Milizia Coloniale

The Milizia Coloniale was an all-volunteer colonial milia composed of members of the Fascist Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale ("Volunteer Militia for National Security") or MVSN, commonly called the "Blackshirts". Based in Italian North Africa and Italian East Africa, colonial militia units consisted of seven legions (legioni) recruited initially among Italian colonists, but later also among local Africans:

• First Legion – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Second Legion – Asmara, Eritrea
• Third Legion – Gondar, Ethiopia
• Fourth Legion – Massawa, Eritrea
• Fifth Legion – Mogadishu, Somaliland
• Sixth Legion – Jimma, Ethiopia
• Seventh Legion – Dessie, Ethiopia

Units from Italian East Africa were formed into the Africa Division, which was a light infantry division and was later destroyed in combat during the East African Campaign. All remaining legions were destroyed during the Western Desert Campaign during World War II.