Flag - Musketeers of the Duce

The Standard of the Duce was the command standard entrusted to the Moschettieri del Duce, a selected unit of the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale responsible for ceremonial and guard duties.

The Moschettieri del Duce were established on 11 February 1923. Deliberately maintained as a small and highly selected formation, they differed from ordinary MVSN units through their uniforms, weapons, ceremonial role and specific duties.

One of those duties was to act as the bearers and custodians of the Duce’s command standard. The standard was therefore directly associated with the Moschettieri, although it was not simply their ordinary unit flag.

Its field is black, decorated throughout in gold. The centre is dominated by a large eagle with outstretched wings, standing upon a horizontally positioned fasces and enclosed within a broad circular frame.

The central device is surrounded by an elaborate ornamental border incorporating additional fasces arranged symmetrically along the sides, linked by stylised vegetal decoration.

The exclusive use of black and gold gives the standard a distinctive command character and clearly separates it from ordinary MVSN unit colours.

The eagle and fasces combine two of the most important elements of the regime’s official visual language. The eagle drew upon Roman imperial imagery, while the fasces had become the principal political and State emblem of Fascist Italy.

The connection between the standard and the Moschettieri was institutional rather than merely ceremonial. The unit was specifically responsible for carrying and guarding the command standard during official appearances and major ceremonies.

A key moment in its history occurred on 11 February 1937, the fourteenth anniversary of the formation of the Moschettieri. During a ceremony at the MVSN barracks in Via Baiamonti, Rome, the standard was blessed and formally presented to the unit.

Mussolini, MVSN Commanding General Luigi Russo and the assembled Moschettieri attended the ceremony. Contemporary photographic documentation shows the standard occupying a central position within the formation.

The Moschettieri also performed guard duty at Palazzo Venezia, appeared in official parades and provided internal security during meetings of the Grand Council of Fascism. The standard was therefore associated with a formation whose role centred upon ceremony, representation and protection of the political leadership.

The historical term “Insegna del Duce” — Standard of the Duce — is significant. Period documentation identifies it as a command standard rather than simply a Moschettieri or generic MVSN flag. The Moschettieri were its custodians and bearers.

A lesser-known detail concerns the 1937 presentation ceremony: before being formally handed to the Moschettieri, the standard underwent a ceremonial blessing by MVSN chaplain Michelangelo Rubino. The procedure closely followed traditions normally associated with military colours, demonstrating the particular ceremonial importance attached to the standard.