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The 4th Alpini Regiment was a light Infantry
Light infantry

Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, Harassment and delaying the enemy advance....
 regiment
Regiment

A regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. Depending on the nation, military branch, mission, and organization, a modern regiment resembles a brigade, in that both range in size from a few hundred to 5,000 soldiers ....
 of the Italian Army
Italian Army

The Italian Army is the ground defense force of the Military of Italy. On July 29, 2004 it became a professional all-volunteer force of 112,000 active duty personnel....
, specializing in Mountain Combat
Mountain warfare

Mountain warfare refers to warfare in the mountains or similarly rough terrain. This type of warfare is also called Alpine warfare, named after the Alps mountains....
. The Alpini
Alpini

The Alpini, , are the elite mountain warfare soldiers of the Italian Army. They are currently organized in two operational brigades, which are subordinated to the Alpini Corps Command....
 are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 (WWI) and World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 (WWII). Today the 4th Alpini Regiment is a Special Forces
Special forces

Special Forces , also known as, Special Operation Forces is a generic term for highly-trained military teams/units that conduct specialized Military operation such as reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions....
 unit of elite mountain infantry specialized in the airborne assault role.

Formation
The 4th Alpini Regiment was formed on November 1st, 1882.






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The 4th Alpini Regiment was a light Infantry
Light infantry

Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, Harassment and delaying the enemy advance....
 regiment
Regiment

A regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. Depending on the nation, military branch, mission, and organization, a modern regiment resembles a brigade, in that both range in size from a few hundred to 5,000 soldiers ....
 of the Italian Army
Italian Army

The Italian Army is the ground defense force of the Military of Italy. On July 29, 2004 it became a professional all-volunteer force of 112,000 active duty personnel....
, specializing in Mountain Combat
Mountain warfare

Mountain warfare refers to warfare in the mountains or similarly rough terrain. This type of warfare is also called Alpine warfare, named after the Alps mountains....
. The Alpini
Alpini

The Alpini, , are the elite mountain warfare soldiers of the Italian Army. They are currently organized in two operational brigades, which are subordinated to the Alpini Corps Command....
 are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 (WWI) and World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 (WWII). Today the 4th Alpini Regiment is a Special Forces
Special forces

Special Forces , also known as, Special Operation Forces is a generic term for highly-trained military teams/units that conduct specialized Military operation such as reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions....
 unit of elite mountain infantry specialized in the airborne assault role.

Formation


The 4th Alpini Regiment was formed on November 1st, 1882. It consisted of the three battalions: "Val Pellice
Torre Pellice

Torre Pellice is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italy region Piedmont, located about 45 km southwest of Turin. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,636 and an area of 21.2 km?....
", "Val Chisone" and "Val Brenta
Brenta River

The Brenta is an Italy river that runs from the Province of Trento to the Adriatic Sea just south of the Venetian lagoon in the Veneto region....
", named after the valleys and localities from which their soldiers were recruited. In 1886 the battalions were renamed, taking their new names from the location of their main logistic depot: Aosta
Aosta

Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italy Alps, 110km north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier River and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great St Bernard Pass and Little St Bernard Pass St....
, Ivrea
Ivrea

Ivrea is a town and comune of the province of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley , it straddles the Dora Baltea and is regarded as the centre of the Canavese area....
 and Pallanza
Verbania

Verbania is a city and comune on the shore of Lake Maggiore, Piedmont in northwest Italy. It was created by the 1939 merger of the cities of Intra and Pallanza....
.

World War I


During WWI the regiment consisted of 9 battalions and saw heavy fighting in the Alps
Alps

The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
 against Austria’s
Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Kaiserlich und k?niglich Monarchy was a state in Central Europe ruled by the House of Habsburg, constitutionally a personal union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary....
 Kaiserjäger and Germany’s
German Empire

The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of William I, German Emperor as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became Weimar republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of William II, German Emperor ....
 Alpenkorps
Alpenkorps (German Empire)

The Alpenkorps was a provisional mountain unit of Division size formed by the German Army during World War I. It was considered by the Allies to be one of the best units of the German Army....
. The battalions of the 4th regiment in these days were (pre-war raised units in bold):


  • "Aosta", "Ivrea", "Intra", "Val d'Orco", "Val Baltea", "Val Toce", "Monte Levanna", "Monte Cervino", "Monte Rosa".


The Aosta
Aosta

Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italy Alps, 110km north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier River and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great St Bernard Pass and Little St Bernard Pass St....
 Battalion distinguished itself in 1917 during heavy combat on Monte Vodice and in 1918 on Monte Solarolo.

Interwar Period


On September 10th, 1935 the 1st Alpine Division “Taurinense”
1 Alpine Division Taurinense

The 1st Alpine Division Taurinense was a World War II light Infantry Division of the Regio Esercito, specializing in Mountain warfare. The Alpini that formed the divisions are a highly decorated and elite mountain corps of the Italian Army comprising both infantry and artillery units....
 was formed and composed of the 3rd Alpini
3 Alpini Regiment

The 3rd Alpini Regiment is a light Infantry regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain warfare. The Alpini are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II ....
 and 4th Alpini Regiment
4 Alpini Regiment

The 4th Alpini Regiment was a light Infantry regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain warfare. The Alpini are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II ....
s and the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment
1 Mountain Artillery Regiment (Italy)

The 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain warfare. Since their formation the Mountain Artillery Regiments have served alongside the Alpini, a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II....
. The division participated in 1936 in the Italian conquest
Second Italo-Abyssinian War

The Second Italo?Abyssinian War was a brief colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire ....
 of Abyssinia.

World War II


In 1940 the regiment as part of the Taurinense division fought in the Italian attack
Greco-Italian War

The Greco-Italian War was a conflict between Kingdom of Italy and Kingdom of Greece which lasted from October 28, 1940 to April 23, 1941. It marked the beginning of the Balkans Campaign of World War II....
 on Greece. After the German invasion of Yugoslavia
Invasion of Yugoslavia

The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis powers' attack on Kingdom of Yugoslavia on April 6, 1941 during World War II....
 the “Taurinense” performed garrison duties in Montenegro
Montenegro

Montenegro , Montenegrin language/Serbian language: ???? ????, Crna Gora , ) is a country located in Balkans. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south....
 were the regiment disbanded after the signing of the Italian armistice with the Allies
Armistice with Italy

The Armistice with Italy was an armistice signed on September 3 and publicly declared on September 8, 1943, during World War II, between Italy and the Allies of World War II armed forces, who were then occupying the southern half of the country, entailing the Capitulation of Italy....
 on September 8th, 1943. Most of its soldiers joined the Italian Partisan
Partisans (Yugoslavia)

The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans, were a communist-led World War II resistance movement engaged in the fight against Axis forces and their Collaboration during World War II in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Yugoslav People's Liberation War from 1941 to 1945....
 Brigade Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi

Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italians military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and had to flee Italy after a failed insurrection....
, which operated in central Yugoslavia.

The reformed 4th Alpini Regiment participated in the liberation of Italy as part of the Partisan Piemonte Mountain Corps.

The Cold War


After World War 2 the 4th Alpini regiment was reforemd with the battalions Aosta, Saluzzo, Susa and Mondovi and formed the basis for the newly founded Alpine Brigade Taurinense
Alpine Brigade Taurinense

The Alps Brigade Taurinense is a light Infantry brigade of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain warfare. Its core units are the Alpini, the mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II....
. When Italy dissolved the regimental level in 1975 the battalions came under the direct command of the Taurinense Brigade, except for the Aosta battalion which moved to the Aosta
Aosta

Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italy Alps, 110km north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier River and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great St Bernard Pass and Little St Bernard Pass St....
 Valley and became a High Altitude Warfare training unit and carried on the traditions and regimental colours
Regimental colours

Regimental colours are the ceremonial flags of military regiments. Historically, their roots can be traced back at least as far as the Roman Empire....
 of the 4th Alpini.

Today


On September 25th, 2004 the 4th Alpini Regiment was reformed as 4° Alpini Paracadutisti (Parachutist Alpini) Regiment in the city of Bolzano. The existing Alpini-Parachutist Monte Cervino battalion
Monte Cervino Battalion

The Monte Cervino battalion is one of Italian Army's FOS . Founded as a ski battalion in 1915, today it is a part of the 4 Alpini Regiment. The Alpini are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II....
 was placed under the command of the reformed regiment. Today the 4th regiment is one of three Special Forces
Special forces

Special Forces , also known as, Special Operation Forces is a generic term for highly-trained military teams/units that conduct specialized Military operation such as reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions....
 regiments of the Italian Army
Italian Army

The Italian Army is the ground defense force of the Military of Italy. On July 29, 2004 it became a professional all-volunteer force of 112,000 active duty personnel....
. The Alpini Paracadutisti have recently served Iraq
Multinational force in Iraq

The Multi-National Force - Iraq is a military command , led by the United States, that is fighting the Iraq War against Iraqi insurgency. Multi-National Force - Iraq replaced the previous force, Combined Joint Task Force 7, on May 15, 2004....
 and one company is constantly deployed in Afghanistan
International Security Assistance Force

International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security and development mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement ....
.

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