List of commanders of the Blackshirts

This article lists the commanders of the Blackshirts (MVSN, "Voluntary Militia for National Security"), a paramilitary wing of the Italian National Fascist Party (PNF), between the years of 1923[lower-alpha 1] and 1943.

MVSN insignia

The supreme commander of the entire MVSN was Comandante generale, literally "Commandant-General", a titular position, while Capo di stato maggiore, literally "Chief of Staff", oversaw the day-to-day operations of the group.

Commandants−General
Commandant-General of the MVSN
Comandante generale della MVSN
Rank insignia
Command flag
Longest serving
Benito Mussolini
12 October 1926–25 July 1943
Blackshirts (MVSN) of Fascist Italy
StatusCommanding officer of a paramilitary organization
Member ofStato Maggiore della MVSN
AppointerBenito Mussolini
Formation1 February 1923
First holderHeld simultaneously by:
Final holderRenato Ricci
Abolished8 December 1943
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term of office Party Duce Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Marshal of Italy
Emilio De Bono
(1866–1944)		 1 February 1923 31 October 1924 1 year, 273 days National Fascist Party
Benito Mussolini
(1883–1945)		 [1]
1 Marshal of the Air
Italo Balbo
(1896–1940)		 1 February 1923 31 October 1924 1 year, 273 days National Fascist Party [2]
1 General
Cesare Maria De Vecchi
(1884–1959)		 1 February 1923 10 July 1925 2 years, 159 days National Fascist Party [3]
2 General
Asclepia Gandolfo
(1864–1925)		 1 December 1924 31 August 1925 273 days National Fascist Party [4]
3 General
Maurizio Ferrante Gonzaga
(1861–1938)		 12 September 1925 9 October 1926 1 year, 27 days National Fascist Party [5]
4 First Marshal of the Empire
Benito Mussolini
(1883–1945)		 12 October 1926 25 July 1943 16 years, 286 days National Fascist Party [6]
5 General
Quirino Armellini
(1889–1975)		 26 July 1943 8 September 1943 44 days Independent [7]
6 Renato Ricci
(1896–1956)		 8 September 1943 8 December 1943 79 days Independent [8]

Chiefs of Staff
Chief of Staff of the MVSN
Capo di stato maggiore della MVSN
Rank insignia
Command flag
Longest serving
Attilio Teruzzi
1929–1935
Blackshirts (MVSN) of Fascist Italy
StatusChief of staff of a paramilitary organization
Member ofStato Maggiore della MVSN
AppointerBenito Mussolini
Formation1 February 1923
First holderFrancesco Sacco
Final holderRenzo Montagna (acting)
Abolished20 September 1943
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term of office Party Duce Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Lieutenant general
Francesco Sacco
(1877–1958)		 1 February 1923 1 December 1924 1 year, 304 days National Fascist Party
Benito Mussolini
(1883–1945)		 [9]
2 Lieutenant general
Enrico Bazan
(1864–1947)		 1 December 1924 23 December 1928 4 years, 22 days National Fascist Party –
3 Lieutenant general
Attilio Teruzzi
(1882–1950)		 2 January 1929 3 October 1935 6 years, 274 days National Fascist Party [10]
4 Lieutenant general
Luigi Russo
(1882–1964)		 3 October 1935 3 November 1939 4 years, 31 days National Fascist Party –
5 Achille Starace
(1889–1945)		 3 November 1939 16 May 1941 1 year, 194 days National Fascist Party [11]
6 Lieutenant general
Enzo Galbiati
(1897–1982)		 25 May 1941 26 July 1943 2 years, 62 days National Fascist Party [12]
– Consul general
Renzo Montagna
(1894–1978)
Acting		 17 September 1943 20 September 1943 3 days Independent –

See also

Notes
  1. After approval by the Council of Ministers (Mussolini Cabinet) on 28 December 1922, the draft law on founding the MVSN was approved by a resolution of the Grand Council of Fascism on 12 January 1923. The draft became law under Royal Decree No. 31 of 14 January 1923, issued by the King Victor Emmanuel III. The activities of the MVSN began on 1 February 1923.

References
  1. Emilio De Bono – Dizionario Biografico, Enciclopedia Treccani
  2. Italo Balbo – Dizionario Biografico, Enciclopedia Treccani
  3. Cesare Maria De Vecchi – Dizionario Biografico, Enciclopedia Treccani
  4. Ascelpia Gandolfo – Dizionario Biografico, Enciclopedia Treccani
  5. 14 gennaio 1923: nasce la Milizia, custode della rivoluzione fascista, Il Secolo d'Italia
  6. Benito Mussolini – Dizionario Biografico, Enciclopedia Treccani
  7. Quirino Armellini – Dizionario Biografico, Enciclopedia Treccani
  8. Renato Ricci – Dizionario Biografico, Enciclopedia Treccani
  9. "Francesco Sacco, Senatori dell'Italia fascista" (in Italian). Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  10. Attilio Teruzzi, Spazio in wind
  11. Achille Starace – Dizionario Biografico, Enciclopedia Treccani
  12. Philip Rees, Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890, 1990, p. 144
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