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Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia

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The "Milizia Volontaria Anti Comunista" ("Anti-Communist Volunteer Militia") - precedently or also known as "Bande V.A.C." - were local armed auxiliary units largely composed of Serbs and Croats enlisted by the Royal Italian Army mostly for the defence of the Italian Province of Zara and other territories of Dalmatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and their civil populations, under the Italian military administration during the period of WWII from 1941 to 1943. The same name was contemporaneously used to designate both similar slovenian auxiliary units whom sided with the italian authorities in the italian-annexed part of Slovenia and also some Montenegrin auxiliaries in the "Independent State of Montenegro".

Historical context

The Anti Communist Volunteer Militia was formally established by the italo-Croatian Roatta - Pavelić Official Agreement of the 19 June 1942.

From 1941 local auxiliaries already operated with the Italian forces commands in Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Lika and from 1942 also in Dalmatia. It was in Dalmatia that those units were initially named for the first time as "Anti Communist Volunteer Bands", a name who - later modified - became of general and official use with the reorganization of June 1942.

On 6 August 1942 also the pre-existing - 7,000 men strong - local auxiliary military formations of the Italian administered part of Slovenia - the "Guardia Civica" ("Vaška straža" or Civic (Village) Guard) and the "Legione della Morte" ("Legija smrti" or "Legion of Death" also known as "Bela garda" or "White Guard"), whose components were enlisted from the members of Slovenian Roman Catholic political parties - were jointly formally renamed by the Italian Supersloda - "Comando Superiore di Slovenia e Dalmazia" as M.V.A.C. or "Milizia Volontaria Anti Comunista"[1] despite both of them maintained their different and distinctive characteristics - some or also large part of their previous autonomy - and usually their original names in the common use too.

The term "Militia" (in italian "Milizia") designated both the whole M.V.A.C. as organization(s) or Corps and also every single unit inside the same organization at brigade/regiment level.

Bosnia and Dalmatia, the Order of Battle of the Bande V.A.C.

The Bande V.A.C., part of the Italian 2^ Armata (Supersloda), peaked to a total force strong of 26,500 men, of whom 6,500 under the command of the XVIII Corps.

ORBAT Bande V.A.C. under the Italian XVIII Corps:

- XVIII CORPS

  • MVAC "Dinara", 5,000 men-strong, a Greek-orthodox unit located in the area of Tenìn.
  • MVAC "Zara" (aka "B.A.C. Zara"), 1,500 men-strong.
    • XX "Catholic" battalion, Bande n° 1-2-3-6-7-8;
    • XXII "Greek-orthodox" battalion, Bande n° 4 and 5.

- REGIA MARINA

  • Banda n° 9 "della Marina", formed of Greek-orthodox and local young Italians from Dalmatia under the control of the Italian Royal Navy fighting side by side with a company from the Reggimento "San Marco".
File:WW2 Yugoslavia occupation.jpg
World War II partition of Yugoslavia.

Amongst the irregular Bande who also supported the Italian military commands and civil administration and the regular Bande V.A.C. the more numerous and important was the Greek-orthodox one of Momčilo Đujić, an orthodox priest and pre-war famous political activist yet known as "Father Fire" for his inflamed sermons[2]. The so-called "Muslim M.V.A.C" , a 780 men-strong battalion of Muslim Bosnians of Serbian ethnicity under the leadership of Ismet Popovac, a Muslim physician from Mostar, actively operated with the Italians during 1942 till it was destroyed in action.

About the ethnic composition of the regular M.V.A.C. (an important element in the Yugoslavian context), the Italian commands aimed to form units composed for 2/3 by Greek-orthodox and 1/3 by Catholics and Muslims. This preference towards the serbs was justified through the "Martial Race" theory and the judgment they would have been braver in the fight, more reliable and intrinsically loyal to their commanders and to their military unit, according the sources this judgment was more than correct for that who concerns the same regular formations[3].

Notes

  1. ^ Milizia Volontaria Anti-Comunista
  2. ^ Momcilo Djujic (Momčilo Đujić) (1907 - 1999)
  3. ^ Teodoro Francesconi: "LE BANDE V.A.C. IN DALMAZIA 1942/43". Serie “Historia”. Milano. E.M.I. 1992

See also

Sources

  • Circolare N. 3 C, Comando Superiore FF.AA. “Slovenia e Dalmazia” ( 2^ Armata ) [1]
  • Teodoro Francesconi: "LE BANDE V.A.C. IN DALMAZIA 1942/43". Serie “Historia”. Milano. E.M.I. 1992, cm. 18,5x25, pp. 56 con ill. fotografiche e diss. in nero e col. di divise, gagliardetti, scudetti, ecc. Br. edit. ill.
  • Eric Gobetti: "L' occupazione allegra. Gli italiani in Jugoslavia (1941-1943)", Carocci, 2007, pagine 260; ISBN 8843041711, ISBN 9788843041718
  • I rapporti italo-sloveni / Periodo 1941-1945, Documento ufficiale della Commissione Storica Italo-Slovena ( 3 ) Associazione Nazionale Venezia Giulia e Dalmazia - Trieste
  • Scotti, Giacomo: "Juris, juris! All'attacco!: la guerriglia partigiana ai confini orientali d'Italia 1943-1945", Milano, Mursia c1984, 351 p., [48] p. di tav. : fot. ; 21 cm
  • Scotti, Giacomo: "I disertori : le scelte dei militari italiani sul fronte Jugoslavo prima dell'8 settembre", Milano, Mursia 1980, 303 p. : ill., tav. ; 21 cm.
  • Scotti, Giacomo e Viazzi, Luciano: "Le aquile delle montagne nere: storia dell'occupazione e della guerra italiana in Montenegro 1941-1943", Milano, Mursia c1987, 477 p. : ill., tav. ; 21 cm.
  • Scotti, Giacomo e Viazzi, Luciano: "L'inutile vittoria : la tragica esperienza delle truppe italiane in Montenegro 1941-1942", Milano, Mursia c1989, 503 p. : tav. ; 21 cm.
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