The 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment ( it, 4° Reggimento Alpini Paracadutisti) is a
Ranger
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
-type
special forces
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
of the
Italian Army
"The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law"
, colors =
, colors_labels =
, march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...
, specializing in
mountain combat. The regiment is one of three regiments of the
Army Special Forces Command. The regiment is a unit of the Italian Army's
mountain infantry
Mountain warfare (also known as alpine warfare) is warfare in mountains or similarly rough terrain. Mountain ranges are of strategic importance since they often act as a natural border, and may also be the origin of a water source (for example, t ...
speciality, 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 ...
, which distinguished itself in combat during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment is one of the most decorated units of the Italian Army, although its two
Gold Medals of Military Valour were awarded to the regiment's currently inactive Alpini Battalion "Aosta", respectively the currently active Skiers Battalion "Monte Cervino".
History
Formation
The 4th Alpini Regiment was formed on 1 November 1882. It consisted of the three
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
s: "
Val Pellice
The Pellice (in Piedmontese ''Pélis'') is a Italian torrent, which runs through the Metropolitan City of Turin. The stream is a tributary of the Po River, into which it flows near Villafranca Piemonte.
Geography
The stream is formed at the weste ...
", "Val Chisone" and "
Val Brenta", named after the valleys from which the battalion's soldiers were recruited. In 1886 the battalions were renamed, taking their new names from the location of their logistic depot: "
Pinerolo
Pinerolo (; pms, Pinareul ; french: Pignerol; oc, Pineròl) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, northwestern Italy, southwest of Turin on the river Chisone. The Lemina torrent has its source at the boundary be ...
", "
Aosta
Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...
" and "
Ivrea
Ivrea (; pms, Ivrèja ; ; lat, Eporedia) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it stradd ...
". In 1888 the "Pinerolo" was transferred to the
3rd Alpini Regiment and in exchange the "Susa 2°" battalion was transferred from the 3rd to the 4th Alpini. In 1908 the "Susa" returned to the 3rd Alpini and in the city of
Intra the "
Pallanza
Pallanza is a district of the Italian ''comune'' (municipality) of Verbania. It is located in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, on the bank of Lake Maggiore.
History
Pallanza was autonomous until 1939 when it was merged with Intra to form ...
" battalion was raised as substitute, with existing companies from other Alpini battalions. In 1909 the "Pallanza" was renamed "Intra". Thus the regiment's structure in 1910 was:
*
Alpini Battalion "Ivrea", with the companies: 38, 39, 40
*
Alpini Battalion "Aosta", with the companies: 41, 42, 43
*
Alpini Battalion "Intra", with the companies: 7 (former "Aosta" company), 24 (former "Pinerolo" company), 37 (former "Ivrea" company)
World War I
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the regiment consisted of ten battalions and saw heavy fighting in the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
regions of the
Italian front against
Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
and German forces. During the war the regiment consisted of the following battalions (pre-war battalions in bold, followed by their first and second line reserve battalions):
*
Ivrea, Val d'Orco, Monte Levanna, Pallanza
*
Aosta, Val Baltea,
Monte Cervino
*
Intra, Val Toce, Monte Rosa
The Alpini Battalion "
Aosta
Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...
" distinguished itself in 1917 during heavy combat on
Monte Vodice and in 1918 on
Monte Solarolo, for which the battalion was awarded
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 ...
. The regiment's battalions were also awarded five
Silver Medals of Military Valour during the war, four of which were shared between the Intra and Val D'Orco battalions, the Aosta and Val Toce battalions, the Monte Levanna and Aosta battalions, and the Monte Levanna and Val Toce battalions. During the war a total of 31,000 men served in the 4th Alpini Regiment, of which 189 officers and 4,704 soldiers were killed, and 455 officers and 10,923 soldiers were wounded.
Interwar years
On 10 September 1935, the
1st Alpine Division "Taurinense" was formed, which consisted of the
3rd Alpini Regiment, 4th Alpini Regiment, and
1st Mountain Artillery Regiment. The division participated in 1936 in the
Italian invasion of Abyssinia.
World War II
In 1940 the regiment, as part of the Taurinense division, fought in the
Italian attack on Greece. After the German
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 ...
the Taurinense performed garrison and anti-partisan duties in
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
. After the announcement of 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 most of the division was captured by German forces near
Kotor
Kotor (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative c ...
, while the Alpini Battalion "Ivrea" and
Alpine Artillery Group "Aosta" joined the
Yugoslav Partisans
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...
and formed the
Partisan Division "Garibaldi".
Cold War
After World War II the 4th Alpini Regiment was reformed on 15 April 1946 with the battalions "Aosta", "Saluzzo" and "Susa". In 1953 the "Mondovì" battalion was reactivated as fourth battalion of the regiment. The 4th Alpini Regiment was the infantry component of
Alpine Brigade "Taurinense". on 26 October 1962 the "Mondovì" was transferred to the region of
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 ...
to augment 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 ...
and in 1963 the "Aosta" battalion was transferred to the Alpine Military School in
Aosta
Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...
. Four years later it was again subordinated to 4th Alpini Regiment.
In the early stages of the Cold War the 4th Alpini Regiment consisted of the following units:
*
4th Alpini Regiment, in Turin
**
Command and Services Company, in Turin
**
Alpini Battalion "Mondovì", in
Paluzza
Paluzza ( fur, Paluce) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
A local term in the Bavarian language for " hello" is . Geography
It is located about northwest of Trieste and about nor ...
(raised in 1953, transferred 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 ...
on 26 October 1962)
***
9th Alpini Company
***
10th Alpini Company
***
11th Alpini Company
***
103rd Mortar Company
**
Alpini Battalion "Aosta", in
Aosta
Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...
(assigned to the Alpine Military School between 1963–1967)
***
41st Alpini Company
***
42nd Alpini Company
***
43rd Alpini Company
***
143rd Mortar Company
**
Alpini Battalion "Saluzzo", in
Borgo San Dalmazzo
Borgo San Dalmazzo ( oc, Lo Borg Sant Dalmatz) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about southwest of Cuneo.
Borgo San Dalmazzo takes its name from Saint Dalm ...
***
21st Alpini Company
***
22nd Alpini Company
***
23rd Alpini Company
***
106th Mortar Company
**
Alpini Battalion "Susa", in
Pinerolo
Pinerolo (; pms, Pinareul ; french: Pignerol; oc, Pineròl) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, northwestern Italy, southwest of Turin on the river Chisone. The Lemina torrent has its source at the boundary be ...
***
34th Alpini Company
***
35th Alpini Company
***
36th Alpini Company
***
133rd Mortar Company
During the
1975 army reform the army disbanded the regimental level and newly independent battalions were given for the first time their own flags. On 10 October 1975 the
4th Alpini Regiment was disbanded and on the same day the regiment's Alpini Battalion "Aosta" in
Aosta
Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...
was assigned the flag and traditions of the 4th Alpini Regiment. The "Aosta" was assigned to the Alpine Military School and would have joined the Taurinense only in case of war. On 11 September 1989 the Alpini Battalion "Aosta" was reorganized as Tactical Logistic Support Battalion "Aosta", which supported the Alpine Military School.
Current structure
On 1 July 1998 Logistical and Tactical Support Battalion "Aosta" was merged with the Complement Officer Cadets Battalion and redesignated as Training Battalion "Aosta". In 2001 the battalion was reduced Training Grouping "Aosta" and therefore transferred the flag of the 4th Alpini Regiment to the Shrine of the Flags in the
Vittoriano
The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument ( it, Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II), also known as Vittoriano or Altare della Patria ("Altar of the Fatherland"), is a large national monument built between 1885 and 1935 to honour Victor Em ...
in Rome..
On 25 September 2004, the 4th Alpini Regiment was reformed as 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment in the city of
Bolzano
Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...
with the existing
Alpini Paratroopers Battalion "Monte Cervino"
The Alpini Paratroopers Battalion "Monte Cervino" is a tier 2 Italy's special operations forces unit of the Italian Army.
The regiment is based in Verona in Veneto and assigned to the Army Special Forces Command. The Alpini are a mountain in ...
as its only battalion. Today the 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment is one of three
special forces
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
regiments of the
Italian Army
"The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law"
, colors =
, colors_labels =
, march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...
. The Alpini Paratroopers have recently served in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
and one of the regiment's companies was continuously rotated to
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. In January 2011 the regiment moved to its new base in
Montorio Veronese and in 2013 joined the newly formed
Army Special Forces Command (COMFOSE).
As of 2022 the regiment's structure is as follows:
*
4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment, in
Montorio Veronese
**
Regimental Command
***
Staff and Personnel Office
***
Operations, Training and Information Office
***
Logistic and Administrative Office
***
Command and Logistic Support Company "
Aquile"
**
Alpini Paratroopers Battalion "Monte Cervino"
The Alpini Paratroopers Battalion "Monte Cervino" is a tier 2 Italy's special operations forces unit of the Italian Army.
The regiment is based in Verona in Veneto and assigned to the Army Special Forces Command. The Alpini are a mountain in ...
***
1st Ranger Company
***
2nd Ranger Company
***
3rd Ranger Company
***
80th Maneuver Support Company
**
Operational Support Battalion "Intra"
***
Operational Support Company
***
Training Company
The Command and Logistic Support Company fields the following platoons:
C3 Platoon,
Transport and Materiel Platoon,
Medical Platoon, and
Commissariat Platoon. The Operational Support Company consists of a C4 Platoon and a Mobility Support Platoon. Each Ranger company fields three platoons of 36 men. The Maneuver Support Company fields an Anti-tank Platoon with eight
Spike MR anti-tank guided missile
An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulder ...
s launchers, a Heavy Mortar Platoon with three
F1 120mm mortars and a Medium Mortar Platoon with three Expal 81mm mortars. The maneuver support company is equipped with a total of six F1 120mm mortars and six Expal 81mm mortars, allowing the mortar platoons to switch between calibres as needed.
Military honors
The 4th Alpini Regiment is one of the most decorated regiments of the Italian Army. During its existence the regiment and its battalions were awarded:
* 1x Knight Cross of the
Military Order of Italy
The Military Order of Italy ( it, Ordine Militare d'Italia) is the highest military order of the Italian Republic and the former Kingdom of Italy. It was founded as the Military Order of Savoy, a national order by the King of Sardinia, Vittor ...
for service in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
* 1x Knight Cross of the
Military Order of Italy
The Military Order of Italy ( it, Ordine Militare d'Italia) is the highest military order of the Italian Republic and the former Kingdom of Italy. It was founded as the Military Order of Savoy, a national order by the King of Sardinia, Vittor ...
for service in the
War on Terror
The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international Counterterrorism, counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campa ...
2002-2018
* 2x
Gold Medals of Military Valor:
** 1x for the conquest of
Monte Solarolo by the "Aosta" battalion, 25–27 October 1918
** 1x for the
campaign in the Soviet Union by the Skiers Battalion "Monte Cervino"
* 9x
Silver Medals of Military Valor:
** 1x for the conquest of the saddle between Monte Nero and Monte Rosso by the "Intra" and "Val d'Orco" battalions, 19–21 July 1915
** 1x for the conquest and defense of the Austrian positions on Alpe di Cosmagnon by the "Aosta" and "Val Toce" battalions, 10 September and 9–12 October 1916
** 1x for the conquest of Monte Vodice by the "Aosta" and "Levanna" battalions, 18–21 May 1917
** 1x for the service of the "Monte Cervino" battalion during the battles of Monte Vodice, 26–30 May 1917,
Monte Melette, 17–26 November 1917 and Monte Fior, 4 December 1917
** 1x for operations of the "Levanna" and "Val Toce" battalions on Monte Solarolo, 24–28 October 1918
** 1x for the defense of the Mecan Pass by the "Intra" battalion during the
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Itali ...
, 31 March 1936
** 1x for the service of the "Monte Cervino" battalion during 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 ...
, 10 January to 23 April 1941
** 1x for the refusal of the "Ivrea" battalion to surrender to German Forces after the
armistice of September 1943 and the subsequent service with
Yugoslav partisans
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...
in
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
, September to November 1943
** 1x for the service of the "Piemonte" battalion with the
Italian Co-Belligerent Army during the
Italian liberation campaign, 18 March 1944 to 8 May 1945
* 1x "
Bronze Medal of Military Valor
The Bronze Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry.
It was established by Charles Albert of Sardinia on 26 March 1833, along with the higher ranking Gold and Silver Medals for Military ...
" for defensive operations of the "Intra" battalion during the Greco-Italian War, 24–26 January 1941
* 1x "Silver Medal of Civil Valor" for service after the 1957 Piedmont floods
* 1x "Silver Medal of Civil Merit" for service after the
1908 Messina earthquake
The 1908 Messina earthquake (also known as the 1908 Messina and Reggio earthquake) occurred on 28 December in Sicily and Calabria, southern Italy with a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). The epicen ...
See also
*
Mino Mino may refer to:
Places in Japan
* Mino, Gifu, a city in Gifu Prefecture
* Mino, Kagawa, a former town in Kagawa Prefecture
* Mino, Tokushima, a town in Tokushima Prefecture
* Mino, an alternate spelling of Minoh, a city in Osaka Prefecture
* Mi ...
- a TV series about the regiment's "Aosta" battalion in World War I
External links
Official Homepage4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment on vecio.it
Sources
*
Franco dell'Uomo, Rodolfo Puletti: "L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Volume Primo - Tomo I", Rome 1998, Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito - Ufficio Storico, page: 466
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alpini Regiment 04
Alpini regiments of Italy
Regiments of Italy in World War I
Regiments of Italy in World War II
Special forces of Italy
Airborne units and formations of Italy
Military units and formations established in 1882
Military units and formations disestablished in 1943
Military units and formations established in 1946
Military units and formations disestablished in 1975
Military units and formations established in 2004
Ranger units and formations