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Did the Italian units in the Far East have the Breda 30?

kolja

New Member
Was the Breda 30 deployed with the Italian troops that were stationed in the Far East? I've only heard of it being issued in Europe and Africa.
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
Started a new thread as the question is different.

I assume that your question is focused on the Italian units in China. I will need to check what little information I have on the Italian garrisons. If there are other locations you are considering, please telll us.

Pista! Jeff
 

kolja

New Member
Started a new thread as the question is different.

I assume that your question is focused on the Italian units in China. I will need to check what little information I have on the Italian garrisons. If there are other locations you are considering, please telll us.

Pista! Jeff

Well could you please not limit my question to the San Marco marines? I wasn't only asking about them, I am also curious about Italy's colonial Chinese constabulary, as well as whoever was guarding the Italian legation in Beijing. I think that's the sum of Italian land forces in the Far East, but someone please correct me if I've missed another group.
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
I have modified the thread title, but understand that all the Italian military in the Far East was under the RM and were almost exclusively San Marco marines/sailors.

I have not read anything about a colonial Chinese constabulary. If you have a source, I would like to read about this. Give the concessions were small neighborhoods and the Shanghai concession had it own police (shared by all the western powers), I am at a lost on why there would be an Italian controlled Chinese constabulary. It wouldn't be the first time I was wrong about something, but I have never read about it.
 

kolja

New Member
Note: I was trying to add the text below into an edit in the post above, but I'm getting more website errors...

To be honest I would be surprised if such police had heavy equipment like the Breda 30, but I thought I'd include them in my question just in case. For instance I know that some of Japan's colonial and "puppet" police in China were fairly well-armed during the war to deal with Chinese resistance.

In any case I'm asking about any and all military and police forces that Italy controlled in the Far East during this period.

I have modified the thread title, but understand that all the Italian military in the Far East was under the RM and were almost exclusively San Marco marines/sailors.

Ok, so the guards at the Italian Legation in Beijing were also San Marco marines?
 

DrG

Active Member
Here https://www.anordestdiche.com/la-colonia-dimenticata-di-tianjin-tientsin-in-cina-quinta-parte/ it's written that on 9 Sept. 1943 the Italian armed forces in Tientsin had "50 Breda and Fiat machine guns (light and heavy)".

With regards to the Italian colonial police in Tientsin, here you can see a photo of its agents: http://www.trentoincina.it/mostrapost.php?id=247 . The second man from the right is a Chinese member of this police corps: https://upload.forumfree.net/i/fc10463824/115338.jpg (source, with several photos: https://miles.forumcommunity.net/?t=58688717&st=15 ).
 

kolja

New Member
Here https://www.anordestdiche.com/la-colonia-dimenticata-di-tianjin-tientsin-in-cina-quinta-parte/ it's written that on 9 Sept. 1943 the Italian armed forces in Tientsin had "50 Breda and Fiat machine guns (light and heavy)".

With regards to the Italian colonial police in Tientsin, here you can see a photo of its agents: http://www.trentoincina.it/mostrapost.php?id=247 . The second man from the right is a Chinese member of this police corps: https://upload.forumfree.net/i/fc10463824/115338.jpg (source, with several photos: https://miles.forumcommunity.net/?t=58688717&st=15 ).

Thanks very much for sharing that information. Although unfortunately, your second link doesn't work for me, I get an error saying I "don't have permission to access" it.

Do you know what happened to the Italian weapons (such as these Breda machineguns) in China after September 1943? Did the Japanese put them to use? Or did they just remain in storage somewhere?
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
The Forumfree link doesn't open for me. Is the second photo this one from the Miles Fourm?
Chinesepolice.jpg


This site states 100 sailors and troopers armed with only rifles and grenades at Beijing under capitano di corvette Baldassarre https://dutcheastindies.webs.com/shanghai.html

This site does say there were police http://www.weeklymagazine.it/2021/0...iello-italiano-sopravvive-nella-cina-di-oggi/

and...

 

DrG

Active Member
Do you know what happened to the Italian weapons (such as these Breda machineguns) in China after September 1943? Did the Japanese put them to use? Or did they just remain in storage somewhere?
I don't know, but given that Italian weapons used ammuntion unavailable to the Japanese, I guess that their use after capture was very limited or zero.
 

kolja

New Member
I don't know, but given that Italian weapons used ammuntion unavailable to the Japanese, I guess that their use after capture was very limited or zero.

That's a safe assumption. Although the Japanese could have always pawned them off to some of their "puppet troops" who were not on frontline duty. They definitely did this with captured weapons from other nations (e.g. Britain, Netherlands, France, etc). I guess we'll never know though in this case.
 
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