The 31st Tank Regiment ( it, 31° Reggimento Carri) is an inactive

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

regiment of the

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based in

Lecce Lecce ( ); el, label=Griko, Luppìu, script=Latn; la, Lupiae; grc, Λουπίαι, translit=Loupíai), group=pron is a historic city of 95,766 inhabitants (2015) in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, the province ...

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. Originally the regiment, like all Italian tank units, was part of the infantry, but since 1 June 1999 it is part of the cavalry. Operationally the regiment was lastassigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo". On 10 January 2020 the regiment was reformed as a reconnaissance unit and received the name, flag and traditions of the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Lodi" (15th).

History

Formation

The regiment was formed on 15 July 1937 in

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

as 31st Tank Infantry Regiment with three tank battalions, which were ceded by three of the four active tank infantry regiments: * 31st Tank Infantry Regiment, in

** I Breach Tanks Battalion, (

Fiat 3000 The Fiat 3000 was the first tank to be produced in series in Italy. It became the standard tank of the emerging Italian armored units after World War I. The 3000 was based on the French Renault FT. History Although 1,400 units were ordered, with ...

light tanks, from the 3rd Tank Infantry Regiment) ** II Breach Tanks Battalion (Fiat 3000 light tanks, from the 4th Tank Infantry Regiment) ** III Assault Tanks Battalion "Paselli", (

L3/35 The L3/35 or Carro Veloce CV-35 was an Italian tankette that saw combat before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tanke ...

tankettes, from the 1st Tank Infantry Regiment) On the same day the 31st regiment and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment entered the newly raised I Armored Brigade. In November 1938 the regiment received the VII Assault Tanks Battalion "Vezzani" from the 3rd Tank Infantry Regiment. From 7 to 12 April 1939 the brigade participated in the

Italian invasion of Albania The Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939) was a brief military campaign which was launched by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime m ...

. During operations in Albania the army realized that the

light tanks of the two breach tanks battalions were obsolete and it was decided to remove them from frontline service. On 20 April 1939 the brigade was dissolved in Albania and the 31st Tank Infantry Regiment and the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment entered the newly raised 131st Armored Division "Centauro", which was activated in Siena in Italy. On the same day the 31st regiment transferred its two breach tanks battalions to the 4th Tank Infantry Regiment respectively the

32nd Tank Infantry Regiment The 32nd Tank Regiment ( it, 32° Reggimento Carri) is a tank regiment of the Italian Army based in Tauriano in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Originally the regiment, like all Italian tank units, was part of the infantry, but since 1 June 1999 it is par ...

. On 30 May 1939 the VIII Assault Tanks Battalion "Bettoia" and the X Assault Tanks Battalion "Menzinger" arrived from to the 4th Tank Infantry Regiment. During summer of 1939 the division command, the newly raised 131st Armored Artillery Regiment, and the two assault tanks battalions moved to

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

in Albania, where the Centauro underwent a period of intense training. In Albania the III Assault Tanks Battalion "Paselli" was renamed XXXI Tank Battalion "L" ( it, Leggero "Light"), as were the other units of the regiment in April 1940. The regiment entered World War II with the following structure: * 31st Tank Infantry Regiment ** I Tank Battalion "L" (L3/35 tankettes, former VII Assault Tanks Battalion "Vezzani") ** II Tank Battalion "L" (L3/35 tankettes, former VIII Assault Tanks Battalion "Bettoia") ** III Tank Battalion "L" (L3/35 tankettes, former X Assault Tanks Battalion "Menzinger") ** IV Tank Battalion "L" (L3/35 tankettes, former XXXI Tank Battalion "L")

World War II

Early in the war the regiment received the IV Tank Battalion "M" from the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment. The battalion had been formed with the personnel of the disbanded I Breach Tanks Battalion and equipped with

M13/40 The Carro Armato M13/40 was an Italian World War II tank designed to replace the M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II. It was the primary tank used by the Italians throughout the war. The design was influenced by the British Vi ...

tanks. In 1940-41 the regiment fought in the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (Greek language, Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdom ...

and in 1941 it participated in the Axis

Invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was p ...

. For its service in Greece and Albania the regiment was awarded a

Silver Medal of Military Valour The Silver Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry. Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, ...

. In September 1941 the regiment arrived in

Travesio Travesio ( fur, Travês) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pordenone in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about northeast of Pordenone. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of ...

Friuli Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giulia ...

, where it was supposed to switch completely to M14/41 tanks. However due to a shortage of tanks the regiment was only able to muster the LI Tank Battalion "M" with the personnel of the disbanded III and IV tanks battalions "L". At the end of October the regiment moved its headquarter to

Pordenone Pordenone (; Venetian and fur, Pordenon) is the main ''comune'' of Pordenone province of northeast Italy in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The name comes from Latin ''Portus Naonis'', meaning 'port on the Noncello (Latin ''Naon'') River'. ...

and it was decided to disband the two last "L" battalions. The regiment fielded the following units at the end of October 1941: * 31st Tank Infantry Regiment, in

** IV Tank Battalion "M14/41", in Pordenone ( M14/41 tanks) ** XII Tank Battalion "M14/41", in

Aviano Aviano ( fur, Davian; cim, Pleif) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Pordenone at the foot of the Dolomites mountain range in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northern Italy. Aviano is home to the C.R.O. (Oncological Referral Center), a cancer rese ...

(M14/41 tanks, from the

) ** LI Tank Battalion "M14/41", in

Casarsa della Delizia Casarsa della Delizia, simply known as Casarsa (Standard Friulian: ; Western Friulian: ), is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pordenone in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about east ...

(M14/41 tanks) Already in November the XII Tank Battalion "M14/41" was transferred to the newly formed 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment for service in North Africa. En route one transport carrying the tanks for one of the companies of the XII battalion was sunk by British warplanes in the Mediterranean. After the 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment arrived in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

in February 1942 it had to cede two of its battalions: the XI to the 101st Motorized Division "Trieste" and the X to the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment of the

132nd Armored Division "Ariete" The 132nd Armored Division "Ariete" ( it, 132ª Divisione corazzata "Ariete") was an armored division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. It was formed in 1939 as the second armored division after the 131st Armored Division "Centauro ...

to replace the losses these two divisions had suffered during the

Panzer Army Africa As the number of German troops committed to the North African Campaign of World War II grew from the initial commitment of a small corps, the Germans developed a more elaborate command structure and placed the enlarged ''Afrika Korps'', with I ...

's advance to

Gazala Gazala, or ʿAyn al-Ġazāla ( ), is a small Libyan village near the coast in the northeastern portion of the country. It is located west of Tobruk. History In the late 1930s (during the Italian occupation of Libya), the village was the site of ...

in the preceding weeks. To bring the 133rd regiment back up to strength the IV and LI tank battalions were sent to North Africa. Back in Italy the 31st regiment received the XIII Tank Battalion "M"

M13/40 tank The Carro Armato M13/40 was an Italian World War II tank designed to replace the M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II. It was the primary tank used by the Italians throughout the war. The design was influenced by the British Vi ...

s from the

. However the XIII battalion had to be sent to Libya during summer 1942 to replace the losses suffered by the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment in the battles of

Bir Hakeim Bir Hakeim ( ar, بئر حكيم, translit=biʾr ḥakīm, lit=Wise Well ; sometimes written ''Bir Hacheim'') is in the Libyan desert at and is the site of a former Ottoman Empire fort built around the site of an ancient Roman well, dating to ...

Mersa Matruh Mersa Matruh ( ar, مرسى مطروح, translit=Marsā Maṭrūḥ, ), also transliterated as ''Marsa Matruh'', is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway ...

, and First El Alamein. After the Axis defeat in the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...

the 31st regiment was sent to North Africa to bolster Rommel's retreating Panzer Armee Afrika for the

Tunisian campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. The ...

. The regiment departed Italy with the following battalions: * 31st Tank Infantry Regiment, in

** XIV Tank Battalion "M" (

M14/41 tank The M 14/41 was a four-crew medium tank that served from 1941 in the Royal Italian Army. The official Italian designation was Carro Armato M 14/41. The tank was first employed in the North African Campaign where its shortcomings quickly became ...

s) ** XV Tank Battalion "M" (M14/41 tanks) ** XVII Tank Battalion "M" (M14/41 tanks) After arriving in

the regiment ceded the XIV battalion to the "Cantaluppi" Group, an ad hoc formation commanded by Colonel Gaetano Cantaluppi, which had absorbed the remnants of the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment and 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment after the

. The 31st regiment distinguished itself at the battles of

El Agheila El Agheila ( ar, العقيلة, translit=al-ʿUqayla ) is a coastal city at the southern end of the Gulf of Sidra in far western Cyrenaica, Libya. In 1988 it was placed in Ajdabiya District; it was in that district until 1995. It was removed from ...

and El Guettar, before being dissolved in early April 1943 after having suffered heavy losses in the Battle of El Guettar. The regiment was officially declared lost on 12 April 1943 and reformed on the same day in Siena with the XIX Tank Battalion, which was equipped with

M15/42 tank The Carro Armato M15/42 was the last Italian medium tank produced during World War II. It was based on the earlier M13/40 and M14/41 medium tanks, and was built with the lessons from the North African Campaign in mind. The tank was meant to be a ...

s and Semoventi 75/34 self-propelled guns. Plans to expand the battalion and reform the regiment were thwarted by the

Armistice of Cassibile The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Brig ...

on 8 September 1943, and the subsequent occupation of Italy by the Germans, who disbanded the 31st Tank Infantry Regiment.

Cold War

On 15 January 1951 the regiment was raised again in

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

as 31st Tankers Regiment and joined the Armored Division "Centauro". Initially the 31st had only one

M4 Sherman } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the Military history of the United States during World War II, United States and Allies of World War II, Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman prove ...

tank battalion, but in 1953 the 132nd Tankers Regiment "Ariete" ceded a M4 Sherman tank battalion to the 31st. In 1955 the regiment moved to

Bellinzago Novarese Bellinzago Novarese ( Lombard: ''Branzagh'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about north of Novara. Bellinzago Novarese borders the following munici ...

and in December 1958 the regiment was renamed 31st Tank Regiment.

1st Tank Battalion "M.O. Cracco"

During the 1975 army reform the 31st Tank Regiment was disbanded on 20 October 1975 and its I Tank Battalion became the 1st Tank Battalion "M.O. Cracco", while its II Tank Battalion became the 101st Tank Battalion "M.O. Zappalà", and its XXVIII Bersaglieri Battalion became the 28th Bersaglieri Battalion "Oslavia". The flag and traditions of the disbanded regiment were assigned to the 1st Tank Battalion "M.O. Cracco", whose number commemorated the I Tank Battalion "L", which had served with the regiment in the

and the Axis

. Tank and armored battalions created during the 1975 army reform were all named for officers, soldiers and partisans, who were posthumously awarded Italy's highest military honor the

Gold Medal of Military Valour The Gold Medal of Military Valour ( it, Medaglia d'oro al valor militare) is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers. The fac ...

during World War II. The 1st Tank Battalion's name commemorated 31st Tank Infantry Regiment

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

Giovanni Cracco, who had distinguished himself during the

and was killed in action on 11 April 1943. Equipped with

Leopard 1 The Leopard 1 (also styled Leopard I, before the Leopard 2 simply known as Leopard) is a main battle tank designed and produced by Porsche in West Germany that first entered service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought ...

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armor-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension sys ...

s the battalion joined the 31st Armored Brigade "Curtatone", which in 1986 was renamed

Armored Brigade "Centauro" After World War II the Italian Army had two units named "Centauro": from 1952 to 1986 the Armored Division "Centauro" ( it, Divisione corazzata "Centauro") and from 1986 to 2002 the Armored Brigade "Centauro" ( it, Brigata corazzata "Centauro"). ...

101st Tank Battalion "M.O. Zappalà"

The 101st Tank Battalion "M.O. Zappalà" was formed during the 1975 army reform by renaming the II Tank Battalion of the 31st Tank Regiment. The 101st Zappalà received the flag and traditions of the 131st Tank Regiment.

Recent times

On 31 July 1993 the 101st Tank Battalion "M.O. Zappalà" disbanded and its personnel entered the 1st Tank Battalion "M.O. Cracco", which on 1 September 1993 entered the reraised 31st Tank Regiment. On 9 October 1995 the regiment received the flag and name of the 4th Tank Regiment and transferred its own name and flag to the 133rd Tank Regiment in

Altamura Altamura (, ; nap, label= Barese, Ialtamùre) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basilic ...

, which was a unit of the Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo". Between 1 January 2011 and 28 February 2017 the regiment was subordinated to the army's Cavalry School in Lecce as test unit for the army's "Soldato Del Futuro" networked warfighting project. In 2012 the regiment moved from Altamura to Lecce.

Current structure

At its disbanding the 31st Tank Regiment consisted of: * CoA mil ITA rgt carri 031

Regimental Command, in

** Command and Logistic Support Company ** 1st Tank Battalion " M.O. Cracco" *** 1st Tank Company (13x

Ariete The C1 Ariete ( en, battering ram) is the main battle tank of the Italian Army, developed by Consorzio Iveco Oto Melara (CIO), a consortium formed by IVECO and OTO Melara. The chassis and engine were produced by Iveco, while the turret and fire- ...

s) *** 2nd Tank Company (13x Ariete main battle tanks) *** 3rd Tank Company (13x Ariete main battle tanks) *** 4th Tank Company (suspended for lack of tanks) The Command and Logistic Support Company fielded the following platoons: C3 Platoon, Transport and Materiel Platoon, Medical Platoon, and Commissariat Platoon. In total the regiment fielded 41x

s: 13x per company, plus one for the battalion commander and one for the regiment commander.

External links

Italian Army Website: 31° Reggimento Carri

References

{{Italian Cavalry Tank Regiments of Italy Military units and formations established in 1937