Bersaglieri

The Bersaglieri Corps were a high-mobility light infantry at their inception in 1836, with their specific situation evolving with changes in warfare. In the nineteenth century, Bersaglieri acted as skirmishers or shock troops, moving from place to place by running. An elaborate system of bugle calls allowed their units to be deployed and commanded quickly, singly or in combination. The tradition of running continues today in parades and during barracks duty. In World War I, some Bersaglieri served as bicycle troops, better to execute their mission of maneuver warfare. During the Cold War, the Bersaglieri were exclusively employed as mechanized infantry. Bersaglieri are well known for their extraordinary performances in parades and military tattoos, always running instead of marching, with hundreds of black capercaillie feathers flowing from their wide-brimmed black hats. These feathers are also worn on Bersaglieri combat helmets. They once served a military purpose, acting as camouflage and as a sunshade for the marksman's shooting eye. Today, they are a badge of honour, attracting new recruits and fostering esprit among their wearers. ==Origins and history==

The relatively poor Kingdom of Sardinia could not afford large numbers of cavalry, so a quick-moving infantry corps of marksmen were needed. These troops were trained to high physical and marksmanship standards. Like the French chasseurs à pied, a level of independence and initiative was encouraged so that they could operate in looser formations, in which direct command and control was not required. They fired individually and carried 60 rounds instead of the standard 40 rounds of traditional line infantry. The first uniform was black with brimmed hats, called "vaira". These were intended to defend the head from sabre blows. The first public appearance of the Bersaglieri was on the occasion of a military parade on 1 July 1836. The First Company marched through Turin with the rapid, high-stepping gait (180 paces/minute) still used by the Bersaglieri in World War II and later. The modern Bersaglieri still run both on parade and even during barracks duty – on penalty of punishment if they do not. The new corps impressed King Charles Albert, who immediately had them integrated as part of the Piedmontese regular army. The corps grew rapidly and by 1852 there were already 10 battalions, each with four companies. Throughout the nineteenth century the Bersaglieri filled the role of skirmishers, screening the slow-moving line and column formations, but acting as special shock troops if required. They were originally intended to serve as mountain troops, as well; the climber Jean-Antoine Carrel was a Bersagliere. When the Alpini Corps were created in 1872 a strong rivalry arose between the two elite corps. ==Unified Italy==

During the First War of Italian Independence (1848–1849) the Bersaglieri distinguished themselves by storming the bridge at Goito in an episode known to later historiography as the Battle of Goito Bridge (la Battaglia del Ponte di Goito). In 1855 the Bersaglieri provided five battalions for the Sardinian expeditionary corps in the Crimean War, where they were involved in the Siege of Sevastopol and the Battle of the Chernaya. Most of the casualties were suffered due to a cholera epidemic. Their bravery at the Cernaia was widely recognized and played a key role in gaining Piedmont-Sardinia a seat in the negotiations at the war's end. For their effort in the Crimea, the Bersaglieri were rewarded a red fez with a blue tassel, in honour from the French zouaves troops, with whom they served, as they watched the Bersaglieri's bravery in the battle. When the Armata Sarda became the Regio Esercito (Royal Italian Army) in 1860, the existing 36 battalions were used to create six Bersaglieri regiments, which had administrative and disciplinary duties. The regiments were assigned to the army corps', with the regiment's battalions assigned to the divisions in the corps as reconnaissance units. • 1st Bersaglieri Regiment under I Army Corps with the I, IX, XIII, XIX, XXI and XXVII battalions • 2nd Bersaglieri Regiment under II Army Corps with the II, IV, X, XV, XVII and XVIII battalions • 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment under III Army Corps with the III, V, VIII, XX, XXIII and XXV battalions • 4th Bersaglieri Regiment under IV Army Corps with the VI, VII, XI, XII, XXXV and XXXVI battalions • 5th Bersaglieri Regiment under V Army Corps with the XIV, XVI, XXII, XXIV, XXVI and XXXIV battalions • 6th Bersaglieri Regiment under VI Army Corps with the XXVIII, XXIX, XXX, XXXI, XXXII and XXXIII battalions The most famous action of the Bersaglieri occurred on 20 September 1870, when the XII Bersaglieri Battalion stormed Rome through a breach created by Italian artillery in the Aurelian Walls near Porta Pia leading to the capture of Rome and end of the temporal power of the Pope, thus completing the unification of Italy. A monument was erected in 1932 in front of Porta Pia to commemorate the event at the same time as the National Museum of the Bersaglieri corps was moved to Porta Pia, where it resides still today. In 1871, the Bersaglieri corps added another four battalions and the regiments were increased from six to 10 and given also operational command of the battalions. In 1883 a further two regiments were added for a total of 12 Bersaglieri regiments, one for each army corps with three battalions per regiment. Therefore, the four battalions raised in 1871 were disbanded. • 1st Bersaglieri Regiment under I Army Corps with the I, VII and IX battalions • 2nd Bersaglieri Regiment under II Army Corps with the II, IV, and XVII battalions • 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment under III Army Corps with the XVIII, XX, and XXV battalions • 4th Bersaglieri Regiment under IV Army Corps with the XXVI, XXIX and XXXI battalions • 5th Bersaglieri Regiment under V Army Corps with the XIV, XXII and XXIV battalions • 6th Bersaglieri Regiment under VI Army Corps with the VI, XIII and XIX battalions • 7th Bersaglieri Regiment under VII Army Corps with the VIII, X and XI battalions • 8th Bersaglieri Regiment under VIII Army Corps with the III, V and XII battalions • 9th Bersaglieri Regiment under IX Army Corps with the XXVIII, XXX and XXXII battalions • 10th Bersaglieri Regiment under X Army Corps with the XVI, XXXIV and XXXV battalions • 11th Bersaglieri Regiment under XI Army Corps with the XV, XXVII and XXXIII battalions • 12th Bersaglieri Regiment under XII Army Corps with the XXI, XXIII and XXXVI battalions ==World War I==

'', Vol.5, No.106, Aug., 1916 During World War I, the 12 existing Bersaglieri regiments were augmented by nine newly raised regiments and fought with distinction on the Italian Front. Of the 210,000 members of Bersaglieri regiments, 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded during the war. Italy's last surviving World War I veteran, Delfino Borroni, was a member of the 6th Bersaglieri Regiment from Bologna. Another member who served as Bersagliere on the front (and was wounded) was Benito Mussolini. A contingent of Bersaglieri drawn from the autonomous battalions of the 1st Bersaglieri Regiment was sent to participate in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in 1917, where they were attached to the Egyptian Expeditionary Force commanded by General Edmund Allenby. Their "mainly political" role was to assert "hereditary ecclesiastical prerogatives in connection with the Christian churches at Jerusalem and Bethlehem." Peacetime regiments At the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the Bersaglieri corps consisted of 12 regiments each organized into a regimental HQ, three battalions on foot, and one cyclist's battalion. Each regiment also contained a machine gun section with two machine guns. The battalions on foot consisted of three companies of 250 men each, while the cyclist battalions consisted of three companies of 150 men each. Additionally, each cyclist's battalion had its own machine gun section with two machine guns. Between the outbreak of the war and the Italian declaration of war on 23 May 1915 the Italian army was forced to send the 1st Bersaglieri Regiment and five battalions from other Bersaglieri regiments to Libya as the local population fiercely resisted the Italian occupation. On 29 December 1914 the army sent the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment to Albania, which was in turmoil after its freshly installed ruler William, Prince of Albania had fled the country in September 1914. Already since 4 May 1912 two battalions of the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment were in Rhodes to garrison the newly conquered Italian Islands of the Aegean. With war imminent the army began to raise new Bersaglieri battalions to replace the battalions deployed overseas and on 8 April 1915, the 10th bis Bersaglieri Regiment was formed to replace the 10th deployed in Albania. Starting in January 1915 additional battalions were raised starting, which remained autonomous and were not integrated into an existing regiment. When hostilities commenced the Bersaglieri consisted of: • 15 regiments (one in Albania, 14 in Italy) • 48 battalions on foot (45 grouped in 15 regiments and three autonomous battalions). Each of these battalions consisted of four companies of 225 men each, a sapper unit, a machine-gun section, and two submachine-gun sections • 15 autonomous battalions on foot (two deployed to Rhodes, thirteen in Libya). Each of these battalions consisted of three companies of 250 men each and a machine-gun section • 12 cyclist battalions, each with three companies of 150 men and a machine-gun section Early in 1917 each battalion in Italy received a second submachine-gun section and in May the battalions were thoroughly reorganized: the machine gun sections of each battalion were increased to a machine gun company with six machine guns, while the battalion's 4th companies were grouped in independent "marching" battalions (Battaglione di Marcia), which acted as personnel reserve for the armies deployed to the front. Thus at the end of 1917 the Bersaglieri corps consisted of: Additionally the command of the 16th Bersaglieri Regiment was disbanded and its battalions became autonomous, six of the autonomous battalions deployed to Libya were ordered to return and reorganized as the other battalions on the Italian front. The cyclist battalions were also reorganized (see the "Cyclist Battalions" section here below). Cyclist battalions The twelve cyclist battalions of the peacetime regiments had been raised in 1910. Each consisted of three companies of 150 men, and a machine gun section with two machine guns. did the army institute permanent cyclist groups. These four groups were officially instituted on 15 January 1918 and each fielded three cyclist battalions and formed initially the mobile reserve of the Third Army on the lower Piave river: Special Bersaglieri Division At the outbreak of war seven Bersaglieri regiments were assigned to divisions or army corps, while four Bersaglieri regiments formed on 20 May 1915 the Special Bersaglieri Division (Divisione Speciale Bersaglieri). The four regiments were joined by IV Mountain Artillery Group ("Mondovì") of the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment and minor support units. On 11 February 1916 the four regiments were grouped together in two brigades: the I Bersaglieri Brigade consisted of the 6th and 12th Bersaglieri regiments, while the II Bersaglieri Brigade consisted of the 9th and 11th Bersaglieri regiments. After not even a year of existence the division was transformed on 5 March 1916 into a standard infantry division, with the infantry Brigade "Piemonte" and Brigade "Aosta" replacing the Bersaglieri brigades, which afterwards were attached, like other Bersaglieri units, to divisions and army corps as needed. Bersaglieri Brigades After the Special Bersaglieri Division had been disbanded the two Bersaglieri brigades were attached to higher commands as needed. On 6 November 1916, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment replaced the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment in the II Bersaglieri Brigade, but there were no further changes to the brigades during that year. In 1917 the army decided to activate a further three Bersaglieri brigades of two regiments each, bringing the Bersaglieri closer in line with the regular infantry, all of whose regiments were grouped together in brigades composed of a headquarters and two infantry regiments. During the year the III, IV, and V Bersaglieri brigades were raised, with respectively the 17th and 18th, 14th and 20th, and 4th and 21st regiments belonging to their parent brigades. However the defeat in the Battle of Caporetto led to the destruction of the V Bersaglieri Brigade, which, together with the 21st Bersaglieri Regiment, was annihilated during the retreat from the Isonzo river to the Piave river. In 1918 the army raised the V Bersaglieri Brigade again and also activated the VI and VII Bersaglieri brigades. The VI consisted of the 8th and 13th, respectively the 2nd and 3rd Bersaglieri regiments belonged to the VII Brigade. With this, all Bersaglieri regiments in Italy were now assigned to one of the seven Bersaglieri brigades. Assault Divisions At the end of 1915 each infantry regiment the Italian Army began to create Arditi platoons modeled after the German Stormtroopers. These units remained a regimental asset until 1917 when the 2nd Army on its own initiative an Arditi school in Sdricca di Manzano. The first unit raised from volunteers was officially activated with a live-fire exercise in front of King Victor Emmanuel III on 29 July 1917. Named I Assault Battalion (''I Reparto d'Assalto'') the successful exercise led to the creation of a second battalion, with both units having their baptism of fire during the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo on the Banjšice Plateau. After the success of the Arditi during the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo all armies were ordered to raise Arditi battalions. However each army raised and employed these battalions in different ways and only after the disastrous Battle of Caporetto did the Italian High Command take control of the formation and use of the Arditi units. Each army corps was to receive an Assault Battalion organized into a battalion HQ, three Arditi companies, three machine gun sections, six machine pistol section, and six flamethrower sections. The Bersaglieri raised three Assault battalions with similar composition. On 10 June 1918 the 1st Assault Division was created with three regiment-sized groupings of three Arditi battalions each with assigned HQ. On 25 June 1918 the 2nd Assault Division was raised and the two divisions thus formed the Assault Army Corps (''Corpo d'Armata d'Assalto''). Each division consisted of three groupings with two assault battalions and a Bersaglieri battalion, with an attached group HQ. Additionally each division fielded one Bersaglieri cyclists battalion, a cavalry squadron, a mountain artillery group, a sapper battalion, and various support units. The six Bersaglieri battalions in the groupings had been deployed to Libya until 28 May 1918. Additionally the corps fielded the Cyclists Assault Battalion formed on 24 June 1918 from the remaining men of the II, VI, IX, and X cyclist battalions. The corps's two divisions had the following structure: Geographical Distribution In 1914 the 1st Bersaglieri Regiment moved its depot from Sanremo to Naples to be closer to its upcoming area of deployment in Libya, while the 5th Bersaglieri Regiment moved from Ancona into the vacant barracks located at Sanremo and the 11th Bersaglieri Regiment moved from Naples to Ancona. == Interwar years ==

After the war the nine wartime regiments were disbanded and the number of Bersaglieri battalions in the remaining regiments reduced to two per regiment. A new role was seen for the light infantry as part of Italy's commitment to Mobile Warfare. The post-war Bersaglieri were converted into bicycle troops to fight alongside cavalry in the Celeri (fast) divisions. Elite units with high morale and an aggressive spirit were seen as one way to break such tactical stalemates as the trench warfare of 1915–18. The Bersaglieri gave Italy highly trained formations suitable for service with both cavalry and tanks. When the armoured divisions were formed in 1939, the link between the Bersaglieri and mobile warfare continued. Each new armoured and motorised division was allocated one Bersaglieri regiment. ==Interwar period==

A single Bersaglieri regiment, the 3rd Bersaglieri, took part in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in October 1935, invading from Eritrea as part of the 30th Infantry Division Sabauda under General Italo Gariboldi. There, they took part in the Christmas Offensive and the Battle of Amba Aradam, among others. The regiment was detached and sent back to Asmara in March 1936 to join a new unit, the East Africa Fast Column under Achille Starace. ==World War II==

Italy began the Second World War with twelve Bersaglieri regiments of three battalions each. Over the preceding years the Army had resisted suggestions to dilute the regiment's quality, and recruits continued to be of above-average size and stamina, endured intense physical training and had to qualify as marksmen. During the war an additional Bersaglieri regiment, the 18th, with three battalions was raised, but only one of its battalions saw combat. • 1st Bersaglieri Regiment (I, VII, IX battalions) – initially III Army Corps; from March 1942: 2nd Cavalry Division "Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro" • 2nd Bersaglieri Regiment (II, IV, XVII battalions) – garrison unit in Euboea (Greece) • 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment (XVIII, XX, XXV battalions) – 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta"; served on the Eastern Front • 4th Bersaglieri Regiment (XXVI, XXIX, XXXI battalions) – garrison unit in Split (Yugoslavia) • 5th Bersaglieri Regiment (XIV, XXII, XXIV battalions) – 131st Armored Division "Centauro"; destroyed in the Tunisian campaign • 6th Bersaglieri Regiment (VI, XIII, XIX battalions) – 2nd Cavalry Division "Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro"; from March 1942: 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta" on the Eastern Front • 7th Bersaglieri Regiment (VIII, X, XI battalions) – 102nd Motorized Division "Trento"; destroyed in the Tunisian campaign • 8th Bersaglieri Regiment (III, V, XII battalions) – 132nd Armored Division "Ariete"; destroyed in the Tunisian campaign; reformed in July 1943 • 9th Bersaglieri Regiment (XXVIII, XXX, XXXII battalions) – 101st Motorized Division "Trieste"; destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein • 10th Bersaglieri Regiment (XVI, XXXIV, XXXV battalions) – German Division von Broich/von Manteuffel; destroyed in the Tunisian campaign • 11th Bersaglieri Regiment (XV, XXVII, XXXIII battalions) – 1st Cavalry Division "Eugenio di Savoia"; from early 1942 attached to the 158th Infantry Division "Zara" • 12th Bersaglieri Regiment (XXI, XXIII, XXXVI battalions) – 133rd Armored Division "Littorio"; destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein • 18th Bersaglieri Armored Reconnaissance Regiment (LXVII, LXVIII, LXIX battalions) – garrison unit in the South of France; in spring 1942 the LXVII battalion was sent to the Eastern Front; remaining regiment joined the 136th Armored Legionary Division "Centauro" on 9 September 1943 in Rome The Bersaglieri fought in the Italian invasion of France and in the Greco-Italian War, later Bersaglieri regiments were deployed on the Eastern Front. One battalion of Bersaglieri participated in the East African Campaign. Six Bersaglieri regiments served and were destroyed during the North African Campaign. After the Armistice of Cassibile between the Kingdom of Italy and Western Allies on 8 September 1943, Italy split in half. The Republic of Salò continued the war alongside Nazi Germany. Its Army, the fascist National Republican Army, raised the 1st Bersaglieri Division "Italia", which was attached to the German 14th Army in a sector on the Northern Apennines. The division fought along the Gothic Line, and at the end of the final allied offensive, along with two Wehrmacht and the last fascist divisions, surrendered after the Battle of Collecchio. On the other side of the front the Italian Co-belligerent Army raised a Bersaglieri battalion as part of the Combat Group "Legnano" from remnants of the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment. ==Cold War==

During the Cold War the Bersaglieri were exclusively employed as mechanized infantry. The three active Bersaglieri regiments were assigned to the Army's armored divisions, with the 3rd and 8th regiments fielding two Bersaglieri and one tank battalion, while the 1st Armored Bersaglieri Regiment fielded two tank and one Bersaglieri battalion. Additionally each of the three active tank regiments fielded one Bersaglieri and two tank battalions, while the four armored infantry regiments of the motorized divisions fielded one Bersaglieri and one tank battalion each. Without exception the Bersaglieri battalions were armed with M113 armored personnel carriers. At the end of 1974 the following Bersaglieri regiments were active: • 1st Armored Bersaglieri Regiment, in Civitavecchia • Command and Services Company • I Bersaglieri Battalion • 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment, in Milan • XXVIII Bersaglieri Battalion • 32nd Tank Regiment, in Tauriano • XXIII Bersaglieri Battalion • 132nd Tank Regiment, in Aviano • XXXVIII Bersaglieri Battalion Together the three Bersaglieri and three tank regiments formed the army's two armored divisions: • Armored Division "Centauro" – 1st Armored Bersaglieri, 3rd Bersaglieri, and 31st Tank Regiment • Armored Division "Ariete" – 8th Bersaglieri, 32nd Tank, and 132nd Tank Regiment The remaining four active Bersaglieri battalions were assigned to the army's four armored infantry regiments: • 3rd Armored Infantry Regiment, in Persano (Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna") • IV Bersaglieri Battalion • 4th Armored Infantry Regiment, in Legnano (Infantry Division "Legnano") • II Bersaglieri Battalion • 22nd Armored Infantry Regiment "Cremona", in Turin (Infantry Division "Cremona") • VI Bersaglieri Battalion • 182nd Armored Infantry Regiment "Garibaldi", in Sacile (Infantry Division "Folgore") • XI Bersaglieri Battalion 1975 army reform in 1982 During the Italian Army reform of 1975 the regimental level was abolished and battalions became independent units under newly formed brigades. The Army formed the 3rd Mechanized Brigade "Goito" with the regimental command and units of the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment and the 8th Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi" with the regimental command and units of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment. Both brigades received one extra Bersaglieri battalion from disbanded armored infantry regiments and both fielded only personnel – with the exception of the tank crews and artillerists – from the Bersaglieri corps. When the battalions became independent they received the flags and traditions of disbanded Bersaglieri regiments and each battalion was given an honorary name commemorating a significant event in which it had participated: e.g. the 3rd Bersaglieri Battalion "Cernaia" received its honorary name to commemorate the conduct of the battalion during the Battle of the Chernaya in Crimea during the Crimean War in 1855. In the following list of Bersaglieri units active in 1977. • 1st Bersaglieri Battalion "La Marmora", in Civitavecchia (Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna") • 2nd Bersaglieri Battalion "Governolo", in Legnano (Mechanized Brigade "Legnano") • 3rd Bersaglieri Battalion "Cernaia", in Pordenone (8th Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi") • 6th Bersaglieri Battalion "Palestro", in Turin (3rd Mechanized Brigade "Goito") • 10th Bersaglieri Battalion "Bezzecca", in Solbiate Olona (3rd Mechanized Brigade "Goito") • 11th Bersaglieri Battalion "Caprera", in Orcenico Superiore (8th Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi") • 14th Bersaglieri (Recruits Training) Battalion "Sernaglia", in Albenga (3rd Army Corps) • 18th Bersaglieri Battalion "Poggio Scanno", in Milan (3rd Mechanized Brigade "Goito") • 23rd Bersaglieri Battalion "Castel di Borgo", in Tauriano (32nd Armored Brigade "Mameli") • 26th Bersaglieri Battalion "Castelfidardo", in Maniago (8th Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi") • 27th Bersaglieri Battalion "Jamiano", in Aviano (132nd Armored Brigade "Manin") • 28th Bersaglieri Battalion "Oslavia", in Bellinzago Novarese (31st Armored Brigade "Curtatone") • 67th Bersaglieri Battalion "Fagare", in Persano (Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo") Additionally the Bersaglieri fielded five anti-tank companies, one per Bersaglieri and one per Armored Brigade (Armored brigades Armored Brigade "Manin", Armored Brigade "Centauro", and Armored Brigade "Mameli"). With the end of the Cold War, the Italian army began a reduction in personnel and units which also affected the Bersaglieri. On 1 June 1991 the Mechanized Brigade "Goito" was disbanded, while the Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi" moved to the Southern city of Caserta, as the Army had decided to reduce the number of units in the north of Italy. The Garibaldi arrived in Caserta on 1 July 1991 and changed its name to 8th Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi". Also in 1991, the battalions of the Army were renamed as regiments without changing composition. == Current structure ==

in 2008 in May 2021 While in the past the mobility of the Bersaglieri manifested itself in running and the use of bicycles, regiments currently in service are all mechanised with either Dardo or Freccia infantry fighting vehicles. To distinguish them from other infantry units the Bersaglieri collar patches are crimson-red and enlisted troops wear a red fez instead of berets. Officers wear black berets with their standard uniform, but a feathered "vaira" when dressed in ceremonial uniform. They also wear black gloves, while other Italian regiments wear white ones. Originally each Bersaglieri regiment had a band called a "fanfara", who played their instruments at the double while on parade. Today only the Garibaldi Brigade, 6th and 7th Bersaglieri Regiment retain a "fanfara", which are technically brass bands. Since 1982 Bersaglieri have served as peacekeepers with the Multinational Force in Lebanon, and during the Yugoslav and Somali Civil Wars. Bersaglier units also served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and were repeatedly deployed to serve in the war in Afghanistan. As of 2019 the following Bersaglieri units are in active service: • 1st Bersaglieri Regiment, in Cosenza as part of the Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi") • 1st Battalion "La Marmora" (Dardo IFV) • 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment, in Teulada (Mechanized Brigade "Sassari") • 18th Battalion "Poggio Scanno" (Freccia IFV) • 4th Bersaglieri Command and Tactical Supports Unit, in Caserta (Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi") • 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, in Trapani (Mechanized Brigade "Aosta") • 6th Battalion "Palestro" (Freccia IFV) • 7th Bersaglieri Regiment, in Altamura (Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo") • 10th Battalion "Bezzecca" (Freccia IFV) • 8th Bersaglieri Regiment, in Caserta (Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi") • 3rd Battalion "Cernaia" (Dardo IFV) • 11th Bersaglieri Regiment, in Orcenico Superiore (132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete") • 11th Battalion "Caprera" (Dardo IFV) • 2nd Bersaglieri Company "Pantere", in Teulada (part of the 1st Armored Regiment) • 3rd Bersaglieri Company "Celere", in Solbiate Olona (part of the Tactical and Logistic Support Regiment of the NRDC-ITA Support Brigade) ==Bugle calls==

In mid-1800 the Bersaglieri were born as light infantry sharpshooters fighting in loose skirmish formations, and specific bugle calls were used to direct the units in the confusion of the battlefield. Each battalion had its own specific bugle call played repeatedly to rally the troops or used as a sort of "address" before tactical bugle calls, to identify who the order was intended for (for example, a composite bugle call could be "1st Bersaglieri" + "Company" + "Right/Nr.3" + "Deploy in open order"). ==Notes==