Citizendia

Coat of Arms of the Italian Army
Coat of Arms of the Italian Army
Dardo IFV on exercise in Capo Teulada
Dardo IFV on exercise in Capo Teulada
Soldiers of the 33rd Field Artillery Regiment "Acqui" on parade
Soldiers of the 33rd Field Artillery Regiment "Acqui" on parade

The Italian Army (Esercito Italiano) is the ground defense force of the Military of Italy. The Dardo is a Infantry Fighting Vehicle designed for the Italian Army as a replacement for the M113 APC An infantry fighting vehicle ( IFV, also known as (mechanized infantry combat vehicle, (MICV) is a type of Armoured fighting vehicle (AFV The Italian Armed forces are under the command of the Italian Supreme Defense Council presided over by the President of the Italian Republic. On July 29, 2004 it became a professional all-volunteer force of 112,000 active duty personnel. Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part a military force as opposed to reserve duty. The headquarters of the Army General Staff are in Rome, opposite the Presidential Palace. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 The Quirinal Palace (known in Italian as the Palazzo del Quirinale or simply the Quirinale) is the Official residence of the President

Contents

History

The Italian Army originates in the Regio Esercito (literally: "Royal Army") which dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy following the Risorgimento, or unification of Italy in 1861 after the Papal states were seized. The Regio Esercito (English Royal Army) was the army of the Kingdom of Italy from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the birth of the Italian Republic There have been several distinct entities known as the Kingdom of Italy. Italian Unification ( Italian: il Risorgimento, or "The Resurgence" was the political and social movement that unified different states of the Italian The Papal States, State(s of the Church or Pontifical States (in Italian Stato Ecclesiastico, Stato della Chiesa, Stati della Chiesa Under the leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the House of Savoy, then represented by Victor Emmanuel II, was invited to take the throne of a new independent kingdom in 1861. Garibaldi redirects here for other meanings see Garibaldi (disambiguation. The House of Savoy (Casa Savoia was formed in the early eleventh century in the historical Savoy region Victor Emmanuel II King of Italy ( Vittorio Emanuele II; March 14, 1820 – January 9, 1878) was the King of The army's first real taste of modern warfare was in World War One and was fought mostly in northern Italy during which it suffered millions of casualties including over 700,000 dead. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies in northern Italy between 1915 During the Interwar Years the army participated in the Invasion of Ethiopia, provided troops for the Corpo Truppe Volontarie to fight in the Spanish Civil War and in the Italian invasion of Albania. See also First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Second Italo–Abyssinian War (also referred to as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War) was a The Corps of Volunteer Troops ( Corpo Truppe Volontarie, or CTV was an Italian expeditionary force which was sent to Spain to support General Francisco The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of The Italian invasion of Albania ( April 7 &ndash April 12, 1939) was a brief military campaign by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian The Royal Army was one of the largest ground forces in World War Two during which it was one of the pioneers of the use of paratroopers. This article is about the Italian Royal Army ( Regio Esercito) which participated in World War II. During the era of World War II (1939 - 1945 the Kingdom of Italy had a very varied and tumultuous Military history. The Paracadutisti are the Paratroops of Italy. History The first units of Italian parachutists were trained and formed shortly before the Second Many Italian divisions were reinforced by a MVSN Gruppo di Assalto of two battalions due to the small size of the divisions. For other uses and meanings see Blackshirts (disambiguation. The Blackshirts ( Italian: camicie nere, In 1943 Italy surrendered and split into the Salo Republic, which fielded its own army, and the Italian Co-Belligerent Army (Esercito Cobelligerante del Sud) the army of the Italian royalist forces fighting on the side of the Allies in southern Italy after the Allied armistice with Italy in September 1943. The Italian Social Republic ( Italian: Repubblica Sociale Italiana or RSI) was a Puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the The Italian Co-Belligerent Army ( Esercito Cobelligerante Italiana) or the Army of the South ( Esercito del Sud) was the army of the The Italians soldiers fighting in this army no longer fought for Benito Mussolini as their allegiance was to King Victor Emmanuel and to Marshal of Italy (Maresciallo d'Italia) Pietro Badoglio, the men who ousted Mussolini. Victor Emmanuel may refer to Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia Victor Emmanuel II of Italy Victor Emmanuel III of Italy Marshal of Italy (Italian Maresciallo d'Italia) was a rank in the Italian Royal Army ( Regio Esercito) Pietro Badoglio 1st Duke of Addis Abeba ( 28 September 1871 &ndash 1 November 1956) was an Italian soldier and politician The kingdom was replaced by a Republic in 1946 and the Royal Army changed its name to become the Esercito Italiano. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest After WWII, the Army has participated in operations to aid to populations hit by natural disasters. It has, moreover, supplied a remarkable contribution to the forces of police for the control of the territory of the Alto Adige (1967), in Sardinia (“Paris“ 1992), in Sicily (“Vespri Siciliani“1992) and in Calabria (1994). The Province of Bolzano-Bozen (Provincia autonoma di Bolzano Autonome Provinz Bozen Ladin: Provinzia Sardinia (sɑrˈdɪnɪə Sardegna Sardigna or Sardinnya is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily) Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. Calabria ( Latin: Brutium) is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of Currently, it protects sensitive objects and places throughout the national territory (“Operazione Domino") since the tragedy of 11 September 2001. The army is also engaged in Missions abroad under the aegis of the UN, the NATO, and of Multinational forces, such as Beirut in Lebanon (1982), Namibia (1989), Albania (1991), Kurdistan (1991), Somalia (1992), Mozambique (1993), Bosnia (1995), East Timor and Kosovo (both in 1999), the Congo (2001), Darfur (2003), Afghanistan (2002), Iraq (2003) and Lebanon again (2006). The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The North Atlantic Treaty Beirut (بيروت Bayrūt) is the Capital and Largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2 Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa on the Atlantic coast This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. History See also History of the Kurdish people Ancient period See also Hurrians, Guti, Mannaeans, Medes Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique (Moçambique or República de Moçambique, ʁɛ'publikɐ d musɐ̃'bik is a country in southeastern Africa Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. Darfur (دار فور daar foor, lit "realm of the Fur " is a region in Sudan. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics.

The Carabinieri, once the senior corps of the Army, is now an autonomous armed force (alongside the Army, Navy and Air Force). The Carabinieri (Italian for Carabiniers are the national-level Gendarmerie of Italy who also perform Military police duties The Carabinieri provides military police services to all the Italian armed force. Military police ( MPs) are normally the Police of a Military Organization.

Casualties of World War I and II

During WWI 5 million Italians served in the army with 1. 5 million being wounded and over 700,000 being killed in action. Another million or so died from disease.

Reports of Italian military prowess in the Second World War were, almost always, grossly and unfairly dismissive. This is primarily the result of British wartime propaganda produced when the Italian 10th Army was destroyed by significantly smaller British forces during the early phase of the North African Campaign. The Italian Tenth Army was based in the eastern side of Libya in Cyrenaica. During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from June 10, 1940 [1] The propoganda tale from this single event, which was designed to boost British morale during a bleak period of the war and has since evolved into a legendary story,[2] has left a lasting impression that has almost completely destroyed Italian military reputation in the English speaking world. Prior to this incident, due largely to the events of the first world war and the likes of Giuseppe Garibaldi before, Italian soldiers were generally considered to be exceptionally brave. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Garibaldi redirects here for other meanings see Garibaldi (disambiguation.

Like any other army, the Italians suffered their fair share of reversals,[3] but it should be remembered that their equipment was not up to the standard of either the Allied or the German armies. [4] More crucially, they lacked suitable quantities of equipment of all kinds and their high command did not take necessary steps to plan for most eventualities. [5] They had few anti-aircraft weapons and their 'medium' M11, M13 and M14 tanks were at a marked disadvantage against the comparatively heavily armed American Sherman 'light' tanks. Coast defense guns were place round their tanks of the Ariete Division in North Africa to give extra protection. The Ariete Armoured Division is a unit of the Italian military that has existed since 1939

The Italian army in Russia fought stubbornly under General Giovanni Messe, winning various accolades from Berlin Radio. Giovanni Messe ( December 10, 1883 - December 19, 1968) was an Italian soldier politician and a distinguished Italian Field Italian soldiers also fought with immense courage at the battles of Mersa Matruh and El Alamein in the North African Campaign and their "Bologna" and "Trento" infantry were desperately unlucky to have been left stranded without water or transport, deep in the southern sector at the Second Battle of El Alamein. El Alamein (or Al Alamayn) ( العلمين is a town in northern Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea coast in Matruh Governorate. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II. Also was the stubborn resistance at the Battle of Keren in East Africa, for which the participating Italian Savoia battalions, Alpini, Bersaglieri and Grenadiers were acknowledged as being equal to the best opposition (i. The Battle of Keren ( Cheren) was fought as part of the East African Campaign during World War II. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest e. the German parachute division in Italy and the Japanese in Burma) the British had faced during the war. [6][7][8] Later at Kasserine Pass, Mareth, Akarit and Enfidaville, as the North African campaign drew to its close, Italians fought with great courage and determination. In fact, in Tunisia, it was observed by General Alexander that the Italians fought particularly well, outdoing the Germans in line with them. The Tunisia Campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia was a series of World War II battles that took place in Tunisia in the North African Campaign Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis KG OM GCB GCMG CSI DSO [9] When assessing their resistance in Sicily, and taking into account the massive weight of shot and shell directed against them, together with heavy and interminable air attacks, it is really a wonder that men from the 206th and 207th Coastal Divisions, "Livorno", "Napoli", "Aosta" and "Assietta" Infantry Divisions and several Bersaglieri and tank units were able to resist for so long. The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis Yet they were much maligned by reporters, and the media during the Second World War, and curiously by later generations of writers, and others who, quite simply, have never been in a position to actually verify their stories.

A contrary opinion of the Italian soldiers to that hitherto published in English literature was held by those who fought alongside them; their German allies. The Germans were always ready to blame them for any Axis failure (often unjustifiably) but they nevertheless widely praised their bravery. [10] Interestingly, the accounts from British military personnel also tend to be positive in this regard. The few historians who have investigated the involvement of Italians during the second world war in some detail have learnt that, for example, their artillery gunners would often serve their obsolescent guns until they were literally overrun. [11]

The following passage from Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts provide a poignant example (in reference to the situation at El Alamein) that should go some way in dispelling the myth of Italian Cowardice:

. El Alamein (or Al Alamayn) ( العلمين is a town in northern Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea coast in Matruh Governorate. . . . it is perhaps simplest to ask who is the most courageous in the following situations: the Italian carristi, who goes into battle in an obsolete M14 tank against superior enemy amour and anti-tank guns, knowing they can easily penetrate his flimsy protection at a range where his own small gun will have little effect; the German panzer soldier or British tanker who goes into battle in a Panzer IV Special or Sherman respectively against equivalent enemy opposition knowing that he can at least trade blows with them on equal terms; the British tanker who goes into battle in a Sherman against inferior Italian armour and anti-tank guns, knowing confidently that he can destroy them at ranges where they cannot touch him. It would seem clear that, in terms of their motto Ferrea Mole, Ferreo Cuore, the Italian carristi really had "iron hearts", even though as the war went on their "iron hulls" increasingly let them down. [12]

Nearly 4 million Italians served in the Italian Army during the Second World War and nearly half a million Italians (including civilians) died between June 1940 and May 1945.

The Regio Esercito suffered 161,729 casualties between June 10, 1940 and September 8, 1943 in the war against the Allies, and 18,655 casualties in Italy plus 54,622 casualties in the rest of Europe in September/October 1943 against the German Army after the Italian Armistice. In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose The Armistice with Italy was an Armistice signed on September 3 and publicly declared on September 8, 1943, during World War II, between

There were even 12,000 casualties in the northern Italian guerrilla war (Guerra di Liberazione) and in the "Army of Badoglio" on the side of the Allies. The Italian Co-Belligerent Army ( Esercito Cobelligerante Italiana) or the Army of the South ( Esercito del Sud) was the army of the In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose In the fascist Army of Mussolini's Italian Social Republic (Repubblica Sociale Italiana, or RSI there were 45,424 casualties (many of them resulting from executions for political reasons after April 1945). The Italian Social Republic ( Italian: Repubblica Sociale Italiana or RSI) was a Puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the The Italian Social Republic ( Italian: Repubblica Sociale Italiana or RSI) was a Puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the [1]

Nearly 60,000 Italian POWs died in Nazi concentration camps, while nearly 20,000 perished in Allied concentration camps (mainly Russian: 1/4 of the 84,830 Italians officially lost in the Soviet Union were taken prisoners, and most of them never returned home). Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Over 60000 Italian prisoners of war were taken captive by the Red Army in the Second World War.

Command structure

The Armed Forces of Italy are under the command of the Italian Supreme Defense Council, presided over by the President of the Italian Republic. The President of the Italian Republic (Presidente della Repubblica Italiana is the Head of State of Italy, and as such is intended to represent national unity The Italian Army is commanded by the SME or “Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito” (Chief of the Army General Staff) in Rome. The Chief of staff has direct control of all support and logistics operations in Italy (i. e. military clinics, repair facilities, acquisitions,…), but no direct control of the operational forces, which are all assigned to and commanded by COMFOTER: “Comando delle Forze Operative Terrestri” (Command of Operational Land Forces).

Operational forces

See also: List of active units of the Italian Army

COMFOTER has direct command on a NATO rapid reaction Corps Command (NRDC-IT), of four support brigades (Artillery, Air Defense, Logistics, Engineering), as well as command of the Army Aviation, the Army Communication and Transmission command and of three commands called COMFOD 1, COMFOD 2 and COMALP, which between them command the actual 11 Italian combat Brigades. The units are listed by order of precedence Text in bold are the units historic names The North Atlantic Treaty The attached units are in detail:

Structure of the Italian Army (click to enlarge).
Structure of the Italian Army (click to enlarge).

NRDC-IT

The NRDC or "NATO Rapid Deployable Corps" is located in Solbiate Olona and has a support brigade at its dependency, formed by:

COMALP

Alpini from the Taurinense Brigade.
Alpini from the Taurinense Brigade. Solbiate Olona is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 30 km northwest Lombardy (Lombardia Latin: Langobardia, Western Lombard: Lumbardìa, Eastern Lombard: Lombardia) is one of the Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. The Alpini Brigade Taurinense is a Light Infantry Brigade of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain Combat.

“Comando Truppe Alpine” (Alpine Troops Command) or COMALP has command over the professional Mountain Troops of the Italian Army, called "Alpines", in Italian Alpini. The “Comando Truppe Alpine” (Alpine Troops Command or COMALP commands the Mountain Troops of the Italian Army called " Alpines quot - in Italian The Alpini, meaning "the Alpines quot, are the elite Mountain warfare soldiers of the Italian Army. It is located in Bolzano and consist of the following units:

COMFOD 1

NH90 Helicopter of the Italian Army
NH90 Helicopter of the Italian Army

“Comando Forze di Difesa 1” or COMFOD 1 resides in the north-eastern city of Vittorio Veneto (Veneto) and commands the most specialized brigades of the Italian Army:

COMFOD 2

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Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Vega (α Lyr / α Lyrae / Alpha Lyrae ( or) is the brightest Star in the Constellation Lyra, the fifth brightest star in the night WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Bologna (boloɲa from Latin Bononia, Bulåggna in Bolognese dialect is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy Gorizia (Gurize Gorica Görz is a town in northeastern Italy, at the foot of the Alps and bordering Slovenia. Friuli-Venezia Giulia ( Friulian: Friûl-Vignesie Julie, Friaul-Julisch Venetien Furlanija - Julijska krajina Friul-Venezsia Jułia is one of the twenty Piedmont ( Piemonte; Piedmontese and Occitan: Piemont; French: Piémont) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. Trieste (Trieste Slovene and Croatian: Trst; German: Triest) is a city and port in northeastern Italy very near to Friuli-Venezia Giulia ( Friulian: Friûl-Vignesie Julie, Friaul-Julisch Venetien Furlanija - Julijska krajina Friul-Venezsia Jułia is one of the twenty The Centauro is a wheeled Tank destroyer designed for light to medium territorial defense and tactical reconnaissance The Puma light wheeled Armoured fighting vehicle family consists of the Puma 6x6 and the Puma 4x4 Genoa ( Genova, ˈdʒɛːnova in Italian; Zena in Genoese and Ligurian; Genua in Latin and archaically in English The Centauro is a wheeled Tank destroyer designed for light to medium territorial defense and tactical reconnaissance The Puma light wheeled Armoured fighting vehicle family consists of the Puma 6x6 and the Puma 4x4 Novara ( Nuara in the local Novarese dialect of Western Lombard) is the capital city of the Province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest The Centauro is a wheeled Tank destroyer designed for light to medium territorial defense and tactical reconnaissance The Puma light wheeled Armoured fighting vehicle family consists of the Puma 6x6 and the Puma 4x4 The Lagunari (from the Italian "laguna" = lagoon are amphibious troops of the Italian Army. Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the The Amphibious Assault Vehicle ( AAV)&mdashofficial designation AAV-7A1 (formerly known as LVT-7) is a fully tracked amphibious landing The Puma light wheeled Armoured fighting vehicle family consists of the Puma 6x6 and the Puma 4x4 Lombardy (Lombardia Latin: Langobardia, Western Lombard: Lumbardìa, Eastern Lombard: Lombardia) is one of the The FH-70 (Field Howitzer for the 1970s is a towed Howitzer in use with several nations Gorizia (Gurize Gorica Görz is a town in northeastern Italy, at the foot of the Alps and bordering Slovenia. Giorgio a Cremano near Naples and commands 5 brigades. Naples ( Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule) is a historic City in southern Italy, the Capital of the Three of those, the brigades “Aosta”, “Pinerolo” and “Granatieri di Sardegna” are made up of one year volunteers and therefore intended for use mainly on Italian soil. The COMFOD 2 commands:

Soldiers of the 8° Cavalry Regiment “Lancieri di Montebello”
Soldiers of the 8° Cavalry Regiment “Lancieri di Montebello”
Soldiers of the 6° Cavalry Regiment “Lancieri di Aosta”
Soldiers of the 6° Cavalry Regiment “Lancieri di Aosta”
Soldiers of the Sassari Brigade
Soldiers of the Sassari Brigade

CoTIE

“Comando Trasmissioni e ed Informazioni dell’Esercito” or CoTIE is the Italian Army’s Signal and Information Command, it resides in Anzio (Lazio) and consists of the following units:

Army Aviation Command

The Army Aviation Command resides in Viterbo and includes the non combat flying formations of the Army (i. ISTAR stands for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance. Electronic warfare ( EW) is the use of the Electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny the use of this medium by an adversary while optimizing its use by friendly The AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven is a remote-controlled Miniature Unmanned aerial vehicle (or MUAV) used by the U ELTA Systems LTD an Israeli provider of defense products and services specializing in Radar, C4ISTAR, RF, SIGINT and EW The Thales Group ( is a French Electronics company delivering mission-critical information systems and services for the Aerospace, Defense ARTHUR is an abbreviation for mobile " '''Art'''illery Hu nting '''R'''adar " system developed in Sweden. IVECO LMV (Light Multirole Vehicle is a 4WD tactical vehicle developed by IVECO, and in service with several countries e. Transport Planes, support helicopters,…)

Air Defense Brigade

Field Artillery Brigade

Engineering Brigade

Logistics Brigade

Support units

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Effective operational capability

Collar patches worn by soldiers of the Italian Army.
Collar patches worn by soldiers of the Italian Army. Capua is a city in the Province of Caserta, Campania, Italy situated 25 km (16 mi north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of For other meanings see Cassino (disambiguation Cassino is a Comune in the province of Frosinone, Italy Potenza (poˈtentsa is a town and Comune in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania Chieti is a city in central Italy, 200 km northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region. Ascoli Piceno is a town in the Marche region Italy, capital of the province of the same name Treviso (Venetian Trevizo, French Trévise, Latin Tarvisium) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy. Orion (ɒˈraɪən a Constellation often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation one of the largest and perhaps the best-known and most conspicuous Bologna (boloɲa from Latin Bononia, Bulåggna in Bolognese dialect is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy Aquila ( or, Eagle; sometimes named the Vulture) is one of the 48 Constellations listed by Ptolemy, also mentioned by Eudoxus (4th Orio al Serio is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about 45 km northeast Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Hydra (ˈhaɪdrə is the largest of the 88 modern Constellations and was also one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy. Scorpius ( Latin for Scorpion, symbol, Unicode ♏ is one of the Constellations of the Zodiac. Viterbo is an ancient city and Comune in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the Province of Viterbo. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2

All brigades may be deployed outside Italy and are often involved in peace-keeping operations on foreign soil. The brigades are combat brigades, numbering between 3-7,000 troops each. These units are the pride of the Italian Army and are a front-line well-equipped force capable of dealing with most emergency situations. They are characterised by quality, efficiency, motivation and mobility. In total numbers the Italian Army can field about 85,000 ground troops out of a total Army strength of 112,000 men and women.

Units designated as regiments are large battalions which consist of a large Command, Logistics, and Support Company plus a combat battalion, which, in the case of the infantry (Alpini, Bersaglieri, Granatieri, Lagunari, Infantry) units, consists of:

3 or 4 Infantry Companies
1 Mortar/Weapons Company
1 Antitank Company

The naming has historical reasons. The Lagunari (from the Italian "laguna" = lagoon are amphibious troops of the Italian Army. Most regiments are deployed singularly, especially the support brigades' regiments as adjuncts to combat units, formed for the task ahead.

Equipment

Weapons

Combat vehicles

Ariete
Ariete
Freccia
Freccia

Artillery

Aircraft inventory

PzH 2000
PzH 2000
MLRS
MLRS
A129 Mangusta
A129 Mangusta

The Italian Army operates 484 aircraft, including 471 helicopters. The Beretta AR70/90 is a gas operated self loading Assault rifle chambered for the 5 556x45mm NATO, standardized under STANAG 4172 is a Rifle cartridge. An assault rifle is a Selective fire Rifle or Carbine (not to be confused with a semi-automatic only replica firing Ammunition with muzzle 556x45mm NATO, standardized under STANAG 4172 is a Rifle cartridge. An assault rifle is a Selective fire Rifle or Carbine (not to be confused with a semi-automatic only replica firing Ammunition with muzzle The 9x19mm Parabellum is a pistol cartridge introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM for their A submachine gun (SMG is a Firearm that combines the automatic fire of a Machine gun with the cartridge of a Pistol, and is The Beretta 92 (also Beretta 96 and Beretta 98) is a series of Semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy The 9x19mm Parabellum is a pistol cartridge introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM for their The MP5 is a 9 mm Submachine gun of German design developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the West German arms manufacturer The 9x19mm Parabellum is a pistol cartridge introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM for their A submachine gun (SMG is a Firearm that combines the automatic fire of a Machine gun with the cartridge of a Pistol, and is The Minimi (short for French: Mini Mitrailleuse; “mini machine gun” is a Belgian 5 556x45mm NATO, standardized under STANAG 4172 is a Rifle cartridge. A light machine gun or LMG is a Machine gun that is generally lighter than other machine guns of the same period and is usually designed to be carried The MG3 is a German air-cooled belt-fed General purpose machine gun chambered in the 7 There are many cartridges which use 762 mm caliber bullets The measurement equals 0 For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. This article is about the.50 caliber M2 machine gun For the.30-06 M2 machine gun see M1919 Browning machine gun. The SPAS-15 is a dual-mode 12 gauge Shotgun manufactured by the Italian company Luigi Franchi S A shotgun (also known as a scattergun) is a Firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number This article is about the SAKO firearms manufacturer For the Polish 1950s programming language see SAKO programming language or Non-English-based programming Sako TRG-22/42 Sniper rifles were developed by the Finnish Firearm manufacturer SAKO. In Military and Law enforcement terminology a sniper rifle is a Rifle used to ensure Accurate placement of Bullets at longer The M82 (also more recently known as the M107) is a heavy SASR (Special Application Scoped Rifle developed by the American Barrett Firearms Company The Panzerfaust 3 is a modern and disposable recoilless Anti-tank weapon developed between 1978 and 1985 and put into service by the Bundeswehr in 1992 RPG or rocket-propelled grenade, is a loose term describing hand-held shoulder-launched Anti-tank weapons capable of firing an unguided The BGM-71 TOW is a US Anti-tank guided missile. TOW Tube-launched Optically-tracked Wire-to-command-Link guided Missile Set An anti-tank guided missile ( ATGM) or anti-tank guided weapon ( ATGW) is a guided Missile primarily designed to hit and destroy Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. Spike is a third generation Anti-tank guided missile developed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd The FIM-92 Stinger is a personal portable Infrared homing Surface-to-air missile developed in the United States and used by all the U Man-portable air-defense systems ( MANPADS) are shoulder-launched Surface-to-air missiles (SAMs The C1 Ariete is a Main battle tank developed for the Italian Army by Iveco Fiat and Oto Melara. Tank classification is a Taxonomy of identifying either the intended role or weight class of Tanks The classification by role was used primarily during The Leopard (or Leopard 1) is a German designed and produced main battle tank that first entered service in 1965 and was used as the main battle tank The Centauro is a wheeled Tank destroyer designed for light to medium territorial defense and tactical reconnaissance A self-propelled anti-tank gun or tank destroyer, is a type of Armoured fighting vehicle designed specifically to engage enemy armor forces and not produced for an infantry The Dardo is a Infantry Fighting Vehicle designed for the Italian Army as a replacement for the M113 APC An infantry fighting vehicle ( IFV, also known as (mechanized infantry combat vehicle, (MICV) is a type of Armoured fighting vehicle (AFV The Centauro is a wheeled Tank destroyer designed for light to medium territorial defense and tactical reconnaissance Armoured personnel carriers (APCs are Armoured fighting vehicles developed to transport Infantry on the Battlefield They usually have only a Machine The Puma light wheeled Armoured fighting vehicle family consists of the Puma 6x6 and the Puma 4x4 The Puma light wheeled Armoured fighting vehicle family consists of the Puma 6x6 and the Puma 4x4 Bandvagn 206 ( Bv 206) is a tracked articulated all-terrain carrier developed by Hägglunds (now part of BAE Land Systems) for the Swedish Army Iveco is an Italian Truck, Bus, and Diesel engine Manufacturer, based in Turin, Italy. An infantry mobility vehicle (IMV is a wheeled Armored personnel carrier (APC serving as a military patrol reconnaissance or security vehicle IVECO LMV (Light Multirole Vehicle is a 4WD tactical vehicle developed by IVECO, and in service with several countries The Amphibious Assault Vehicle ( AAV)&mdashofficial designation AAV-7A1 (formerly known as LVT-7) is a fully tracked amphibious landing The Sidam 25 is a Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed in Italy from the chassis of the American A self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon ( SPAA, also self-propelled air defense, SPAD, or self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, SPAAG) is The Leopard (or Leopard 1) is a German designed and produced main battle tank that first entered service in 1965 and was used as the main battle tank The M109 is an American -made self-propelled 155 mm Howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s Self-propelled Artillery (also called mobile artillery or locomotive artillery) vehicles are a way of giving mobility to Artillery. The Panzerhaubitze 2000 ("Armoured howitzer 2000" abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei The FH-70 (Field Howitzer for the 1970s is a towed Howitzer in use with several nations A howitzer is a type of Artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles The Mortier 120mm Rayé Tracté Modèle F1 (MO-120-RT-61 "120mm rifled towed mortar model F1" is a heavy mortar used by the French Army.

AircraftOriginTypeVersionsIn service[13]Notes
Agusta A129 MangustaFlag of Italy Italyattack helicopterCBT60
Agusta A109Flag of Italy Italyutility helicopterA109EOA25
Bell 205Flag of the United States United Statesutility helicopterAB 205A89built by Agusta
Bell 206Flag of the United States United Statesutility helicopterAB 206A
AB 206B
56		built by Agusta
Bell 212Flag of the United States United Statestransport helicopterAB 21212built by Agusta
Bell 412Flag of the United States United Statestransport helicopterAB 41223built by Agusta
Boeing CH-47 ChinookFlag of the United States United Statestransport helicopterCH-47C36built by Agusta
NHI NH90Flag of Europe European Uniontransport helicopterTTH60
Dornier Do 228Flag of Germany Germanyutility transportDo 228-2003
Piaggio P180 AvantiFlag of Italy Italyutility transportP. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest For an overview of the whole Huey family of aircraft see Bell Huey WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For an overview of the whole Huey family of aircraft see Bell Huey WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For an overview of the whole Huey family of aircraft see Bell Huey WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For an overview of the whole Huey family of aircraft see Bell Huey WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The NHI NH90 is a medium sized twin-engine multi-role military Fly-by-wire Helicopter manufactured by NHIndustries, a company established by The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Piaggio P180 Avanti is an unusual yet remarkably efficient twin-engine business aircraft produced by Piaggio Aero. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest 180 M3

Operations

A post-World War II peace treaty signed by Italy prevented the country from deploying military forces in overseas operations as well as possessing fixed-wing vessel-based aircraft for twenty-five years following the end of the war. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A peace treaty is an agreement between two hostile parties usually countries or governments that formally ends an armed conflict

This treaty expired in 1970, but it would not be until 1982 that Italy first deployed troops on foreign soil, with a peacekeeping contingent being dispatched to Beirut following a United Nations request for troops. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Since the 1980s, Italian troops have participated with other Western countries in peacekeeping operations across the world, especially in Africa, Balkan Peninsula and the Middle East. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.

As of yet, the Italian Army has not engaged in major combat operations since World War II; though Italian Special Forces have taken part in anti-Taliban operations in Afghanistan as part of Task Force 'Nibbio'. Italy was not yet a member of the United Nations in 1950, when that organization went to war with North Korea. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the

Italy did take part in the 1990-91 Gulf War but solely through the deployment of eight Italian Air Force Panavia Tornado IDS bomber jets to Saudi Arabia; Italian Army troops were subsequently deployed to assist Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq following the conflict. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics.

As part of Operation Enduring Freedom in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, Italy contributed to the international operation in Afghanistan. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF is the official name used by the U Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Italian forces have contributed to ISAF, the NATO force in Afghanistan, and a Provincial reconstruction team and 5 Italian soldiers have died under ISAF. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, A Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT is a special military unit that provides security and helps with reconstruction in unstable nations Italy has sent 411 troops, based on one infantry company from the 2nd Alpini Regiment tasked to protect the ISAF HQ, one engineer company, one NBC platoon, one logistic unit, as well as liaison and staff elements integrated into the operation chain of command. The 2nd Alpini Regiment is a Light Infantry Regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain Combat. Italian forces also command a multinational engineer task force and have deployed a platoon of Italian military police. Military police ( MPs) are normally the Police of a Military Organization. Three AB 212 helicopters also were deployed to Kabul. For an overview of the whole Huey family of aircraft see Bell Huey WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft.

The Italian Army did not take part in combat operations of the 2003 Second Gulf War, dispatching troops only after May 1, 2003 - when major combat operations were declared over by the U.S. President George W. Bush. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Subsequently Italian troops arrived in the late summer of 2003, and began patrolling Nasiriyah and the surrounding area. Nasiriyah ( BGN: an-Nāṣiriyyah; also spelled Nassiriya or Nasiriya) is a city in Iraq On 26 May, 2006, Italian foreign minister Massimo d'Alema announced that the Italian forces would be reduced to 1,600 by June. Massimo D'Alema (born April 20 1949) is an Italian politician As of June 2006 32 Italian troops have been killed in Iraq - with the greatest single loss of life coming on November 12, 2003 - a suicide car bombing of the Italian Carabinieri Corps HQ left a dozen Carabinieri, five Army soldiers, two Italian civilians, and eight Iraqi civilians dead. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Carabinieri (Italian for Carabiniers are the national-level Gendarmerie of Italy who also perform Military police duties

As of 2006, Italy ranks third in the world in number of military forces operating in peacekeeping and peace-enforcing scenarios Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Lebanon following only the United States and United Kingdom. International Security Assistance Force (10 ( ISAF) is a NATO -led security and development mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations The Kosovo Force ( KFOR) is a NATO -led international force responsible for establishing a safe and secure environment in Kosovo, the self-proclaimed independent EUFOR or European Union Force is a term used to describe European Union military deployments and has been used four times so far in FYROM from March 2003 to December The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was created by the United Nations, with the adoption of Security Council Resolution

A recent law promotes membership of the Italian Army guaranteeing volunteers post-Army careers in the Carabinieri, Italian State Police, Customs Police, State Forestry Department, Fire Department and other state bodies. The Carabinieri (Italian for Carabiniers are the national-level Gendarmerie of Italy who also perform Military police duties The Polizia di Stato (State Police or PdS is one of the National police forces of Italy. The Guardia di Finanza, (/ˈgwardja di fiˈnantsa/ (Financial Guard is an Italian Police force under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance Corpo Forestale dello Stato ( CFS; Italian for State Forestry Department) is a national police agency in Italy.

See also

References

  1. ^ Walker (2003), pp. This article is about the Italian Royal Army ( Regio Esercito) which participated in World War II. Army aviation refers to aviation-related units of a nation's Army. 6-8
  2. ^ Walker (2003), pp. 60-61
  3. ^ Walker (2003), p. 199
  4. ^ Bierman & Smith (2002), pp. 13-14
  5. ^ Walker (2003), pp. 11-29
  6. ^ http://www.comandosupremo.com/KerenBattle.html
  7. ^ Mackenzie, Compton (1951). Eastern Epic. Chatto & Windus, London, pp. 52-64.
  8. ^ http://ourstory.info/library/4-ww2/Ball/fire03.html#ch5
  9. ^ Bauer (2000), p. 428
  10. ^ Walker (2003), p. 199
  11. ^ Bierman & Smith (2002), p. 14
  12. ^ Walker (2003), p. 199
  13. ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007. Aviation Week & Space Technology, often abbreviated Aviation Week or AW&ST, is a weekly Magazine. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Sources

External links

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