Formation On 1 November 1884 the 87th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Friuli") was formed in
Milan with companies ceded by the
23rd Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Como"), 24th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Como"),
45th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Reggio"), 51st Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Alpi"), and
67th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Palermo"). On the same day the 88th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Friuli") was formed in Milan with companies ceded by the
46th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Reggio"),
52nd Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Alpi"),
68th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Palermo"), and by the
63rd Infantry Regiment and 64th Infantry Regiment of the
Brigade "Cagliari". Both regiments consisted of a staff and three battalions, with four companies per battalion. Together the two regiments formed the
Brigade "Friuli". In 1895–96 the regiment provided 13 officers and 242 enlisted for units deployed to
Italian Eritrea for the
First Italo-Ethiopian War.
Interwar years On 15 November 1926 the 87th Infantry Regiment was disbanded and its two battalions transferred to the 90th Infantry Regiment "Salerno" and the
91st Infantry Regiment "Basilicata". On 28 December 1926 the command of the Brigade "Friuli" was disbanded and on 31 December the 88th Infantry Regiment, now renamed 88th Infantry Regiment "Friuli", was assigned to the
XX Infantry Brigade, which was the infantry component of the
20th Territorial Division of Livorno. On 9 March 1937 the 70th Infantry Regiment "Ancona" was transferred from the
19th Infantry Division "Gavinana" to the
61st Infantry Division "Sirte" in
Libya. On the same day the "Gavinana" division reformed the 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" in
Arezzo as replacement for the 70th Infantry Regiment "Ancona". On 1 November 1937 the 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" was reorganized as a training unit tasked with training infantry reserve officer cadets. On 15 September 1939 the regiment was transferred to the
20th Infantry Division "Friuli". In early 1940 the regiment transferred its training functions to the newly formed Infantry Reserve Officer Cadets School in Arezzo.
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. In the course of the war the regiment replaced the World War I era 65/17 infantry support guns with modern
47/32 anti-tank guns. which had crossed over from
Sardinia and retreated through Corsica towards the harbor of
Bastia in the island's north. After the end of operations on Corsica the Friuli was transferred to Sardinia and then in July 1944 to
San Giorgio del Sannio in southern Italy. For its service during the
Italian Campaign the 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" was awarded a
Silver Medal of Military Valor. On 12 November 1976 the
President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone assigned with decree 846 the flag and traditions of the 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" to the battalion. With the end of the
Cold War the Italian Army began to draw down its forces and on 31 January 1991 the 87th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Senio" was disbanded and on 6 March 1991 the flag of the 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the
Vittoriano in Rome.
Reactivation On 1 October 2022, the name, flag and traditions of the 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" were assigned to the Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Friuli" of the
Airmobile Brigade "Friuli". On the same day the unit was renamed 87th Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Friuli". == Organization ==