100 Thousand Deserters? Anti-Italian Myth of the Great War

Written by Alessio Melita

News about the First World War has been circulating for days on the web, according to which the defectors from the Italian army in the First World War supposedly numbered over 100 thousand. This claim was enthusiastically launched in an article which cited as its source the page 'Cannibali e Re', a Facebook page that interprets history from a strongly anti-nationalist and anti-militarist political perspective. The claim was immediately picked up with enthusiasm by the worst anti-Italian bottom-feeders, from Neo-Bourbonists to the pro-Habsburgists, led of course by the outcasts of the antagonistic and anti-militarist Left. In order to avoid dwelling too much on political or personal evaluations, let's discuss the merits of the article itself.

First of all, the figure of 100 thousand deserters would mean that 1 out of 12 Italian soldiers defected. The article literally cites no source for this figure, just as no source is cited for the figure of mythical executions. The article speaks of over 4 thousand soldiers executed, but what source is there to support this absurd thesis? To debunk this latest anti-Italian myth, let's quote an excerpt from an article by La Stampa on May 22, 2017:

Out of 5 million men at arms, 750 were condemned, a fact which demonstrates the low crime rate of the Italian Army. This figure, in addition to charges related to cowardice in the face of the enemy, also includes those sentenced for common crimes. "As for those who were executed" – explains Davide Zendri, from the Italian War History Museum of Trento – "our institute has promoted a conference, which was released this year. The soldiers of the Royal Army in the vast majority of cases always did their duty. As for those condemned to capital punishment, the Italian numbers are roughly the same as other allied armies, including the French one."

It is true that the Royal Army practiced a strict discipline, but this was due to factors that necessitated its adoption considering the mortal danger that the Kingdom of Italy faced, not only due to the war, but also because the recently-unified country was afflicted by Socialist ferments that undermined its cohesion. Furthermore, the low socio-cultural background of the troops, formed for the most part by peasants (who were educated in military schools), required the application of very clear rules, with strict punishments to serve as a deterrent to misbehavior.

The claims of 100 thousand deserters and 4 thousand executed are therefore false, thus proving once again the heroism of the Italian soldier at the front. Heroism that allowed the Italians the right to define themselves as Italians, a right which the anti-Italians find unbearable, and therefore resort to publishing the usual anti-patriotic and anti-nationalist rhetoric in which the concept of sacrifice for the Fatherland must be demeaned and humiliated. On the other hand, it is sufficient to see the image used for the article to understand the author's communicative intent (the image they use is of a desperate British soldier, despite the article being about Italian deserters). It is a type of unfair communication that seeks to take advantage of the good feelings of people so as to foster that culture of whining which is destroying our civilization, a culture made of "strong images" that provoke strong emotional reactions. An ideological bias is easily detectable while reading this anti-Italian article, where soldiers are described as victims sent to slaughter against their will (they even speak of soldiers killed for their "anti-war" political ideas), all without a minimum of historical documentation. The defense of the historical legacy of our victory in the First World War is fundamental, especially today when anti-Italian propaganda is so fierce.