Bersaglieri

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Bersaglieri monument at Porta Pia in Rome

The Bersaglieri (from Italian bersaglio , "target [target]"; German about " shooter ") are an infantry force of the Italian army .

history

Hunter as a predecessor

The predecessors of the Bersaglieri were the Cacciatori ( hunters ) , which were set up in the Piedmontese army in 1786 . They supported the conventional line infantry , especially in the context of so-called "dispersed combat " and in reconnaissance and special tasks. Until 1831, every line infantry regiment had special grenadier and fighter companies in addition to the normal infantry companies . In addition, after the restoration, four independent hunter battalions were set up. A regiment established in Sardinia in 1774 led from 1816 to 1852 the honorary title of "guard hunter" (Cacciatori Guardie) . When the House of Savoy withdrew to Sardinia during the Napoleonic rule, this regiment took over the guard duties there. In 1852 it went up in the Guard Brigade Granatieri di Sardegna . The Guardia di Finanza later emerged from another hunter troop , the Legione troop Leggere , which was set up for border protection tasks in 1774 .

In 1831 a comprehensive army reform took place in the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont under Karl Albert . With the exception of the guard hunters who remained in Sardinia, all independent hunter units were disbanded for reasons of cost. Not having an independent light infantry soon proved to be a mistake.

Established as light infantry

Crimean War : Bersaglieri at the Battle of the Chornaya (August 16, 1855)

In 1831 the then grenadier captain Alessandro La Marmora had proposed setting up a modern hunter troop based on the French "hunters on foot" ( chasseurs à pied ) . His memorandum to the Minister of War, Emanuele Pes di Villamarina , was received positively, but initially was not heard by the king. In this memorandum, La Marmora referred to the name Bersaglieri (English: "disc shooters"), which had been known in northern Italy since 1805 , while Pes di Villamarina referred to the earlier French voltigeurs .

After La Marmora contacted the king directly in 1835, he finally agreed to the formation of the new troop. By royal decree of June 18, 1836, the Bersaglieri troop was officially set up. She received her baptism of fire in April 1848 at Goito . In contrast to the rigidly fighting line infantry , the Bersaglieri, as light infantry in smaller, independently operating units, were supposed to carry out disruptive surprise attacks and sweepstakes or as snipers to shoot selected enemy targets, especially officers. In addition, they should take on reconnaissance tasks, secure flanks and, at the crucial moment, intervene as storm troops in the battle. In these areas they replaced the far more expensive cavalry to some extent . In the Piedmontese army, each of the 10 infantry brigades had a Bersaglieri battalion until 1860. Until the Alpini was founded in 1872, the Bersaglieri were also intended for use in the mountains.

Higher physical and psychological recruitment criteria as well as speed (the Bersaglieri running step is typical) and better accuracy in action were characteristic of the Bersaglieri and justified an elite status compared to the line infantry .

Fast and mechanized infantry

Bersaglieri with bicycles during the First World War

From 1871 onwards, every army corps had a Bersaglieri regiment as a corps disposal force. The operationally independent battalions were usually assigned to the divisions during deployment . In 1898 the first cycling company was set up on a trial basis . By the First World War, a total of 12 cycling battalions were set up. During the First World War, the Bersaglieri were divided into two divisions, seven brigades, 21 regiments and 5 independent battalions. The Bersaglieri units, demobilized after the end of the war , were re-established in the 1920s in the form of 12 cycling regiments. In the course of the Second World War they were gradually motorized in order to be able to operate within the framework of large motorized and armored formations. Almost all of the Bersaglieri regiments distinguished themselves in both world wars.

Bersaglieri in Yugoslavia in 1941

The Bersaglieri, originally set up as a hunting force , changed from a fast, motorized infantry force to a mechanized infantry force after the Second World War . Since the “line infantry” was gradually being mechanized, there were soon no more significant differences between the two branches of service. The Bersaglieri traditionally placed the infantry in armored divisions, each of which had a Bersaglieri regiment and, from 1975, a Bersaglieri brigade. In the tank brigades, only Bersaglieri provide the infantry, the mechanized infantry brigades occasionally have Bersaglieri units. A special case is the Bersaglieri Garibaldi Brigade , which was the mechanized brigade of the Ariete Armored Division from 1975 to 1986 and then became independent. The Italian army still has six Bersaglieri regiments (battalion strength). The Bersaglieri are traditionally the most popular troupe in Italy .

Rome, June 2, 2007: Bersaglieri of the 8th district with traditional headgear
Bersagliere in the (former) desert camouflage suit

uniform

The Bersaglieri traditionally had some special pieces of uniform that clearly set them apart from the other infantry units.

Until 1916, the Bersaglieri wore a wide hat (model 1871) with black and green rooster feathers on the right side. A grenade stamped from brass with crossed rifles and regimental number was set over the white and green cockade. For field use there was a gray fabric cover with an embroidered badge on the front. Since the Italians had the same negative experiences with their headgear as all warring nations, a steel helmet based on the French model ( Adrian helmet ) was introduced in 1916 . In contrast to this, the Italian helmet was pressed from a piece of steel and was painted a dark gray-green. As a rule, the emblems of the units and branches of service were painted on the face of the helmet. For this helmet, which had been developed after a few unsuccessful test copies, there were fabric covers in muted colors. The Bersaglieri also attached their cockfeather headgear to this helmet.

In 1933 a modern steel helmet was introduced into the Italian army, to which the Bersaglieri once again had the traditional black cock feathers attached. This helmet was worn throughout the Second World War, including in the Italian Social Republic (RSI) founded by the fascist dictator Mussolini on September 15, 1943 . The light infantry wore a crimson collar tab in the shape of their traditional flame on the gray-brown wind-repellent M1940 anorak, which was originally only issued for the Alpini and Bersaglieri . The metal top showed the Savoy star. In the Italian Social Republic, a "Roman" sword with the letters RSI was worn instead of the star.

The hat M1871 was still worn after the introduction of the helmet in 1916, but was now limited to the service suit. In this combination, it is still in use today in a slightly modified version.

Another traditional headgear used by the Bersaglieri teams is the fez . The use of this cap, reminiscent of a pointed cap, has its origins in the Crimean War (1855), when the Bersaglieri of the French expeditionary troops from North Africa, the Zouaves , wore their traditional headgear as a token of admiration for their courageous commitment in the battle of the Chornaya (it. : Cernaia ) had been offered. Since then, the fez has been part of the Bersaglieri's uniform. It must not be carried in the pocket, rolled or carried under the armpit loop. The fez is red and has a blue tassel on a maximum 30 cm long cord. This can be thrown from one shoulder to the other with a single movement.

If neither a visor nor a hat (service suit), fez or helmet (combat suit) are worn, the black beret common in the Italian army serves as headgear. Deviating from the standard, the Bersaglieri emblem (grenade, hunting horn, crossed rifles) is underlaid with the crimson weapon color and was decorated with small cock feathers from 2011 to 2015.

  • Bersaglieri hat

  • Fes (teams)

  • Beret of the Bersaglieri (Mod. 2011)

  • Bersaglieri emblem

Active associations

literature

  • Laurent Mirouze: Infantrymen of the First World War . Verlag Karl-Heinz Dissberger, Düsseldorf 1990, ISBN 3-924753-28-8
  • Laurent Mirouze: Infantrymen of World War II . Verlag Karl-Heinz Dissberger, Düsseldorf 1990, ISBN 3-924753-27-X

See also

Web links

Commons : Bersaglieri  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ I Bersaglieri (Italian), accessed March 1, 2019