Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade

Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi"
	Brigata Bersaglieri "Garibaldi"
	Coat of Arms Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade
Active	1 November 1975 - 1 July 1991; 8th Mechanized Brigade Garibaldi; 1 July 1991 - 1 September 1994; 8th Bersaglieri Brigade Garibaldi; 1 September 1994 - today; Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade
Country	Italy
Allegiance	Italian Army
Branch	Army
Type	Brigade
Role	Bersaglieri
Part of	Division "Acqui"
Garrison/HQ	Caserta
Colors	dark red
Engagements	Bosnia SFOR ; Kosovo KFOR ; Afghanistan ISAF ; Iraq Multinational force in Iraq ; Lebanon UNIFIL
Commanders
Current; commander	Brigadier Luigi Scollo

Last updated November 14, 2019

The Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Italian Army, based in the south of the country. Its core units are the Bersaglieri, an elite infantry corps of the Italian Army. The brigade is named after Giuseppe Garibaldi a hero of the Italian wars of unification. The brigade is part of the Division "Acqui".

Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat.

A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.

The Italian Army is the land-based component of the Italian Armed Forces of the Italian Republic. The army's history dates back to the unification of Italy in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China, Libya, Northern Italy against the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I, Abyssinia before World War II and in World War II in Albania, Balkans, North Africa, USSR and Italy itself. During the Cold War, the army prepared itself to defend against a Warsaw Pact invasion from the east. Since the end of the Cold War, the army has seen extensive peacekeeping service and combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank and among its aircraft the Mangusta attack helicopter, recently deployed in UN missions. The headquarters of the Army General Staff are located in Rome opposite the Quirinal Palace, where the president of Italy resides. The army is an all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel.

Constitution

Garibaldi

7 Di Dio

3 Cernaia
26 Castelfidardo

11 Caprera

19 Rialto

Garibaldi Mechanized Brigade battalions in 1989

The brigade was activated during the 1975 army reform: in 1975 the regiment level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of newly formed brigades, which combined units from different arms. On 1 November 1975 the 8th Mechanized Brigade Garibaldi was activated one month after its sister brigades the 32nd Armored Brigade Mameli and the 132nd Armored Brigade Manin had been activated by reforming the three regiments of the 132nd Armored Division Ariete.

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 brigade's headquarters was in the city of Pordenone and most of its units came from the disbanded 8th Bersaglieri Regiment. Besides the traditions of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment the brigade also received the traditions and name of the 182nd Armored Infantry Regiment Garibaldi. The name Garibaldi honored the Italian general and Italian unification hero Giuseppe Garibaldi and commemorated various partisan units of World War II. The brigade's sister brigades, the Manin and Mameli, were named in honor of Daniele Manin and Goffredo Mameli, both also heroes of the Italian unification. The Ariete was part of the 5th Army Corps based in North-Eastern Italy. The 5th Army Corps was tasked with defending the Yugoslav-Italian border against possible attacks by either the Warsaw Pact, or Yugoslavia or both. The Ariete Armored Division was the corps' armored reserve. The Garibaldi's authorized strength was 4,733 men (272 officers, 637 non-commissioned officers and 3,824 soldiers) and it consisted of the following units:^[1]

Pordenone is the main comune of Pordenone province of northeast Italy in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.

Italian unification, also known as the Risorgimento, was the political and social movement that consolidated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of the Kingdom of Italy in the 19th century. The process began in 1815 with the Congress of Vienna and was completed in 1871 when Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi was an Italian general and nationalist. A republican, he contributed to the Italian unification and the creation of the Kingdom of Italy. He is considered one of the greatest generals of modern times and one of Italy's "fathers of the fatherland" along with Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, Victor Emmanuel II of Italy and Giuseppe Mazzini. Garibaldi is also known as the "Hero of the Two Worlds" because of his military enterprises in South America and Europe.

8th Mechanized Brigade Garibaldi, in Pordenone (former 8th Bersaglieri Regiment)
- Garibaldi Command and Signal Unit, in Pordenone
- 7th Tank Battalion M.O. Di Dio, in Vivaro, with M60A1 main battle tanks
- 3rd Bersaglieri Battalion Cernaia, in Pordenone, with VCC-1 armored personnel carriers
- 11th Bersaglieri Battalion Caprera, in Orcenico Superiore, with VCC-1 armored personnel carriers (transferred on 1 July 1976 from the disbanded 182nd Armored Infantry Regiment Garibaldi, of the Mechanized Division Folgore)
- 26th Bersaglieri Battalion Castelfidardo, in Pordenone, with VCC-1 armored personnel carriers
- 19th Self-propelled Field Artillery Group Rialto, in Sequals, with M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzers (former II Self-propelled Field Artillery Group, 132nd Armored Artillery Regiment)
- Garibaldi Logistic Battalion, in Pordenone (former I Services Battalion, Services Regiment Ariete)
- Garibaldi Anti-tank Company, in Vivaro
- Garibaldi Engineer Company, in Orcenico Superiore
The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier (APC) that was developed and produced by the Food Machinery Corp (FMC). The M113 was sent to USAREUR to replace the mechanized infantry's M59 APCs in the 1961/62 time frame. The M113 was first tried out in combat in April 1962 after the United States provided the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) with heavy weaponry such as the M113, under the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) program. Eventually, the M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War, earning the nickname 'Green Dragon' by the Viet Cong as it was used to break through heavy thickets in the midst of the jungle to attack and overrun enemy positions. It was largely known as an "APC" or an "ACAV" by the allied forces.
An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured, military vehicles designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. They are sometimes referred to colloquially as "battle taxis" or "battle buses". Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world.
Zoppola is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Pordenone in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 90 kilometres northwest of Trieste and about 9 kilometres east of Pordenone.

Vivaro is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Pordenone in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 90 kilometres (56 mi) northwest of Trieste and about 15 kilometres (9 mi) northeast of Pordenone.

The M60 Patton is an American second generation main battle tank (MBT) introduced in March 1959. With the United States Marine Corps deactivation of their last (M103) heavy tank battalion in 1963, the M60 became the Army's primary main battle tank during the Cold War. Although developed from the M48 Patton, the M60 series was never officially classified as a Patton tank, but as a "product-improved descendant" of the Patton series. In March 1959, the tank was officially standardized as the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 105-mm Gun, M60. Over 15,000 M60s were built by Chrysler. Hull production ended in 1983, but 5,400 older models were converted to the M60A3 variant ending in 1990.

A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the armor-protected direct fire and maneuver role of many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension systems and lighter weight composite armor allowed a tank to have the firepower of a super-heavy tank, armor protection of a heavy tank, and mobility of a light tank all in a package with the weight of a medium tank. Through the 1960s, the MBT replaced almost all other tanks, leaving only some specialist roles to be filled by lighter designs or other types of armored fighting vehicles.

With the abolition of the divisional level in the Italian Army on October 1, 1986 the Garibaldi came under direct control of the 5th Army Corps and received a new coat of arms.

1990s

With the end of the Cold War and the following massive reorganization of the Italian Army the brigade was transferred to the South of Italy. The brigade finished the move south to the city of Caserta and declared full operational capability on 1 July 1991. Along with the move the brigade changed its name to 8th Bersaglieri Brigade Garibaldi to reflect the changed composition of its subordinated units:

Cold War Geopolitical tension after World War II between the Eastern and Western Bloc

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union with its satellite states, and the United States with its allies after World War II. The historiography of the conflict began between 1946 and 1947. The Cold War began to de-escalate after the Revolutions of 1989. The collapse of the USSR in 1991 was the end of the Cold War. The term "cold" is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides, but they each supported major regional conflicts known as proxy wars. The conflict split the temporary wartime alliance against Nazi Germany and its allies, leaving the USSR and the US as two superpowers with profound economic and political differences.

Caserta is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial and industrial comune and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Campanian Subapennine mountain range. The city is best known for the Royal Palace of Caserta.

8th Bersaglieri Brigade Garibaldi, in Caserta
- Garibaldi Command and Tactical Supports Unit, in Caserta
- 31st Tank Battalion M.O. Andreani, in Persano
- 19th Cavalry Squadron Cavalleggeri Guide, in Salerno
- 3rd Bersaglieri Battalion Cernaia, in Caserta
- 67th Bersaglieri Battalion Fagarè, in Cosenza
- 91st Infantry (Training) Battalion Lucania, in Potenza
- 11th Self-propelled Field Artillery Group Teramo, in Persano
- Garibaldi Logistic Battalion, in Caserta
- Garibaldi Medical Battalion, in Caserta

Following the move the brigade became the first brigade in Italy to fully professionalize. From 1992 onwards all soldiers of the brigade were professional soldiers or long term volunteers. During the later 1990s the brigades composition changed slightly as a result of the massive reduction of forces after the Cold War and the Armys desire to preserve the names of the most decorated units of the Army. Therefore, most units changed names, although garrison and composition of the units did not change. The brigade itself shed the number from its name 1 on September 1994. The changes to the brigades units over the coming years follow below:

5 August 1991 the 19th Cavalry Squadron Cavalleggeri Guide changes its name to 19th Cavalry Regiment Cavalleggeri Guide
26 June 1993 the 3rd Bersaglieri Battalion Cernaia becomes the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment
1 September 1993 the 31st Armored Battalion M.O. Andreani becomes the 131st Tank Regiment
10 September 1993 the 67th Bersaglieri Battalion Fagarè becomes the 18th Bersaglieri Regiment
10 September 1992 the 11th Self-propelled Field Artillery Group Teramo changes its name to 11th Self-propelled Field Artillery Regiment Teramo
in 1998 the 91st Infantry (Training) Battalion Lucania is transferred to the Training Brigade
1 December 2000 the 21st Engineer Regiment in Caserta joins the brigade
1 February 2001 the Garibaldi Logistic Battalion and Garibaldi Medical Battalion merge to form the 10th Logistic Maneuver Regiment, which is transferred to the Armys Logistic Brigade
1 October 2001 the 11th Self-propelled Field Artillery Regiment Teramo changes its name to 8th Self-propelled Artillery Regiment Pasubio
1 January 2005 the 18th Bersaglieri Regiment changes name and becomes the 1st Bersaglieri Regiment

Today

Garibaldi

Cavalleggeri Guide (19)

4 Tank

8 Bersaglieri

8 Pasubio

21 Engineer

Logistic Rgt

Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade regiments in 2018
(1 Bersaglieri Regiment is based in Cosenza to the South)

Today the Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade is one of two brigades of the Italian Army equipped with tracked vehicles. It has been employed, in Karbala Iraq during the Iraq War and in Herat in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force. Currently its structure is:

Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi", in Caserta
- Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Garibaldi", in Caserta
- Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" (19th), in Salerno, with Centauro tank destroyers
- 4th Tank Regiment, in Persano, with Ariete main battle tanks
- 1st Bersaglieri Regiment, in Cosenza, with Dardo infantry fighting vehicles
- 8th Bersaglieri Regiment, in Caserta, with Dardo, infantry fighting vehicles
- 8th Field Artillery Regiment "Pasubio", in Persano, with PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers
- 21st Engineer Regiment, in Caserta
- Logistic Regiment "Garibaldi", in Persano

All regiments are battalion sized.

Equipment

The tank regiment is equipped with Ariete main battle tanks, the cavalry regiment with Centauro tank destroyers and VTLM Lince vehicles. The Bersaglieri regiments field Dardo infantry fighting vehicles. The artillery regiment is equipped with PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers.

Related Research Articles

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References

↑ "Brigata "Garibaldi" - La Storia". Italian Army. Italian Army. Retrieved 7 January 2018.

External links

Italian Army Homepage: Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade

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[1] "Brigata "Garibaldi" - La Storia". Italian Army. Italian Army. Retrieved 7 January 2018.

Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi"
Brigata Bersaglieri "Garibaldi"
Coat of Arms Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade
Active	1 November 1975 - 1 July 1991 8th Mechanized Brigade Garibaldi 1 July 1991 - 1 September 1994 8th Bersaglieri Brigade Garibaldi 1 September 1994 - today Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade
Country	Italy
Allegiance	Italian Army
Branch	Army
Type	Brigade
Role	Bersaglieri
Part of	Division "Acqui"
Garrison/HQ	Caserta
Colors	dark red
Engagements	Bosnia SFOR Kosovo KFOR Afghanistan ISAF Iraq Multinational force in Iraq Lebanon UNIFIL
Commanders
Current commander	Brigadier Luigi Scollo