Italian Fascist Youth Garments


Figure 1.--These Ballial boys are seen on the day that Hitler visited Rome. Note their caps--a very destinctive part of their uniform. The film was taken by an amateur photographer using some of the eraliest color film.

The garments worn by the Italian Fascist youth groups were quite similar to those worn by other youth groups. The boys were best known of course for their black shirts, based on the Fascist black shirt thugs that were the inspiration for the NAZI brown-shirted Stormtroopers. The one destinctive part of their uniform was there cap which looked some like a fez. I'm not sure hust what the style was based on. Mussolini's Fascists lasted in Italy much longer than the NAZIs in Germany. Thus the youth movement operated over a longer period than the Hitler Youth. There were some changes in the uniform over time, although the basic style was fairly constant. We have very limited information on changes over time. Another problem is we are not precisely sure about colors because most availabloe images are black and white.

Specific Garments

We have begun to collect some basic information on the specific garments worn in the Italian Fascist youth movement.

Caps

The one destinctive part of their uniform was their cap which looked some like a fez. I'm not sure just what the style was based on. The fez of course is a Middle-Eastern/North African style. Perhaps it was related to Mussolini's efforts to build a Mediterrean empire. I have seen images of Mussolini wearing a similar cap. The cap has a shield on the front and was worn with a tassel. Both the Figli della Lupa and the Balilla wore the same black fez. The Italian term for fez is the same as in English. We have noted older teenagers in a different uniform wearing a Glengary-style cap. The Italian term is "berretto a bustina".

Shirts

The boys were best known of course for their black shirts, based on the Fascist black shirt thugs that were the inspiration for the NAZI brown-shirted Stormtroopers. Both the Figli della Lupa and the Balilla wore the same black shirt.

Neckerchiefs/scarves

Our information on neckerchiefs is still incomplete. The boys usually button their shirts at the collar and wear kerchiefs of different sizes. The were often tied differently. I'm not sure what color the kerchiefs were, but they seem to be solid colors. In one image the kerchiefs were green. That may hae been the color for the Figli della Lupa. One source indicates that the Balilla wore blue neckerchiefs. A reader writes, "Were the Balilla's bandannas dark blue or sky blue?" We are unsure at this time. Most of the available images are black and white and the scarves are rather indestinct. The scarves for the most part look likw a light color, so sky blue seemns the most likely.

Pants

Most of the images I have seen from the 1930s and 40s show Fascist youth groups outfitted in short pants uniforms. I have seen an article in a not very scholarly magazine which claims (though does not quote from the book directly) that Teodora di Santangelo states that under the Mussolini regime, boys were forbidden by many regional ordinances to wear long trousers until they were 16. Could this be true? I have seen in mentioned in other sources, which also mentioned the 16-year age limit. It is usually mentioned as a war-time measure to increase clothes production. More short trousers than long trousers could be made with the same quantity of material. Allegedly the book, evidently in English, was published only in the United States. I'm looking for a copy. Both the Figli della Lupa and the Balilla wore short pants. Generally the Figli della Lupa wore shorter cut styles and the Balilla wore knee-length styles. The shorts were wool and done in a gray-green, the color of the Italian Army uniform.

Belts

We see many boys for dress occassions wearing white shoulder straps with their belts. The Figli della Lupa apparently had a white waistband; and big white shoulder straps. This was often worn with a metallic brooch with a large "M" (Mussolini) They also had little leather cases on their belts. I'm not sure about the belt buckles. The Balilla apparently had a black waistband.

Hosiery

The Fascist youth usually wore kneesocks with their short pants uniform. We rarely see the boys wearing ankle socks. The kneesocks in available photographs look greyish. The actual color was a grey green. Some of the black kneesocks had colored bands at the top, rather like British school kneesocks. I'm not sure what the regulation stle was. Some photographs also show boys wearing long stockings, but this was not official uniform wear. We do note some images of the younher children wearing long stockings for what look like formal portraits. At the time, long stockings were worn for both warmth and formality. One example is Ozzano Monferrato School (1938). Another examole is an unidentified Balillla group, probably in the late 1930s.

Shoes

The dress uniform was black shoes with laces. Most photographs of Ballilla groups show the boys wearing a wide range of different footwear. High-top shoes were very common. We also see some boys wearing low-cut shoes, strap shoes, and sandals. Some photographs show boys barefoot. An Italian reader tells us, "An old man told me something about his experience as Ballilla when he was a child. We lived near Fiume (today Rijeka in Croatia). He recalls that the uniform was provided by the organization (Opera Nazionale Balilla): all uniform garments, but the shoes. This was a problem for some families that couldn't provide suitable footwear. This can be the reason why Balillas wore many different sort of footwear."

Other

The boys sometimes wear blanket roles over their shoulders. We also notice white gloves and a grey-green cape.

Conventions

The basic garments described here are the official uniform required in parades. During summer camps some garments are not worn (cape, gloves, and often also socks); the uniform black shoes were replaced with plimsolls or sandals. The official propaganda insisted on sun benefits, so Balilla were often required to go shirtless during summer camps (there were also some photos of naked Balilla). Balilla uniform was sometimes worn also at school, but often not the complete uniform. An Italian reader reports, "I read an elderly man's memories about the Balilla. He said that in his village (in south Italy but I don't remember where) the children went to school with uniform shirt, trousers and fez, sometimes also barefoot."

Sources

Teodora di Santangelo in Roma Nova: Italy under the Duce (Boston: Jonathan Meale Inc., 1952).







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Created: December 4, 2000
Last updated: 8:25 AM 4/23/2008