Sassari Mechanized Brigade

Brigata Meccanizzata "Sassari"
"Sassari" Mechanized Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	March 1, 1915 – March 11, 1926 Sassari Brigade March 11, 1926 - 1934 12th Infantry Brigade 1934 - 1939 Timavo Infantry Brigade 1939 - September 10, 1943 Sassari Infantry Division December 1, 1988 - January 1, 1991 Sassari Motorized Brigade January 1, 1991 – today Sassari Mechanized Brigade
Country	Italy
Allegiance	Italian Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Mechanized
Size	Brigade
Part of	2nd COMFOD
Garrison/HQ	Sassari
Motto	Sa vida pro sa Patria ("life for homeland")
Colors	red and white
March	Dimonios ("devils")
Anniversaries	28 January 1918
Engagements	World War I World War II Bosnia SFOR Kosovo KFOR Afghanistan ISAF Iraq Multinational force in Iraq
Commanders
Current commander	Brigadier Luciano Portolano

The Sassari Mechanized Brigade is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Italian Army, based on the island of Sardinia. Its core is two infantry regiments which distinguished themselves in combat during World War I.

History

The Sassari Brigade was formed on March 1, 1915, at Tempio Pausania and Sinnai from two infantry regiments made up almost entirely of Sardinians. The Brigade distinguished itself during operations in World War I fighting against Austro-Hungarian troops in northern Italy. The war cost the Sassari 2,164 dead, and 12,858 wounded and missing in action; the death rate of 13.8% was the highest of all Italian brigades in the war. The Sassari Brigade became the highest decorated Italian unit of World War I, and individual soldiers of the Brigade earned:

• 6 awards of the Military Order of Savoia
• 9 Gold Medals of Military Valor
• 405 Silver Medals of Military Valor
• 551 Bronze Medals of Military Valor

Additionally, both regiments of the brigade were decorated with two Gold Medals of Military Valor, the only regiments of the Italian Army in World War I to receive this honour twice.

The Sassari Brigade was recreated in Sardinia on December 1, 1988, and was one of the first Italian brigades to become fully professionalized. Since then the Brigade has been heavily involved in peace keeping operations abroad and served in Kosovo, Afghanistan and in Iraq, where it lost 7 of its soldiers in various engagements with Iraqi insurgents.

Structure

Brigade HQ & CSS Btn.

3rd Bersaglieri

151st Infantry

152nd Infantry

5th Engineer

Sassari Mechanized Brigade unit locations

• "Sassari" Combat Service Support Battalion (Sassari)
  • Headquarters and Support Company
  • Signal Company
• 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment (Teulada)
  • Regimental Headquarters
  • Support Company
  • 18th Bersaglieri Battalion "Poggio Scanno"
• 151st Mechanized Infantry Regiment "Sassari" (Cagliari)
  • Regimental Headquarters
  • Support Company
  • 1st Mechanized Battalion
• 152nd Mechanized Infantry Regiment "Sassari" (Sassari)
  • Regimental Headquarters
  • Support Company
  • 1st Mechanized Battalion
• 5th Engineer Regiment (Macomer)
  • Regimental Headquarters
  • Support Company
  • Engineer Battalion "Garda"

Each constituent regiment is battalion-sized. It is planned to further augment the Brigade by transferring the 1st "Nizza Cavalleria" Cavalry Regiment of the Alpine Brigade Taurinense to Sardinia.

Equipment

Each infantry regiment of the Brigade is currently equipped with 59 tracked VCC-2 armored personnel carriers (heavily modified versions of the M113 APC). The Italian Army plans to replace the VCC-2 in the two infantry regiments with the wheeled Freccia IFV in the near future.

See also

• 12 Infantry Division Sassari, about the Sassari division of World War II

• 

  postcard depicting a soldier of Sassari's Brigade honoured with gold medal during IWW

• 

  "Sassari" Soldiers
  Rome, June 2nd Parade

• 

  "Sassari" Marching Band
  Rome, June 2nd Parade

• 

  151st Reg't "Sassari" Soldiers
  Rome, June 2nd Parade

• 

  151st Reg't "Sassari" Soldiers
  Rome, June 2nd Parade

External links

• Italian Army Homepage: Sassari Brigade
• Sassari Brigade Association Homepage