Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade
| Brigata Bersaglieri "Garibaldi" | |
|---|---|
 Coat of Arms Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade |
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| Active | November 1, 1975 - July 1, 1991 8th Mechanized Brigade Garibaldi July 1, 1991 - September 1, 1994 8th Bersaglieri Brigade Garibaldi September 1, 1994 - today Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade |
| Country | Italy |
| Allegiance | Italian Army |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Brigade |
| Role | Bersaglieri |
| Part of | COMFOD 2° |
| Garrison/HQ | Caserta |
| Colors | dark red |
| Engagements | Bosnia SFOR Kosovo KFOR Afghanistan ISAF Iraq Multinational force in Iraq Lebanon UNIFIL |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Brigadier Luigi Scollo |
The Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Italian Army, based in the south of the country.
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[edit] Formation
The Brigade was formed in the north-eastern city of Pordenone on November 1, 1975 by augmenting and renaming the existing 8th Bersaglieri Regiment of the Armored Division Ariete. In remembrance of the Bersaglieris combat service during the Italian unification the brigade was awarded the name Garibaldi to honor the memory of General and national hero Giuseppe Garibaldi. The brigade was subordinated to the Armored Division Ariete and consisted of the following units:
- Garibaldi Command and Signal Battalion
- 7th Armored Battalion M.O. Di Dio
- 3rd Bersaglieri Battalion Cernaia
- 26th Bersaglieri Battalion Castelfidardo
- 19th Self-propelled Field Artillery Group Rialto
- Garibaldi Logistic Battalion
On July 1, 1976 the brigade received the 11th Bersaglieri Battalion Caprera.
During the Cold War the Armored Division Ariete along with the Mechanized Divisions Mantova and Folgore was tasked to stop any Warsaw Pact advances into Italy. With the abolition of the divisional level in the Italian army on October 1, 1986 the brigade came under direct control of the 5th Army Corps.
[edit] 1990s
With the end of the Cold War and the following massive reorganization of the Italian Army the brigade was transferred to the South of Italy. The brigade finished the move south to the city of Caserta and declared full operational capability on July 1, 1991. Along with the move the brigade changed its name to 8th Bersaglieri Brigade Garibaldi to reflect the changed composition of its subordinated units:
- Garibaldi Command and Signal Battalion
- 31st Armored Battalion M.O. Andreani
- 19th Cavalry Squadron Cavalleggeri Guide
- 3rd Bersaglieri Battalion Cernaia
- 67th Bersaglieri Battalion Fagarè
- 91st Infantry Battalion Lucania
- 11th Self-propelled Field Artillery Group Teramo
- Garibaldi Logistic Battalion
Following the move the brigade became the first brigade in Italy to fully professionalize. From 1992 onwards all soldiers of the brigade were professional soldiers or long term volunteers. During the later 1990s the brigades composition was continuously changed as a result of the massive reduction of forces after the Cold War. On September 1, 1994 the brigade dropped the number from its name and with the renaming of the 11th Self-propelled Field Artillery Regiment Teramo as 8th Artillery Regiment Pasubio on October 1, 2001 the brigades transformation was finally complete.
[edit] Structure
1st Bersaglieri Regiment in Cosenza (Calabria)
8th Bersaglieri Regiment in Caserta (Campania)
131st Tank Regiment in Persano (Campania)
19th Cavalry Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" in Salerno (Campania)
8th Self propelled Artillery Regiment "Pasubio" in Persano (Campania)
21st Engineer Regiment in Caserta (Campania)
All regiments are battalion sized.
[edit] Equipment
A proposal was made on the Italian Army Magazine to reform the tank regiments, to be equipped with 30x Ariete main battle tanks, 14x Dardo Infantry Fighting Vehicles, 8x Dardo Anti-tank vehicles, 34x Lince Light Multirole vehicles, 6x M106A1 120mm Mortar carriers and 4x M577 Command vehicles. The Bersaglieri regiments were similarly proposed to be fielding 14x Ariete main battle tanks, 28x Dardo Infantry Fighting Vehicles, 8x Dardo Anti-tank vehicles, 41x Lince Light Multirole vehicles, 8x M106A1 120mm Mortar carriers and 4x M577 Command vehicles.[1] However, at the moment, no step have been yet undertaken to implement the aforementioned reform, but the handing over of a number of ARIETE tanks to re-equip GARIBALDI Brigade's 131st tank regiment. The artillery regiment has recently started to be equipped with 18x PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers (delivery ongoing).
[edit] References
- ^ Rivista Militare n.06/07 -http://www.esercito.difesa.it/root/chisiamo/docs_rivmil/Rivmil07_06_art.pdf
[edit] External links
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