The 5th Bersaglieri Regiment (Italian: 5° Reggimento Bersaglieri) is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Albenga in Liguria. The regiment is part of the Italian Army's infantry corps' Bersaglieri speciality and was last operationally assigned to the Armored Division "Ariete". The regiment was formed in 1861 by the Royal Italian Army with preexisting battalions. During World War I the regiment served on the Italian front.[1]
| 5th Bersaglieri Regiment | |
|---|---|
| 5° Reggimento bersaglieri | |
.png) Regimental coat of arms | |
| Active | 16 April 1861 - 13 May 1943 15 April 1977 - 30 Dec. 1989 |
| Country |  Italy |
| Branch | Italian Army |
| Part of | Armored Division "Ariete" |
| Garrison/HQ | Albenga |
| Motto(s) | "Nulla via impervia" |
| Anniversaries | 18 June 1836 |
| Decorations |    1x Military Order of Italy 1x Silver Medal of Military Valor 4x Bronze Medals of Military Valor |
| Insignia | |
| Bersaglieri gorget patches |  |
During World War II the regiment fought in the Tunisian campaign in North Africa, where it was destroyed in May 1943. In 1976 the regiment's flag and traditions were assigned to the 14th Bersaglieri Battalion "Sernaglia". The regiment's anniversary falls, as for all Bersaglieri units, on 18 June 1836, the day the Bersaglieri speciality was founded.[1]
History
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On 16 April 1861 the 5th Army Corps Bersaglieri Command was formed in Cuneo. The command had purely administrative functions and consisted of the preexisting XIV, XVI, XXIV, XXXIV, XXXV, and XXXVI battalions, and a depot battalion. Already 8 days later the command moved from Cuneo to Livorno. On 31 December 1861 the command was renamed 5th Bersaglieri Regiment, but continued to exert only administrative functions. On 18 December 1864 the Bersaglieri regiments were reduced from six to five and consequently the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment was disbanded and its XXII Battalion transferred to the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment. In 1865 the regiment formed the XXXIX Battalion and now consisted of eight battalions. In 1866, in preparation for the Third Italian War of Independence, the regiment formed the XLV Battalion, and in August 1866, towards the end of the war, the regiment formed the L Battalion, which was disbanded in December 1866. The XLV Battalion was disbanded in December 1870.[1]
On 1 January 1871 the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment was reorganized as an operational regiment with the XIV Battalion, XXII Battalion, XXIV Battalion, and XXXIX Battalion, while the XVI Battalion, XXXIV Battalion, XXXV Battalion, and XXXVI Battalion were transferred to the newly formed 10th Bersaglieri Regiment. The four remaining battalions were renumbered as I, II, III, and IV battalion. On 16 September 1883 the IV Battalion was disbanded. On 18 June 1886, all Bersaglieri battalions resumed their original numbering and afterwards the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment consisted of the XIV Battalion, XXII Battalion, and XXIV Battalion.[1]
The XIV Battalion had been formed in 1859 and participated in the Sardinian campaign in central and southern Italy, during which the battalion distinguished itself in the Siege of Ancona and Siege of Gaeta. For the valor the battalion had shown in the two sieges it was awarded two Bronze Medals of Military Valor, which were affixed to the flag of the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment and added to the regiment's coat of arms, when the battalion joined the regiment. The XXII Battalion and XXIV Battalion were both formed in 1860 and both participated in the Sardinian campaign in central and southern Italy. During the campaign the XXIV Battalion distinguished itself in the Siege of Gaeta, for which it was awarded a Bronze Medal of Military Valor, which was affixed to the flag of the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment and added to the regiment's coat of arms, when the battalion joined the regiment.[1]
In 1866 the battalions participated in the Third Italian War of Independence, during which the XXII Battalion fought in the Battle of Versa. In 1895-96 the regiment provided 17 officers and 451 troops to help form the I, II, IV, and V provisional battalions, which were deployed to Eritrea for the First Italo-Ethiopian War. In 1900-01 the regiment's 7th Company, along with companies of the 2nd Bersaglieri Regiment, 4th Bersaglieri Regiment, and 8th Bersaglieri Regiment, was assigned to a provisional Bersaglieri battalion, which served with the Eight-Nation Alliance in China during the Boxer Rebellion. On 1 October 1910 the regiment's depot in Bologna formed the V Cyclists Battalion. In 1911, the regiment provided 5 officers and 431 troops to augment units fighting in the Italo-Turkish War.[1]
World War I
editDuring World War I the regiment fought on the Italian front, where the regiment during the Battle of Vittorio Veneto managed to cross the Piave river and break the Austro-Hungarian front line at Sernaglia after five days of brutal combat.[1]
World War II
editOn 7 April 1939 the XIV Battalion landed in Durrës in Albania as part of the Italian invasion of Albania. Meanwhile on 20 April 1939 the regiment joined the newly raised 131st Armored Division "Centauro". On 28 October of the same year the division was transferred to Albania for the Greco-Italian War. In December 1942 the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment was transferred to Tunisia for the Tunisian campaign. Regiment and battalion fought at the battles of Kasserine Pass, Mareth Line, and El Guettar. The remnants of regiment and battalion surrendered with the rest of Army Group Africa on 13 May 1943.[2][1]
Cold War
editWith the 1975 army reform divisions received their own recruits training battalions and on 15 April 1977 the Detachment of the 16th Infantry (Recruits Training) Battalion "Savona" in Albegna was renamed 14th Bersaglieri (Recruits Training) Battalion "Sernaglia", which received the flag and traditions of the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment. The battalion trained recruits destined for the Bersaglieri battalions of the Armored Division "Ariete". When the division was disbanded in 1986 the battalion passed to the Northwestern Military Region.
With the end of the Cold War the Italian Army began to downsize its forces and the on 30 December 1989 the "Sernaglia" battalion was disbanded and the war flag of the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome.[1]