4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment
The 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment (Italian: 4° Reggimento Alpini Paracadutisti) is a Ranger-type[3][4][5] special forces regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain combat. The regiment is one of four regiments of the Army Special Forces Command. The regiment is unit of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The 4th Alpini Regiment is one of the most decorated units of the Italian Army, although its two Gold Medals of Military Valour were awarded to the regiment's currently inactive Alpini Battalion "Aosta"[6], respectively the currently active Skiers Battalion "Monte Cervino"[7].
| 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment | |
|---|---|
| 4º Reggimento Alpini Paracadutisti | |
 Coat of Arms of the 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment | |
| Active | 1 Nov 1882 - 8 Sept 1943 1 Jan 1946 - 10 Oct 1975 25 Sept 2004 - today |
| Country | Italy |
| Branch | Italian Army |
| Type | "Alpini" |
| Role | Ranger Special Forces |
| Size | 1 Battalion "Monte Cervino" Battalion |
| Part of | 1st Alpine Division “Taurinense” 1935 - 1943 Taurinense Alpine Brigade 1946 - 1975 COMALP 2004 - 2013 Army Special Forces Command 2013 - today |
| Garrison/HQ | Verona (VR) |
| Motto(s) | "In adversa ultra adversa" |
| Anniversaries | 18 May 1917 - Battle of Monte Vodice |
| Engagements | "World War I" Battle of Monte Adamello Battle of Monte Vodice Battle of Monte Solarolo Battle of Monte Grappa Battle of Monte Nero Battle of Monte Pasubio Battle of Cosmagnon "World War II" Battle of Nikolayevka "War in Afghanistan" |
| Decorations |       2x Military Order of Italy[1] 2x Gold Medals of Military Valour 9x Silver Medals of Military Valour 1x Bronze Medal of Military Valour 1x Silver Medal of Civil Valour 1x 1908 Messina earthquake Medal of Merit[2] |
| Insignia | |
| 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment gorget patches |  |
History
Formation
The 4th Alpini Regiment was formed on 1 November 1882. It consisted of the three battalions: "Val Pellice", "Val Chisone" and "Val Brenta", named after the valleys from which the battalion's soldiers were recruited. In 1886 the battalions were renamed, taking their new names from the location of their main logistic depot: "Pinerolo", "Aosta" and "Ivrea". In 1888 the "Pinerolo" was subordinated to the 3rd Alpini Regiment and in exchange the "Susa 2°" battalion was transferred from the 3rd to the 4th Alpini. In 1908 the "Susa" returned to the 3rd Alpini and in the city of Intra the "Pallanza" battalion was raised as substitute, with existing companies from other Alpini battalions. In 1909 the "Pallanza" was renamed "Intra" battalion. Thus the regiment's structure in 1910 was:
World War I
During World War I the regiment consisted of 10 battalions and saw heavy fighting in the Alps against Austria's Kaiserjäger and Germany's Alpenkorps. The battalions of the regiment in these days were (pre-war raised units in bold, followed by their first and second line reserve battalions):
The "Aosta" Battalion distinguished itself in 1917 during heavy combat on Monte Vodice and in 1918 on Monte Solarolo. During the war a total of 31,000 men served in the 4th Alpini. 189 Officers and 4,704 soldiers died during combat and 455 Officers and 10,923 soldiers were wounded.
Interwar Period
On 10 September 1935, the "1st Alpine Division "Taurinense"" was formed and composed of the 3rd Alpini and 4th Alpini Regiments and the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment. The division participated in 1936 in the Italian conquest of Abyssinia.
World War II
In 1940 the regiment as part of the Taurinense division fought in the Italian attack on Greece. After the German invasion of Yugoslavia the "Taurinense" performed garrison duties in Montenegro were the regiment disbanded after the signing of the Italian armistice with the Allies on 8 September 1943. Most of its soldiers joined the Italian Partisan Brigade "Garibaldi", which operated in central Yugoslavia.
The reformed 4th Alpini Regiment participated in the liberation of Italy as part of the Partisan Piemonte Mountain Corps.
Cold War
After World War II the 4th Alpini Regiment was reformed in 1952 with the battalions "Aosta", "Saluzzo" and "Susa". In 1953 the "Mondovì" battalion was reactivated as fourth battalion of the regiment. The 4th Alpini was the basis for the newly founded Alpine Brigade "Taurinense". In 1962 the "Mondovì" was transferred to the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia to augment the Alpine Brigade "Julia" and in 1963 the "Aosta" battalion was transferred to the Alpine Military School in Aosta. Four years later it was again subordinated to 4th Alpini Regiment. With the Italian Army 1975 reform the battalions came under the direct command of the Taurinense. The "Aosta" battalion was assigned to the Alpine Military School and would have joined the Taurinense only in case of war. The "Aosta" received the regimental colours of the dissolved 4th Alpini Regiment and carried on its tradition and flag.
In the early stages of the Cold War the 4th Alpini Regiment consisted of the following units:
Current structure
On 25 September 2004, the 4th Alpini Regiment was reformed as 4th Alpini Paratroopers) Regiment in the city of Bolzano. The existing Alpini Paratroopers Battalion "Monte Cervino" entered the regiment. Today the 4th Regiment is one of four special forces regiments of the Italian Army. The Alpini Paratroopers have recently served in Iraq and one company is constantly deployed in Afghanistan. In January 2011 the regiment moved to its new base in Verona and in 2013 joined the newly formed Army Special Forces Command (COMFOSE). The regiment's structure is as follows:[9]
The Command and Logistic Support Company fields the following platoons: C3 Platoon, Transport and Materiel Platoon, Medical Platoon, and Commissariat Platoon.
Decorations
The 4th Alpini Regiment is one the highest decorated regiments of the Italian Army.
- 1x Knight Cross of the Military Order of Italy for service in World War I
- 1x Knight Cross of the Military Order of Italy for service in the War on Terror 2002-2018[1]
- 2x Gold Medals of Military Valor:
- 1x for the conquest of Monte Solarolo by the "Aosta" battalion, 25–27 October 1918
- 1x for the campaign in the Soviet Union by the Skiers Battalion "Monte Cervino", 1942-1943
- 9x Silver Medals of Military Valor:
- 1x for the conquest of the saddle between Monte Nero and Monte Rosso by the "Intra" and "Val d'Orco" battalions, 19–21 July 1915
- 1x for the conquest and defense of the Austrian positions on Alpe di Cosmagnon by the "Aosta" and "Val Toce" battalions, 10 September and 9–12 October 1916
- 1x for the conquest of Monte Vodice by the "Aosta" and "Levanna" battalions, 18–21 May 1917
- 1x for the service of the "Monte Cervino" battalion during the battles of Monte Vodice, 26–30 May 1917, Monte Melette, 17–26 November 1917 and Monte Fior, 4 December 1917
- 1x for operations of the "Levanna" and "Val Toce" battalions on Monte Solarolo, 24–28 October 1918
- 1x for the defense of the Mecan Pass by the "Intra" battalion during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, 31 March 1936
- 1x for the service of the "Monte Cervino" battalion during the Greco-Italian War, 10 January to 23 April 1941
- 1x for the refusal of the "Ivrea" battalion to surrender to German Forces after the armistice of September 1943 and the subsequent service with Yugoslav partisans in Montenegro, September to November 1943
- 1x for the service of the "Piemonte" battalion with the Italian Co-Belligerent Army during the Italian liberation campaign, 18 March 1944 to 8 May 1945
- 1x "Bronze Medal of Military Valor" for defensive operations of the "Intra" battalion during the Greco-Italian War, 24–26 January 1941
- 1x "Silver Medal of Civil Valor" for service after the 1957 Piedmont floods
- 1x "Silver Medal of Civil Merit" for service after the 1908 Messina earthquake
See also
- Mino - a TV series about the regiment's "Aosta" battalion in World War I
External links
Sources
- Franco dell'Uomo, Rodolfo Puletti: "L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Volume Primo - Tomo I", Rome 1998, Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito - Ufficio Storico, page: 466
References
- "Bandiera di Guerra del 4° Reggimento Alpini Paracadutisti". Presidential Administration of Italy. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
- "4° Reggimento Alpini Paracadutisti - Il Medagliere". Italian Army. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- "Il Ranger". Italian Army. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- "4° Reggimento Alpini Paracadutisti". Italian Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- "4° Reggimento Alpini Paracadutisti". Italian Army. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- "Bandiera del 4° Reggimento Alpini Battaglione "Aosta"". Quirinale - Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- "Bandiera del 4° Reggimento Alpini "Taurinense" Battaglione Sciatori "Monte Cervino"". Quirinale - Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- F. dell'Uomo, R. Puletti (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo I. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 467.
- "4° Reggimento Alpini Paracadutisti". Italian Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
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