Alpini
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The Alpini are a highly decorated and elite mountain corps of the Italian Army comprising both infantry and artillery units.
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[edit] Origins
The first 15 Alpini companies were formed, in 1872, at the suggestion of Captain Giuseppe Perrucchetti, as a force capable of defending Italy’s northern mountainous borders. The newly created Kingdom of Italy, with its new capital in Rome, faced major problems in defending its new land borders, which, after the 1866 war against Austria, were coincident with the Alps.
Homeland defense had previously been based on the so called Quadrilatero, defending the Pianura Padana and leaving the Alps undefended because that region was considered unsuitable to military operations. The idea of recruiting the inhabitants of the valleys of Italy’s northern mountain regions into a special corps, thereby taking advantage of both their knowledge of the frontier territory and their adaptability to Alpine conditions, was an innovative one. In 1877, five Alpini Mountain Artillery Batteries were formed and, in the following year, the Alpini troops had already grown to 36 companies of mountain infantry organized into 10 battalions.
On November 1, 1882, the now 20 Alpini battalions and 8 Alpini Mountain Artillery Batteries were organized into six Alpini Regiments and two Alpini Mountain Artillery Brigades. The battalions took the names of the valleys and localities from which their soldiers were recruited:
- 1° regiment: Alto Tanaro, Val Tanaro, Val Camonica battalions
- 2° regiment: Col Tenda, Val Schio, Val Pesio battalions
- 3° regiment: Val Stura, Val Maira, Monti Lessini battalions
- 4° regiment: Val Pellice, Val Chisone, Val Brenta battalions
- 5° regiment: Val Dora, Moncenisio, Valtellina battalions
- 6° regiment: Val d'Orco, Val d'Aosta, Val Tagliamento, Cadore battalions
On June 7, 1883, the Alpini were awarded the "fiamme verdi" (green flames) collar patch. Also adopted was their distinctive headdress; the "Cappello Alpino" with its black feather, which led to them being nicknamed "Le Penne Nere" or "black feathers". In 1887, the first Alpini Artillery Regiment was formed in Turin, the 7° Alpini regiment was formed in Conegliano Veneto, the number of battalions was increased by two to a new total of 22 and the names of the battalions were changed to the names of the locations of their main logistics depot. (e.g., in 1943, the division "Tridentina" from Trento province, comprised the battalions Morbegno, Tirano, Edolo, Vestone and Verona, plus the artillery groups Bergamo and Vicenza, all named after mountain centres in northern Italy)
- 1° regiment: Pieve di Teco, Ceva, Mondovi battalions
- 2° regiment: Borgo San Dalmazzo, Vinadio, Dronero battalions
- 3° regiment: Fenestrelle, Susa, Susa 2° battalions
- 4° regiment: Aosta, Ivrea, Pallanza battalions
- 5° regiment: Morbegno, Tirano, Edolo, Vestone battalions
- 6° regiment: Verona, Vicenza, Bassano battalions
- 7° regiment: Feltre, Pieve di Cadore, Gemona battalions
[edit] Baptism of Fire
Although created as a defensive force specializing in Alpine combat, in 1888, a mixed battalion of Alpinis were sent to Africa, where they went through their baptism of fire during the First Italo–Ethiopian War. On March 1, 1896, during the Battle of Adowa, the mixed Alpini battalion and the 1° Alpini Artillery Regiment suffered heavy losses and were routed by the Ethiopian forces. The mixed battalion lost over 400 of it 550 men, including the commanding officer Lt. Col. Menini.
During the 1900 Boxer Rebellion, an Alpini Artillery Battery participated in the lifting of the siege of the International Compound in Beijing.
In 1909, the 2° Alpini Mountain Artillery regiment was formed and, in 1908, a new Alpini infantry battalion, "Tolmezzo", was raised; followed two years later by the "Belluno" battalion. Both were assigned to the 7° regiment. In 1910, the “Tolmezzo” battalion along with the "Gemona" battalion were assigned to the newly formed 8° regiment:
8° regiment: Gemona, Cividale, Tolmezzo battalions
From 1911 until 1914, the Alpini battalions Fenestrelle, Saluzzo, Mondovi, Susa, Ivrea, Verona, Feltre, Edolo, Tolmezzo, Venzone along with batteries from both Alpini Artillery regiments fought during the Turkish- Italian War in the Libyan desert.
[edit] World War I
During World War I the 24 peacetime Alpini battalions were increased by 64 battalions and saw heavy combat all over the alpine arch. The war has become known as the "War in snow and ice", as most of the 600 km frontline ran through the highest mountains and glaciers of the Alps. 12 meters (40 feet) of snow were a usual occurrence during the winter of 1915/16 and thousands of soldiers died in avalanches. The remains of these soldiers are still being uncovered today. The Alpinis, as well as their Austrian counterparts: Kaiserjäger, Standschützen and Landeschützen occupied every hill and mountain top around the whole year. Whole cities were drilled and blown into the mountainsides and even deep into the ice of glaciers like the Marmolada. Guns were dragged by hundreds of troops on Mountains up to 3,890 m (12,760 feet) high. Streets, cable cars, mountain railroads and walkways were built through the steepest of walls. Most of these walkways and streets are still viable today. In addition, on the Alps is still possible to see what is left of hundreds of kilometers of barbed wire.
In this kind of warfare, whoever occupied the higher ground first was almost impossible to dislodge, so both sides turned to drilling tunnels under mountain peaks, filling them up with explosives and then detonating the whole mountain to pieces, including its defenders: Col di Lana, Monte Pasubio, Lagazuoi, etc.
Climbing and skiing became essential skills for the troops of both sides and soon Ski Battalions and Special climbing units were formed. It was during these years that the Alpini, their spirit and their mules became legend, although at the cost of over 120,000 casualties out of a total of 400,000 mobilized Alpinis.
Many of the famous Alpini songs originated during this time and reflect upon the hardships of the "War in Snow and Ice".
[edit] World War II
After World War I, most battalions were dissolved, although a 9th regiment was formed. On the onset of World War II, six Alpini divisions had been built up by the fascist government of Italy and, once again, one was used for combat in Africa. The Alpini division "Pusteria" participated in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.
During World War II, the divisions saw combat in France, Albania, Yugoslavia and Greece, before Tridentina, Julia and Cuneense division were sent to fight in the Soviet Union, where, instead of being deployed in the Caucasus mountains as expected, they were tasked to hold the front in the Don river plains. As a result of this disastrous strategic decision, troops armed, trained and equipped for mountain warfare were pitted in the plains against tanks and mechanized infantry, to counter which they were neither equipped nor trained. Despite this fact, they held the front until January 1943, when, due to the collapse of the Axis front, they were encircled by the advancing Soviet Army. The Alpini were able to break the encirclement and fight their way towards the new line of the front established after the Axis retreat. Only about one third of the Tridentina division (4250 survivors of 15000 troops deployed) and one tenth of the Julia (1200/15000) were able to survive this odyssey. The Cuneense division was annihilated.
See also Italian war in Soviet Union, 1941-1943.
[edit] Alpini today
After World War II, five Alpini Brigades were formed and assigned to the IV (Alpini) Army Corps:
- Julia
- Taurinense
- Tridentina
- Orobica
- Cadore
After the end of the Cold War, all but the Julia and Taurinense Brigades were dissolved, thus leaving the following battalion size strength Alpini regiments, that still carry the "fiamme verdi" collar insignia:
- as part of the Alpini Corps Command:
- 4° Alpini Parachutist
- 6° Alpini
- 2° Alpini Artillery
- 2° Alpini Signals
- 24° Alpini Maneuver Logistics Regiment “Dolomiti”
- as part of the Julia Alpini Brigade:
-
- 5° Alpini
- 7° Alpini
- 8° Alpini
- 3° Alpini Artillery
- 2° Alpini Engineers
- as part of the Taurinense Alpini Brigade:
-
- 2° Alpini
- 3° Alpini
- 9° Alpini
- 1° Alpini Artillery
- 32° Alpini Engineers
[edit] National Alpini Association
Every year the National Alpini Association or ANA organizes a reunion of former Alpini soldiers. Hundreds of thousands of Alpini congregate with family and friends for a weekend in the late spring to celebrate, drink heavily and have a good time while remembering old times.
[edit] Sources
- Mario Rigoni Stern "The sergeant in the snow", ISBN 0-8101-6055-2
- A first hand account of the odissey of the Alpini on the Eastern Front, 1943
- Italian: "Il sergente nella neve", ISBN 88-06-34868-X
- French: "Le Sergent dans la neige", ISBN 2-264-02080-6.
- Alfio Caruso "Tutti i vivi all'assalto" (Italian only), ISBN 88-304-1996-6
- More accounts of the Alpini on the Don front.
- G. Bedeschi "Centomila gavette di ghiaccio" (Italian only), ISBN 88-425-1746-1
- Alpini on the Don front.
