EPISODE 116: The Daring Ones - The Arditi in WWI

History on Fire

Daniele Bolelli

Society & Culture

4.7 • 5.9K Ratings

🗓️ 19 January 2026

⏱️ 119 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Se non ci conoscete, guardateci i coglioni, siamo gli Arditi del Capitan Mattioni.” Arditi song The Italian Army during WWI was not exactly a well-oiled military machine. In terms of supplies, logistics and leadership, it was a disaster… that is, until someone came up with an idea that didn’t rely on supplies, or advanced technologies. Just a stupid degree of bravery. That was the formula behind the Arditi. The Arditi had a reputation for being insane. They were special forces often engaged in nearly suicidal missions. Their motto was 'O la Vittoria o tutti accoppati' ('Either victory or everyone dies.') 25%-30% casualties in every attack were about the norm. Their main weapons were daggers and hand grenades. Their job was to storm enemy trenches while their artillery was bombing them (a risky endeavor in itself) and then use their knives and the grenades to murder the living hell out of their enemies. In today’s episode, we will explore the clash between Italy and the Austro Hungarian Empire during WWI, with a special focus on the Arditi. If you feel generous and enjoy History on Fire, please consider joining my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to access plenty of bonus content. All the links to History on Fire social media can be found at our ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkTree⁠⁠⁠⁠, including: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HOF YouTube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. JAPAN TOUR! Let’s head out to Japan in Oct 2026. All the details at ⁠⁠⁠⁠Geek Nation Tours⁠⁠⁠⁠. Throughout history, people have used mushrooms (such as Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, Cordyceps, Reishi and Chaga) for their medicinal properties. My friends started ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Purest Mushrooms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where they offer some of the best quality mushrooms you can find on the market at affordable prices. Use code historyonfire at checkout for a discount. Bison is some of the healthiest meat you could possibly eat. Get yours at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dakota Pure Bison⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. History on Fire listeners get a discount by using the code HOF10 at checkout. This episode is supported by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Arizona State University⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about how ASU supports all learners through all stages of life. My friend James Pieratt is one of the world’s top functional training experts, and a record-breaking hybrid athlete. Use the code WH25 for a 25% discount on all of his training programs at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wild Hunt Conditioning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Whether you like history or not, if you care about bravery, wisdom, passion,
0:05.0	larger than life characters, and some of the most emotionally intense moments in human experience,
0:10.0	you have come to the right place.
0:12.0	Danieli Bollelli is a university history professor, writer, and martial artist,
0:16.0	and he shall be your guide in a journey to the place where history and epic collide. Let's go see a history on fire.
0:55.0	Let's start with a little bit of family history.
0:58.0	I only met my mom's grandfather a few times.
1:03.0	The only thing I remember is that he looked like a pirate to me,
1:07.0	since he had a patch on one eye that made him look perfect for the part.
1:12.9	He just needed a treasure map and a parrot on his shoulder to complete the picture and he would
1:17.9	have been perfect.
1:19.9	As it turns out, the reason why he had a patch is no less adventurous than if he had been
1:25.9	an actual pirate.
1:30.5	Apparently, he left his eye on a battlefield in World War I while storm in a cave occupied by Austrian troops. In fact, he was an officer
1:38.6	in a division of the Italian army known as the Arditi. His man would sing,
1:44.4	"'Se none ci conoschete, guardacee cogloni,
1:47.5	Siamo gli arditi del Capitan Mationi, which is freely translated as,
1:53.0	If you don't know us, look at the size of our bowls.
1:56.7	We are Captain Mationi's arditi.
1:59.7	Now, there's a little bit of family disagreement about this song,
2:02.8	since some of my mother's cousins remember a more PG version,
2:07.9	saying Mallioni or Sweathers instead of Collioni,
	...

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