With the 1975 reforms the Italian Army abolished the regimental level and replaced it with brigades made up of multiple arms (including for example armour, infantry, and artillery). During the reform the army disbanded 48 regimental commands and reduced its force by 87 battalions. [1] A further ten regimental commands were used to raise ten new brigade commands. Ten training centers, which for traditional reasons had carried the names of regiments, were also disbanded. The reduction in units also allowed to mechanize most of the remaining units in Northern Italy and Italy's defense strategy changed from a hold-at-all-costs territorial defense to one of mobile warfare.
The reform was pushed through by General Andrea Cucino. Having become Chief of the General Staff of the Army on 1 February 1975, [2] Cucino, concerned with the number of under-manned and under-equipped units, ordered an immediate review of the army's structure. After two months Cucino and his staff presented a plan to restructure the entire army, and having secured an additional 1,100 billion Lire over 10 years to modernize the army's equipment, Cucino ordered the reform to begin with 1 September 1975. By 31 November 1975 the reform concluded and the army's organs, units, doctrine, training, and organization had been thoroughly and radically altered. [1] After the reform operational units were at 93% readiness, with the Armored Division "Ariete" and the Anti-aircraft Artillery Command at 100% readiness.
As a founding member of NATO Italy was obliged to assign its military forces to NATO's integrated military command in case of war. While the Italian Air Force's operational units would have come under NATO's 5th Allied Tactical Air Force (5 ATAF) in Vicenza, the Italian Army would have come under NATO's Allied Land Forces Southern Europe (LANDSOUTH) in Verona. However, as tensions between Italy and Yugoslavia over the Free Territory of Trieste were high after World War II and as Yugoslavia was not a Warsaw Pact member a conflict between the two countries would have likely not involved NATO. Therefore, on 1 May 1952 the Italian Army re-activated the Third Army in Padua to be able to act outside NATO's chain of command in case a war would break out between Italy and Yugoslavia. [3] Third Army duplicated the functions of LANDSOUTH with a purely Italian staff. To not violate NATO's integrated military command Italy described Third Army in all official documents as "the command designated Third Army" (il Comando Designato 3a Armata) and assigned no combat units to it during peacetime.[ citation needed ]
In case of war Third Army would have commanded the V Army Corps in Vittorio Veneto and the Carnia-Cadore Troops Command of the IV Alpine Army Corps. The latter command, based in San Daniele del Friuli, had been specifically created to be able to split the IV Alpine Army Corps' area of operation in case of war with Yugoslavia. Reinforcements for Third Army would have come from the III Army Corps in Milan and the VI Army Corps in Bologna.[ citation needed ]
With the easing of tensions between Italy and Yugoslavia, which culminated in the division of the Free Territory of Trieste with the Treaty of Osimo in 1975, the army disbanded Third Army, along with the VI Army Corps, on 1 April 1972. With the 1975 reform the last traces of Third Army's existence were eliminated: the Carnia-Cadore Troops Command was disbanded and the support units that had supported the Command Designated Third Army were reassigned or disbanded. Furthermore, the army significantly reduced its forces in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region along the Yugoslavian-Italian border: 17 regimental commands and 28 battalions were disbanded and a further six regimental commands were transformed into brigade commands. In total about a third of the pre-reform personnel were withdrawn from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region as a goodwill gesture to Yugoslavia.[ citation needed ]
As part of the reform the military service length for the army was reduced from 15 to 12 months (Article 40, Law nr. 191, 31 May 1975). Subsequently, the army reduced its personnel strength from 285,000 to 240,000. At the same time the training of recruits was radically altered: until 1975 all recruits received their basic training at ten Recruits Training Centers (Centro Addestramento Reclute - CAR) and where assigned only afterwards to their units. With the reform all higher commands were assigned Recruits Training Battalions (Battaglione Addestramento Reclute - BAR), which trained the recruits assigned to the command's units.
Another part of the reform focused on the selection of the army's squad leaders. Until the reform squad leaders were chosen prior to their arrival at the army's Recruits Training Centers based on their army physical and their prior civilian education. Their actually ability to lead a squad was not taken into account and therefore General Cucino ended this practice. Forthwith the company commanders of the Recruits Training Battalions chose future squad leaders among their best recruits. [1]
Until the 1975 reform the army alternated the numbering of its units between Roman numerals and Arabic numerals. With the reform the use of Roman numerals was discontinued. The table below gives an overview of the units of the army and the use of numerals before 1975:
Unit type | Numerals | Commanding officer rank (NATO code) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Army | Arabic | General (Generale - OF-10) | The army's only active field army, the 3ª Armata, was disbanded on 1 April 1972. |
Army Corps, Inspectorate (Ispettorato), Military Region (Regione Militare) | Roman | Lieutenant General (Generale di Corpo d'Armata - OF-8) | Inspectorates and Military Regions were administrative formations. |
Division, Troops Command (Comando Truppe), Service Command (Comando del Servizio) | Arabic | Major General (Generale di Divisione - OF-7) | Service Commands were administrative formations. |
Brigade | Roman | Brigadier General (Generale di Brigata - OF-6) | |
Regiment, Grouping (Raggruppamento) | Arabic | Colonel (Colonnello - OF-5) | Groupings were administrative formations. |
Battalion, Group, Squadrons Group, Unit (Reparto) | Roman | Lieutenant Colonel (Tenente Colonnello - OF-4) | Units were an administrative formations of 2-3 companies. |
Company, Battery, Squadron | Arabic | Captain (Capitano - OF-2) | |
With the reform the army raised ten new brigades and named them, depending on the division they were assigned to, by different conventions:
The tenth new brigade was the Motorized Brigade "Acqui", named after the World War II 33rd Infantry Division "Acqui".
In 1975 newly independent battalions and groups were given a name, battle flag, and coat of arms. These names, flags, and coats of arms are still in use today. The naming convention introduced in 1975 is as follows:
Each speciality of the infantry developed its own naming convention.
The three Granatieri (Grenadier) battalions were named for two battles, where the Granatieri had withstood overwhelming enemy numbers, and for the oldest regiment of their line:
Line infantry regiments already carried names before the reform and mostly retained them. The newly independent line infantry battalions, which changed their names, did so because:
All newly independent infantry battalions, with the exception of six, were named for battles where the antecedent regiment had distinguished itself. The six battalions were renamed, in one case for the patron saint of the city where the unit was based (1st Motorized Infantry Battalion "San Giusto"), in one case for a quarter of the city, which was the unit's former title (33rd Infantry Fortification Battalion "Ardenza"), in one case for a historic event that had occurred in the area of the regiment's former title (74th Infantry Fortification Battalion "Pontida"). In the remaining three cases for the historic name of the region surrounding the unit's base from where it drew its recruits: 45th Infantry Battalion "Arborea", 47th Infantry Battalion "Salento", 91st Infantry Battalion "Lucania".
Bersaglieri regiments and battalions had not carried names before the reform and the newly independent battalions were named, with two exceptions, for battles. The 1st Bersaglieri Battalion was named for the founder of the Bersaglieri corps General Alessandro Ferrero La Marmora, while the 11th Battalion, which had received the flag of the 182nd Regiment "Garibaldi", was named for the island of Caprera, where Giuseppe Garibaldi had spent the last years of his life.
Alpini battalions and the associated mountain artillery groups had been recruited in the Alpine valleys of Northern Italy and were named since 1887 for the location of their main depot. With the 1975 reform Alpini battalions and mountain artillery groups became independent under their historic names.
Armor battalions were named for officers, soldiers and partisans, who were posthumously awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor for heroism during World War II. Similarly the two mechanized Carabinieri battalions were named for Carabinieri officers, who were posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor. I.e. 13th Tank Battalion "M.O. Pascucci".
Paracadutisti (Paratroopers) battalions were named for World War II battles: Second Battle of El Alamein, Air Assault of Poggio Rusco, and one battalion was named for the location of the first Italian military parachute school Tarquinia. The Paratroopers Assault Battalion was named for the World War I conquest of the summit of Col Moschin by its predecessor regiment.
The infantry's youngest speciality the Lagunari fielded two battalions after the reform:
During the reform two cavalry squadron groups were reactivated and both, as all already active squadron groups, retained their traditional names. Two squadron groups retained their names based on former Kingdom of Sardinia possession in France: "Nizza Cavalleria" named for the County of Nice and "Savoia Cavalleria" named for the Duchy of Savoy. One squadrons group retained its name based on the Second Italian War of Independence Battle of Montebello, one squadrons group retained its title as the guides ("Guide") of the army, while the remainder of the squadron groups retained their names, which were derived from Italian regions (i.e. "Piemonte Cavalleria") or cities (i.e. "Lancieri di Novara").
The artillery remained divided into the following specialities:
Most artillery units retained the names of the former regiments, whose flags they were given. The units, which changed their names, did so because:
Unlike the other service arms of the army the artillery did not follow a unified naming convention. Which led to units being named for battles (3rd "Pastrengo", 13th "Magliana", 184th "Filottrano"), rivers (1st "Adige", 10th "Avisio"), mountains (i.e. 4th "Bondone"), landscapes (i.e. 14th "Murge", 47th "Gargano"), cities (i.e. 33rd "Terni", 132nd "Rovereto"), bridges (19th "Rialto"), and World War II divisions (120th "Po"). However light anti-aircraft reserve groups were named systematically for birds of prey.
Engineer battalions were named for a lake if they supported a corps or named for a river if they supported a division or brigade: i.e. the 5th Pioneers Battalion "Bolsena" supported the 5th Army Corps, while the 104th Pioneers Battalion "Torre" supported the Mechanized Division "Mantova". In the case of the 184th Pioneers Battalion "Santerno" the name was chosen to also commemorate the CLXXXIV Engineer Battalion's role in crossing the river Santerno during the allied 1945 Spring offensive.
Signal battalions were named for mountain passes, [5] with the exception of the two Southernmost units, which were named for volcanoes. I.e. named for passes: 4th Signal Battalion "Gardena", 33rd Electronic Warfare Battalion "Falzarego"; named for volcanoes: 45th Signal Battalion "Vulture" and 46th Signal Battalion "Mongibello".
Army aviation units were new creations and named for celestial objects: [6]
If a squadrons group was part of a regiment the second digit of its number corresponded to the number of the regiment. I.e. the 44th Squadrons Group was a reconnaissance helicopter unit assigned to the 4th Army Aviation Regiment "Altair". [6]
Transport groups were named for Roman roads near their bases: i.e. 10th Joint Forces Maneuver Auto Group "Salaria" and the 11th Maneuver Auto Group "Flaminia", both based in Rome, were named for Roman roads starting in Rome.
Logistic battalions were named for the division or brigade they were assigned to. In 1986 logistic units supporting the army corps were given the names of landscapes in the corps' area of operations (i.e. "Carnia", "Carso", "Dolomiti").
This naming convention is still in force and newly created units' names adhere to it. I.e:
For the first time the Italian Army allowed units below the regimental level to carry a flag ("bandiera di guerra"). With the presidential decrees n. 846 of 12 November 1976 and n. 173 of 14 March 1977 the newly raised units were officially assigned their names and either assigned an existing flag or granted a newly created one:
In total 92 stored and 80 newly created flags were given to the units raised during the reform. With the flags these units also acquired the right to display a coat of arms. This required the army's heraldry office to design 80 new coat of arms and update the other 92, many of which had not been modified since the time of fascism and furthermore did not take the unit's World War II service into account.
The reduction of forces allowed the army to retire old equipment and invest in new gear. The first priority was to improve the anti-tank capabilities of infantry units by speeding up the introduction of the BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles and ordering another 10,000 missiles. [1]
While the army had already bought 200 Leopard 1A2 main battle tanks and 69 Bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicles from Germany in 1971 and 1972 to equip the Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli", in 1974 the army ordered an additional 400 license-built Leopard 1A2 and 67 Bergepanzer 2 from OTO-Melara to replace M47 Patton tanks and M74 armored recovery vehicles in units stationed in Northern Italy. In total the army reduced the number of M47 tanks in service by about 900. [1]
Unhappy with the protection level of the standard M113 armored personnel carrier the army ordered the same year 600 VCC-1 Camillino with improved armor and a M2 Browning machine gun for its armored and mechanized brigades. As the amphibious LVT-4 of the Lagunari Regiment were obsolete the army ordered 17 LVTP-7 as replacement (15 × LVTP-7, 1 × LVTP-7C command post, 1 × LVTP-7R recovery vehicle). For the artillery 164 FH70 towed howitzers were ordered, [1] while the last M7 Priest, M55 and M14/61 howitzers were retired. In total the army reduced the number of howitzers in service by about 450. [1] The artillery's MGR-1 Honest John surface-to-surface missiles were replaced with MGM-52 Lance missiles, while its MQM-57 "Falconer" drones were replaced by Canadair CL-89B "Midge" drones.
The Army's Light Aviation had received its first CH-47C Chinook transport helicopter in February 1973; by 1975 the first operational unit could be formed and all 24 Chinook were in service by October 1977. [10] In the same year,[ which? ] the first of 80 SM.1019A artillery observation and liaison plane entered service and began to replace the L-18C Super Cub and L-21B Super Cub planes, which were finally taken out of service in 1979 and 1980 respectively. [11]
In peacetime the Anti-aircraft Artillery Command was under administrative control of the Artillery Inspectorate in Rome, in wartime it would have come under operational control of NATO's Allied Land Forces Southern Europe Command in Verona.
L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000, a 6-tome book published by the Ufficio Storico (History Office) of the Italian army's General Staff is the main source for this article. The book contains the official history of every Italian army unit that was granted a flag. The other main sources of this article are the presidential decrees from 12 November 1976, n. 846 and 14 March 1977, n. 173, with which the President of the Italian Republic awarded the units created in the 1975 reform their flags and names. The third main source is the Circolare SME n. 350/151 del 4.8.1975 with which the Army General Staff informed all units of the changes affecting them during the reform.
The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro Ferrero La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, which later became the Royal Italian Army. They can be recognized by their distinctive wide-brimmed hats decorated with black western capercaillie feathers, which is worn with the dress uniform. The feathers are also applied to their combat helmets.
The 3rd Alpini Regiment is a regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The regiment is based in Pinerolo and assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense".
The 8th Alpini Regiment is a regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. As of 2022 the regiment is assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Julia" and based in the city of Venzone in Italy's northeast.
The Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli" is a brigade of the Italian Army, based in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto regions. The Brigade consists of a command unit, a cavalry regiment, an amphibious infantry regiment, an artillery regiment, an engineer regiment and a logistic regiment.
The Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna" is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Italian Army, based in Rome and central Italy. The brigade fields one of the oldest regiments of the Army and is one of the guard regiments of the President of Italy. The name of the unit dates back to the Kingdom of Sardinia and not the eponymous Mediterranean island of Sardinia. The brigade is part of the Division "Acqui".
The Mechanized Brigade "Aosta" is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Italian Army based on the island of Sicily. The Brigade is one of the oldest of the Italian Army and the name connects the brigade to its original area of recruitment the Aosta Valley and therefore the brigade's coat of arms is modeled after the coat of arms of Aosta. The brigade is part of the Division "Acqui".
After World War II the Italian Army had two units named "Centauro": from 1952 to 1986 the Armored Division "Centauro" and from 1986 to 2002 the Armored Brigade "Centauro". Both units were successor to the World War II era 131st Armored Division "Centauro". The units' name came from the mythological race of half human-half horse creatures named Centaurs.
The Armored Brigade "Vittorio Veneto" was an armored brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were armored and mechanized cavalry squadrons groups. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Villa Opicina, with most of its units based in the Province of Trieste. The brigade's name was chosen to remember the decisive Italian World War I victory at the Battle of Vittorio Veneto.
The 32nd Armored Brigade "Mameli" was an armored brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were tank and Bersaglieri battalions. The brigade was headquartered in the city of Tauriano, a subdivision of the city of Spilimbergo. All the brigade's units were based in Spilimbergo. The brigade's name was chosen to honor the Italian patriot Goffredo Mameli writer of the lyrics of the Italian national anthem. The brigade's sister brigades, the 132nd Armored Brigade "Manin" and 8th Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi" were named to honor of Daniele Manin and Giuseppe Garibaldi, both heroes of the Italian unification.
The 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete" is currently the only active armored brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units are tank and Bersaglieri regiments. The brigade's headquarters is in Pordenone, and most of its units are based in the North-East of Italy. The brigade's name comes from the battering ram. The brigade draws much of its historical traditions from the 132nd Armored Division "Ariete," which fought in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II. In 1948, the Ariete was reconstituted as a division and remained active until 1986. Today the brigade is part of the Division "Vittorio Veneto".
The Mechanized Brigade "Gorizia" was a mechanized brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were mechanized infantry battalions. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Gorizia and the brigade's units were based in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The brigade's name was chosen in memory of the World War I Battle of Gorizia. The brigade's sister brigade, the Armored Brigade "Vittorio Veneto", was named to commemorate the World War I Battle of Vittorio Veneto.
The Mechanized Brigade "Goito" was a mechanized brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were mechanized Bersaglieri battalions. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Milan. The brigade's name was chosen in memory of the First Italian War of Independence Battle of Goito, where the Bersaglieri corps had its baptism of fire.
The Mechanized Brigade "Brescia" was a mechanized brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were mechanized infantry battalions. The brigade was founded in, named after, and headquartered in the city of Brescia and accordingly the brigade's coat of arms was modeled after the city's coat of arms.
The 3rd Missiles Brigade "Aquileia" was an artillery brigade of the Italian Army active between 1959 and 1991. The brigade was stationed in North-Eastern Italy and armed with missile and artillery systems capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons as part of Italy's participation in NATOs nuclear sharing programme. During peacetime the brigade fell under command of the Italian V Army Corps, but during wartime the brigade would have been subordinate to NATOs Allied Land Forces Southern Europe (LANDSOUTH) command in Verona. After the end of the Cold War the brigade was disbanded and its weapon systems retired.
The Mechanized Brigade "Mantova" was a mechanized brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were mechanized infantry battalions. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Cividale del Friuli and all the brigade's units were based in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In 2003, the "Mantova" was raised again as a division command.
The Mechanized Brigade "Legnano" was a mechanized brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were mechanized infantry battalions. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Bergamo in Lombardy. The name of the brigade commemorates the Lombard League victory in the Battle of Legnano in 1176 and its coat of arms depicts the Monument to the Warrior of Legnano in the centre of Legnano.
The Motorized Brigade "Cremona" was an infantry brigade of the Italian Army. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Turin. The brigade carried on the name and traditions of the 44th Infantry Division "Cremona".
The Mechanized Brigade "Trieste" was a mechanized brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were mechanized infantry battalions. The brigade's headquarter was in the city of Bologna. Named after the North-Eastern city of Trieste the brigade's coat of arms was modeled after the city's coat of arms.
The Mechanized Division "Folgore" was a mechanized division of the Italian Army. Its core units were three mechanized brigades. The brigades headquarters was in the city of Treviso.
The Mechanized Brigade "Isonzo" was a short-lived brigade of the Italian Army created during the 1975 army reform and renamed Mechanized Brigade "Mantova" during the 1986 army reform. The name of the brigade was chosen to commemorate the twelve Battles of the Isonzo during World War I.