Royal Corps of Colonial Troops

Soldier of Italian Colonial Troops in January 1943

Italian Ascari troops in Libya

Dubat from Italian Somalia with rifle, futa and lanyard, 1938

The uniforms differed between the various specialities and, to a lesser extent, in the different periods. The system of distinctive sashes was common to all the regular departments of all colonies. Each unit or branch was identifiable by the colours and motif of the wide woollen sash ("etagà") wrapped around the waist and, in the Eritrean and AOI cavalry units, wrapped around the tarbush.[8][9] As examples, the 17th Eritrean Battalion had black and white tarbush tassels and vertically striped sashes; while the 64th Eritrean Battalion wore both of these items in scarlet and purple. The same colours were reproduced in the edging thread of the shoulder straps of the Italian officers who led the units.[10]

The ascari of Eritrea, Somalia and AOI wore the colonial uniform in white or khaki cloth with the aforementioned distinctive sashes, felt tarbush (a high red fez) with bow and frieze depending on the speciality.[11] White uniforms were initially used and later were relegated to parades with khaki being worn for other duties. Askari wore three different types of four pocket tunics, the M1929 giubba with low standing collar, the pre-1940 and M1940 camicotta Sahariano per Coloniali with stand-and-fall collars. Libyans, Ethiopians, and Eritreans wore baggy trousers while Somalis wore baggy knee length shorts. Their puttees were often worn with bare feet: in fact, respecting tradition, the shoes were optional. When present they could consist of both sandals, boots, or marching boots. Khaki covers were often worn on the tachia and tarbush when on campaign.

The Muslim ascari of East Africa (most of the colonials were Copts) wore a turban as their headdress, with a battalion-coloured diagonal band on the front. Libyan ascari and savari used, instead of tarbush, the traditional Libyan tachia (ṭaqīyā),[12] a form fitting fez, of garnet red felt with blue bow and white "sub-tachia".[13] The colours distinguished the Savari departments, in addition to the usual bands.

The Italian officers permanently assigned to colonial units wore the issue tropical peaked cap, the coloured sash of his battalion with identical piping around his shoulder boards mounted on any issue tunic. He could wear either khaki straight trousers or breeches with high brown field boots with or without lacing at the foot.[14]

The zaptié of all the colonies were distinguished by the collar frogs of the carabinieri, with the flame on the headdress and the distinctive scarlet band.

The irregular units such as the dubat, basci-buzuk, spahis and bande did not wear a standard uniform although the bande had a system of ranks of a sort.

The Ascari had the following ranks, from simple soldier to senior non-commissioned officer: Ascari - Muntaz (corporal) - Bulukbasci (lance-sergeant) -Sciumbasci (sergeant). The Sciumbasci-capos (staff-sergeants) were the senior Eritrean non-commissioned officers, chosen in part according to their performance in battle.

All commissioned officers of the Eritrean Ascari were Italian.[15]

The indigenous personnel had their own hierarchy different from that of the Royal Army, which is also the same for all RCTCs. The highest rank achievable for the natives was that of a non-commissioned officer, while the corps officers were all Italians.

The rank badges consisted of chevrons in red and yellow wool fabric, made at an angle, with the tip facing the shoulder, mounted on a pentagonal blue, later black, triangle cloth brassard, in the manner of the Ottoman Army. Libyan troops wore the same insignia until 1939 when they became officially Italians, they could also wear the Star of Savoy at this point, with another change to a modified smaller version sewn directly onto the upper arm sleeve in 1941. The grades were repeated on the tarbush with chevrons and five-pointed stars.

The grades were as follows:[16][17]

• àscari, savari, zaptié : corresponding to basic soldier; no sign.
• {{lang|it|italic=no|uachil - "chosen soldier"; equivalent to private first class; introduced in the twentieth century; badge: blue triangle with red star.
• muntaz - corresponding to corporal; badges: a red point up chevron on the brassard and a star on the tarbush.
• bulucbasci : corresponding to the rank of sergeant; badges: two red point up chevrons on the brassard and two stars on the tarbush. The buluc (Turkish for company) was the equivalent of a platoon of the Italian colonial troops , and basci was from the Turkish باشی başı (bashi), Modern Turkish: bölükbaşı, meaning head/chief, the bulacbashi had to be able to read and write Italian.
• bulucbasci capo (Head bulucbasci): corresponding to the rank of sergeant major; badges: two red point up chevrons and a yellow point up chevron on the brassard and two stars surmounted by a chevron on the tarbush or a bar surmounted by two stars on the Libyan techia.
• sciumbasci : corresponding to the rank of marshal; badges: three red point up chevrons on the shoulder and three stars on the tarbush.[18] Scium is Latin for One-who-knows/In the knowing, one sciumbasci was assigned to every half-company. The sciumbasci could also be armed with a pistol and saber, as well as a rifle but he was not equipped with its bayonet. The sciumbasci could wear leather or cloth leggings. The sciumbasci also carried a curbasc, a hippopotamus hide whip, as a symbol of authority, with which it also applied physical administrative sanctions (punishment) to the troops. There were two scium per company.
• sciumbasci capo (head sciumbasci): corresponding to the rank of maresciallo aiutante (adjutant marshal); rank introduced in 1936; badges: three red and one yellow point up chevrons on the shoulder and three stars and a chevron on the tarbush. The Sciumbasci-capos (sergeants-major) were the senior non-commissioned officers, chosen in part according to their performance in battle.
• jusbasci : corresponding to the rank of sub-lieutenant, was abolished in 1902 but remained in Somalia and Libya as a synonym for sciumbasci.[19] The jusbasci was chosen from among the Bulucbasci with at least three years of service on the proposal of the company commander, and with the final opinion expressed by a committee composed of all the commanders of the companies belonging to the same battalion and chaired by the battalion commander.[20]

On the black cloth triangle of the badge were also placed the marks of seniority - according to the table below - and of merit (the Savoy crown) as a promotion badge for war merit, as well as the speciality badge (machine gunner, chosen machine gunner, musician, trumpeter, tambourine, saddler, farrier, international bracelet) and the war wound badge.

The following rank table is for Askari serving in the Italian Land and Air Forces, plus some security services

Royal Corps of Colonial Troops
Sciumbasci capo	Sciumbasci	bulucbasci capo	bulucbasci	muntaz	uachil	Ascaro
						No distinctive rank insignia

The following rank table is for Askari serving in the Royal Italian Navy and the Carabinieri where their chevrons were inverted:

Royal Corps of Colonial Troops
Sciumbasci capo	Sciumbasci	bulucbasci capo	bulucbasci	muntaz	uachil	Ascaro
						no distinctive rank insignia

The Italian colonial forces were armed with older model weapons, mainly produced in Italy itself, or captured, but by the beginning of World War II, they were clearly outdated.

• Revolvers;
  • Bodeo 1889,
  • 1873 Chamelo-delvin,[21]
• Rifles;
  • Vetterli 1870 a single shot 10.4mm rifle
    • Vetterli-Vitali a modified M1870 with a four-round magazine
  • Carcano 1891, a 6.5 mm magazine fed rifle
  • Mannlicher M1895 (World War One reparations from Austria-Hungary).[22]
• Machine-guns;
  • Breda Mod. 5C,
  • Fiat-Revelli Mod. 1914,
  • Schwarzlose (World War One reparations from Austria-Hungary).
• Cold weapons;
  • billao Somali dagger also used by northern Ethiopians,[23]
  • Gorade (Sometimes also Romanized as "Gurade") a straight or slightly curved[24] sabre (Eritreans and Ethiopians)[25]
  • Saif Used by Ethiopian cavalry[26]
  • Shotel Somali curved sword also used by northern Ethiopians[27][28]

Since the 20s, the following armored vehicles were transferred to Libya;

• Lancia IZ and
• Fiat-Terni Tripoli .

Colonial units were primarily equipped with light artillery and mortars

Eritrean artillery battery equipped with 75mm cannone da 75B Mont. mountain gun.

• cannone da 75B Mont.
• Cannone da 65/17 modello 13 (many transported by camels, each colonial brigade maintained four 4-gun batteries)[29]
• Brandt Mle 27/31 older 81mm mortar
• 81/14 Model 35 Mortar the new standard Italian army 81 mm mortar