World War I In November 1916, during
World War I, the
Royal Italian Army began to experiment with dedicated assault troops modeled after the
Imperial German Army's
Stormtroopers. In spring 1917, the first assault units were formed with volunteer personnel. On 27 July 1917, King
Victor Emmanuel III sanctioned the formation of the
Arditi corps and the corps' assault units. Each assault unit fielded 753 Arditi and had the following organization: •
Assault Unit On 15 June 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Army began the
Second Battle of the Piave River along the
Piave river and on the
Monte Grappa massif. In the latter sector the Austro-Hungarian forces managed to occupy part of the Italian first line during the first day of the battle. On 16 June, the IX Assault Unit was ordered to retake the Italian positions on the summit of
Col Moschin, which had been lost the day before on. The IX Assault Unit retook the position in a lightning attack and held the summit until Italian infantry could be brought up. On 24 September 1944, the IX Assault Unit entered the
68th Infantry Regiment "Legnano" as III Battalion "Col Moschin". The battalion was equipped with British weapons and
materiel and consisted of approximately 400 men divided into a command company, three assault companies, and a support weapons company. The 68th Infantry Regiment "Legnano" was assigned to the
Combat Group "Legnano", which entered the front on 23 March 1945 as part of the
IV US Corps on the river
Idice. The Combat Group "Legnano" fought in the allied
Spring Offensive and took part in the
Battle of Bologna. For its conduct in these battles the III Battalion "Col Moschin" was awarded the unit's third
Silver Medal of Military Valor. •
9th Paratroopers Assault Battalion "Col Moschin", in
Pisa • Command and Services Company • Command and Services Platoon • Amphibious Platoon • Transport Platoon • Assault Company (Recruits Training) • Command and Services Platoon • 2× Recruits platoons • 2× Assault companies • 6× Operational detachments per company At the time the battalion fielded 340 men (36 officers, 196 non-commissioned officers, and 108 soldiers). From September 1982 to November 1983, personnel of the battalion formed, together with personnel drawn from the
1st Carabinieri Paratroopers Battalion "Tuscania" and
2nd Paratroopers Battalion "Tarquinia", a provisional battalion, which deployed with the Italian contingent to
Lebanon in support of the
Multinational Force in Lebanon.
Recent times From May to October 1991, the battalion's 2nd and 3rd companies and two companies of the
5th Paratroopers Battalion "El Alamein" formed a paratroopers tactical group, which deployed to northern
Iraq for the American-led
Operation Provide Comfort. From 22 December 1992 to 7 September 1993, personnel of the battalion was deployed to
Somalia for the American-led
Unified Task Force. For the conduct of its personnel in Somalia the battalion was awarded a Gold Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the battalion's flag and added to its coat of arms. On 25 October 1994, the battalion was awarded a
Military Order of Italy for the many missions it had undertaken since being reformed. The order was affixed to the battalion's flag. On 24 June 1995, the 9th Paratroopers Assault Battalion "Col Moschin" lost its autonomy and the next day the battalion entered the newly formed 9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment "Col Moschin" as 1st Raiders Battalion. On the same day, the flag and traditions of the 10th Arditi Regiment and the traditions of the IX Assault Unit were transferred from the battalion to the regiment. The regiment consisted of a command, a command and services company, the 1st Raiders Battalion, the 101st Paratroopers Assault Company, and the Raiders Training Base. From 3 July 1996 to 24 March 1997, personnel of the regiment was deployed to
Bosnia and Herzegovina for the NATO-led
Implementation Force and the following
Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the conduct of its personnel in Bosnia and Herzegovina the regiment was awarded a Silver Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and added to its coat of arms. From July 2006 to October 2009, the regiment maintained a permanent presence in
Kabul in
Afghanistan as part of the
NATO-led
International Security Assistance Force. During its time in Afghanistan the regiment's personnel repeatedly battled
Taliban forces. For its conduct in Afghanistan the regiment was awarded its third
Military Order of Italy, which was affixed to the regiment's flag. On 19 September 2014, the regiment was transferred from the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" to the newly formed
Army Special Forces Command. In 2022, the regiment moved from
Pisa to its new base at
Camp Darby near
Livorno. == Organization ==