4th Alpine Airborne Regiment

Formation

The 4th Alpine Regiment was formed on November 1, 1882. It consisted of three battalions: Val Pellice , Val Chisone and Val Brenta , named after the valleys where the soldiers of these battalions were recruited. In 1886, the battalions received new names according to the location of their main bases: Pinerolo , Aosta and Ivrea . In 1888, Pinerolo was subordinated to the 3rd Alpine Regiment. Instead, from the 3rd regiment, the 4th battalion was transferred to Susa 2 ° . In 1908, the Susa 2 ° battalion returned to the 3rd regiment. Instead, the Pallanza battalion was created in the city of Intra on the basis of companies from other battalions of the regiment. In 1909, the Pallanza battalion was renamed the Intra battalion. Thus, in 1910, the structure of the regiment was as follows:

• Ivrea Battalion: 38th, 39th and 40th Alpine Companies
• Aosta Battalion: 41st, 42nd and 43rd Alpine Companies
• Intra Battalion: 7th (former Aosta company), 24th (former Pinerolo company), 37th (former Ivrea company) Alpine companies

World War I

During the First World War, the regiment consisted of ten companies and participated in heavy battles in the Alps against the Austrian Kaisers and the German Alpine Corps . The regiment consisted of the following battalions (battalions recruited before the war are shown in italics; reserve battalions of the first and second lines are listed behind them):

•   Ivrea Battalion: Val d'Orco, Monte Levanna, Pallanza
•   Aosta Battalion: Val Baltea, Monte Cervino
•   Intra Battalion: Val Toce, Monte Rosa

The battalion "Aosta" distinguished itself in the course of the heavy battle at Monte Vodic in 1917 and in 1918 at Monte Solararo. During the war, 31 thousand people served in the ranks of the regiment. 189 officers and 4,704 soldiers were killed in battles, 455 officers and 10,923 soldiers were injured.

The interwar period

On September 10, 1935 , the 1st Alpine Taurinense division was formed. It included the 3rd , 4th Alpine regiments and the 1st mountain artillery regiment . The division participated in the conquest of Abyssinia in 1936 .

World War II

In 1940, a regiment in the Taurinense division took part in the Italian attack on Greece . After the German invasion of Yugoslavia, the division carried out garrison service in Montenegro , where the 4th regiment was disbanded after Italy signed a truce with the allies on September 8, 1943. Most of the soldiers of the regiment joined the Italian partisan brigade "Garibaldi", operating in central Yugoslavia.

The renewed 4th regiment participated in the liberation of Italy as part of the partisan Piedmont mountain rifle corps.

Cold War

In 1952, the 4th Alpine Regiment was reorganized: it included the battalions of Aosta, Saluzzo and Susa. In 1953, the fourth battalion was formed: Mondovi. The 4th Alpine Regiment became the basis of the newly formed Alpine Taurinense brigade. In 1962, the Mondovi battalion was transferred to the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region to strengthen the alpine brigade Giulia. In 1963, the Aosta battalion was transferred to the alpine formation and training center in the city of Aosta. Four years later, the battalion was transferred back to the 4th regiment. When Italy abolished the regimental level of command in 1975, the remaining battalions were transferred under the direct control of the command of the Taurinense brigade, with the exception of the Aosta battalion, which turned into a training unit for war preparation in the highlands under the constant subordination of the Alpine formation and training center. Aosta's battalion received the banner of the disbanded 4th Alpine Regiment and became a continuation of its traditions.

•   4th Alpine Regiment
  •   Alpine battalion "Mondovi" (organized in 1953, transferred to the alpine brigade Julia)
  •   Alpine battalion "Aosta" (under the command of the Alpine formation and training center in 1963-1967).
  •   Alpine battalion "Saluzzo"
  •   Alpine battalion "Susa"

On September 25, 2004, in the city of Bolzano , the 4th Alpine Regiment was transformed into the 4th Alpine Parachute Regiment. The already existing Alpine battalion "Monte Cervino" was transferred to the command of the formed regiment. Today, the 4th regiment is one of the three regiments of the special forces of the Italian army. Recently, an alpine regiment served in Iraq, one company is constantly located in Afghanistan. At the end of 2010, the regiment was transferred to its new base in Verona.

•   Regimental command
  •   Regimental Command: Eagle Command and Supply Company
  •   Alpine battalion "Monte Cervino" ( known by the nickname "White Devils" )
    •   1st Alpine Parachute Company
    •   2nd alpine parachute company
    •   3rd alpine parachute company

The 4th Alpine Regiment received the highest number of awards among all parts of the Italian army.

• Knight's cross of the military order of Italy for service in the First World War.
• Two gold medals for military prowess ( Italian: Medaglia al Valore Militare ).
  • One for the capture of Mount Monte Solarolo October 25-27, 1918
  • One for the Italian campaign in the USSR in 1942-1943.
• Nine silver medals for military prowess ( Italian: Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare ).
  • One for capturing the saddle between the mountains of Monte Nero and Monte Rosso July 19-21, 1915
  • One for the capture and defense of the Austrian positions at Alpe di Cosmagnon , September 10 and October 9-12, 1916
  • One for the capture of Monte Vodice May 18-21, 1917
  • One for service during the battles of Monte Vodice May 26-30, 1917, Monte Melethe November 17-26, 1917 and Monte Fiore December 4, 1917
  • One in action at Monte Solarolo October 24-28, 1918
  • One for the defense of the Mecan Pass of the second Italo-Abyssinian war March 31, 1936
  • One for service during the Italian-Greek war , January 10 - April 23, 1941
  • One for refusing to surrender to German troops after the signing of a truce between Italy and the allies in September 1943 and subsequent service as part of the partisan army in Montenegro, September-November 1943
  • One for service in the allied army during the Italian campaign , March 18, 1944 to May 8, 1945
• One bronze medal for military prowess ( Italian: Medaglia di bronzo al Valore Militare ) for defensive actions during the Italian-Greek war, January 24-26, 1941
• One silver medal for civic valor for service during the Piedmont flood in 1957.
• One silver medal for civil service for actions during the Messina earthquake in 1908.

In 1986, the German-Italian television series Mino was released about the Aosta battalion during the first world war.

• Official Page (Italian)