Editing Commando (section)

== World War I ==

===Austro-Hungarian assault units===
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2018}}
During the winter of 1914–1915 large parts of the Eastern Front switched to trench warfare. To cope with the new situation many Austro-Hungarian regiments spontaneously formed infantry squads called ''Jagdkommandos''. These squads were named after the specially trained forces of Russian army formed in 1886 and were used to protect against ambushes, to perform reconnaissance and for low intensity fights in no-man's-land.

Austro-Hungarian High army command (''Armeeoberkommando'', AOK) realized the need for special forces and decided to draw on German experience. Starting in September–October 1916 about 120 officers and 300 NCOs were trained in the German training area in Beuville (near the village of [[Doncourt-lès-Conflans|Doncourt]]) to be the main cadre of the newly raised Austro-Hungarian army assault battalions. The former ''Jagdkommandos'' were incorporated into these battalions.

=== Italy ===
{{See also|Arditi}}
The first country to establish commando troops was Italy, in the summer 1917, shortly before Germany.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}

Italy used specialist trench-raiding teams to break the stalemate of static fighting against [[Austria-Hungary]], in the [[Italian Campaign (World War I)|Alpine battles]] of World War I. These teams were called "[[Arditi]]" (meaning "daring, brave ones"); they were almost always men under 25 in top physical condition and, possibly at first, bachelors (due to fear of very high casualty rates). Actually the Arditi (who were led to the lines just a few hours before the assault, having been familiarised with the terrain via photo-reconnaissance and trained on trench systems re-created ad hoc for them) suffered fewer casualties than regular line infantry and were highly successful in their tasks. Many volunteered for extreme-right formations in the turbulent years after the war and (the [[National Fascist Party|Fascist Party]] took pride in this and adopted the style and the mannerism of Arditi), but some of left-wing political persuasions created the "[[Arditi del Popolo]]" (People's Arditi) and for some years held the fascist raids in check, defending Socialist and Communist Party sections, buildings, rallies and meeting places.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.storiaxxisecolo.it/antifascismo/antifascismo3f.html|title=Gli Arditi del Popolo: la storia|website=www.storiaxxisecolo.it|access-date=16 May 2017}}</ref>