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1st Alpini Regiment

The 1st Alpini Regiment (Italian: 1° Reggimento Alpini) in an inactive mountain warfare regiment of the Italian Army last based in Pinerolo in Piedmont. The regiment belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and was last active as Alpini Battalion Mondovì. On 1 October 2022, the flag and traditions of the regiment were assigned to the Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Taurinense" of the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense". The regiment was formed by the Royal Italian Army on 1 November 1882.[3][4][5] During World War I the regiment expanded to nine battalions, which fought separately in the alpine areas of the Italian front. The regiment's anniversary falls on 16 June 1917, the height of the Battle of Mount Ortigara, during which the regiment's battalions earned three Silver Medals of Military Valor.[2][3][4][5]

1st Alpini Regiment
1° Reggimento Alpini
Regimental coat of arms
Active1 Nov. 1882 — 10 Sept. 1943
23 Nov. 1945 — 15 April 1946
31 Oct. 1974 — 30 Aug. 1997
4 Oct. 2022 — today
Land Italien
BranchItalian Army
TypMountain Infantry
Part ofAlpine Brigade "Taurinense"
Garrison/HQTurin
Motto(s)"Nec descendere nec morari"
Anniversaries16 June 1917
Decorations
1x Military Order of Italy
1x Gold Medal of Military Valor[1]
5x Silver Medals of Military Valor
1x Bronze Medal of Military Valor[2]
Insignia
Alpini gorget patches

History

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On 15 October 1872, the Royal Italian Army formed 15 locally recruited Alpini companies in the alpine regions of Northern Italy. Nine more companies were formed the following year. In 1875 the 24 companies were organized into seven battalions, and in 1878 the companies were increased to 36 and the battalions to ten. On 1 November 1882, the Alpini companies were increased to 72 and grouped into 20 battalions. On the same date the battalions were assigned to six newly formed Alpini regiments, which were numbered 1st to 6th from West to East, while companies were numbered from 1 to 72 from to West to East. Upon entering the regiments, the battalions, which until then had been designated by a Roman numeral, were named for their recruiting zone, while the Alpini companies were renumbered sequentially from 1st to 72nd. One of the six Alpini regiments formed on 1 November 1882 was the 1st Alpini Regiment, which was formed in Mondovì in Southern Piedmont. The new regiment received the battalions "Alto Tanaro" and "Val Tanaro", which recruited in the Tanaro Valley, as well as the Battalion "Val Camonica", which recruited in the Camonica Valley in Lombardy.[4][5]

  • 1st Alpini Regiment, in Mondovì[5][6]
    • Battalion "Alto Tanaro", in Pieve di Teco
      • 1st, 2nd and 3rd Company
    • Battalion "Val Tanaro", in Ceva
      • 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Company
    • Battalion "Val Camonica", in Breno
      • 52nd, 53rd, 54th, and 55th Company

On 1 April 1885, the regiment transferred the Battalion "Val Camonica" to the 5th Alpini Regiment and in turn received from the 2nd Alpini Regiment the Battalion "Val Pesio", which recruited along the Pesio river in Southern Piedmont. During the same year the regiment also ceded the 7th Company of the Battalion "Val Tanaro" to the 4th Alpini Regiment. The 7th Company moved to Domodossola, where it joined the Battalion "Val d'Aosta". On 1 November 1886, the battalions changed their names from their recruiting zones to the cities and towns, where their base was located. At the same time Alpini soldiers and non-commissioned officers were issued thread tufts, called Nappina in Italian, which were clipped to the Cappello Alpino headdress, and colored white for the troops of a regiment's first battalion, red for the troops of a regiment's second battalion, green for the troops of a regiment's third battalion, and blue for the troops of a regiment's fourth battalion. The 1st Alpini Regiment consisted afterwards of the following units:[4][5]

  • 1st Alpini Regiment, in Mondovì[5][6]
    •   Alpini Battalion "Ceva", in Ceva (former Battalion "Val Tanaro")
      • 1st, 4th, 5th, and 6th Alpini Company
    •   Alpini Battalion "Pieve di Teco", in Pieve di Teco (former Battalion "Alto Tanaro")
      • 2nd, 3rd, and 8th Alpini Company
    •   Alpini Battalion "Mondovì", in Mondovì (former Battalion "Val Pesio")
      • 9th, 10th, and 11th Alpini Company

In 1895-96 the regiment provided 20 officers and 527 troops to help form the I and II provisional Alpini battalions, which were deployed to Eritrea for the First Italo-Ethiopian War. In 1901 the regiment was assigned together with the 2nd Alpini Regiment to the I Alpini Group, which on 9 August 1910 was renamed I Alpine Brigade. In January 1908, the regiment transferred the 6th Alpini Company of the Alpini Battalion "Ceva" to 7th Alpini Regiment to help form the Alpini Battalion "Tolmezzo". In 1911, the Alpini Battalion "Mondovì" was deployed to Libya for the Italo-Turkish War. The battalion distinguished itself during the occupation of El-Mergèb and in the Battle of Misrata, and was awarded Bronze Medal of Military Valor, which was affixed to the flag of the 1st Alpini Regiment and added to the regiment's coat of arms.[2] During the war the 1st Alpini Regiment also provided 136 troops to augment other units fighting in the war.[4][5]

World War I

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See also: Alpini and Mountain Artillery formations in World War I
 
1st Alpini Regiment camp below the Sella Nevea pass during World War I

At the outbreak of World War I the Alpini speciality consisted of eight regiments, which fielded 26 battalions with 79 companies. Each Alpini battalion, with the exception of the Alpini Battalion "Verona", fielded three Alpini companies, while the Alpini Battalion "Verona" fielded four companies. Each company consisted of one captain, four lieutenants and 250 other ranks. After Italy's initial declaration of neutrality 38 additional Alpini companies were formed in fall of 1914 with men, who had completed their military service in the preceding four years. These companies were numbered from 80th to 117th and assigned to the existing battalions. In January 1915, each Alpini battalion formed a reserve battalion, with men, who had completed their military service at least four years, but not more than eleven years earlier. These reserve battalions were named for a valley (Italian: Valle; abbreviated Val) located near their associated regular Alpini battalion's base, and the reserve battalions received the same Nappina as their associated regular Alpini battalion. The companies of the Valle battalions were numbered from 201st to 281st, with the numbers 227th, 233rd, 237th, 271st, and 273rd unused.[4][5][6]

On 23 May 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary and at the time the 1st Alpini Regiment consisted of the following units:[5][6]

  • 1st Alpini Regiment, in Mondovì[5][6]
    •   Alpini Battalion "Ceva"[7]
      • 1st, 4th, 5th, 98th, and 116th Alpini Company
    •   Alpini Battalion "Pieve di Teco"[8]
      • 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 107th, and 115th Alpini Company
    •   Alpini Battalion "Mondovì"[9]
      • 9th, 10th, 11th, and 114th Alpini Company
    •   Alpini Battalion "Val Tanaro"[10]
      • 201st, 204th, and 205th Alpini Company
    •   Alpini Battalion "Val Arroscia"[11]
      • 202nd, 203rd, and 208th Alpini Company
    •   Alpini Battalion "Val Ellero"[12]
      • 209th, 210th, and 211th Alpini Company

By the end of 1915 the Alpini regiments began to form additional companies with recruits born in 1896. These new companies were numbered from 118th to 157th and were used, together with the 38 companies formed earlier, to form an additional reserve battalion for each regular battalion. These new battalions were named for a mountain (Italian: Monte) located near their associated regular Alpini battalion's base, and the reserve battalions received the same Nappina as their associated regular Alpini battalion. The 1st Alpini Regiment thus added the following Monte battalions:[5][6]

As the mountainous terrain of the Italian front made the deployment of entire Alpini regiments impracticable, the regimental commands of the eight Alpini regiments were disbanded in March 1916. Likewise in April 1916 the pre-war alpine brigade commands were disbanded, and the personnel of the regimental commands and alpine brigade commands used to from twenty regiment-sized group commands and nine brigade-sized grouping commands. Afterwards Alpini battalions were employed either independently or assigned to groups, groupings, or infantry divisions as needed. On 16 November 1916, the Alpini Battalion "Pieve di Teco" was disbanded and its companies transferred to other battalions: the 2nd Alpini Company was transferred to the Alpini Battalion "Mondovì", while the 3rd Alpini Company was used to complement the Alpini Battalion "Val Dora" of the 3rd Alpini Regiment, and the 8th Alpini Company was used to complement the Alpini Battalion "Val Fella" of the 8th Alpini Regiment.[5][6]

In June 1917, the remaining eight battalions of the regiment were concentrated, together with 14 other Alpini battalions and four mountain artillery groups, on Mount Ortigara for the Battle of Mount Ortigara. The battle resulted in heavy Italian losses, with the battalions of the 1st Alpini Regiment suffering 574 killed, 3,265 wounded, and 873 missing. In November and December 1917, after the disastrous Battle of Caporetto, the following retreat to the Piave river, and the subsequent First Battle of the Piave River and First Battle of Monte Grappa, the Royal Italian Army disbanded twenty Alpini battalions, which had suffered heavy casualties during the battles and retreat. Among the twenty battalions were the following battalions of the 1st Alpini Regiment:[5][6]

  •   Alpini Battalion "Monte Mercantour"; battalion annihilated during the retreat and disbanded on 18 November 1917, with the survivors assigned to the Alpini Battalion "Pinerolo" of the 3rd Alpini Regiment[13]
  •   Alpini Battalion "Val Arroscia"; battalion annihilated during the retreat and disbanded on 18 November 1917, with the survivors assigned to the Alpini Battalion "Pinerolo" of the 3rd Alpini Regiment[11]
  •   Alpini Battalion "Val Ellero"; battalion annihilated during the retreat and disbanded on 18 November 1917[12]
  •   Alpini Battalion "Ceva"; disbanded on 30 November 1917 and the survivors used to reform the 10th Alpini Company of the Alpini Battalion "Mondovì"[7]
  •   Alpini Battalion "Monte Saccarello"; battalion annihilated during the First Battle of Monte Grappa and disbanded on 9 December 1917, with the survivors grouped into the 107th Alpini Company[14]

On 1 August 1918, the Alpini Battalion "Monte Saccarello" was reformed with the 107th Alpini Company, and the Ski units of the Alpini battalions "Exilles" (3rd Alpini Regiment) and "Monte Suello" (5th Alpini Regiment). In October-November 1918, the reformed battalion participated in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto.[5][6]

During the war a total of 1,200 officers and 40,000 soldiers served in the 1st Alpini Regiment, of which 175 officers and 4,126 soldiers were killed in action, while 390 officers and 10,805 soldiers were wounded.[6] For their service and sacrifice during the war four of the regiment's battalions were awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor: the Alpini Battalion "Monte Clapier" was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor for its conduct on Monte Cimone on 23-26 May 1916, and its conduct on Mount Ortigara during the Battle of Mount Ortigara on 10-16 June 1917.[15] The Alpini Battalion "Mondovì" was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor for its conduct during the Battle of Mount Ortigara on 10-19 June 1917.[9] The Alpini battalions "Ceva" and "Monte Saccarello" were awarded a shared Silver Medal of Military Valor for their conduct during the Battle of Mount Ortigara on 10-19 June 1917; and the "Ceva" battalion's conduct on Monte Čukla on 23 August 1915 and 10-11 May 1916, and the "Monte Saccarello" battalion's conduct during the Battle of Asiago in June 1916.[7][14] The three Silver Medals of Military Valor were affixed to the 1st Alpini Regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms.[2][5][6]

Interwar years

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After the end of the war the Alpini battalions "Monte Clapier" and "Monte Saccarello" were disbanded, while on 15 March 1919, the Alpini Battalion "Val Tanaro" was renamed Alpini Battalion "Ceva". At the end of 1919 the regiment consisted only of the Alpini battalions "Ceva" and "Mondovì". On 1 January 1920, the regimental command was reformed. The reformed regiment received the Alpini battalions "Dronero" and "Saluzzo" from the 2nd Alpini Regiment and transferred its battalions "Ceva" and "Mondovì" to the 3rd Alpini Regiment, which in turn transferred its Alpini Battalion "Pinerolo" to the 1st Alpini Regiment. In 1921, the regiment was assigned to the 1st Alpine Division, which also included the 2nd Alpini Regiment, 3rd Alpini Regiment, and 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment. On 3 January 1923, the regiment returned the Alpini Battalion "Pinerolo" to the 3rd Alpini regiment, and on 1 February of the same year, the regiment swapped the battalions "Dronero" and "Saluzzo" for the battalions "Ceva" and "Mondovì" with the 2nd Alpini Regiment. On 31 May 1923, the regiment reformed the Alpini Battalion "Pieve di Teco". During the same year the 1st Alpine Division was replaced by the I Alpini Grouping Command, which in 1926 was reorganized as I Alpine Brigade Command. The brigade included, besides the 1st Alpini Regiment, also the 2nd Alpini Regiment, 3rd Alpini Regiment, 4th Alpini Regiment, and 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment.[5][6]

On 31 October 1935, the 4th Alpine Division “Cuneense” was formed. The division consisted of the 1st Alpini Regiment, 2nd Alpini Regiment and 4th Mountain Artillery Regiment. Each Alpini regiment fielded 160 officers, and 5,046 NCOs and soldiers for a total strength of 5,206 men. Each regiment also had 23 horses, 1,242 mules and 109 transport vehicles at its disposal. The division's order of battle was as follows:

In 1935 the "Pieve di Teco" battalion fought in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, where it distinguished itself during the battles of Amba Aradam, Amba Alagi, Worq Amba, Mai Ceu and Mekan Pass.

World War II

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Main article: 4th Alpine Division "Cuneense"

On 21 June 1940 (one day before the French surrender) the Cuneense began to advance with other Italian units into Southern France. After the French surrender the division was then sent to Albania, where it participated in the Italian attack on Greece. When the German Wehrmacht came to the aid of the beaten Italian armies in Albania in April 1941 through an invasion of Yugoslavia the Cuneense was sent to northern Albania to advance towards the rapidly advancing German divisions. The Cuneense advanced through Montenegro and reached Dubrovnik by the end of the campaign.

In September 1942 the Cuneense was sent with the 2nd Alpine Division "Tridentina", 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" and other Italian units to the Soviet Union to form the Italian Army in Russia (Italian: Armata Italiana in Russia abbreviated as ARMIR) and fight alongside the German Wehrmacht against the Red Army. Taking up positions along the Don River, the Italian units covered part of the left flank of the German Sixth Army, which spearheaded the German summer offensive of 1942 into the city of Stalingrad.

After successfully encircling the German Sixth army in Stalingrad the Red Army's attention turned to the Italian units along the Don. On 14 January 1943, the Soviet Operation Little Saturn began and the three alpine division found themselves quickly encircled by rapidly advancing armored Soviet Forces. The Alpini held the front on the Don, but within three days the Soviets had advanced 200 km to the left and right of the Alpini. On the evening of 17 January the commanding officer of the Italian Mountain Corps General Gabriele Nasci ordered a full retreat. At this point the Julia and Cuneense divisions were already heavily decimated and only the Tridentina division was still capable of conducting combat operations. As the Soviets had already occupied every village bitter battles had to be fought to clear the way out of the encirclement. By morning of 28 January the men of the 1st Alpini Regiment had walked 200 km, fought in 20 battles and spent 11 nights camped out in the middle of the Steppe. Temperatures during the nights were between -30 °C and -40 °C. In the course of that day, the last remnants of the regiment were annihilated by Cossack forces. The last survivors of the 1st Alpini Regiment burnt the regimental flag to prevent it from falling in enemy hands, at which point the regiment ceased to exist.

On 11 February 1943, the survivors were counted and out of 5,206 men of the 1st Alpini Regiment just 722 had reached Axis lines; none of the soldiers of the battalions Ceva, Pieve di Teco and Mondovì had made it out of the Soviet encirclement. 3,475 men of the 1st Alpini Regiment died in Russia.[16] The survivors were repatriated and after the signing of the Italian armistice with the Allies on 8 September 1943, the regiment was formally dissolved.

Cold War

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The 1st Alpini Regiment was reformed on 23 November 1945, but as the unit had burned its war flag and thus lost its regimental colors, the regiment was disbanded again on 15 April 1946.

Alpini Battalion "Mondovì"

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During the 1975 army reform the army disbanded the regimental level and newly independent battalions were given for the first time their own flags. In preparation of the reform the 2nd Alpini Regiment (Recruits Training) was disbanded on 31 October 1974 and the regiment's Alpini Battalion "Orobica" (Recruits Training) in Cuneo was renamed as Alpini Battalion "Mondovì" (Recruits Training). The Mondovì was given the traditions of the 1st Alpini Regiment and received a new flag.[17] The battalion was assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense" and remained active until 30 August 1997.[5]

When the battalion was disbanded it had the following structure:

  •   Alpini Battalion "Mondovì"
    •   Command and Services Company
    •   9th Alpini Company
    •   10th Alpini Company
    •   11th Alpini Company
    •   103rd Alpini Company

Reactivation

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On 1 October 2022 the flag and traditions of the 1st Alpini Regiment were assigned to the Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Taurinense" of the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense".[3]

Organization

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As of 2024 the unit is organized as follows:[3][18]

  •   1st Alpini Command and Tactical Supports Unit, in Turin[3][18]
    •   Command and Logistic Support Company
    •   111th Signal Company

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "1° Reggimento Alpini". Quirinale - Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "1° Reparto Comando e Supporti Tattici Alpini - Il Medagliere". Italian Army. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "1° Reparto Comando e Supporti Tattici Alpini". Italian Army. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "1° Reparto Comando e Supporti Tattici Alpini - La Storia". Italian Army. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q F. dell'Uomo, R. Puletti (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo I. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 451.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "1° Reggimento Alpini". Vecio.it. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Ceva". Fronte del Piave. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Pieve di Teco". Fronte del Piave. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Mondovì". Fronte del Piave. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Val Tanaro". Fronte del Piave. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Val Arroscia". Fronte del Piave. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Val Ellero". Fronte del Piave. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Monte Mercantour". Fronte del Piave. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  14. ^ a b c "Monte Saccarello". Fronte del Piave. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Monte Clapier". Fronte del Piave. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Unirr.it".
  17. ^ "Alpine Brigade "Taurinense" - La Storia". Esercito Italiano. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  18. ^ a b "1° Reparto Comando e Supporti Tattici Alpini". Italian Defense Ministry. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
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