow with black line inside (Second Leutenant had just one golden arrow)

And finally me with the blue-Savoy sash, Gala Uniform. 

Italian Army 

Gala Uniform - Second Lieutenant

1848 SANTA LUCIA - KuK 5th Hussar Regiment "Radetzky"

Finally I can have a little glance how some units at 40mm tall can represent the scene of this Battle. I think the effect is good. I had to prepare a farm, in bricks, with land/mud around it and a sort of road passing by, where the Hussars of the 5th Regiment Radetzky are riding towards the (Piedmontese) enemy. 

In foreground the 5th Radetzky Regiment

I represented a Zug (4 Zuge = 2 Fluegel = 1 squadron) and so 24 horsemen, 3 Korporal, 2 NCO and 1 Lieutenant

Details: in foreground the Lieutenant; please note his ebroidery on trousers, pelisse and dolman

1887 DOGALI LIEUTENANT OF BERSAGLIERI ON HORSE

I don't know why, but there is a moment when you have that sort of melancony that affects your thought. So I was thinking of my father, First Captain of the 3rd Regiment of Bersaglieri and hence I've gotten the desidere to celebrate him and this glourious Italian Corps.

I keep with the Dogali Campaign even thoug the Bersaglieri didn't partecipate to that battle but where in Massaua. And for the first time I did also a sort of background. 

The uniform was really stunning with the white and blue of the sash; the large leather plumet (I remember that of my father so huge, as for the Officers) and the black gloves as distinctive sign of the Bersaglieri, still now worn.

Honour to the BERSAGLIERI - ONORE AI BERSAGLIERI

AVANTI. RAPIDI. SAVOIA - HURRA!

1887 - ERITREA CAMPAIGN

LIEUTENANT OF THE BERSAGLIERI

Copyright Michele Savasta Fiore

1887 DOGALI. INFANTRY LIEUTENANT ON HORSE

 I liked to prepare this Lieutenant on horse. I was inspired by the superb plates of Quinto Cenni, a person that made tons of watercolors on the Italian uniforms of the XIX and beginning XX Centuries. 

I prepared 2 differnt versions: the first with his right hand down, hidden and the second with the sword. At the very beginning  of the campaing (so for Dogali) the uniforms and the way of dressing of the Italian Army - and above all the Officers - were still old fashioned, more attentive to the beauty than to the confort. And for this reason I do prefer the first uniforms of this period.

1887 Dogali. Lieutenant on horse

Copyright Michele Savasta Fiore

Very beautiful the saddle and the Savoy-blue sash.

1887 Dogali. Lieutenant on horse with unsheathed sword

Copyright Michele Savasta Fiore

1887 DOGALI - THE MAPS

As far sa I know, even on Italian sources, there is no map of this battle. The only map I found is published on the excellent (absouluttly worthy to buy) "Le Guerre Coloniali Italiane 1885/1900 by Raffaele Ruggeri, published by E.M.I. Serie "DE BELLO".  The text is all in Italian,while some part of it is translated in English too.

Here the map:

MAP OF THE BATTLE OF DOGALI

from Le Guerre Coloniali Italiane 1885/1900 by Raffaele Ruggeri, published by E.M.I. Serie "DE BELLO"

I decided, as Italian and as lover of historical facts and events, that this lack must be filled up. So I went on Google Maps, I checked the zone of Dogali and from this I drew my map. Here the first result:

MAP 1
General map of the zone of the Battle of Dogali

In the red square in the following map the zone of the Battle of Dogali. 

MAP 2

The zone of the Battle of Dogali (in the red square)

From the map nr.1 I put in evidence the part on the very right (from Massaua) to show the Italian relief coloumn, with the very details of it.

MAP 3

The Italian Relief Coloumn

 

The Italian Coloumn was formed in this way:

MAP 3Bis

Deatils of the Italian Relief Coloumn

The following map shows the situation at 8.30 AM, 27 January 1887. The Bazi-Bouzok just scouted the advancin Abyssinian forces and engage them (position 1 and 2), while the Italian relief coloumn turns right (position 3) to reach the little hill. Please note the typical Abyssinian formation in Greek Cross formed by other smaller Greek Cross. It has a religious meaning and also a tactical use. The Abyssinian Army was never moving in coloumn but in Greek cross formation (the territory allowed this tacticts) and it was the same formation that would have smashed on the enemies. It is quite interesting this tactic. (see further legenda)

MAP 4

Battle of Dogali at 8.30 AM

In the following map the detail of one of the crosses with the name of the Commander of every sigle arm of it.

MAP 5

Name of the Commanders of the Greek Cross of the Abyssinian Army

I also found an old postcard with the visual on the plain (Nr. 2 in red), where the Italians defended themselves. The point of view is from the Abyssinian attack (Nr. 1 in red); this picture is very interesting because gives the idea of the battlefield and how open the spaces were, with no possibility to find a shelter.

MAP 6

The Battlefield of Dogali

A better view of the battlefield from the old postcard

In the following map the focus on the situation at 8.30 AM. I put in evidence on the Mehatel Hill the part with a steep slope (edge in black)

MAP 7

Battle of Dogali. 8.30 AM. Details

MAP 8

Battle of Dogali h 9.30 AM

Reaching the defensive position

1) The main Italian Coloumn is rushing towards the Mehatel Hill to take defensive position

2) The supply rearguard is taking position on the second and smaller hill, but towards the enemy

3) The Abyssinian Army is heading towards the Mehatel Hill to catch up with the main Italian Coloumn, leaving the rearguard to deal later with the supply coloumn

4) The screen of Bazi-Bouzok slow down the advance of the Abyssinian and then the leave the zone

MAP 8

Battle of Dogali h 10.30 AM

Holding the first defensive position

The Italians are defending the first position on the Mehatel Hill in a semi-circular formation (1) while the Abyssinian are attacking in front (2); the coloum with camels (3) is on the little hill already surrended; the Abyssinanian (4) are manoevering to encircle the defensive position of the Italians.

MAP 9

Battle of Dogali - Final phase

1887 DOGALI "CORPO SPECIALE PER L'AFRICA" - Ranking

 Because of my love for precision I started to investigate the ranking of the Italian Army at the epoch of the Battle of Dogali.

NCO
As NCO there were sergeant and major-sergeant (ofter also called "furieri"). It is important to note that the NCO carried also a sword (the curved one of the Bersaglieri's corps, but with browned scabbard. It is not clear if they carried along during missions, but I think so. So I represented it

1887 - DOGALI
CORPO SPECIALE PER L'AFRICA
Major-Sergeant of an of Infantry Regiment
(Copyright Michele L. Savasta Fiore)

it is instead known that the troop and graduated (along with the officers, obviously) at the beginning of the campaign used a blue (Savoy) ribbon around the helmet to make clear that they were Italians, instead of other European nations. After a little while this habit was abandoned. Just the Officers retained it. Being at the beginning of the Campaign with the Battle of Dogali I represented one Sergeant-Major with the Savoy-blue ribbon.

1887 - DOGALI
CORPO SPECIALE PER L'AFRICA
Major-Sergeant of an Infantry Regiment with Savoy-blue ribbon
(Copyright Michele L. Savasta Fiore)

Now I represent a normal Sergeant, with his ranking (in this case I avoided to represent the sword, considering he was lower than the previous one):

1887 - DOGALI
CORPO SPECIALE PER L'AFRICA
Sergeant of an Infantry Regiment 
(Copyright Michele L. Savasta Fiore)

Graduated Troop
They were troop distiguished in battle of with a little of instruction.

1887 - DOGALI
CORPO SPECIALE PER L'AFRICA
Major-Caporal of an Infantry Regiment 
(Copyright Michele L. Savasta Fiore)

1887 - DOGALI
CORPO SPECIALE PER L'AFRICA
Caporal of an Infantry Regiment (different pose)
(Copyright Michele L. Savasta Fiore)

1887 - DOGALI
CORPO SPECIALE PER L'AFRICA
Caporal of an Infantry Regiment 
(Copyright Michele L. Savasta Fiore)

1887 - DOGALI Transforming the posture of a papersoldier

 I am very happy because my blog for the battle of Dogali was very visited by my friends of TMP. I also have to admit that this battle, for its romantic athmosphere, gives me more that Adua. Maybe the uniforms.

In any way, I prepared a posture of infantry very useful to be placed just behind firing/aiming postures or also as a repelling unit.

1887 - Battle of Dogali
6th Regiment "Aosta" 
(Repelling position)

just after a while I was watching this posture I found it quite unnutural. Well. It could be, but in the fight I dont' see it. So I improved (at least I think) the posture in a more dynimic stand.

1887 - Battle of Dogali
6th Regiment "Aosta" 
(Repelling new position)