Mountain Artillery Group "Agordo" | |
---|---|
Gruppo Artiglieria da Montagna "Agordo" | |
Active | 11 Nov. 1975 — 26 March 1991 |
Country | Italy |
Branch | Italian Army |
Part of | Alpine Brigade "Cadore" |
Garrison/HQ | Bassano del Grappa |
Motto(s) | "Dut un toc" |
Anniversaries | 15 June 1918 - Second Battle of the Piave River |
Decorations | 1x Gold Medal of Civil Valor [1] |
Insignia | |
Regimental gorget patches |
The Mountain Artillery Group "Agordo" (Italian : Gruppo Artiglieria da Montagna "Agordo") is an inactive mountain artillery group of the Italian Army, which was based in Bassano del Grappa in Veneto. The group consisted of batteries formed in 1913 in Libya. The batteries were reformed during World War II and assigned to the Alpine Artillery Group "Val Tagliamento", which was assigned in 1943 to the 6th Alpine Artillery Regiment (Italy). The Mountain Artillery Group "Agordo" was formed in 1953 and assigned to the 6th Mountain Artillery Regiment of the Alpine Brigade "Cadore". In 1975 the group became an autonomous unit and was granted a flag and coat of arms. After the end of the Cold War the group was disbanded in 1991. [2] [3]
The Italian mountain artillery has served since its inception alongside the infantry's Alpini speciality, with whom the mountain artillery shares the distinctive Cappello Alpino. The regimental anniversary falls, as for all Italian Army artillery units, on June 15, the beginning of the Second Battle of the Piave River in 1918. [2] [3]
In 1913 three Royal Italian Army batteries with 70/15 cannons deployed in recently conquered Libya were renumbered and renamed as 41st, 42nd, and 43rd mountain artillery batteries. During World War I the three batteries remained in Libya on occupation duty and were disbanded in 1919 after the war. [2] [3]
In 1939 the depot of the 3rd Alpine Artillery Regiment "Julia" in Gorizia formed the Alpine Artillery Group "Val Tagliamento", which consisted of the 41st, 42nd, and 43rd batteries. The group was assigned to the 1st Alpini Group, which was manned by reservists and sent in December 1940 to Albania for the Greco-Italian War. After the war the Alpine Artillery Group "Val Tagliamento" was transferred to Montenegro on occupation duty. In August 1942 the group returned to Italy and in November of the same year it participated in the Axis occupation of Vichy France. On 1 January 1943 the group was assigned to the 6th Alpine Artillery Regiment, which was tasked with coastal defense duties in Liguria. In August 1943 the Alpine Artillery Group "Val Tagliamento" left the regiment and was disbanded, with its personnel and materiel used to help reform the 3rd Alpine Artillery Regiment "Julia", which had been destroyed in January 1943 in the Soviet Union during Operation Little Saturn. [2] [3]
On 1 July 1953 the 6th Mountain Artillery Regiment was reformed in Belluno and was assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Cadore". The regiment included the Mountain Artillery Group "Agordo" with M30 107mm mortars, which had been named for the village of Agordo in the Cadore region. On 15 March 1955 the army's General Staff ordered that also groups with M30 107mm mortars should receive traditional mountain battery numbers and consequently the batteries of the Group "Agordo" received the numbers and traditions of the batteries of the alpine Artillery Group "Val Tagliamento". The group then consisted of the following units: [2] [3]
In 1956 the Group "Agordo" was equipped with Brandt AM-50 120mm mortars and in April 1957 the group moved to Feltre. On 6 January 1959 the regiment received 105/14 mod. 56 pack howitzers and each of the regiment's three groups now fielded two howitzer and one mortar battery: [2] [3]
In October 1963 the regiment was called up help mount the rescue operation and cleanup after the Vajont dam disaster. For its work and conduct in the aftermath of the disaster the regiment was awarded a Gold Medal of Civil Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and is depicted on the regiment's coat of arms. [2] [1] On 1 April 1970 the group's mortar batteries was equipped with 105/14 mod. 56 pack howitzers. [2] [3]
During the 1975 army reform the army disbanded the regimental level and newly independent battalions and groups were granted for the first time their own flags. On 15 September 1975 the Mountain Artillery Group "Agordo" in Feltre was disbanded. On 11 November the 6th Mountain Artillery Regiment was disbanded and the next day the Mountain Artillery Group "Pieve di Cadore" in Bassano del Grappa was renamed Mountain Artillery Group "Agordo". The group was assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Cadore" and consisted of a command, a command and services battery, and three batteries with 105/14 mod. 56 pack howitzers, with one of the batteries being mule-carried. [2] [3] At the time the group fielded 610 men (35 officers, 55 non-commissioned officers, and 520 soldiers). [4]
On 12 November 1976 the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone issued decree 846, which granted the Mountain Artillery Group "Agordo" a new flag. [2] [5] On 1 October 1982 the Mountain Artillery Group "Agordo" was equipped with M114 155mm howitzers. [2] [3]
After the end of the Cold War the Italian Army began to draw down its forces. In March 1991 the 42nd and 43rd batteries of the Mountain Artillery Group "Agordo" were disbanded, followed by the command of the group on 26 March. The same day the Mountain Artillery Group "Lanzo" moved from Belluno to Bassano del Grappa and incorporated the 41st Battery. On 10 April of the same year the flag of the Mountain Artillery Group "Agordo" was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome. [2] [3]
The Alpine Brigade "Cadore" was a light Infantry brigade of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain warfare. Its core units were Alpini, the mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The brigade was based in the Italian provinces of Belluno and Vicenza with its headquarters Belluno. The brigade was disbanded in 1997.
The Alpine Brigade "Julia" is a light infantry brigade of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain warfare. Its core units are Alpini, an infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself during World War I and World War II. The brigade carries on the name and traditions of the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia". The division's and brigade's name allude to the Julian Alps in the Friuli region where the division's regiments recruited their troops, and where after World War II the brigade was based. Accordingly, the brigade's coat of arms is modeled after the Friuli region's coat of arms.
The 7th Alpini Regiment is a mountain warfare regiment of the Italian Army based in Belluno in Veneto. The regiment belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and is assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Julia". On 1 August 1887, the Royal Italian Army formed the 7th Alpini Regiment by splitting the 6th Alpini Regiment. The new regiment's recruiting area initially consisted of the valleys of the Bellunes Alps, Carnic Alps, Carnic Prealps, and the Western side of the Julian Alps. In 1909 the regiment was split to form the 8th Alpini Regiment and afterwards the regiment's recruiting area consisted of the Bellunes Alps.
The 1st Field Artillery Regiment (Mountain) (Italian: 1° Reggimento Artiglieria Terrestre (montagna)) is a field artillery regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain warfare. The regiment is based in Fossano in Piedmont and assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense". The regiment is the Italian Army's senior mountain artillery regiment as it was formed in 1887 by the Royal Italian Army. In World War I the regiment's groups and batteries served on the Italian front.
The 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment is an inactive mountain artillery regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Trento in Trentino. The regiment was formed in 1915 by the Royal Italian Army as 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment. In World War I the regiment's groups and batteries served on the Italian front.
The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (Mountain) (Italian: 3° Reggimento Artiglieria Terrestre (montagna)) is a field artillery regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain warfare. The regiment is based in Remanzacco in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Julia". The regiment was formed in 1909 by the Royal Italian Army as 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment. In World War I the regiment's groups and batteries served on the Italian front.
The 12th Alpini Regiment is an inactive mountain warfare regiment of the Italian Army last based in Pieve di Cadore in Veneto. The regiment belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and was assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Cadore". The regiment was formed in 1992 and consisted of the Alpini Battalion "Pieve di Cadore", whose flag and traditions it inherited.
The 5th Mountain Artillery Regiment is an inactive mountain artillery regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Meran in South Tyrol. The regiment was formed in 1935 by the Royal Italian Army with batteries that had served in World War I. The regiment was assigned to the 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria", with which it served in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and during World War II in the invasion of France and the Greco-Italian War. After the invasion of Yugoslavia the regiment served as occupation force in Montenegro. In 1943 the regiment was transferred to the South of occupied France. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the regiment was disbanded by invading German forces.
The 4th Mountain Artillery Regiment is an inactive mountain artillery regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Susa in Piedmont. The regiment was formed in 1934 by the Royal Italian Army with mountain artillery groups that had served in World War I. The regiment was assigned to the 4th Alpine Division "Cuneense", with which it served during World War II in the invasion of France and the Greco-Italian War. In summer 1942 the division was transferred to the Soviet Union, where it was destroyed in winter 1942-43 during the Soviet Operation Little Saturn. The remnants of the division were repatriated in spring 1943 and invading German forces disbanded the division and its regiments after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943.
The 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" was a division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II, which specialized in mountain warfare. The Alpini are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The division was formed in 1935 and based in the Puster Valley, which gave the division its name.
The 6th Mountain Artillery Regiment is an inactive mountain artillery regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Bassano del Grappa in Veneto. The regiment was formed in 1941 by the Royal Italian Army with batteries that had served in World War I and been disbanded after the war. During World War II the regiment served in 1942 as occupation force in Montenegro and in 1943 in Liguria as coastal defence unit. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the regiment was disbanded two days later by invading German forces.
The Comando Truppe Alpine or COMTA commands the Mountain Troops of the Italian Army, called Alpini and various support and training units. It is the successor to the 4º Corpo d'Armata Alpino of the Cold War. The Alpini are light Infantry units specializing in Mountain Combat. The subordinate units of the COMTA distinguished themselves during combat in World War I and World War II.
The Alpini are a specialised mountain warfare infantry corps of the Italian Army, which distinguished itself in World War I fighting in the Alps against Austro-Hungarian Kaiserjäger and the German Alpenkorps. The Alpini were supported by the Mountain Artillery, which both share the Cappello Alpino as identifying symbol. Below follow tables listing the regiments, battalions and groups, companies and batteries of the Alpini and Mountain Artillery active in World War I.
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 8th Field Artillery Regiment "Pasubio" is a field artillery regiment of the Italian Army. Today the regiment is based in Persano in Campania and assigned to the Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi". The regiment was formed in 1860 by the Royal Sardinian Army and participated the same year in the Sardinian campaign in Central and Southern Italy. In 1861 the regiment joined the Royal Italian Army and in 1866 it fought in the Third Italian War of Independence. During World War I the regiment served on the Italian front. In 1935 the regiment was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division "Pasubio", which in July 1941 was assigned to the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia, which was deployed to the Eastern Front of World War II. In 1942 the division and regiment were destroyed during the Soviet Operation Little Saturn and the survivors of the division were dispersed by invading German forces after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943.
The 41st IMINT Regiment "Cordenons" is a Imagery Intelligence unit of the Italian Army. Originally a field artillery regiment, the regiment is today a multi-arms unit operationally assigned to the Tactical Intelligence Brigade, which combines elements of the artillery and signal arms. The regiment is based in Sora in Lazio.
The Mountain Artillery Group "Sondrio" is an inactive mountain artillery group of the Italian Army, which was based in Sterzing in South Tyrol. The group consisted of batteries formed in 1915, which had served in World War I on the Italian front. During World War II the batteries were assigned to the Alpine Artillery Group "Val d'Orco" of the 6th Alpine Artillery Regiment (Italy). The Mountain Artillery Group "Sondrio" was formed in 1953 and assigned to the 5th Mountain Artillery Regiment of the Alpine Brigade "Orobica". In 1975 the group became an autonomous unit and was granted a flag and coat of arms. After the end of the Cold War the group was disbanded in 1989.
The Mountain Artillery Group "Belluno" is an inactive mountain artillery group of the Italian Army, which was based in Pontebba in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The group was formed on 1 October 1909 by the Royal Italian Army's 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment and served with the regiment during World War I on the Italian front. In World War II the group was assigned to the 5th Alpine Artillery Regiment "Pusteria", with which it participated in the invasion of France and the Greco-Italian War.
The Mountain Artillery Group "Udine" is an inactive mountain artillery group of the Italian Army, which was based in Vacile in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The group was formed on 1 February 1915 by the Royal Italian Army's 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment and served with the regiment during World War I on the Italian front. In World War II the group was assigned to the 3rd Alpine Artillery Regiment "Julia", with which it participated in the invasion of France and the Greco-Italian War. In summer 1942 the 3rd Alpine Artillery Regiment "Julia" was transferred to the Soviet Union, where it was destroyed in winter 1942–43 during the Soviet Operation Little Saturn. The remnants of the regiment were repatriated in spring 1943 and invading German forces disbanded the regiment and its groups after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943.
The Mountain Artillery Group "Asiago" is an inactive mountain artillery group of the Italian Army, which was based in Toblach in South Tyrol. The group consisted of mountain artillery batteries, had been formed in December 1914 and served in World War I on the Italian front. During World War II the batteries were assigned to the Alpine Artillery Group "Val Camonica" of the 2nd Alpine Artillery Regiment "Tridentina", which distinguished itself on the Eastern Front. The Mountain Artillery Group "Asiago" was formed in 1952 and assigned to the 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment of the Alpine Brigade "Tridentina". In 1975 the group became an autonomous unit and was granted a flag and coat of arms. After the end of the Cold War the group was disbanded in 1991.