Formation On 1 August 1862 the 31st Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Siena"), 32nd Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Siena"), 39th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Bologna"),
40th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Bologna"), 43rd Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Forlì"), and 44th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Forlì") ceded their 17th Company and 18th Company to help form the 67th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Palermo") in
Turin. The twelve companies were grouped into three battalions. On the same date the
59th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Calabria") and the
60th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Calabria") ceded both a depot company to help form the new regiment's
depot in Turin, while the 5th Provisional Depot in
Messina in
Sicily provided four companies to form the regiment's IV Battalion, which initially remained based in Messina. The regiment was assigned, together with the
68th Infantry Regiment, to the Brigade "Palermo" in Turin. The brigade's command and the 68th Infantry Regiment had also been formed on 1 August 1962. On 1 January 1916 the 67th Infantry Regiment's depot in Como formed the 206th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Lambro"). In March 1916 the brigade fought in the
Fifth Battle of the Isonzo in the
Tolmin sector, where it tried to take the hills of
Bučenica and
Mengore. In May 1917 the brigade fought in the
Tenth Battle of the Isonzo for the summit of
Sveta Gora near
Gorizia. In August 1917 the brigade fought in the
Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo on Mount
Škabrijel. In October and November 1917 the brigade fought rearguard actions during the Italian retreat after the
Battle of Caporetto. In 1934 the 2nd Territorial Division of Novara changed its name to
2nd Infantry Division "Sforzesca" to commemorate the
Battle of Sforzesca in 1849, while the 6th Territorial Division of Milan changed its name to 6th Infantry Division "Legnano" to commemorate the
Battle of Legnano in 1176. The name changes also extended to the two divisions' infantry brigades. In 1935–36 the regiment provided 16 officers and 1,478 enlisted for units deployed for the
Second Italo-Ethiopian War. On 28 September 1943 the Legnano division's command was used to form the
I Motorized Grouping, which was intended to fight on the Allied side in the
Italian campaign. The 67th Infantry Regiment "Legnano", now renamed 67th Motorized Infantry Regiment "Legnano", became the grouping's infantry component and was reinforced with the Motorized
Bersaglieri Battalion, which had been formed with the recruits and instructors of the LI Bersaglieri Complementary Officer Cadets Training Battalion in
Bari. On 9 September the Bersaglieri of the LI Battalion had defeated two German
Fallschirmjäger companies, which had tried to occupy and destroy the harbour of Bari. In the following days the battalion fought, together with British paratroopers, against German units in
Trani and
Barletta. The grouping also included the
11th Motorized Artillery Regiment. The I Motorized Grouping was attached to the American
36th Infantry Division for the
Battle of San Pietro Infine, which aimed at breaking through the German
Bernhardt Line. From 7 to 16 December 1943 the 67th Infantry Regiment "Legnano" assaulted the key German position on
Monte Lungo, which was finally taken on 16 December. The operation had cost the regiment 79
killed in action and 89 wounded. On 27 January 1944 the regiment was replaced in the I Motorized Grouping by the
68th Infantry Regiment "Legnano". The next day the 67th Motorized Infantry Regiment "Legnano" was reorganized: the Motorized Bersaglieri Battalion left the regiment and was replaced by the I Battalion of the 93rd Infantry Regiment "Messina". The regiment now consisted of a command, a command company, and two battalions. The regiment was assigned to the
Italian Co-belligerent Army's
210th Division, which performed rear area security and labour duties for the American
Fifth Army.
Cold War After the war the combat group and the 68th Infantry Regiment "Legnano" were based in
Bergamo, while the Special Infantry Regiment "Legnano" was based in
Legnano. Meanwhile, the 67th Infantry Regiment "Legnano" was still in the South of Italy, where the regiment either disbanded its units or transferred them to other commands. By August 1945 only the regimental command of the 67th Infantry Regiment "Legnano" remained active. On 15 October 1945 the Combat Group "Legnano" was renamed
Infantry Division "Legnano". To avoid confusion with the
Mechanized Brigade "Legnano" the battalion's name was changed from "Legnano" to "
Montelungo" to commemorate the battle the regiment had fought there on 8 December 1943.
Recent times In 1991 the battalion moved from Monza to
Solbiate Olona. On 27 August 1992 the 67th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Montelungo" was disbanded and the next day the personnel of the battalion formed, together with the personnel of the disbanded
4th Tank Battalion "M.O. Passalacqua", the 67th Armored Infantry Regiment "Legnano" in Solbiate Olona. On 5 October 1995 the 67th Armored Infantry Regiment "Legnano" was disbanded and on 16 November the flag of the 67th Infantry Regiment "Legnano" was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the
Vittoriano in Rome. == See also ==