Interwar years On 15 December 1926, the 9th Anti-aircraft Artillery Center was formed in
Pescara, which incorporated the existing 9th Anti-aircraft Group. On 1 January 1927, the center consisted of a command, a mixed group with two trucked batteries with
75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns and a positional battery with
76/45 anti-aircraft guns, a photo-electricians unit, and a depot. The photo-electricians unit operated
searchlights. In December 1942, the 4th Anti-aircraft Artillery Grouping and its groups were destroyed during
Operation Little Saturn. On 1 January 1950, the regiment took administrative and disciplinary control of the CII Group with
90/53 anti-aircraft guns of the
V Territorial Military Command. On 1 January 1951, the Infantry Division "Folgore" included the following artillery regiments: The regiment's new organization was as follows: • Command and Services Battery, in Mestre • 1st Missile Group, in
San Donà di Piave • Command and Services Battery, in San Donà di Piave • 1st Missile Battery, in
Plasencis (Site 1) • 2nd Missile Battery, in
Terzo d'Aquileia (Site 2) • 3rd Missile Battery, in
San Giorgio di Livenza (Site 3) • 4th Missile Battery, in
Fontanafredda (Site 4) • 2nd Missile Group, in
Rovigo • Command and Services Battery, in Rovigo • 5th Missile Battery, in
Peseggia (Site 5) • 6th Missile Battery, in
Conetta (Site 6) • 7th Missile Battery, in
Marzanata di Trecenta (Site 7) • 8th Missile Battery, in
San Rocco di Longare (Site 8) • 25th Signal Company, in Mestre The 5th Anti-aircraft Missile Artillery Regiment was the Italian Army's forward deployed air defense unit, which covered the area of operation of the
5th Army Corps. The regiment operated from eight fixed sites, which were numbered from 1 to 8.
Recent times On 13 September 1992, the 5th Anti-aircraft Missile Artillery Regiment was disbanded and the next day the regiment was reformed in San Donà di Piave as 5th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment by reorganizing the regiment's 1st Missile Group. The same day the
3rd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment was reformed in Rovigo by reorganizing the disbanded regiment's 2nd Missile Group. On 1 October 1997, the regiment was given the name "Pescara" to commemorate the city of its founding. On 31 October 2001, the Missile Group in San Donà di Piave was disbanded, while at on the same date the flag of the 3rd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment was transferred from Rovigo to the
Shrine of the Flags in the
Vittoriano in
Rome for safekeeping. The next day, on 1 November 2001, the flag of the 5th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Pescara" moved from San Donà di Piave to Rovigo, where it took over the base and missile group of the disbanded regiment. On 1 January 2002, the 5th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Pescara" was assigned to the Anti-aircraft Artillery Brigade, which, on 11 September 2009, merged with the Anti-aircraft Artillery School to form the
Anti-aircraft Artillery Command. On 26 October 2012, the 5th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Pescara" was disbanded and the regiment's flag was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome for safekeeping. == References ==