Italian Army gorget patches

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Italian Army gorget patches (Italian : Mostreggiature or Italian : Mostrine) are worn by all army personnel on the collars of the shirts and jackets of their service uniforms and formal uniforms. The gorget patches identify the arm (Infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineer, signals, transport and material), corps (Health, commissariat, engineers), or speciality within an arm or corps a soldier belongs to. Generals wear golden stars instead of a gorget patches, while army recruits wear silver stars until they are assigned to a unit after basic training. Originally made from colored cloth, respectively embroidered cloth for Granatieri, Carabinieri and general staff members, gorget patches have been made since 1973 from enamelled metal. [1]

Contents

All patches below are worn on the right side.
Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini greets NCOs, who wear paratroopers, Alpini, and TRAMAT gorget patches Italian Army - Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini visits the Army General Staff.jpg
Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini greets NCOs, who wear paratroopers, Alpini, and TRAMAT gorget patches

Multi-arm units

Multi-arm units (Italian : Unità Pluriarma) combine personnel from different arms and corps of the army and are therefore grouped separately from other gorget patches.

Infantry

Line infantry

WWII: 5th Artillery rgt patch combining artillery & 91st/92nd "Basilicata" patches World War II - Mostrina - 5deg Rgt. Artiglieria "Superga".png
WWII: 5th Artillery rgt patch combining artillery & 91st/92nd "Basilicata" patches
WWII: Engineer btn "Friuli" patch combining engineer & 87th/88th "Friuli" patches World War II - Mostrina - XX Btg. Genio Divisione "Friuli".png
WWII: Engineer btn "Friuli" patch combining engineer & 87th/88th "Friuli" patches

Line infantry regiments wear rectangular gorget patches with a unique color combination for each regiment. Line infantry regiments were always raised in pairs, forming together a brigade and from 1936 a division. Originally the gorget patches of units from other arms and corps assigned to the division were overlaid on the gorget patch of the two regiments of a brigade or division. However, as after World War II infantry regiments with different gorget patches made up the army's divisions this practice was abandoned. Today the only exception is the Mechanized Brigade "Sassari", which still fields its two original regiments. Infantry personnel not assigned to a regiment wear a scarlet patch with two points. The 66th Infantry Regiment "Trieste" and 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" modified their gorget patches once they became part of the Airmobile Brigade "Friuli". [2]

Infantry specialities

Infantry specialities are units that differ from the line infantry in their recruiting, equipment, headdress, tasks and training: [3] [1]

Until 1 June 1999 the Carristi (Tankers) were a speciality of the infantry, which on that date was transferred to the cavalry.

Special forces

The army's three special forces regiment's combine the infantry speciality gorget patch with two points and the paratroopers symbol, with the color of the speciality they descend from. Green for the Alpini, Azure for the Paracadutisti, and black for the Arditi, a World War I infantry speciality disestablished in 1920.

Disbanded line infantry regiments

The gorget patches of disbanded regiments are an integral part of each regiment's traditions and insignia. In case one of the regiments listed below is reformed, then the corresponding gorget patch will be issued to regiment's personnel. Italian infantry regiments were always raised in pairs, which formed together one brigade. The regiments were initially only numbered and identified as "[regiment's number] Regiment of the Brigade "[brigade's name]"". Only during World War I did the brigade's name pass to the regiments. Before World War II the army formed binary divisions with sister regiments, which in some cases received the name of the division they were assigned to. If such a renaming occurred during World War II the division's name follows the regiment's name in brackets: i.e. the 65th and 66th Regiments "Valtellina" entered the 101st Motorized Division "Trieste" and were renamed "Trieste". Therefore, in the list below these two regiments are listed as: "65th, [66th] Regiment "Valtellina" ("Trieste")". [4] [5] [6] [7]

The regiments 1 to 18 were formed before 1848 as units of the Royal Sardinian Army. The regiments 19 to 94 were formed between the First Italian War of Independence and 1884. The regiments 95 to 282, with the exception of the 182nd, were raised during World War I. The 182nd Infantry Regiment "Garibaldi" is the only Italian infantry regiment raised after World War II and the only regiment of the army to not have received gorget patches. The regiment's 233 to 282 were raised in 1917 and received gorget patches divided horizontally twice. The 291st and 292nd Infantry Regiment "Zara" were raised during World War II. The regiments of the 300 series were raised during World War II to augment some of the binary divisions. Regiments, whose flags are currently assigned to active units, are in square brackets. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Cavalry

The Cavalry (Italian : Arma di Cavalleria) is divided since 1 June 1999 in two specialities: line cavalry and tankers (= personnel of tank regiments). On 1 June 1999 the three traditional cavalry specialities Dragoni (Dragoons), Lancieri (Lancers) and Cavalleggeri (Chevau-léger) were united in the new speciality "Line cavalry". On the same date the tankers speciality was transferred from the infantry to the cavalry. [8] [9]

Line cavalry personnel wear regiment-affiliated colored gorget patches with three points. Personnel of the cavalry that is not assigned to a regiment wear an orange gorget patch with three points. Tankers, whose speciality was founded as part of the infantry, continue to wear a two-pointed gorget patch, which has traditionally been the patch for infantry specialties. The tankers' gorget patch is red with two points in a light blue field. [8] [9]

Disbanded cavalry regiments

The gorget patches of disbanded regiments are an integral part of each regiment's traditions and insignia. In case one of the regiments listed below is reformed, then the corresponding gorget patch will be issued to regiment's personnel. [8] [10]

Artillery

Artillery (Italian : Arma di Artiglieria) personnel wear black gorget patches with one point and a yellow edge. Currently five variations and one speciality (Anti-aircraft artillery) are officially sanctioned. [11] [12] [13]

Note: As of 2020 no units wear these insignias.

Engineer

Engineer (Italian : Arma del Genio) personnel wear black gorget patches with one point and a crimson edge. Currently one speciality (Sappers) and four variations thereof are officially sanctioned. The Sappers Speciality's gorget patch symbol is a black grenade from which a five-tongued red flame emerges, with a metallic gladius over flame and grenade. The other three specialities of the engineer—pioneers, bridge engineers, and railway engineers—wear the standard engineer gorget patch. [14] [15] [16]

Note: As of 2020 no unit wears this insignia.

Signals

Signal (Italian : Arma delle Trasmissioni) personnel wear electric blue gorget patches with two points and an amaranth edge. Currently four variations are officially sanctioned. [17] [18] [19]

Transport and Material

Transport and Material (Italian : Arma dei Trasporti e Materiali - TRAMAT) personnel wear black gorget patches with two points on azure background. Currently four variations are officially sanctioned. [20] [21]

Note: As of 2020 no unit wears this insignia.

Army Commissariat Corps

The Army Commissariat Corps (Italian : Corpo di Commissariato dell'Esercito) was formed on 1 January 1998 by the merger of the Army Commissariat Corps and the Army Administration Corps. Before the merger Commissariat Corps personnel wore violet gorget patches with one point, while Administration Corps personnel wore black gorget patches with one point and a sky blue edge. The personnel of the Commissariat Corps tasked with the role of food supplies wore sky blue gorget patches with one point. These three gorget patches were combined with the gorget patches of specialities of other arms and corps, resulting in dozens of variations. After the merger personnel wore black gorget patches with one point and a double-colored edge in violet and sky blue. This gorget patch was also combined with other gorget patches resulting in dozens of new variations. In 2003 the Commissariat Corps introduced a rectangular blue gorget patch with a golden laurel wreath, which is not combined with any other patch. [22] [23] [24]

Examples of the disestablished Army Commissariat Corps and the Army Administration Corps gorget patches and their variations:

Army Health Corps

The Army Health Corps (Italian : Corpo Sanitario dell'Esercito) is the result of the merger of the Army Medical Corps and Army Veterinary Corps on 1 January 1998. The corps' personnel wears two different types of gorget patches: amaranth with one point for medical personnel, and sky blue with one point for veterinary personnel. The medical corps also distinguishes between medical officers and personnel. For each type of patch five variations are officially sanctioned. In 2009 the medical officers gorget patch was differentiated to include pharmacists, dentists, and psychologists. [25] [26]

Army Corps of Engineers

The Army Corps of Engineers (Italian : Corpo degli Ingegneri dell'Esercito) was formed on 9 October 1980 by unifying the army's technical services. The Army Corps of Engineers conducts technological research, tests and evaluates the army's acquisitions, and maintains and updates the army's geographic data. All members of the Army Corps of Engineers are officers and wear rectangular black gorget patches with a colored border and a profile of the head of Minerva facing inward. [27] [28]

The army's technical services wore rectangular black gorget patches with a colored border. [23]

Special Voluntary Auxiliary Corps

The Italian Army Special Voluntary Auxiliary Corps of the Association of the Italian Knights of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (Italian : Corpo speciale volontario ausiliario dell'Esercito Italiano dell'Associazione dei cavalieri italiani del Sovrano militare Ordine di Malta - Corpo Militare EI-SMOM) is a volunteer corps providing medical support to the Italian Army. Members of the corps wear Italian Army uniforms with a Maltese cross instead of the Italian flag and one of four approved gorget patches: [1]

World War II

Royal Italian Army

During World War II the units of the Royal Italian Army wore gorget patches of different size and form, but with the same colors. The gorget patches had a size of 60 x 32 mm and were made from colored cloth. Below follow a few examples of these historic gorget patches, while all of them can be found on Wiki Commons at: Royal Italian Army gorget patches. [29]

Divisions carried the colors of their two infantry regiments, which was then combined with the artillery, engineer, supply and medical gorget patches. Below follow the gorget patches of the 13th Infantry Division "Re" and 17th Infantry Division "Pavia".

Grenadier, Alpini, armored/motorized, and paratrooper divisions had their own set of gorget patches.

Bersaglieri, and the troops assigned to divisional mortar, machine gun, and anti-tank battalions carried the same gorget patches across all divisions. The infantry regiments assigned to motorized divisions combined their traditional regimental gorget patch with the azure color of the armored and motorized forces. Below the patch of the 61st and 62nd Infantry Regiments "Sicilia" of the 102nd Motorized Division "Trento" is given as an example for motorized regiments.

Each Cavalry regiment had its distinct gorget patch. Associated with the cavalry were the tank groups of the three cavalry divisions, which had been raised by the Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" and therefore combined the form of the tank infantry gorget patch with the color scheme of the "Cavalleggeri Guide".

For units that were not assigned to divisions - i.e. Corps Artillery - basic gorget patches without any associated regimental colors were used.

Coastal units

Coastal divisions were reserve units and new gorget patches were created for them: for the division patches with a triangle, and for the brigades a square with three white lines.

CC.NN.

During World War II the paramilitary wing of the Italian National Fascist Party, the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (MVSN), also known as "Blackshirts" (Italian : Camicie Nere, abbreviated as CC.NN.) raised four divisions, which were attached to the Royal Italian Army for the invasion of Egypt. Additionally the MVSN activated its paramilitary legions and battalions, which were attached to the army's divisions. The MVSN units had their own distinct gorget patches.

Bibliography

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Regolamento sulle uniformi dell'Esercito" (PDF). Italian Army General Staff - III Department. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Arma di Fanteria e Specialità". Italian Army. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  3. ↑ "Arma di Fanteria - Le Specialità". Italian Army. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Militaria Storico - Arma di Fanteria". Italian Army. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Militaria Storico - Reggimenti di Fanteria dal 1° al 96°". Italian Army. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Militaria Storico - Reggimenti di Fanteria dal 97° al 208°". Italian Army. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Militaria Storico - Reggimenti di Fanteria dal 209° al 292°". Italian Army. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 "Arma di Cavalleria e Specialità". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Arma di Cavalleria". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  10. ↑ "Militaria Storico - Arma della Cavalleria". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  11. ↑ "Arma di Artiglieria e Specialità". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  12. ↑ "Arma di Artiglieria". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  13. ↑ "Militaria Storico - Arma di Artiglieria". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "Arma del Genio e Specialità". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  15. ↑ "Arma del Genio". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  16. ↑ "Militaria Storico - Arma del Genio". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  17. ↑ "Arma delle Trasmissioni e Specialità". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  18. ↑ "Arma delle Trasmissioni". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  19. ↑ "Militaria Storico - Arma delle Trasmissioni". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  20. ↑ "Arma dei Trasporti e Materiali". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  21. ↑ "Arma dei Trasporti e Materiali". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  22. ↑ "Mostreggiature - Corpo di Commissariato". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  23. 1 2 "Militaria Storico - Corpi e Servizi". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  24. ↑ "Corpo di Commissariato dell'Esercito". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  25. ↑ "Corpo Sanitario dell'Esercito". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  26. ↑ "Corpo Sanitario dell'Esercito". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  27. ↑ "Corpo degli Ingegneri dell'Esercito". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  28. ↑ "Corpo degli Ingegneri dell'Esercito". Italian Army. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  29. ↑ "Circolare N. 548 - Divisa degli Ufficiali, Sottufficiali e militari di truppa. - Uniforme di guerra e adeguamento dell'uniforme di pace a quella di guerra". Roma: Ministero della Guerra - Dispensa 38a - 29 luglio 1940 - Anno XVIII. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
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