The Artillery School, dissolved as an independent body on 30 September 2010, could trace its origins back to 1888, through numerous reorganization phases.
History
Training establishments related to artillery date back to the XVIII Century, when King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia established the Royal School of Artillery and Fortification. In 1821, it was merged with the existing Royal Military Academy and assumed the name of Application School of Artillery and Engineering.[1]
Central School of Artillery Shooting: 1888-1915
The traditions of the School of Artillery draw their origins from the "Central School of Artillery Shooting" (Scuola Centrale di Tiro di Artiglieria), established on 1 July 1888 (Royal Decree No. 131 of 24 June 1888) in Nettuno. The School was established in order to give adequate impetus to the professional education of cadres and to give artillery training a unitary direction, supported by application standards corresponding to the performance of weapons. In 1894, at the Bracciano shooting range, the first training course on firing with fortress and siege artillery was held for Fortress Artillery Officers.[2]
Following the 1910 Spingardi Reform, on 9 August 1910, the School split, giving rise to two distinct Schools, the Central School of Field Artillery (including mountain artillery and horse artillery) which remained in Nettuno, and the Central Fortress Artillery School, which was established in Rome with a shooting range in Bracciano.[3][4]
During the First World War the two schools lost their didactic function. In Bracciano a Training Group was established for the preparation of personnel for the specialist units. In Nettuno a special "Experimental Section" was established at the Central School of Artillery with experimental and testing tasks in order to rapidly upgrade and modernize the artilleries. On the other hand, personnel training took place in the depots located behind the front. Among them, should be remembered that of Spilimbergo, which assumed the name of Shooting School.[2]
Interwar period
In 1920, the two schools merged into the Central Artillery School in Bracciano, in the reorganization process which concentrated the combat schools in that area. In 1925 the Artillery Central School was transferred in Civitavecchia, directly under the Army General Staff.[3][2]
In 1921, the Experimental Section in Nettuno, which had been considerably strengthened during the conflict, became autonomous, first establishing itself in the Directorate of Artillery Experiences and, subsequently, in 1927, in the Artillery Experience Centre.[3][2]
Month-long[5] courses were held mainly for Officers who were preparing to take up the posts of group or regimental commander. The courses were organized according to a tripartite scheme:[2]
a first period, common, necessary to give a panoramic and general vision of the use of the units of the various branches according to the dictates of the current doctrine;
a second period, at the respective branch school, in which Officers deepened the study of the characteristics and technique of the weapon they belong to;
a third period, again in common, which ensured, through practical exercises and maneuvers with cadres, the acquisition of operational concepts concerning joint cooperation.
The School did not have its own Units. For the exercises it had the regiments of the Division "Torino", also based in Civitavecchia, and permanently received in aggregation from other bodies the Groups or Batteries of the non-divisional artillery specialties.[2]
In 1927 the Artillery Shooting School, aimed to troops and enlisted personnel, was reestablished and reactivated in Nettuno. The Artillery Shooting School was directly under the Inspector of Artillery.[3][2]
Second World War
During the Second World War the activity of the Shooting School of Neptune had a notable increase, above all to retrain the ranks of reservists called to arms who had to constitute or complete the Artillery units.[2]
In 1944 the Central School of Artillery was hit by the allied landing which destroyed the Artillery Experience Center. At the end of the war, the Experience Center remained in Nettuno and was strengthened, also incorporating the Infantry Experience Center of Santa Severa as the 5th Experience Section.[2]
After Second World War: 1946–1990
After the Second World War, the reconstruction was not long in coming. On 27 January 1945, the 152nd Artillery Regiment "Piceno" moved to Bracciano assuming the following organic constitution:[2]
Command;
School and Artillery Complements Group;
School and Engineer Complements Battalion;
Mixed complements battalion.
On 10 April 1945, the 152nd Artillery Regiment "Piceno" was renamed "Artillery Training Regiment". On 15 January 1946, the Artillery Training Regiment was renamed Artillery School. Definitively returned to Bracciano, the School was unified into a single institute and placed under the Military Central Schools Command. In 1946 the School of Mechanics of Artillery Workers of Civitavecchia passed under the control of the School of Artillery of Bracciano, of which it became a detachment.[3][2]
Chief of Army StaffLuigi Efisio Marras in 1947 strengthened the Officers Schools: the Schools of Arms Cooperation (Scuola Cooperazione Varie Armi, S.CO.V.A.), grouping the Schools in Civitavecchia, was established in the same year.[6]:33 On 25 October, the Artillery School was granted the task of keeping the War Flag of the Arm of Artillery.[7]
In 1948, with the establishment of the 1st Battery of reserve officers cadets, the Artillery School also assumed the nature of a training institute for reserve cadres, while it lost the Anti-aircraft detachments of Bracciano, Sabaudia and Civitavecchia.[3][2] In 1949 the XI Field Artillery Group was moved to the then-V Territorial Military Command in Padua.[6]:33–34
In 1951, the Artillery School gave birth to a new specialty with the establishment of a Artillery Light Aviation Unit, which was later renamed Army Light Aviation Unit; in 1958 the Army Light Aviation Unit was transferred to Viterbo, thus giving rise to the Army Aviation.
In 1954, the Reserve Officers and Sub-officers School was established in Foligno, with the exception of the self-propelled speciality and the Artillery specialists who kept their headquarters in Bracciano,[3][2] both under the VIII Territorial Military Command of Rome.[6]:67
In 1956 the artillery training sector was reorganized. The command of all the Artillery Schools was entrusted to a General, who was supported by:
a Colonel, Deputy Commander;
a Colonel, Course Director
a Colonel, commander of the Reserve Officers and Sub-officers School in Foligno.
The Deputy Commander oversaw the entire logistical and administrative organization of the School and also performed the functions of Corps Commander in relation to the demonstration Units. The Colonel, Course Director, on the other hand, presided over the didactic organization, making use of the activities of some "units". In 1956, a "Technical Application Course" was launched for the training of Artillery Officers.[2]
In 1964, the School was again reorganized. The Commanding General, in turn dependent on the Inspector of the Arm of Artillery,[6]:131 had under its dependencies a Chief of Staff as coordinator of the activity, both disciplinary and logistic, of the whole school complex. The actual training part was carried out within four "Courses Units":[2]
The first Courses Unit provided for the organization and development of the courses the Captains to be promoted.
The second Courses Unit provided for the development of courses for reserve officers and Sub-officers and for student team leaders of the missile and self-propelled specialties.
The third Courses Unit included all the operational units of the School as well as the Light Aircraft Section and some batteries for non-divisional specialties. In addition to the personnel training, it also provided units and means for the training for those attending the Courses, for carrying out demonstration, cooperation and experience exercises; moreover, it organized the Technical-Application Course and refresher courses for the personnel of all ranks recalled from leave.
The fourth Courses Unit, located in Civitavecchia, also included a demonstration specialist Battery and took care of the training at all levels of the personnel assigned to the specialist unit.
1975 Army reform
Coat of arms of the 1st Self-Propelled Field Artillery Group "Cacciatori delle Alpi".
In January 1976 the Army established two Artillery Groups, operational and demonstrative pawns of the School: the 1st Self-Propelled Field Artillery Group "Cacciatori delle Alpi", formed from the 8th Army Corps Self-propelled Field Artillery Group, and the 18th Field Artillery Group "Gran Sasso" formed from the 1st Group of the 13th Artillery Regiment.[3] On 2 May 1976 the 1st Group inherited the War Flag, the Red Tie and the Garibaldi traditions of the 1st Artillery Regiment.[8]
These two Artillery Groups were joined by an A.U.C. Group, which took care of the training and training of the Reserve Officer Cadets and the Subfofficers of the self-propelled specialities, the Specialists Group and a Support Unit.[3]
In June 1981, with the dissolution of the School of Artillery Officers and Subfofficers in Foligno which took care of the training of the students of mechanical towing specialities, the 18th Group was suppressed and transformed into the Mechanical Towing A.U.C. Group, while the 1st Artillery Group lost the "Self-propelled" designation and became the demonstrative group of the School. All activities were thus concentrated in Bracciano.[3] On 15 June 1986, the War Flag drape was replaced.[7]
After the Cold War
Subsequent reorganizations led to the dissolution of the Specialists Group and of the Support Unit. The latter one was later reconstituted once the two A.U.C. Groups were merged into a single training institution. From 1 October 1997 to September 2009, the School Commander carried out the command activity on the Training and Experimentation Centre for the Anti-Aircraft Artillery of Sabaudia.[3] The Commander also assumed the position of Deputy Inspector of the Arm of Artillery on the same date.[9]
On 12 November 1999, the 1st Artillery Group "Cacciatori delle Alpi" was disestablished and its flag returned to the Shrine of the Flags at the Altare della Patria in Rome. The Artillery School was reorganized into a Training Group and a Support Group.[3][8]
On 1 February 2006 a new organization was introduced. The General Staff was reorganised and the Training Regiment was established on 1 March 2006; at the same time, the Logistics Support Group and the Training Group were dissolved. The establishment of the Training Regiment was decided in order to optimize the performance of the institutional tasks of the School of Artillery and to develop the training activity.[2] On 30 September 2010 the School was disestablished and merged into the present-day Artillery Command.
Artillery Command
The Artillery Command was established on 1 October 2010 in Bracciano on the basis of the Artillery School. The Artillery Command was the result of the merger of the Inspectorate of the Arm of Artillery, of the Artillery Brigade and of the Artillery School.[10]
List of commanders
Coat of Arms of the Artillery School.
Through its history, the Artillery School had 57 commanders.[11][12]
Central School of Artillery Shooting (1888-1910)
Ten. Gen. Enrico Giovannetti (1 July 1888 – 29 December 1889);
Ten. Gen. Orazio Galleani di Sainte Ambroise (19 January 1889 – 31 December 1894);
Col. Tommaso Schellini (1 January 1895 – 15 February 1895);
Ten. Col. Aldo Rossi (1 November 1895 – 15 February 1896);
Col. Emanuele Carrano (12 November 1896 – 3 February 1897);
Col. Angelo De Luigi (15 October 1897 – 31 May 1898);
Col. Edoardo De Fabii Pezzani (1 June 1898 – 19 November 1898);
Col. Giorgio Recli (19 November 1898 – 20 January 1901);
Ten. Col. Alberto Zola (21 January 1901 – 8 November 1901);
Col. Giovanni Pila (8 November 1901 – 21 October 1903);
Col. Felice D'Alessandro (21 October 1903 – 20 January 1907);
Col. Benedetto Sanfermano (21 January 1907 – 28 November 1909);
Col. Giulio Strazzeri (28 November 1909 – 30 September 1910).
The Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" is an airborne brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units are three battalions of paratroopers (paracadutisti). The name "Folgore" is Italian for lightning. The Folgore is one of three light infantry brigades of the Italian Army. While the Folgore specializes in parachute operations its sister brigade in the Division "Vittorio Veneto" the Airmobile Brigade Friuli specializes in helicopter assault operations. The Folgore and its units are based in Tuscany, Veneto and Lazio.
The article provides an overview of the entire chain of command and organization of the Italian Army after the reform of 1 May 2024 and includes all active units as of 1 May 2024. The Armed Forces of Italy are under the command of the Italian Supreme Defense Council, presided over by the President of the Italian Republic. The Italian Army is commanded by the Chief of the Army General Staff or "Capo di Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito" in Rome.
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 52nd Infantry Division "Torino" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Torino was named after the city of Turin and classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning it had some motorized transport, but not enough to move the entire division at once. The division was formed by expanding the Torino Brigade in June 1940 and was based with two of its regiments in Civitavecchia, while the 81st Infantry Regiment "Torino" was based in Rome. The division took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia and was then sent to the Eastern front as part of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia.
The 220th Coastal Division was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. Royal Italian Army coastal divisions were second line divisions formed with reservists and equipped with second rate materiel. They were often commanded by officers called out of retirement.
The 2nd Grenadier Division "Littorio" was one of four divisions raised by Mussolini's Italian Social Republic. Although an infantry formation, it was referred to as a "Grenadier" formation to connect it with preceding Granatieri di Sardegna units.
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 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 185th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Folgore is an artillery regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in airborne operations. Originally an artillery regiment of the Royal Italian Army, the regiment was assigned in World War II to the 185th Infantry Division "Folgore", with which the regiment was deployed to North Africa for the Western Desert campaign, during which division and regiment were destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein. Reformed in 1975 the regiment is today based in Bracciano near Rome and assigned to the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore". The regimental anniversary falls, as for all Italian Army artillery regiments, on June 15, the beginning of the Second Battle of the Piave River in 1918.
The following is a hierarchical outline for the Italian Army at the end of the Cold War. It is intended to convey the connections and relationships between units and formations.
With the 1975 reforms the Italian Army abolished the regimental level and replaced it with brigades made up of multiple arms. During the reform the army disbanded 48 regimental commands and reduced its force by 87 battalions. 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 Engineer Command in Rome-Cecchignola commands the specialized engineer regiments of the Italian Army and it is tasked with training of all officers and troops destined for engineer units, as well as with both doctrinal and operational tasks.
The 52nd Field Artillery Regiment "Torino" is an artillery regiment of the Italian Army trained for divisional artillery support. Since September 2020 the regiment is based together with the 8th Field Artillery Regiment "Pasubio" in Persano in Campania. The regiment is assigned to the army's Artillery Command.
The Artillery Command is an Italian Army command, which trains the personnel destined for the army's artillery units, develops the army's artillery doctrine, and supervises the Italian army's artillery units.
The Signal Command is a signals formation of the Italian Army. The Signal Command was established in Rome on 1 January 2017 following the disestablishment of the Army Information and Signals Command and of the Signals Brigade.
The Operational Land Forces Support Command is a major subdivision of the Italian Army tasked with providing support resources to the Operational Land Forces Command.
The Training Regiment of the Artillery Command is the military unit responsible for providing ground artillery training to the units and personnel of the Italian Army. Made up of professional personnel, the Regiment is stationed in Bracciano (Rome).
The 131st Artillery Regiment "Centauro" is an inactive field artillery regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Vercelli in Piedmont. Originally an armored artillery regiment of the Royal Italian Army, the regiment was assigned during World War II to the 131st Armored Division "Centauro", with which the regiment fought in the Tunisian campaign. During the Cold War the regiment was assigned to the Armored Division "Centauro" and from 1986 the Armored Brigade "Centauro". The regiment was disbanded in 2001. The regimental anniversary falls, as for all Italian Army artillery regiments, on June 15, the beginning of the Second Battle of the Piave River in 1918.
The 13th Artillery Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" is an inactive field artillery regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Civitavecchia in Lazio. Originally an artillery regiment of the Royal Italian Army, the regiment was formed in 1888 and served in World War I on the Italian front. In 1935 the regiment was assigned to the 21st Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna", with which the regiment served in World War II. After the Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943, the division and its regiments defended Rome against invading German forces until 10 September. However the flight of the Italian King Victor Emmanuel III made further resistance senseless and after handing their weapons over to civilian resistance fighters the division surrendered to the Germans, which disbanded the division and its units on 12 September.
The 1st Artillery Regiment "Cacciatori delle Alpi" is an inactive field artillery regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Bracciano in Lazio. The regiment was formed in 1871 by the Royal Italian Army. During World War I the regiment served on the Italian front. In 1935 the regiment was assigned to the 22nd Infantry Division "Cacciatori delle Alpi", with which the regiment served in the Greco-Italian War of World War II. In July 1941 the division was sent to occupied Yugoslavia on occupation duty. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the division and its regiments were disbanded on 11 September by invading German forces.
1 2 3 4 Ales, Stefano; Viotti, Andrea (2007). Struttura, uniformi e distintivi dell'Esercito Italiano 1946-1970 - Tomo I (in Italian). Rome: Ufficio Storico - Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito. pp.33–34, 67, 116, 131.
↑ "Sedi storiche della "SCA"". www.scuoladiartiglieria.it (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale degli Amici della Scuola d'Artiglieria. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
↑ "Comandanti". www.scuoladiartiglieria.it (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale degli Amici della Scuola d'Artiglieria. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Italy 
Royal Italian Arm (1888-1944)
Italian Army (1945-2010)
