The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (Mountain) ( it, 3° Reggimento Artiglieria Terrestre (montagna)) is a

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain combat. The regiment was raised in 1902 as 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment to support the Italian Army's mountain infantry troops, the

Alpini The Alpini are the Italian Army's specialist mountain infantry. Part of the army's infantry corps, the speciality distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. Currently the active Alpini units are organized in two operatio ...

, with whom the regiment shares the distinctive

Cappello Alpino The Cappello Alpino is the most distinctive feature of the Italian Army's Alpini troops uniform. The ''Alpini'' are light Infantry troops, specializing in mountain combat. Initially the Cappello was only issued to the Alpini, but soon the Cappell ...

. Both, the Alpini and the Mountain Artillery, distinguished themselves in World War I and World War II. The regiment is the highest decorated artillery regiment of the army, having earned two Gold Medals of Military Valour in World War II: the first for the unit's conduct during the Greco-Italian War, the second for its service with the Italian Army in Russia. Today the regiment is based in Remanzacco in

Friuli-Venezia Giulia (man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_t ...

and operationally assigned to the

Alpine Brigade "Julia" The Alpine Brigade "Julia" is a light infantry brigade of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain warfare. Its core units are Alpini, an infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself during World War I and World War II. The br ...

. It is notable that Enzo Ferrari served in this regiment during World War 1.

History

The unit was raised in the city of Conegliano on 21 August 1902 as "Mountain Artillery Brigade of the Veneto" with three batteries. On 5 July 1909 the brigade was disbanded and its batteries, along with six newly formed ones, entered the newly raised 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment based in Vicenza. The regiment consisted of three brigades named "Conegliano", "Bergamo", and "Vicenza", which were joined on 1 October 1909 by the newly raised "Belluno" Brigade. On 17 July 1910 the brigades were renamed as groups. The regiment was tasked to provide artillery support to the

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

6th 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

7th 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion ...

, and 8th Alpini regiments and recruited in Veneto and

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

World War 1

With tensions rising the army expanded the mountain artillery and on 1 February 1915 the regiment transferred the depot in

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...

with the Mountain Artillery Group "Bergamo" to the newly formed 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment. Along with the depot and group, recruitment in

and the task to support the

5th Alpini Regiment The 5th Alpini Regiment ( it, 5° Reggimento Alpini) is a regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The regiment is based in Sterzing and assi ...

passed to the new regiment. To compensate for the loss of the "Bergamo" Group on the same date the Mountain Artillery Group "Udine" was raised. During the war the regiment's depots raised and trained the commands of two mountain artillery groupings ( it, Raggruppamento Artiglieria Montagna), the commands of 13 mountain artillery groups ( it, Gruppo Artiglieria Montagna), and 35 mountain artillery batteries, which were equipped with four 65/17 mod. 13 cannons each. Furthermore, five commands of siege groups ( it, Gruppo d'Assedio), and 21 siege batteries were raised and trained by the regiment. * The regiment raised the following mountain artillery groupings: 6° and 8°. * The regiment raised the following mountain artillery groups: XVI (69th, 70th, 71st bty.), XXI (78th, 79th, 80th, 81st bty), XXIII (50th, 53rd bty.), XXVI (85th, 86th, 87th bty.), XXVIII, XXX (94th, 95th, 96th bty.), XLIX, LIII, LIV, LXI, LXIII, LXIV, and LXVII. Note 2: The group's 56th Mountain Artillery Battery was not raised until November 1916 for lack of available 65/17 mod. 13 cannons.

Interwar Years - New Numbering

Traditionally Alpini units had been numbered from West to East with the

1st Alpini Regiment The 1st Alpini Regiment ( it, 1° Reggimento Alpini) is an active unit of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The unit is based in Turin in Piedmont ...

being the most westward and the

8th Alpini Regiment The 8th Alpini Regiment ( it, 8° Reggimento Alpini) is a regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. As of 2022 the regiment is assigned to ...

being the most eastward. However as the 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment had been raised last it found itself now in the middle between the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment in the West and the 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment in the East. To rectify this on 11 March 1926 the 2nd and 3rd mountain artillery regiments swapped numbers.

Cold War

For its conduct and work after the

1976 Friuli earthquake Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

the Mountain Artillery Group "Conegliano" was awarded a Silver Medal of Army Valour, which was affixed to the group's war flag and added to the group's coat of arms.

Current Structure

Alpini on patrol in Afghanistan with VTLM

As of 2019 the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (Mountain) consists of: * Regimental Command, in Remanzacco ** Command and Logistic Support Battery "Maria Plozner Mentil" ** Nappina artiglieria 24 btr

24th Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Tactical Liaison Battery "La Bella" ** Nappina artiglieria

Artillery Group "Conegliano" *** Nappina artiglieria 13 btr

13th Howitzer Battery "La Lavine" *** Nappina artiglieria 14 btr

14th Howitzer Battery "La Montane" *** Nappina artiglieria 14 btr

15th Howitzer Battery "L'Ercolat" *** Nappina artiglieria 15 btr

17th Fire and Technical Support Battery "La Dura" The Command and Logistic Support Battery fields the following sections: C3 Section, Transport and Materiel Section, Medical Section, and Commissariat Section. The regiment is equipped with

FH-70 The FH70 (field howitzer for the 1970s) is a towed howitzer in use with several nations. History In 1963, NATO agreed a NATO Basic Military Requirement 39 for close support artillery, either towed or tracked. Subsequently, Germany and UK sta ...

towed howitzers and an unknown number of M56 105mm pack howitzers in the direct fire role. The 24th Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Tactical Liaison Battery is equipped with

RQ-11B Raven The AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven is a small hand-launched remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (or SUAV) developed for the United States military, but now adopted by the military forces of many other countries. The RQ-11 Raven was originally ...

unmanned aerial vehicles and ARTHUR

counter-battery radar A counter-battery radar (alternatively weapon tracking radar or COBRA) is a radar system that detects artillery projectiles fired by one or more guns, howitzers, mortars or rocket launchers and, from their trajectories, locates the position on ...

External links

Italian Army Website: 3° Reggimento Artiglieria Terrestre (montagna)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mountain Artillery Regiment 03 Regiments of Italy in World War I Regiments of Italy in World War II Artillery Regiments of Italy Field artillery regiments Military units and formations established in 1909 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943 Military units and formations established in 1951 1909 establishments in Italy