, falls during the storming of
Porta Pia in
Rome 1870 On 1 January 1871 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment was formed in
Rome with the XVI Battalion, XXXIV Battalion, XXXV Battalion, and XXXVI Battalion, which were transferred from the
5th Bersaglieri Regiment. The four battalions were renumbered as I, II, III, and IV battalion upon entering the new regiment. On 16 September 1883 the IV Battalion was transferred to the newly formed
12th Bersaglieri Regiment. On 18 June 1886, all Bersaglieri battalions resumed their original numbering and afterwards the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment consisted of the XVI Battalion, XXXIV Battalion, and XXXV Battalion. These three battalions had been formed in 1859 (XVI Battalion) and 1861 respectively (XXXIV and XXXV Battalion). In 1860-61 the three battalions fought in the
Sardinian campaign in central and southern Italy. In 1866 the battalions participated in the
Third Italian War of Independence and fought in the
Battle of Custoza. In September 1870 the XXXIV and XXXV battalions participated in the
capture of Rome, during which the commander of the XXXIV Battalion, Major Giacomo Pagliari, fell when the battalion stormed the breach in the
Aurelian Walls near the
Porta Pia. As replacement for the regiment the regiment's depot in Palermo formed on 8 April 1915 the 10th bis Bersaglieri Regiment, with the LVII and LVIII battalions, which the depot had formed earlier. Upon entering the regiment the two battalions were renamed XVI bis Battalion and XXXIV bis Battalion. With elements of the two battalions the depot also formed the XXXV bis Battalion. The 10th bis Bersaglieri Regiment was immediately deployed to the Italian front. On 5 January 1916 the regiment was renamed 16th Bersaglieri Regiment and its battalions were renumbered as LVII, LVIII, and LXIII battalion. The LXIII Battalion distinguished itself on 26-27 March 1916 on Pal Piccolo, for which the battalion was awarded a
Bronze Medal of Military Valor. The 16th Bersaglieri Regiment was disbanded on 7 March 1918 and its three battalions became autonomous units. On 31 January 1917 the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment's depot in Palermo formed the LXIX Battalion for the
18th Bersaglieri Regiment. In June 1918 the X Cyclists Battalion suffered heavy losses during the
Second Battle of the Piave River. On 24 June 1918 the
II,
VI,
IX, and X Cyclists battalions were disbanded and their remaining personnel merged into a single Cyclists Assault Battalion. •
10th Bersaglieri Regiment • Command Company • XVI Auto-transported Battalion • XXXIV Auto-transported Battalion • XXXV Auto-transported Battalion • XC Auto-transported Battalion (disbanded on 30 October 1940) • 10th Cannons Company, with
47/32 mod. 35 anti-tank guns • Auto Unit On 9 December 1940 the British
Western Desert Force commenced the
Operation Compass to expel the Italian
10th Army from Egypt. The British offensive quickly devastated the 10th Army and on 13 December the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment was ordered to
Libya to stop the rapid Italian retreat. On 5 February 1941 the regiment encountered British forces near
Ajdabiya, which destroyed the regiment in two days of heavy combat. The regimental command escaped destruction and formed with the few survivors a provisional battalion, which continued to fight for another month, before the survivors were repatriated with the regiment's flag. On 15 May 1941 the regiment was reformed in Palermo with the LVII and LVIII auto-transported battalions, and the LXIII Support Weapons Battalion. On 5 August 1941 the LVII and LVIII auto-transported battalions left the regiment and were sent to Libya to reinforce Italian units fighting in the
Western Desert campaign. On 20 August the regiment reformed the XXXIV Battalion and XVI Battalion, which was soon renumbered XXXV Battalion. On 8 November 1942
allied forces landed in French Morocco and Algeria. On 14 November the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment arrived in
Tunisia as part of the
Run for Tunis. The regiment was then attached to the
1st Infantry Division "Superga" and fought in the
Tunisian campaign against British forces in Southern Tunisia. On 27 March 1943 British forces flanked the
Mareth Line and the Axis forces were forced to retreat. On 6 April the
Battle of Wadi Akarit commenced and once more Axis forces were forced to retreat. By 24 April the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment and 5th Bersaglieri Regiment had suffered so many casualties that the two regiments formed one provisional battalion. Shortly before Axis forces surrendered on 13 May 1943 a company with survivors of the regiment was repatriated to Sicily with the regiment's flag. On 15 June 1943 the regiment was reformed in Palermo with the CCCLXXXVI, III, and VII replacements battalions. Upon entering the regiment the three battalions were renumbered as XXXV, LXXIII, LXXIV battalions. The regiment was assigned to the
XII Army Corps, which was tasked with defending
Sicily to the West of a line from
Cefalù to
Licata. On 10 July 1943 the
Allied invasion of Sicily began and the regiment moved from
Chiusa Sclafani towards
Agrigento. Over the next six days the regiment was annihilated in combat with American forces. By the end of July 1943 the regiment was declared lost due to wartime events. For its conduct and sacrifice at Agrigento the regiment was awarded a Bronze Medal of Military Valor. == See also ==