Episode 29: “The Death Company” by Cristoforo Baseggio

Hank and Bindu return to Italy for the memoir of the founder and commander of the first company of what was to become known as the Arditi - "The Daring Ones.”

Cristoforo Baseggio was a junior officer long history of military service in the Italian and British armies prior to the Great War. At age 46, Baseggio commissioned again in 1914 as a member of the Alpini ("Alpine Troops"). From there, Baseggio created the 1st Exploratori Company as a small company strength unit to raid deep into Austro-Hungarian lines. Utilizing "Arditi" tactics, which emphasized speed and close quarters combat, the unit saw incredible successes despite the notoriously rugged terrain of northern Italy. Pioneering "Arditi" tactics would revolutionize trench warfare on the Italian Front, long before the advent of the German Stormtroopers. Baseggio's unit would be ultimately disbanded in 1916, they would be the catalyst for the development of larger Arditi units with the same tactical prowess and unique equipment innovations.

First published in 1929, Baseggio's "The Death Company" was written entirely in Italian. For Anglophones, the book was only translated and republished for the first time in 2020. Join us as we explore a book that has been called “The Italian ‘Storm of Steel” and the origins of the legendary Italian Arditi units.