Reggimento artiglieria a cavallo “Voloire”
The artillery regiment on horseback "Voloire" (Reggimento Artiglieria a Cavallo "Voloire") is a traditional regiment of the artillery troops of the Italian army . It has been stationed in the northern Italian city of Vercelli since 2016 , a traditional mounted unit has remained in the Caserma Santa Barbara in Milan . The regiment is subordinate to the Pozzuolo del Friuli Cavalry Brigade .
history
The regiment summarizes the history of mounted artillery in Italy . This branch of service was created by Frederick the Great of Prussia in the middle of the 18th century because the slow field artillery of the cavalry could not keep up with it quickly enough. In the following decades, other states also set up such mounted artillery units.
In the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont , the nucleus of today's Italian national state, the first mounted batteries were set up on April 8, 1831 in Venaria Reale near Turin . They were defined as light artillery in support of the cavalry. The Piedmontese population noticed these two units again and again because they rode through the villages at high speed. With the Piedmontese expression voloire (from volo or volante , dt. Flying ) the people announced the arrival of the "flying" artillery. The regiment later adopted this dialect name as a nickname.
On November 1, 1887, the artillery regiment on horseback was established in Milan. It initially summarized the six mounted batteries that were available up to that point. The regiment took part in the First World War, but mostly without his horses because of the trench warfare .
On October 1, 1934, the artillery regiment on horseback was disbanded. From it three fast artillery regiments (No. 1, 2 and 3) emerged, most of which were motorized and three fast divisions were assigned. These three regiments took part in the war in North Africa from February 1941 to November 1942, where they were destroyed in the second battle of El Alamein .
With the remaining horses of the three regiments mentioned, the old artillery regiment was re-established on horseback in July 1941 and sent to the Soviet Union as an anti-tank unit with the 3rd rapid division of the Corpo di spedizione italiano in Russia . It stood out u. a. with the cavalry regiment Savoia Cavalleria near Isbuschenskij. In the winter of 1942/1943 it was destroyed on the train of the Soviet offensive on the Don .
The artillery regiment on horseback was re-established on November 20, 1946 in Milan. During the Cold War it was with its three battalions ( departments ) the III. Corps in Milan as a support organization directly subordinated. After the dissolution of this corps, the regiment (in battalion strength) came to a new artillery brigade of the army in 1997, then to the Pozzuolo del Friuli cavalry brigade in 2005 .
Calls
Italian Wars of Independence
The independent batteries that formed the regiment in 1887 took part in the Italian Wars of Independence .
- 1848: Monzambano - S. Giustina - Pastrengo - S. Lucia - Governolo - Goito - Valeggio - Sommacampagna - Custoza
- 1849: Mortara - Novara
- 1866: Custoza - Belvedere
First World War
- Ronchi - Monfalcone - Sabotino - Monte Kuk - Vodice - Gorizia - Nova Vas - Veliki - Pecinka - Faiti - Bosco Malo - Flondar - Selo - Tagliamento - Montebello - Monte Val Bella - Vittorio Veneto
Second World War
In the Second World War, the three fast regiments took part, which had emerged from the original artillery regiment on horseback in 1934, as well as the new artillery regiment on horseback formed from the new regiments and the 201st motorized artillery regiment, which was also set up with the personnel and material of the three fast regiments has been.
- 1. Rgt .: Tobruk - Marsa Matruh - El Alamein - Marmarika
- 2nd Rgt .: Tobruk - Halfaya
- 3rd Rgt .: Ain el Gazala - Tobruk - El Alamein
- Art.Rgt. on horseback: Dnepr - Donets - Jsbuschenskij
- 201. Mot. Art. Rgt .: Donets - Tkino - Blinoff - Belogoskoye
On the regiment's standard are the awards of all forerunners and offshoots of the association, including the gold medal that the 1st rapid artillery regiment received for its service in North Africa.