Interwar years On 1 October 1927, the
Royal Italian Army reorganized its Armed Tanks Formation Center in
Rome and formed the Armed Tanks Regiment () as central training unit for the army's tank battalions. In 1931, the regimental headquarter moved from Rome to
Bologna. On 15 September 1936, the Armed Tanks Regiment was split into four tank infantry regiments, which had training and administrative functions: in
Turin • II Assault Tanks Battalion "
Berardi", in
Alessandria • III Assault Tanks Battalion "
Paselli", in
Monza • IV Breach Tanks Battalion "
Prestinari", in Vercelli • 1st Training Center, in Vercelli • 1st Maintenance Workshop, in Vercelli The assault tanks battalions fielded initially
L3/33 tankettes, which were soon replaced by slightly improved
L3/35 tankettes, while the breach tanks battalion fielded
Fiat 3000 light tanks. On 1 January 1938, the regiment received the XXIII Assault Tanks Battalion "Stennio", which had returned from
Libya and took up residence in
Fidenza. In 1938, all Assault Tanks Battalions were renamed Tank Battalion L (with L standing for or Light), while Breach Tanks Battalions were renamed Tank Battalion M (with M standing for or Medium). On 1 December 1938, the 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment was disbanded and the regiment's command and depot formed the
32nd Tank Infantry Regiment as an operational unit for the
II Armored Brigade. Already a day earlier, on 30 November 1938, the 1st Tank Infantry Regiment had transferred its IV Tank Battalion M to the new regiment, while on 1 December the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment transferred its IV Tank Battalion L "Monti" and XXII Tank Battalion L "Coralli" to the 1st Tank Infantry Regiment. Afterwards the 1st Tank Infantry Regiment consisted of the following units: in
Bolzano • XXII Tank Battalion L "
Coralli", in
Fidenza • XXIII Tank Battalion L "
Stennio", in
Fidenza • 1st Training Center, in Vercelli • 1st Maintenance Workshop, in Vercelli All of the regiment's battalions were equipped with
L3/35 tankettes. In early 1939 the battalions dropped their names. On 6 May 1943, the XVI Tank Battalion M14/41 deployed to
Sardinia, where it joined the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment. In August 1943, the regiment's depot began with the formation of the I Tank Battalion P26/40 (with P standing for or Heavy), which was to receive the first of the new
P26/40 tanks. However, in the evening of 8 September 1943, the
Armistice of Cassibile, which ended hostilities between the
Kingdom of Italy and the
Anglo-American Allies, was announced by General
Dwight D. Eisenhower on Radio Algiers and by Marshal
Pietro Badoglio on
Italian radio. Germany reacted by
invading Italy and the 1st Tank Infantry Regiment and its depot were soon thereafter disbanded by German forces. == Organization ==