Did you know that Benito Mussolini was once in the Bersaglieri?
On May 23, 1915, the Italian government ordered general mobilization of her armed forces. The next day, Italy declared war on Austria, officially joining World War I. Mussolini, accepting his call to the draft, reported for duty in Milan on August 31, 1915 and was assigned to the 11th Regiment of the Bersaglieri (a corps of sharpshooters).
During the winter of 1917, Mussolini’s unit was field testing a new mortar when the weapon exploded. Mussolini was severely wounded with more than forty pieces of shrapnel embedded in his body. After a long stay at a military hospital, Mussolini recovered from his injuries and was then discharged from the army.
