The 3rd Alpini Regiment (Italian: 3° Reggimento Alpini) is a mountain warfare regiment of the Italian Army based in Pinerolo in Piedmont. The regiment belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and is assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense". The regiment was formed by the Royal Italian Army on 1 November 1882.[4][5][6]
| 3rd Alpini Regiment | |
|---|---|
| 3° Reggimento Alpini | |
 Regimental coat of arms | |
| Active | 1 Nov. 1882 — 8 Sept. 1943 25 June 1944 — 30 Sept. 1944 23 Nov. 1945 — today |
| Country |  Italy |
| Branch | Italian Army |
| Type | Mountain Infantry |
| Part of | Alpine Brigade "Taurinense" |
| Garrison/HQ | Pinerolo |
| Motto(s) | "Altius tendo" |
| Anniversaries | 16 June 1916 |
| Decorations |         1x Military Order of Italy 3x Silver Medals of Military Valor 2x Bronze Medals of Military Valor 1x War Cross of Military Valor 1x Bronze Medal of Army Valor[1] 1x Gold Cross of Army Merit[2] 1x Bronze Medal of Red Cross Merit 1x 1908 Messina earthquake Medal of Merit[3] |
| Insignia | |
| Alpini gorget patches |  |
History
editOn 15 October 1872, the Royal Italian Army formed 15 locally recruited Alpini companies in the alpine regions of Northern Italy. Nine more companies were formed the following year. In 1875 the 24 companies were organized into seven battalions, and in 1878 the companies were increased to 36 and the battalions to ten. On 1 November 1882, the Alpini companies were increased to 72 and grouped into 20 battalions. On the same date the battalions were assigned to six newly formed Alpini regiments, which were numbered 1st to 6th from West to East, while companies were numbered from 1 to 72 from to West to East. Upon entering the regiments, the battalions, which until then had been designated by a Roman numeral, were named for their recruiting zone, while the Alpini companies were renumbered sequentially from 1st to 72nd. One of the six Alpini regiments formed on 1 November 1882 was the 3rd Alpini Regiment, which was formed in Fossano in Southern Piedmont. The new regiment received the Battalion "Val Stura", which recruited in the Stura Valley, the Battalion "Val Maira", which recruited in the Maira Valley, and the Battalion "Monti Lessini", which recruited in Lessinia in Veneto.[5][6]
In the night of 18-19 August 1883, the Battalion "Val Stura" helped extinguish a fire that threatened to engulf the village of Bersezio. For this the battalion was awarded a Bronze Medal of Civil Valor, which was affixed to the flag of the 3rd Alpini Regiment.[3] In 1884 the regiment moved from Fossano to Savigliano. On 1 April 1885, the regiment transferred the battalions "Val Stura" and "Val Maira" to the 2nd Alpini Regiment, and the Battalion "Monti Lessini" to the 6th Alpini Regiment. In turn the regiment received from the 4th Alpini Regiment the Battalion "Val Chisone", which recruited in the Chisone Valley, and from the 5th Alpini Regiment the battalions "Val Dora" and "Moncenisio", which both recruited in the Susa Valley, through which the Dora Riparia river flows and which lies beneath the Moncenisio massif.[5][6]
In 1886 the regiment moved from Savigliano to Turin and on 1 November of the same year, the battalions changed their names from their recruiting zones to the cities and towns, where their base was located. At the same time Alpini soldiers and non-commissioned officers were issued thread tufts, called Nappina in Italian, which were clipped to the Cappello Alpino headdress, and colored white for the troops of a regiment's first battalion, red for the troops of a regiment's second battalion, green for the troops of a regiment's third battalion, and blue for the troops of a regiment's fourth battalion. The 3rd Alpini Regiment consisted afterwards of the following units:[5][6]
- 3rd Alpini Regiment, in Turin[6][7]
Alpini Battalion "Fenestrelle", in Fenestrelle (former Battalion "Val Chisone")
- 28th, 29th, 30th, and 37th Alpini Company
Alpini Battalion "Susa 1°", in Susa (former Battalion "Val Dora")
- 31st, 32nd, and 33rd Alpini Company
Alpini Battalion "Susa 2°", in Susa (former Battalion "Moncenisio")
- 34th, 35th, and 36th Alpini Company
On 1 October 1888, the Alpini Battalion "Susa 2°" was transferred to the 4th Alpini Regiment, which in turn ceded its Alpini Battalion "Pinerolo" in Pinerolo to the 3rd Alpini Regiment. During the same year the regiment also ceded the 37th Company of the Battalion "Fenestrelle" to the Alpini Battalion "Ivrea" of the 4th Alpini Regiment. On 1 February 1889, the Alpini Battalion "Susa 1°" moved from Susa to Exilles and consequently the battalion was renamed Alpini Battalion "Exilles", while on the same date the Alpini Battalion "Susa 2°" was renamed Alpini Battalion "Susa". In 1895-96 the regiment provided 16 officers and 574 troops to help form the II provisional Alpini battalions, which was deployed to Eritrea for the First Italo-Ethiopian War. In 1901 the regiment was assigned together with the 4th Alpini Regiment and 5th Alpini Regiment to the II Alpini Group, which on 9 August 1910 was renamed II Alpine Brigade. In 1908 the Alpini Battalion "Susa" returned to the 3rd Alpini Regiment and the Alpini Battalion "Pinerolo" ceded its 24th Alpini Company to the 4th Alpini Regiment, to help form the Alpini Battalion "Pallanza". After the 3rd Alpini Regiment which consisted of the following battalions:[5][6]
- 3rd Alpini Regiment, in Turin[6][7]
- Alpini Battalion "Pinerolo", in Pinerolo
- 25th, 26th, and 27th Alpini Company
- Alpini Battalion "Fenestrelle", in Fenestrelle
- 28th, 29th, and 30th Alpini Company
- Alpini Battalion "Exilles", in Exilles
- 31st, 32nd, and 33rd Alpini Company
Alpini Battalion "Susa", in Susa
- 34th, 35th, and 36th Alpini Company
In December 1908 the regiment was deployed to the area of the Strait of Messina for the recovery efforts after the 1908 Messina earthquake. For its service the regiment was awarded the 1908 Messina earthquake Medal of Merit, which was affixed to the regiment's flag.[3][5][6]
Italo-Turkish War
edit
On 29 September 1911 the Kingdom of Italy declared war against the Ottoman Empire and the Alpini battalions "Fenestrelle" and "Susa" were deployed to Libya for the Italo-Turkish War. On 4 May 1912, the Alpini Battalion "Fenestrelle" was part of the Italian forces, which landed in Kalithea Bay on Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. The battalion participated in the Battle of Rhodes, which led to the Italian occupation of the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea. On 6 August 1912, the Alpini Battalion "Susa" participated in the occupation of Zuwarah in Libya and in October 1912 the battalion was assigned to the 8th Special Regiment, which had been formed in Libya with the command of the 8th Alpini Regiment and was led by Colonel Antonio Cantore. On 23 March 1913, the 8th Special Regiment fought in the Battle of Assaba against local rebel forces.[6]
World War I
editThe 3rd Alpini Regiment saw its first action in the Italo-Turkish War of 1911, fighting Ottoman forces in the Libyan desert. During World War I the regiment consisted of 13 battalions and saw heavy fighting in the Alps regions of the Italian front against Austro-Hungarian and German forces. During the war the regiment consisted of the following battalions (pre-war battalions in bold, followed by their first and second line reserve battalions):
- Pinerolo, Val Pellice, Monte Granero
- Fenestrelle, Val Chisone, Monte Albergian, Courmayeur
- Exilles, Val Dora, Monte Assietta
- Susa, Val Cenischia, Moncenisio
During the war a total of 2,375 officers and 32,300 soldiers served in the 3rd Alpini Regiment, of which 138 officers and 5,697 soldiers were killed, and 535 officers and 11,030 soldiers were wounded. The regiment's battalions were awarded three Silver Medals of Military Valor during the war, one of which was shared between the Susa and Exilles battalions for the conquest of Monte Nero.[8]
Interwar years
editOn 10 September 1935, the 1st Alpine Division "Taurinense" was formed, which consisted of the 3rd Alpini Regiment, 4th Alpini Regiment, and 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment. The division participated in 1936 in the Italian invasion of Abyssinia.
World War II
editIn 1940 the regiment, as part of the Taurinense division, fought in the Italian attack on Greece. After the German invasion of Yugoslavia the Taurinense performed garrison and anti-partisan duties in Montenegro. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 most of the division was captured by German forces near Kotor, while the Alpini Battalion "Ivrea" and Alpine Artillery Group "Aosta" joined the Yugoslav Partisans and formed the Partisan Division "Garibaldi".
On 25 June 1944, the 3rd Alpini Regiment was re-raised in Southern Italy with the battalions "Piemonte" and "Monte Granero". Together with the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment it formed the 1st Italian Brigade of the Italian Liberation Corps, which fought in the war on the Allied side. After the Bersaglieri regiment had suffered heavy casualties the two regiments were merged on 30 September 1944 to form the Special Infantry Regiment, which entered the Combat Group "Legnano". The Combat Group was equipped with British weapons and materiel and fought as part of the Polish II Corps on the extreme left of the British 8th Army near the river Idice.
Cold War
editAfter World War II, only the Alpini Battalion "Susa" was reformed on 23 November 1945 and assigned to the 4th Alpini Regiment. The battalion carried on the traditions of the 3rd Alpini Regiment.
During the 1975 army reform the army disbanded the regimental level and newly independent battalions were given for the first time their own flags. On 10 October 1975 the 4th Alpini Regiment of the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense" was disbanded and on the same day the regiment's Alpini Battalion "Susa" in Pinerolo was assigned the flag and traditions of the 3rd Alpini Regiment.[9][6]
Recent times
editOn 23 November 1993 the Alpini Battalion "Susa" was elevated to 3rd Alpini Regiment without changing size or composition. The 3rd Alpini Regiment served in Kabul as part of Italy's contributions to the International Security Assistance Force until August 2007, when it was replaced by the 7th Alpini Regiment.
Organization
edit
As of 2024 the regiment is organized as follows:[4][10]
The Alpini companies are equipped with Bv 206S tracked all-terrain carriers and Lince light multirole vehicles. The maneuver support company is equipped with 120 mm mortars and Spike MR anti-tank guided missiles.[4]
See also
editExternal links
editReferences
edit- ^ "3° Reggimento Alpini". Quirinale - Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ "3° Reggimento Alpini". Quirinale - Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "3° Reggimento Alpini - Il Medagliere". Italian Army. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d "3° Reggimento Alpini". Italian Army. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "3° Reggimento Alpini - La Storia". Italian Army. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k F. dell'Uomo, R. Puletti (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo I. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 461.
- ^ a b c "3° Reggimento Alpini". Vecio.it. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "3° Reggimento Alpini". Vecio.it. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Alpine Brigade "Taurinense" - La Storia". Esercito Italiano. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ a b "3° Reggimento Alpini". Italian Defense Ministry. Retrieved 28 July 2024.