World War I The 225th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Arezzo") was formed during
World War I on 18 May 1916 in
Castelfranco Veneto near the
Italian Front. The regiment consisted of three battalions, which each fielded four
fusilier companies and one machine gun section. The regiment's units had been formed by the following
regimental depots: the command of the I Battalion and the battalion's 1st and 2nd companies by the
7th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Cuneo") in
Milan, the I Battalion's 3rd and 4th companies by the
68th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Palermo") in Milan, the II Battalion by the 42nd Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Modena") in
Lodi, and the III Battalion by the 77th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Toscana") in
Brescia. The regimental depot of the 68th Infantry Regiment also had formed the command of the 225th Infantry Regiment and the command of the
Brigade "Arezzo", to which the regiment was assigned together with the 226th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Arezzo").
Interwar years After World War I the Royal Italian Army disbanded the brigades and the regiments formed during the war, with the exception of brigades, whose regiments had both been awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valor. In 1926 the 225th Infantry Regiment moved from
Foggia to
Ascoli Piceno and on 30 September of the same year the command of the Brigade "Arezzo" and the 226th Infantry Regiment were disbanded, while the 225th Infantry Regiment, now renamed 225th Infantry Regiment "Arezzo", was assigned to the
XXIV Infantry Brigade, which was the infantry component of the
24th Territorial Division of Chieti. In 1934 the division changed its name to
24th Infantry Division "Gran Sasso". A name change that also extended to the division's infantry brigade.
Second Italo-Ethiopian War On 30 May 1935 the depot of the 225th Infantry Regiment "Arezzo" in
Ascoli Piceno reformed the 97th Infantry Regiment "Genova", as replacement for the 225th Infantry Regiment "Arezzo", which, along with the rest of the
24th Infantry Division "Gran Sasso", was mobilized for the
Second Italo-Ethiopian War. Together with the
19th Infantry Division "Gavinana" the Gran Sasso operated in the
Tigray Region and fought in March 1936 in the
Battle of Shire, for which the 225th Infantry Regiment "Arezzo" was awarded a
Bronze Medal of Military Valor.
World War II At the outbreak of
World War II the regiment consisted of a command, a command company, three
fusilier battalions, a support weapons battery equipped with
65/17 infantry support guns, and a mortar company equipped with
81mm Mod. 35 mortars. From 30 October 1940 the Arezzo division's units were sent to the South of Albania to reinforce Italian units fighting the
Greco-Italian War. From 20 November the entire division was engaged in combat against Greek forces in the
Shkumbin valley. The battalion was assigned to the
Motorized Brigade "Friuli" as the brigade's recruits training battalion. The battalion consisted of a command, a command platoon, and three recruits companies. In 1987 the command platoon was increased to command and services company.
Recent times On 13 September 1992 the 225th Infantry Battalion "Arezzo" lost its autonomy and the next day the battalion entered the reformed 225th Regiment "Arezzo". The regiment was disbanded on 22 January 1999 and the regiment's flag was Ítransferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome. ==References==