11th Alpini Regiment

11th Alpini Regiment
11° Reggimento Alpini
Coat of Arms of the 11th Alpini Regiment
Active	22 Dec. 1935 – 12 Sept. 1943 8 Aug. 1992 – 18 March 2002[1]
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Type	Alpini
Role	Mountain Infantry
Size	3 Battalions Bolzano Battalion Trento Battalion Bassano Battalion
Part of	5th Alpine Division Pusteria 1935 - 1943
Garrison/HQ	Bruneck
Motto(s)	"Audacemente ascendere"[1]
Anniversaries	15 February 1936 - Battle of Amba Aradam[1]
Engagements	Second Italo-Abyssinian War World War II: Battle of France Greco-Italian War
Decorations	1x Military Order of Italy 2x Silver Medals of Military Valor 2x Bronze Medals of Military Valor 1x Bronze Medal of Red Cross Merit [1]
Insignia
Alpini gorget patches

The 11th Alpini Regiment (Italian: 11° Reggimento Alpini) is an inactive regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II.

History

Formation

On 22 December 1935 the 11th Alpini Regiment was formed in the city of Bruneck with existing battalions from other Alpini regiments:

On 1 January 1936 the regiment was subordinated to the newly created 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" and sent with the division to Eritrea to fight in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War

Ethiopia

For the war the Pusteria had been augmented by the "Exilles" and "Intra" battalions and four artillery batteries form the 1st Alpine Division "Taurinense". The Pusteria participated in all battles in the northern theater of the war and the 11th Alpini Regiment distinguished itself during the Battle of Amba Aradam, for which it received its first Bronze Medal of Military Valor. The division returned to the Italy in 1937 and was honored with a parade through the streets of Rome on 13 March 1937.

World War II

After its return the regiment was reorganized, returning two battalions to their original regiments. As replacement the regiment received an existing battalion and raised another one. Thus as of 11 April 1937 the new structure of the regiment was:

With the outbreak of World War II reserve battalions for the active battalions were formed. Named after valleys (Italian: Val) located near Bolzano, Trento, and Bassano the reserve battalions could be called up if necessary. The reserve battalions were:

• Alpini Battalion "Val Venosta" (a valley to the North of Bolzano)
• Alpini Battalion "Val Fassa" (a valley to the North of Trento)
• Alpini Battalion "Val Brenta" (a valley to the North of Bassano)

On 21 June 1940 (one day before the French surrender) the 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" began to advance into southern France during the last days of the Battle of France.

Afterwards the 11th Alpini Regiment was sent to Albania, where it participated in the Italian attack on Greece. After the German invasion of Yugoslavia the 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" and its units were sent to Pljevlja in Montenegro, where the division was decimated in heavy fighting during the Battle of Pljevlja, first offensive by Yugoslavian Partisans.

In August 1942 the division was repatriated, and - after two months of rest - participated in Case Anton - the Axis occupation of Vichy France. Afterwards the Pusteria took up garrison duties in southern Provence. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 part of the division surrendered to German forces in Southern France, while other units of the division managed to return to the Italian region of Piedmont were they dissolved.

1990s

With the reintroduction of the regimental level in the Italian Army the regiment was reformed on 8 August 1992 in Bruneck as part of the Alpine Brigade "Tridentina". The regiment only consisted of the Alpini Battalion "Trento". Battalion and regiment were disbanded on 18 March 2002.

Organization

When the regiment was disbanded it had the following structure:

References

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: 498

External links

• 11th Alpini Regiment on vecio.it Archived 16 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine

This page was last edited on 11 January 2024, at 11:07