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The '' Alpini '', meaning '''"the Alpine s"''', are the elite Mountain Warfare soldiers of the Italian Army . They are currently organised in two main operational brigades, which are subordinated to the ''Alpini'' Corps Command. The singular is an ''Alpino'' (an " Alpine "). Originally formed in 1872 , their mission was to protect Italy's northern mountainous borders. In 1888 the ''Alpini'' were sent to their first mission abroad, in Africa , during the First Italo–Ethiopian War . They distinguished themself during World War I when they fought against Austro-Hungarian soldiers in what has since been called the " War In Snow And Ice ". During World War II , the ''Alpini'' fought together with Axis forces mostly on the Eastern Front being tasked to hold the front in the Don river plains. In the 1990s, after the end of the Cold War , three of the five ''Alpini'' brigades and many support units were disbanded due to the reorganization process of the Italian Army . Currently, despite having some of the best trained and best equipped mountain troops in the world, the military role of Alpines is seen in terms of peacekeeping missions and minor disputes interventions. ORIGINS The first 15 ''Alpini'' Companies were formed, in 1872, at the suggestion of Captain Giuseppe Perrucchetti , as a force capable of defending Italy’s northern mountainous borders. The newly created Kingdom Of Italy , with its new capital in Rome , faced major problems in defending its new land borders, which, after the 1866 war against Austria, coincident in large parts with the Alpine Arch . Homeland defense had previously been based on the so called Quadrilatero: defending the Po Valley ("Pianura Padana") and leaving the Alps undefended because that region was considered unsuitable to military operations. The idea of recruiting the inhabitants of the valleys of Italy’s northern mountain regions into a special corps, thereby taking advantage of both their knowledge of the frontier territory and their adaptability to Alpine conditions, was an innovative one. In 1877, five ''Alpini'' Mountain Artillery Batteries were formed and, in the following year, the Alpines had already grown to 36 companies of mountain infantry organized into 10 Battalions . On November 1, 1882, the now 20 ''Alpini'' battalions and 8 ''Alpini'' Mountain Artillery Batteries were organized into six ''Alpini'' Regiments and two ''Alpini'' Mountain Artillery Brigades. The battalions took the names of the valleys and localities from which their soldiers were recruited:
On June 7, 1883, the Alpini were awarded the "''fiamme verdi''" (green flames) collar patch. Also adopted was their distinctive headdress; the "Cappello Alpino" with its black feather, which led to them being nicknamed "''Le Penne Nere''" or "black feathers". In 1886 the names of the battalions were changed to the names of the locations of their main logistics depot. (e.g., in 1943, the division "Tridentina" from Trento province, comprised the battalions Morbegno , Tirano , Edolo , Vestone and Verona , plus the artillery groups Bergamo and Vicenza , all named after mountain centres in northern Italy). On August 1st, 1887 the 7° Alpini Regiment was formed in Conegliano Veneto receiving two battalions from the 6th regiment. With this the number of battalions increased by two to a new total of 22. On November 1st, 1887 the 1° Alpini Artillery Regiment was formed in Turin .
The Alpine units were issued the M.91TS version of the Carcano rifle in 1897 as their main weapon. BAPTISM OF FIRE Although created as a defensive force specializing in Alpine combat, in 1888, a mixed battalion of Alpines was sent to Africa , where they went through their baptism of fire during the First Italo–Ethiopian War . On March 1, 1896, during the Battle Of Adowa , the mixed ''Alpini'' battalion and the 1° Mountain Artillery regiment suffered heavy losses and were routed by the Ethiopian forces. The mixed battalion lost over 400 of it 550 men, including the commanding officer Lt. Col. Menini . During the 1900 Boxer Rebellion , a Mountain Artillery Battery participated in the lifting of the siege of the International Compound in Beijing. In 1909, the 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment regiment was formed and, in 1908, a new Alpini battalion, "Tolmezzo", was raised; followed two years later by the " Belluno " battalion. Both were assigned to the 7° regiment. In 1910, the “Tolmezzo” battalion along with the "Gemona" battalion were assigned to the newly formed 8° regiment:
From 1911 until 1914, the ''Alpini'' battalions Fenestrelle, Saluzzo, Mondovi, Susa, Ivrea, Verona, Feltre, Edolo, Tolmezzo, Venzone along with batteries from both ''Alpini'' Artillery regiments fought during the Italo-Turkish War in the Libyan desert. WORLD WAR I During World War I the 24 peacetime ''Alpini'' battalions were increased by 64 battalions and saw heavy combat all over the alpine arch. During the war years the ''Alpini'' regiments consisted of the following battalions (pre-war raised units in bold):
To these 78 regular Alpini battalions came 10 special battalions that were not assigned to any regiment. Some of these regiments were Skiing battalions named after glaciers in the Alps:
The ''Alpini'' battalions were divided in 233 Companies of 100 to 150 men each. The Alpini regiments were never sent into battle as a whole, instead single companies and battalions were given specific passes, summits or ridges to guard and defend on their own. The war has become known as the " War In Snow And Ice " , as most of the 600 km frontline ran through the highest mountains and glaciers of the Alps . 12 meters (40 feet) of snow were a usual occurrence during the winter of 1915/16 and thousands of soldiers died in Avalanches . The remains of these soldiers are still being uncovered today. The ''Alpini'', as well as their Austrian counterparts: Kaiserjäger , Standschützen and Landeschützen occupied every hill and mountain top around the whole year. Whole cities were drilled and blown into the mountainsides and even deep into the ice of glaciers like the Marmolada . Guns were dragged by hundreds of troops on Mountains up to 3,890 m (12,760 feet) high. Streets, cable cars, mountain railroads and walkways were built through the steepest of walls. Most of these walkways and streets are still viable today. In addition, along the former frontline it is still possible to see what is left of hundreds of kilometers of barbed wire. after the detonation of the Italian Mine .]] In this kind of warfare, whoever occupied the higher ground first was almost impossible to dislodge, so both sides turned to drilling tunnels under mountain peaks, filling them up with explosives and then detonating the whole mountain to pieces, including its defenders: i.e. Col Di Lana , Monte Pasubio , Lagazuoi , etc. Climbing and Skiing became essential skills for the troops of both sides and soon Ski Battalions and special climbing units were formed. It was during these years that the Alpini, their spirit and their mules became legend, although at the cost of over 12,000 casualties out of a total of 40,000 mobilized Alpinis. Many of the famous Alpini Songs originated during this time and reflect upon the hardships of the "War in Snow and Ice". WORLD WAR II After World War I all battalions with the exception the pre-war battalions were dissolved. In 1919 the Alpini gained the and the 12° Alpini Regiment . The 5 Alpini Division Pusteria formed of the the 7th and 11th Alpini regiment was quickly dispatched to Eritrea were it participated in the Italian Attack on Abyssinia . During World War II , the divisions saw combat in France, Albania, Yugoslavia and Greece, before Tridentina , Julia and Cuneense division were sent to Fight In The Soviet Union , where, instead of being deployed in the Caucasus mountains as expected, they were tasked to hold the front in the Don river plains. As a result of this disastrous strategic decision, troops armed, trained and equipped for mountain warfare were pitted in the plains against tanks and mechanized infantry, to counter which they were neither equipped nor trained. Despite this fact, they held the front until January 1943 , when, due to the collapse of the Axis front, they were encircled by the advancing Soviet Army. The ''Alpini'' were able to break the encirclement and fight their way towards the new line of the front established after the Axis retreat. Only about one third of the Tridentina division (4250 survivors of 15000 troops deployed) and one tenth of the Julia (1200/15000) were able to survive this odyssey. The Cuneense division was annihilated. See Also: Italian war in Soviet Union, 1941-1943 ALPINI TODAY Structure After World War II , five ''Alpini'' Brigades were formed and assigned to the IV (Alpini) Army Corps:
on exercise.]] After the end of the Cold War , all but the Julia and Taurinense Brigades were dissolved, thus leaving the following ''Alpini'' units, that still carry the "fiamme verdi" collar insignia:
Armament Currently the ''Alpino'' is equipped with the standard personal weaponry of the assault rifle (also in the SC configuration), the Beretta 92 FS pistol and the OD/82 hand grenade. The Squad Automatic Weapon is the FN Minimi or, alternatively, the Rheinmetall MG3 . Supporting fire can be provided also by the Hirtenberger M6C-210 Commando 60 mm, man-portable light mortar or by the MO-120-RT-61 120 mm heavy mortar. Mobility is guaranteed by the use of Iveco VM 90 armored vehicles (soon to be substituted with Puma 6x6 APCs) and Bv 206 / Bv 206S all terrain tracked vehicles. The anti-tank weapons are the MILAN and the BGM-71 TOW missiles. The artillery regiments were until recently equipped with the OTO Melara Mod 56 pack howitzer. This lightweight gun (1273 kg) can be manhandled by its crew, allowing its use in direct fire support role. Furthermore, it can be easily disassembled in 12 separate loads for ease of transportation, allowing its deployment almost anywhere in the rugged terrain of the mountain battlefield. Recently, however, the artillery regiments have been issued with the more powerful FH-70 howitzer. Whereas this has led to a great increase of the firepower of the regiments, it has also reduced their versatility. Indeed they are not anymore designated as " Mountain Artillery ". NATIONAL ALPINI ASSOCIATION The ANA (Associazione Nazionale Alpini or National Alpini Association) is a registered society representing the " Veci " or former members of the Alpini corps. As the "Veci" see themselves as merely "on leave" rather than veterans, the ANA is colloquially known to be the 10° Alpini Regiment . Since 1920 every year ANA organizes a national reunion the "Veci". Hundreds of thousands of Alpini congregate with family and friends to an Italian city for a weekend in the late spring to celebrate, drink heavily and have a good time while remembering old times. Official Site of the National Alpini Association SEE ALSO NOTES SOURCES Italian Army- The Alpini COMALP- Alpine Troops Command ANA Conegliano- History of Alpini units EXTERNAL LINKS |
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