in
Crimea in 1855 during the
Boxer Rebellion in 1901 On 1 January 1871 the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment was formed in
Palermo with the III Battalion, V Battalion, XII Battalion, and XXIII Battalion, which were transferred from the
3rd Bersaglieri Regiment. The four battalions were renumbered as I, II, III, and IV battalion upon entering the new regiment. On 16 September 1883 the IV Battalion was transferred to the newly formed
12th Bersaglieri Regiment. On 18 June 1886, all Bersaglieri battalions resumed their original numbering and afterwards the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment consisted of the III Battalion, V Battalion, and XII Battalion: The III and V battalions had been formed by the
Royal Sardinian Army in early 1849 during the
First Italian War of Independence. On 23 March 1849, both battalions fought in the
Battle of Novara, during which the III Battalion's 9th Company and the V Battalion distinguished themselves. Both units were awarded a
Bronze Medal of Military Valor. When the battalions joined the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment the two medals were affixed to the regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms. On 1 June 1918 the regiment formed, together with the 13th Bersaglieri Regiment, the VI Bersaglieri Brigade. In June 1918 the brigade fought in the
Second Battle of the Piave River at
Candelù and
Fagarè. In October 1918 the brigade fought in the decisive
Battle of Vittorio Veneto, during which the regiment crossed the Piave river and pursued the fleeing Austro-Hungarian troops. For its service during the war the regiment was awarded a
Silver Medal of Military Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms. The regiment's VIII Cyclists Battalion fought primarily on the
Karst plateau, where the battalion distinguished itself in July 1915 during the
Second Battle of the Isonzo. After Italian forces had taken the summit of
Monte San Michele the battalion held the summit during the night of 20-21 July against repeated Austro-Hungarian counterattacks. For its sacrifice on Monte San Michele the battalion was awarded a
Bronze Medal of Military Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms.
World War II On 15 April 1940 the XII Battalion was reformed and one month later the regiment received an Auto Unit. In June 1940 the regiment participated in the
Invasion of France. At the time the regiment consisted of the following units: •
8th Bersaglieri Regiment •
I Mechanized Brigade "Ariete", in
Pordenone On 12 November 1976 the
President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone assigned with decree 846 the flag and traditions of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment to the 3rd Bersaglieri Battalion "Cernaia", and the flag and traditions of the
4th Bersaglieri Regiment to the 26th Bersaglieri Battalion "Castelfidardo". For its conduct and work after the
1976 Friuli earthquake the battalion was awarded a Silver Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the battalion's war flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms. Between 23 October 1983 and 24 January 1984 the battalion deployed to
Lebanon as part of the
Multinational Force in Lebanon. While guarding the
Shatila refugee camp the battalion was involved 24-26 December 1983 in heavy firefights between the
Lebanese Army forces and
Amal milita.
Recent times After the end of the
Cold War Italian Army began to reorganize and draw down its forces: as part of the reorganization the 8th Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi" and 3rd Bersaglieri Battalion "Cernaia" moved from Pordenone in Italy's Northeast to
Caserta in Italy's South. On 30 June 1991 the flags of the two units left Pordenone and the next day arrived in Caserta. The same day the 8th Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi" was renamed 8th Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi". On 25 June 1993 the 3rd Bersaglieri Battalion "Cernaia" lost its autonomy and the next day the battalion entered the reformed 8th Bersaglieri Regiment. As a consequence of the reformation of the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment the 8th Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi" is renamed
Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi" on 1 September 1994. Between 8 December 1995 and 22 May 1996 the regiment was deployed to
Sarajevo in
Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of
NATO's
Implementation Force (IFOR), which was tasked to oversee the implementation of the
Dayton Peace Accords that ended the
Bosnian War. For its service in Sarajevo the regiment was awarded a Gold Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms. Starting in 1998 the regiment was equipped with
Dardo infantry fighting vehicles. In the following years the regiment deployed to
Iraq as part of the
Multi-National Force – Iraq, to
Afghanistan as part of
NATO's
International Security Assistance Force, to
Lebanon as part of the
UN's
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, and to
Lettland as part of NATO's
Enhanced Forward Presence. For its many deployments the regiment was awarded a
Military Order of Italy, which was affixed to the regiment's flag. == Organization ==