Formation In March 1915 the 120th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Emilia") was formed in
Ravenna by the
regimental depot of the
28th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Pavia"). At the same time the command of the
Brigade "Emilia" and the 119th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Emilia") were formed in
Bologna by the regimental depot of the 35th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Pistoia"). Both regiments consisted of three battalions, which each fielded four
fusilier companies and one machine gun section. The Brigade "Emilia" formed, together with the
Brigade "Liguria", the 33rd Division.
World War I During
World War I the Brigade "Emilia" fought on the
Italian front: in June 1915 the brigade fought in the
First Battle of the Isonzo near
Plave and dislodged
Austro-Hungarian forces at
Globna, for which the 120th Infantry Regiment was awarded a
Bronze Medal of Military Valor. In October of the same year the brigade fought on the slopes of
Batognica and in November the brigade was deployed
Krn mountain. In 1916 the brigade fought on the
Monte Sleme and
Monte Mrzli mountains and in 1917 at
Grčna near
Gorizia. In June 1918 the brigade was deployed to
Monte Grappa, where on 15 June it was ferociously attacked by Austro-Hungarian forces on the first day of the
Second Battle of the Piave River. The brigade held its positions at
Porte di Salton at the cost of 31 officers and 854 enlisted killed or wounded. For its defense at Porte di Salton the brigade's two regiments were awarded a
Silver Medal of Military Valor. After the war the brigade and its two regiments were disbanded in December 1919. In March 1942 the Emilia division was deployed to
Kotor in occupied
Montenegro. After the announcement of the
Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the division concentrated its forces around the
Bay of Kotor and formed with the units of the
Royal Italian Navy a defense perimeter. The division refused German demands to surrender and on 14 September 1943 went on the offensive and against German forces. On 16 September the division's commander
Ugo Buttà ordered the Emilia's units to requisition every vessel in Kotor harbor and sail for
Apulia in southern Italy, where British and Italian forces had driven out the Germans. The same evening most of the division managed to reach Apulia, while division's rearguard, the I Battalion of the 120th Infantry Regiment "Emilia", surrendered. For its refusal to surrender to the Germans and its rearguard action the I Battalion was awarded the regiment's second
Bronze Medal of Military Valor. To avoid confusion with the
155th Heavy Self-propelled Field Artillery Group "Emilia" the battalion's name was changed from "Emilia" to "
Fornovo" to commemorate the 1495 A.D.
Battle of Fornovo, which was fought by Italian forces against French forces crossing the Emilia region. The battalion was assigned to the
Mechanized Brigade "Isonzo" and consisted of a command, a command and services company, six fortification companies, and seven maintenance squads. The battalion was tasked with manning fortifications of the
Alpine Wall between the
Natisone river and the border with
Yugoslavia from
Capriva del Friuli in the South to the valleys just North of
Cividale. In 1986 the Italian Army abolished the divisional level and brigades, which until then had been under one of the Army's four divisions, came under direct command of the Army's
3rd Army Corps or
5th Army Corps. As the Mechanized Division "Mantova" carried the traditions of the
104th Infantry Division "Mantova" and
Combat Group "Mantova", which had both fought against the Germans during the
Italian campaign of
World War II the army decided to retain the name of the division. On 30 September 1986 the Mantova's division command in
Udine was disbanded and the next day the command of the Mechanized Brigade "Isonzo" moved from
Cividale del Friuli to Udine, where the command was renamed
Mechanized Brigade "Mantova". The brigade retained the Isonzo's units, including the 120th Infantry Fortification Battalion "Fornovo". On 10 October 1986 battalion took over the duty to maintain the fortifications along the
Tagliamento river from the disbanded
73rd Infantry Fortification Battalion "Lombardia".
Recent times After the end of the
Cold War the Italian Army began to draw down its forces and Infantry Fortification units were some of the first units to disband. On 30 November 1991 the
63rd Infantry Fortification Battalion "Cagliari" and 120th Infantry Fortification Battalion "Fornovo" were disbanded and the flags of the
63rd Infantry Regiment "Cagliari" and 120th Infantry Regiment "Emilia" were transferred on 5 December 1991 to the Shrine of the Flags in the
Vittoriano in Rome. == References ==