List of major Italian associations

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This list of major Italian associations is not exhaustive. However, it is gradually being improved.

Army General Staff coat of arms

Army groups

"Army groups" (in Germany " Army groups ") existed in Italy only from 1940 to 1943. They were of little operational importance. Their tasks were later taken over by integrated NATO commandos ("Landsouth" in Verona ).

In total, these army groups and high commands led around 80 divisions during World War II .

Armies

Armies were only raised in Italy in times of war. In peacetime they existed only as so-called "designated army commands" (only a few: four until 1915, later completely abandoned in favor of NATO commands; cf. German Army Inspection ). Below is information about the areas of operation of Italian armies in the period from 1915 to 1918 and from 1940 to 1943:

Until 1972 there was the "designated command" of the 3rd Army in Padua . If necessary, it should lead the Italian field army in northern Italy under national direction, i.e. independently of the NATO Landsouth command in Verona. The reason for the existence of this army command were tensions with Yugoslavia around Trieste and Istria , which were then resolved with the Treaty of Osimo .

In 1997 the "Land Forces Command" ( Comando Forze Terrestri ) was established in Verona , to which the Italian commands at corps level were directly subordinate. The commander of COMFOTER also commanded Landsouth until this NATO command was disbanded in Verona in 2004. COMFOTER continues to exist (as a three-star command) in Rome.

Army Corps

"Army corps" ( corps ) used to be set up in Italy only in times of war. In peacetime they existed in the form of "Military Territorial Commands" ("Comando Militare Territoriale-CMT"; in Germany until 1945: " Wehrkreis "). Later, as needed, divisions were combined into corps in peacetime , with the territorial CMT continuing to exist. The CMT were abolished in the 1970s within the framework of rationalization in favor of seven larger military regions ("Regione Militare"; in Germany " Defense area ").

Territorial military commands

The following military district commands (CMT) and their locations were subject to certain variations and changes over time (1861–1975) (at certain times there were more CMTs, eleven were set up in 1945; earlier locations in brackets). However, they have traditionally been closely associated with the locations listed below (both CMT and Corps).

corps

Below is information about the operational areas of the Italian Army Corps in the period from 1915 to 1918 and from 1940 to 1943:

  • I. Corps: 1915–1918: Dolomites , Grappa-Stock , Piave ; 1935/1936: East Africa; 1940–1943: South of France
  • II Corps: 1915–1918: Isonzo , Grappa-Stock, France; 1935/1936: East Africa; 1940: Western Alps; 1941: Italy; 1942/1943: Russia
  • III. Corps: 1915–1918: Trentino , Judiciary ; 1935/1936: East Africa; 1940: Western Alps; 1940–1943: Greece
  • IV. Corps: 1915-1918: Isonzo, Krn ; 1935/1936: East Africa; 40: Western Alps; 1940–1943: Greece, Albania
  • 5th Corps : 1915–1918: Trentino, Asiago ; 1941/1943: Yugoslavia
  • VI. Corps: 1915–1918: Isonzo, Grappa stick; 1941/1943: Yugoslavia
  • VII. Corps: 1915-1918: Isonzo; 1940/1941: Italy; 1942/1943: Corsica
  • VIII Corps: 1915–1918: Reserve, Isonzo, Montello, Vittorio Veneto ; 1940–1943: Greece
  • IX. Corps: 1915–1918: Dolomites, Grappa stick; 1940–1944: Apulia
  • X Corps : 1915–1918: Reserve, Trentino; 1940–1942: Libya , El Alamein
  • XI. Corps: 1915-1918: Isonzo, Piave; 1940–1943: Greece, Yugoslavia
  • XII. Corps: 1915–1918: Isonzo, Carnic Alps, Asiago; 1940–1943: Sicily
  • XIII. Corps: 1915–1918: Reserve, Isonzo, Asiago, Piave; 1940–1943: Sardinia
  • XIV Corps: 1915-1918: Reserve, Isonzo; 1941–1943: Albania , Yugoslavia
  • XV. Corps: 1940–1943: Southern France , Italy
  • XVI. Corps: 1915-1918: Piave; 1918: Albania, Macedonia; 1940–1943: Italy, Sicily
  • XVII. Corps: 1941: Yugoslavia; 1942/1943: Italy
  • XVIII. Corps: 1915-1918: Piave; 1942: Yugoslavia
  • XIX. Corps: 1942/1943: Italy
  • XX. Corps: 1915–1918: Trentino, Asiago; 1937–1943: Libya, El Alamein, Tunisia
  • XXI. Corps: 1940–1943: Libya, El Alamein, Tunisia
  • XXII. Corps: 1915–1918: Trentino, Montello, Piave; 1940/1941: Tobruk , 1942/1943: Southern France
  • XXIII. Corps: 1915–1918: Piave, Reserve; 1940/1941: Egypt , Libya; 1942/1943: Northern Italy
  • XXIV Corps: 1915-1918: Isonzo; 1943: Friuli (remains of the Alpini Corps)
  • XXV. Corps: 1915–1918: Judiciaries; 1940–1943: Greece, Albania
  • XXVI. Corps: 1915–1918: Isonzo, Trentino; 1940–1943: Albania, Greece
  • XXVII. Corps: 1915–1918: Isonzo, Karfreit, Piave
  • XXVIII. Corps: 1915–1918: Reserve, Grappa Stock, Piave
  • XXIX. Corps: 1915–1918: Trentino
  • XXX. Corps: 1918: Grappa stick; 1940/1941: Italy; 1942/1943: Tunisia
  • XXXI. Corps: 1941–1944: Calabria
  • XXXV. Corps (ex CSIR): 1942-1943: Russia
  • Carnic Zone: 1915–1917: Carnic Alps
  • Command plateau : 1915–1918: Asiago
  • Cavalry Corps : 1915–1918: Friuli
  • Assault Corps : 1918: Sernaglia , Ponte della Priula, Conegliano
  • LI. Corps: 1943: Rome
  • Alpini Corps: 1942/1943: Russia (Don; Postojalij, Scheljankino, Nikitowka and others)
  • Motorized Corps: 1941: Yugoslavia; 1941–1943: Russia (as CSIR, then as XXXV Corps)
  • Rapid Corps: 1941: Yugoslavia; then new XXII. corps
  • Panzer Corps: 1938–1941 (!): Northern Italy
  • Russian Corps ( CSIR ): 1941–1942: Ukraine, Russia, then XXXV. corps

After 1945 three corps were re-established in northern Italy: the III. in Milan , the IV Mountain Corps in Bolzano and the V Corps in Vittorio Veneto (from 1952 to 1972 also the VI Corps in Bologna ). In the course of the army reform of 1997, the three corps were renamed: from III. Corps became the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Italy (NRDC-IT), the 4th Mountain Troop Command (COMALP) and the 5th a "1st Corps ". Defense Forces Command ”(COMFOD 1). In the southern Italian town of San Giorgio a Cremano (Naples) the “2. Defense Force Command ”(COMFOD 2), which took over the brigades in southern Italy (due to the dissolution or reorganization of the military regions). The two defense force commands were replaced in 2013 by the two task force commands North (COMFOD North) in Padua and South in Naples (COMFOD Sud); Today they are called “Command of Operational Forces” and thus the abbreviations COMFOP Nord and COMFOP Sud . With the exception of a few supporting associations, the NRDC-IT does not have any major associations on a permanent basis; these are only allocated for exercises or missions. In addition to divisional headquarters and brigades, the three commandos in Bolzano, Padua and Naples also have regional commands for territorial and administrative tasks.

Military regions

From 1975 to 1997, the seven military regions had mainly territorial and administrative tasks. In central and southern Italy in particular, they were also subordinate to operational associations.

  • Regione Militare Nord-Ovest (RMNO), Turin
  • Regione Militare Nord-Est (RMNE), Padua
  • Regione Militare Tosco-Emiliana (RMTE), Florence ( Brigades Friuli and Folgore )
  • Regione Militare Centrale (RMCE), Rome (Brigades Granatieri di Sardegna and Acqui )
  • Regione Militare Meridionale (RMME), Naples (Brigades Pinerolo and (from 1991) Garibaldi )
  • Regione Militare Sicilia (RMSI), Palermo (Brigade Aosta )
  • Regione Militare Sardegna (RMSA), Cagliari (from 1988 Brigade Sassari )

During the Cold War, the field army with the three corps mentioned and a total of 18 brigades (plus a rocket artillery brigade with Lance missiles and the army anti-aircraft command ) were located on the territory of the two northern Italian military regions .

In 1997 the military regions lost all operational tasks and were therefore reduced to three (north, center, south). Regional commands that emerged later had and no longer have any historical reference to the former territorial organization. Today's regional commands for territorial tasks, which are subordinate to the commands in Bolzano, Padua and Naples mentioned at the end of the “Corps” section or to the territorial command for the capital Rome, are congruent with the Italian regions and in some cases only have the status of regiments .

Divisions

Divisions until 1945

The Italian ( infantry ) divisions each had two infantry brigades, each with two infantry regiments, until 1926. These square divisions had numbers, the brigades had names and the regiments were numbered consecutively. From 1926 to 1939 three infantry regiments each formed a triangular division . The army reform of 1939 created the so-called "binary division", which only had two regiments of infantry. These divisions were given the names of the brigades dissolved in 1926 and united their two regiments together with an artillery regiment and other troops under the command of the new "binary" division. Information about these divisions can be derived from the list of Italian regiments (line infantry).

Coat of arms division Cuneense

After the armistice of Cassibile (September 8, 1943) and the subsequent German occupation of Italy, Italian units took part in the Allied Italian campaign until April 1945 . In September 1943 the 1º Raggruppamento Motorizzato was created , which in early 1944 reached division strength. From this emerged in March 1944 the Corpo Italiano di Liberazione , which corresponded to a reinforced division. From September 1944 five combat groups named Cremona, Friuli, Folgore, Legnano and Mantova , which had divisional status (the "combat group" Piceno only took on training). These combat groups formed the basis for the reconstruction of the army in the post-war period.

The fascist Italian Social Republic , which existed in northern Italy under the protection of Hitler, had four divisions: the 1st Bersaglieri Division Italia , the 2nd Grenadier Division Littorio , the 3rd Marine Infantry Division San Marco and the 4th Alpini Division Monterosa . These units were mainly used against Italian and Yugoslav partisans.

Divisions from 1945 to 1986

Coat of arms division Mantova

In the mid-1950s, the Italian army had 3 tank divisions, 10 infantry divisions and 5 mountain infantry brigades. The divisions were divided into regiments until 1975 . In the 1960s, one armored division and five infantry divisions were gradually reduced to brigades . In 1975/76 mixed brigades were systematically introduced as the most important large unit, which as a rule were directly subordinate to corps or military regions. Only in northern Italy did the III. and the V Corps had four divisions with twelve brigades. In 1986 the division level was then completely abolished. The names of the disbanded divisions were given to brigades.

  • III. Corps (Milan):
    • Cremona Infantry Division ( Turin , 1945–1975)
    • Legnano Infantry Division ( Bergamo , 1945–1975)
    • Centauro Armored Division ( Novara , 1952–1986)
  • IV Mountain Corps (Bolzano):
  • V Corps (Vittorio Veneto):
    • Mantova Infantry Division ( Udine , 1945–1986)
    • Folgore Infantry Division ( Treviso , 1945–1986)
    • Armored Division Ariete ( Pordenone , 1952–1986)
  • Regional commandos in central and southern Italy:
    • Trieste Infantry Division ( Bologna , 1950–1962)
    • Friuli Infantry Division ( Florence , 1945–1962)
    • Granatieri di Sardegna Infantry Division ( Rome , 1948–1975)
    • Panzer Division Pozzuolo del Friuli (Rome, Civitavecchia , 1953–1958; from 1957 brigade of the same name in the V Corps)
    • Avellino Infantry Division ( Bari , Salerno , 1949–1960, disbanded as a brigade in 1965)
    • Pinerolo Infantry Division ( Bari , 1952–1962)
    • Aosta Infantry Division ( Messina , 1945–1962)

Division staff since 2003

From 1986 to 1992 there was no longer a division level in the Italian army. The brigades were directly subordinate to the corps and other higher command posts. At the end of 1992, the III. Corps in Milan (today NRDC ) the staff of the so-called 3rd Italian Division was formed because the contributions of the individual NATO states to the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) were based on the division level. The designation took on both the III. Corps as well as the Italian 3rd Rapid Division Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta of World War II. Instead of the 3rd division, three divisional staffs were set up in 2003 for multinational missions and planning tasks:

  • Tridentina Division (Bozen) (lower level of readiness, also reserve brigade staff )
  • Division Mantova (Vittorio Veneto) (replaced by Division Friuli in Florence in 2013 and renamed Vittorio Veneto in 2019 )
  • Acqui Division (San Giorgio a Cremano, today in Capua)

These divisional headquarters were subordinate to the mountain troop command in Bolzano and the two defense commandos in Vittorio Veneto and San Giorgio a Cremano, with the management personnel partially taking on tasks at both levels. In 2013 the Mantova division was dissolved and the Friuli division reactivated in Florence , which was renamed Vittorio Veneto in 2019 . The Friuli Division Headquarters in Florence and Acqui in San Giorgio a Cremano then took over the permanent troop command of brigades, while the Tridentina Division Headquarters of the Mountain Troop Command in Bolzano remained unchanged. Only the Acqui division staff is planned for foreign assignments, which can be supplemented by staff from the other two divisional staffs if necessary. The Tridentina division staff can be used for longer missions or in special situations .

Brigades

The Italian (and Piedmontese ) brigades were divided into two infantry regiments until 1926. For this time the list of Italian regiments gives information. From 1926 to 1939, brigades officially continued to exist: each division had a brigade (with the number of the division) to which the three infantry regiments were subordinate. The brigade commander was a kind of infantry leader in the division. From 1945 to 1975 there were a few brigades in the Italian army, but these were usually smaller divisions for special or territorial tasks. Mixed brigades were systematically introduced in 1975 and have remained the central major unit of the army to this day.

Brigades since 1975

In 1975/76 the army set up 24 mixed brigades divided into battalions : 5 tank brigades, 9 mechanized infantry brigades, 4 motorized infantry brigades, 5 mountain rifle brigades and 1 paratrooper brigade. There was also a rocket artillery brigade. Until 1986 were under twelve brigades in the Po Valley and Friuli the divisions Centauro (in Novara , III. Corps), Ariete ( Pordenone , V Corps), Mantova ( Udine , V Corps) and Folgore ( Treviso , V Corps) then this large association level was completely abolished. The names of three dissolved divisions were transferred to one of the subordinate brigades in 1986 , the Parachute Brigade in Pisa was named Folgore . In 1991, six combat brigades and the rocket artillery brigade in northern Italy were disbanded, one mechanized brigade was relocated to southern Italy and a new, small mechanized brigade was set up in Sardinia. The four formerly motorized infantry brigades (territorial tasks) were converted into mechanized brigades with excess material. In 1991 there were still 19 brigades (whose battalions were again called “ Regiment ”), in 1997 they were reduced to 13, and in 2002 there were eleven.

In the event of a defense, army schools should set up three motorized reserve brigades with smaller mechanized or armored components. Another brigade equivalent would have emerged from the separate territorial command in Trieste with its partially active combat group. The 11th mechanized brigade of the Carabinieri was also available. Some active brigades had cadre or inactive equipment units ("third infantry battalions"). These reserve associations were canceled or dissolved after the end of the Cold War.

Support Brigades since 1997

In 1997 the Italian army set up some support brigades, which were directly subordinate to the "Land Forces Command" (COMFOTER). These brigades combined units that used to be corps and division troops (artillery, air defense, pioneers, telecommunications, logistics, army aviators). As part of rationalization measures, the staffs of these support brigades were relocated to the locations of the respective military schools by autumn 2010 and combined with the staffs of the schools to form support commands. Their commanders are stage managers of their respective branches of service and also lead the regiments of the former support brigades and the former schools from which training regiments emerged. The “regiments” of the support commandos usually have battalion strength, while the air defense, engineer, telecommunications, logistics and army aviation commands also consist of two, exceptionally three or four battalions .

Artillery Brigade
Anti-aircraft brig.
Engineer Brigade
Eloka Brigade
Logistics cdo.
  • Artillery Brigade ( Portogruaro ; merged in 2010 with the artillery school in Bracciano near Rome to form an artillery command)
  • Anti-aircraft brigade ( Padua ; merged in 2009 with anti-aircraft school in Sabaudia near Rome to form anti-aircraft command)
  • Pioneer Brigade ( Udine ; merged in 2010 with Pioneer School in Rome- Cecchignola to Pioneer Command)
  • Telecommunication Command ( Anzio ; united in 2016 with Telecommunication School in Rome-Cecchignola)
    • The following regiments were under a telecommunications brigade in Anzio, but currently directly under the telecommunications command:
      • CoA mil ITA rgt trasmissioni 02.png2nd telecommunications regiment ( Bolzano ; 2 battalions)
      • CoA mil ITA rgt trasmissioni 03.png 3rd Telecommunications Regiment (Rome; 3 battalions)
      • CoA mil ITA rgt trasmissioni 07.png7th telecommunications regiment (Sacile near Pordenone ; 2 battalions)
      • CoA mil ITA rgt trasmissioni 11.png11th Telecommunications Regiment ( Civitavecchia ; 2 battalions)
      • CoA mil ITA rgt trasmissioni 32.png32nd Telecommunications Regiment ( Padua ; 2 battalions)
      • CoA mil ITA rgt trasmissioni 46.png46th Telecommunications Regiment ( Palermo ; 2 battalions)
      • Logo 232.png232nd Telecommunications Regiment ( Avellino ) (formerly Inf.Rgt .; 2 battalions)
      • CoA mil ITA scuola trasmissioni.png Telecommunication school / training regiment (Cecchignola)
    • Electronic Warfare Brigade (Anzio):

The 1st Telecommunications Regiment in Milan (2 battalions) is subordinate to the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Italy . Territorial support groups and units at combat brigade level are also not subject to the telecommunications command.

  • Logistics brigade ( Treviso ; merged in 2010 with logistics school in Rome-Cecchignola to form a logistics command)
The logistics brigade and the operational logistics command were dissolved in 2013. The regiments of the former logistics brigade were handed over to the individual combat brigades in 2013, which now each have their own logistics association. The regiments bear the names of their superordinate brigades (new subordination in brackets).

For the brigades Aosta (in Sicily) and Sassari (in Sardinia) the establishment of new logistics regiments was ordered in 2013. Other territorial associations that were not subject to this brigade are not listed here.

In 2016, a new logistic support command was created at the logistics school in Rome-Cecchinola, to which four medical units at battalion level in Turin , Bellinzago Novarese, Merano and Persano as well as the above-mentioned transport regiments in Bellinzago Novarese and Budrio were subordinated.

The Army Aviation Command ( Comando Aviazione dell'Esercito , COMAVES) in Viterbo is subordinate to the Army Aviation Training Center, a brigade for maintenance and logistics as well as an Army Aviation Brigade, in which all Army Aviation Associations are administratively combined that are not subordinate to the Airmobile Brigade Friuli . (For details on the Italian army aviators, see: Aviazione dell'Esercito ).

Training brigade

This "brigade" existed from 2004 to 2014 under the name Raggruppamento Unità Addestrative and had its headquarters in Capua . She was subordinate to the Army Training Command and carried out the three-month general basic training in her initially ten regiments (infantry regiments of battalion strength ) . Due to the suspension of compulsory military service in 2005 and the further downsizing of the army, some training regiments were gradually dissolved (the years of dissolution are given in brackets). The remaining regiments were subordinated to the infantry school in Cesano (Rome) in 2014 , with the exception of the 80th Roma infantry regiment in Cassino , which specializes in the training of NCOs without portepee ( sergents ) and is therefore subordinate to the NCOs school in Viterbo .

  • Coat of arms 1st Inf.Rgt.1st Infantry Regiment San Giusto ( Trieste ) (2008)
  • Coat of arms 17th Inf.Rgt.17th Acqui Infantry Regiment ( Capua ) (active)
  • Coat of arms 47th Inf.Rgt.47th Ferrara Infantry Regiment (Capua) (2013; as 47th Btl. Subordinated to the 17th InfRgt)
  • Coat of arms 57th Inf.Rgt.57th Infantry Battalion Abruzzi ( Sora , then Sulmona ) (2013)
  • CoA mil ITA rgt fanteria 078.png78th Lupi di Toscana Infantry Regiment ( Florence ) (2008)
  • Coat of arms 80th Inf.Rgt.80th Roma ( Cassino ) Infantry Regiment (active)
  • Coat of arms 85th Inf.Rgt.85th Verona Infantry Regiment ( Verona ) (active)
  • Coat of arms 91st Inf.Rgt.91st Lucania Infantry Battalion ( Potenza ) (2009)
  • Coat of arms 123rd Inf.Rgt.123rd Cheti Infantry Regiment ( Chieti ) (2012)
  • Coat of arms 235th Inf.Rgt.235th Piceno Infantry Regiment ( Ascoli Piceno ) (active)

See also

Web links