User blog:El Alamein/White Guard vs. Blackshirts



It's a battle between two of the twentieth century's most stringent resistance movements that rose to prominence in the earliest stages of the Second World War! The Finnish White Guard, the anti-socialist militia movement that earned victory in the Finnish Civil War and went on to mobilize a fierce patriotic fervor during the Winter War takes on the Italian Blackshirts, the fascist paramilitary forces that strong-armed their way to power and enabled Mussolini's government to impose its iron will on the country! It will be a high-caliber, high-stakes confrontation between two Axis sympathizers, but when the last blow has been dealt and the blood dried into the ground, only one will be the deadliest warrior!

White Guard
"Kollaa kestää! (Kollaa holds!)"

- Finnish motto during the Winter War



The Finnish White Guard was formed in 1918 during the Finnish Civil War as an antisocialist nationalist militia. They triumphed over the socialist Red Guard and existed as a gendarme-style police force in the interwar years. On the onset of the Second World War and with the invasion of the Soviet Union and the start of the Winter War, the White Guard rapidly mobilized to counter the communist threat. The White Guard engaged in heavy fighting along the front but was also responsible for troop movement and logistics for the duration of the fight. Eventually, after the end of hostilities the White Guard was disbanded, as per Soviet demands.

Weapons
|-| Long Range=

Finnish Mosin-Nagant M/91


 * 7.62x53mmR
 * Bolt-action
 * 5-round non-detachable magazine (individually loaded or fed by stripper clips)
 * 500 m effective firing range, although the maximum firing range exceeds 800 m
 * 8.8 lbs.
 * -| Mid Range=

Suomi KP/31


 * 9x19mm Parabellum
 * 750/900 rds/min
 * 71-round drum magazine
 * 200 m effective firing range
 * 10.14 lbs.
 * -| Close Range=

Lahti L-35


 * 9x19mm Parabellum
 * 8-round detachable box magazine
 * Muzzle velocity of 350 m/s
 * 2.76 lbs. loaded
 * -| Melee=

Puukko


 * Short blade ( < 100 mm)
 * Stabbing blade
 * Steel blade between two laminated layers
 * Birch handle
 * -| Special Weapons=

Lahti-Saloranta M/26 LMG


 * 7.62x53mmR
 * 450-550 rds/min
 * 20-round magazine
 * 400 m effective firing range
 * 20.5 lbs.

Blackshirts
"Me ne frego! (I don't give a damn!)"

- Blackshirts motto



The Italian Blackshirts were the fascist paramilitary forces that helped facilitate Benito Mussolini's rise to power in the early 1920s. His October 1922 March on Rome, an event with heavy Blackshirt involvement, was a bullying tactic that effectively secured fascist control in the Kingdom of Italy. In the interwar years they fought in Ethiopia and served as military police forces. During the Second World War the Blackshirts served in North Africa and in Operation Barbarossa, although in this venture they suffered unsustainable losses. This, coupled with the Allied invasion in 1943, led to the dissolvement of the organization in December of that year.

Weapons
|-| Long Range=

Mannlicher Carcano Model 1891


 * 6.5x52mm Carcano
 * Bolt-action
 * 6-round integral magazine (loaded with an en-bloc clip)
 * 1,000 m effective firing range (look, Wikipedia said that, not me)
 * 8.6 lbs.
 * -| Mid Range=

MAB 38


 * 9x19mm Parabellum
 * 600 rds/min
 * 30-round drum magazine
 * 250 m effective firing range
 * 9.25 lbs. unloaded
 * -| Close Range=

Beretta M1934


 * .380 ACP
 * 7-round detachable box magazine
 * Muzzle velocity of 229 m/s
 * 1.45 lbs. loaded
 * -| Melee=

Blackshirt Dagger

<p style="font-weight:normal;text-align:center;"> <p style="font-weight:normal;">Breda Modello 30 LMG
 * 14-in. blade
 * Stabbing blade
 * Steel blade
 * Ceremonial handle
 * -| Special Weapons=

<p style="font-weight:normal;text-align:center;"> <p style="font-weight:normal;">
 * 6.5x52mm Carcano
 * 150 rds/min (practical rate of fire, technically can go up to 500 rds/min)
 * 20-round stripper-clips
 * 1,000 m effective firing range
 * 10.6 lbs.

X-Factors
|-| Training=

White Guard: 66

Blackshirts: 66

I'm just gonna call it even here since both groups were primarily paramilitary organizations formed with the explicit purpose of militarily furthering a political agenda. They were both militia groups, so... yeah. Let's just move on.


 * -| Combat Experience=

White Guard: 87

Blackshirts: 79

The White Guard fought in both the Finnish Civil War and against the Soviets, granting them invaluable combat experience. The Blackshirts were definitely combat competent, having served in the Italo-Ethiopian War and on the North African and Soviet fronts during the Second World War, but their level of involvement was much more limited when compared to the Finns, who were constantly fighting on the front lines.


 * -| Logistics=

White Guard: 71

Blackshirts: 74

The White Guards were in charge of logistics during the Winter War but this was a very difficult role as the Soviets pushed forward. The Finns often relied on German material for support. Meanwhile, the Italians were at least able to keep themselves well-supplied at the onset of the war (even if after their luck changed they kind of fell apart).


 * -| Brutality=

White Guard: 75

Blackshirts: 88

Obviously the Blackshirts take the edge here. As Mussolini's paramilitary forces they dealt with his political opponents and generally made their unpleasant presence known as they saw fit. The Finns were certainly capable of fighting hard against the Soviets but the White Guard was never as notorious for war crimes or atrocities like other Axis troops were.

Battle
Will be 5-on-5.

Will take place in some rural European village area.

To be written.

Expert's Opinion
To be determined.