On 1 November 1888, the Royal Italian Army formed the 18th Field Artillery Regiment in
L'Aquila. The new regiment consisted of eight batteries and one
train company ceded by the 6th Field Artillery Regiment. The ceded batteries had participated in the
Third Italian War of Independence and been awarded a
Bronze Medal of Military Valor for their conduct during the
Battle of Custoza in 1866. In 1895-96, the regiment provided one officer and 90 troops for the formation of the 9th Artillery Battery, which was deployed to
Eritrea for the
First Italo-Ethiopian War. In 1911-12, the regiment provided 16 officers and 363 troops to augment units deployed to
Libya for the
Italo-Turkish War. On 1 January 1915, the regiment ceded its III Group, which consisted of three batteries, to help form the 31st Field Artillery Regiment. In May 1915, the regiment formed with its reserve personnel one group of three batteries for the 38th Field Artillery. In March 1945, the survivors of the "Pinerolo" division were repatriated. The group was assigned to the Artillery School and consisted of a command, a command and services battery, a battery with
M114 155mm towed howitzers, a battery with
M59 155mm towed field guns, and a battery with
M115 203mm towed howitzers. In 1978, the group replaced the M114 with modern
FH70 155mm towed howitzers. On 31 March 1981, the 18th Field Artillery Group "Gran Sasso" was disbanded and the next day its personnel was used to form the Complementary Officers Cadets Group, which was assigned to the Artillery School. Once more the flag of the 18th Artillery Regiment was returned to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano.
Recent times On 18 September 1992, the 18th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment was reformed in
Rimini by reorganizing the 3rd Light Anti-aircraft Group of the
121st Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment. The reformed regiment's 1st Anti-aircraft Group consisted of three batteries, which were equipped with
Stinger man-portable air-defense systems and
Skyguard surface-to-air missile systems. On 30 June 1997, the 18th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment was disbanded and the regiment's flag transferred the next day to the Shrine of the Flags. On the same day, 1 July 1997, the flag of the
17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" was moved from
Villafranca to Rimini, where the 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" took over the base and units of the disbanded regiment. == References ==