The
6th Alpini Regiment is a
light InfantryTraditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
regimentA regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. A regiment can be broken into two distinct categories, one being an administrative unit which is responsible for non-operational management of battalions , while the other being a deployable combat...
of the
Italian ArmyThe Italian Army is the ground defence force of the Italian Republic. It has recently become a professional all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel, numbering 109,703 in 2008...
, specializing in
Mountain CombatMountain 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
AlpiniThe 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. The singular is Alpino ....
are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
(WWI) and
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(WWII).
The 6th Alpini Regiment was formed on November 1st, 1882. It consisted of the three battalions: Val d'Orco,
Val d'AostaValle d'Aosta is the name of two places:*the Aosta Valley , a region in Italy*the Val d'Aosta, the Lowndes County estate of George Troup , named for the valley...
, Val Tagliamento, named after the valleys and localities from which their soldiers were recruited.
The
6th Alpini Regiment is a
light InfantryTraditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
regimentA regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. A regiment can be broken into two distinct categories, one being an administrative unit which is responsible for non-operational management of battalions , while the other being a deployable combat...
of the
Italian ArmyThe Italian Army is the ground defence force of the Italian Republic. It has recently become a professional all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel, numbering 109,703 in 2008...
, specializing in
Mountain CombatMountain 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
AlpiniThe 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. The singular is Alpino ....
are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
(WWI) and
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(WWII).
Formation
The 6th Alpini Regiment was formed on November 1st, 1882. It consisted of the three battalions: Val d'Orco,
Val d'AostaValle d'Aosta is the name of two places:*the Aosta Valley , a region in Italy*the Val d'Aosta, the Lowndes County estate of George Troup , named for the valley...
, Val Tagliamento, named after the valleys and localities from which their soldiers were recruited. In 1886 two new battalions were raised and the now five battalions were renamed, taking their new names from the location of their main logistic depot:
VeronaVerona is a city in Veneto, northern Italy, one of the seven provincial capitals in the region. It is one of the main tourist destinations in north-eastern Italy, thanks to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient...
,
VicenzaVicenza, a city in northern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately 60 km west of Venice and 200 km east of Milan....
,
BassanoBassano del Grappa is a city and comune in the province of Vicenza, region Veneto, in northern Italy...
,
Pieve di CadoreCadore is a "comunità montana" in the Italian region of Veneto, in the northernmost part of the province of Belluno bordering on Austria, the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is watered by the Piave River poured forth from the Carnic Alps...
and
GemonaGemona del Friuli is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 90 km northwest of Trieste and about 25 km northwest of Udine....
. The latter two battalions passed to the newly formed
7° Alpini RegimentThe 7th Alpini Regiment is a light Infantry regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain Combat. The Alpini are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II.-World War I:...
on August 1st, 1887.
World War I
The 6th regiment saw its first action in the
Italo-Turkish WarThe Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica...
1911, fighting Ottoman forces in the
LibyanA Libyan is a person or thing of, from, or related to Libya in North Africa.The term Libyan may also refer to:* A person from Libya, or of Libyan descent. For information about the Libyan people, see Demographics of Libya and Culture of Libya. For specific persons, see List of Libyans.* Libyan...
desert. During WWI the regiment consisted of 10 battalions and saw heavy fighting in the
AlpsThe Alps are 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’sAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
Kaiserjäger and
Germany’sThe German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871 to 1918, when it became a German republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of Wilhelm II .The term Second Reich...
AlpenkorpsThe Alpenkorps was a provisional mountain unit of division size formed by the Imperial German Army during World War I. It was considered by the Allies to be one of the best units of the German Army.-Formation:...
. The battalions of the regiment in these days were (pre-war raised units in bold, followed by their first and second line reserve battalions):
- Verona, Val d'Adige, Monte Baldo
- Vicenza, Val Leogra, Monte Berico, Monte Pasubio
- Bassano, Val Brenta, Sette Comuni
Interwar Period
On September 10th, 1935 the
2nd Alpine Division “Tridentina”The 2nd Alpine Division Tridentina was a World War II light Infantry division of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain Combat. 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
5th AlpiniThe 5th Alpini Regiment is a light infantry regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain Combat. The Alpini are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II.- Formation :...
and 6th Alpini Regiments and the
2nd Mountain Artillery RegimentThe 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain combat. 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...
. In 1937 the battalions are reorganized and renamed:
VestoneVestone is a commune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It is bounded by other communes of Lavenone and Barghe.-External links:*...
,
VeronaVerona is a city in Veneto, northern Italy, one of the seven provincial capitals in the region. It is one of the main tourist destinations in north-eastern Italy, thanks to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient...
and
TrentoTrento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol...
. The "Trento" battalion was placed under command of the newly formed
11th Alpini RegimentThe 11th Alpini Regiment was a light Infantry regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain Combat. The Alpini are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II.- Formation :...
and participated in the
Second Italo-Abyssinian WarThe 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...
.
World War II
On June 21st, 1940 (one day before the French surrender) the “Tridentina” division began to advance with other Italian units into
Southern FranceIn World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed from 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations...
. The division was then sent to Albania, where it sustained heavy losses in the
Italian attackThe Greco-Italian War was a conflict between Italy and Greece which lasted from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. It marked the beginning of the Balkans Campaign of World War II...
on Greece. As the German
WehrmachtWehrmacht was the name of the unified armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe ....
came to the aid of the beaten Italian armies in Albania in April 1941 through the
invasion of YugoslaviaThe 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 “Tridentina” was sent repatriated for rest and refit.
In September 1942 the “Tridentina” under the command of General Luigi Reverberi was sent together with the Alpini divisions
JuliaThe 3rd Alpine Division Julia was a World War II light Infantry division of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain Combat. The Alpini that formed the divisions are a highly decorated and elite mountain corps of the Italian Army comprising both infantry and artillery units...
and Cuneense and other Italian units to the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
to form the
ARMIRThe Italian participation in the Eastern Front during World War II began after the launch of Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941. Barbarossa was the German war against the Soviet Union...
(Armata Italiana in Russia or Italian Army in Russia) and fight alongside the Germans against the
Red ArmyThe Red Army The Red Army The Red Army was the Soviet government’s revolutionary militia beginning in the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the USSR. Since 1946, after the Second World War, it was called the Soviet Army.The 'Red...
. The 6th regiment was augmented by the Val Chiese battalion before leaving Italy. Taking up positions along the
Don RiverThe Don is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
the Italian units covered part of the left flank of the German Sixth Army, which spearheaded the German
summer offensive of 1942Case Blue was the German codename used by the German Armed Forces for its 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia that lasted between 28 June and 19 August 1942....
into the city of
StalingradThe Battle of Stalingrad was a battle of World War II between Nazi Germany and its allies and the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 17 July 1942 and 2 February 1943....
.
After successfully encircling the German Sixth army in Stalingrad the Red Army’s attention turned to the Italian units along the Don. On January 14th, 1943 the Soviet offensive Operation Little Saturn began and the three Alpini division found themselves quickly encircled by the rapidly advancing armoured Soviet Forces. After 12 days of heavy fighting the Julia and Cuneense divisions were completely annihilated. The remnants of the Tridentina were able to break the Soviet encirclement in the epic and desperate
Battle of NikolayevkaThe Battle of Nikolayevka was fought in January of 1943, as a small part of the larger Battle of Stalingrad. The Battle pitted forces of the Italian 8th Army's Alpini Corps against the four Soviet Armies of the Voronezh Front...
on January 26, 1943 allowing the 4250 survivors (out of 15000 troops deployed) to reach German lines.
The few survivors of the 6th Regiment were repatriated and after the signing of the
Italian armistice with the AlliesThe 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 Allied armed forces, who were then occupying the southern end of the country, entailing the capitulation of Italy...
on September 8th, 1943 the regiment was dissolved on September 10th, 1943 in the Italian village of
FortezzaFranzensfeste is a village in Northern Italy, in the Province of Bolzano-Bozen. The village is famous for its large fort.Franzensfeste forms part of the Sachsenklemme; itself an area of the Eisacktal valley. Archeological findings have shown the area to be settled by 2500 B.C. Also a 140m long...
.
The Cold War
After World War 2 the 6th Alpini regiment was reformed on April 16th, 1946 in the city of Meran with the battalions "Edolo", "Bolzano" and "Trento" and became the sole Alpini regiment of the reformed
Alpine Brigade TridentinaThe Alpini Brigade Tridentina was a light Infantry brigade of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain warfare. Its core units were the Alpini, the mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II...
. In 1951 the reformed "Bassano" battalion returned to the 6th Alpini and on January 1, 1953 it ceded the "Edolo" battalion to the reformed 5th Alpini Regiment. On September 30th, 1975 the regiment was disbanded and its battalions came under direct command of the Tridentina Brigade. The regimental colours and traditions were given to the care of the "Bassano" battalion.
Today
On January 15th, 1993 the 6th Alpini Regiment was reformed and the "Bassano" became its single battalion. Today the 6th Regiment consists of the “Bassano” battalion, the regimental command and a logistic support company. The regiment is based in San Candido in the province of Bolzano and directly subordinated to the Alpine Troops Command (
COMALPThe “Comando Truppe Alpine” or COMALP commands the Mountain Troops of the Italian Army, called "Alpines" - in Italian Alpini - and various support and training units. The Alpinis are light Infantry units specializing in Mountain Combat. The COMALP is the successor of the Italian Army's IV Alpine...
). It functions as a NATO-wide
high altitude warfareMountain 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...
training centre and administers the Training Areas in the valley of Pusteria.
-
Regimental Command
- Command and Logistic Support Company
- Alpini Battalion Bassano
Bassano is either an Italian name or surname and the name of several places in Italy.-Places:*Communes in Italy:**Bassano Bresciano, in the Province of Brescia**Bassano del Grappa, in the Province of Vicenza...
"La valanga"
- 63rd Alpini Company "La furiosa"
- 74th Alpini Company "La travolgente"
External links