Formation On 21 July 1858,
French Emperor Napoleon III and the
Prime Minister of Sardinia Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour met in
Plombières and reached a
secret verbal agreement on a military alliance between the
Second French Empire and the
Kingdom of Sardinia against the
Austrian Empire. On 26 January 1859, Napoleon III signed the Franco-Sardinian Treaty, followed by King
Victor Emmanuel II on 29 January 1859. On 9 March 1859, Sardinia mobilized its army, followed by Austria on 9 April. On 23 April, Austria delivered an ultimatum to Sardinia demanding its demobilization. Upon Sardinia's refusal, Austria declared war on 26 April and three days later the Austrians crossed the
Ticino river into
Piedmont. Consequently, France honored its alliance with Sardinia and declared war on Austria on 3 May 1859. • Grenadier Regiment, formed by the Velites Battalion and other units • 1st Line Regiment, formed by the VII Line Battalion and IX Line Battalion • 2nd Line Regiment, formed by the V Line Battalion and X Line Battalion • 3rd Line Regiment, formed by the VI Line Battalion and VIII Line Battalion • 4th Line Regiment, formed by the I Line Battalion and III Line Battalion • 5th Line Regiment, formed by the II Line Battalion and IV Line Battalion On 23 May 1859, the
5th French Corps landed in
Livorno and on 29 May the Grand Duchy of Tuscany joined the Franco-Sardinian alliance against Austria. On 18 June 1859, three volunteer battalions were used to form the 1st
Jäger Regiment. On 2 July 1859, the 1st and 2nd line regiments, and the 3rd and 4th line regiments were grouped into two brigades. On 12 July 1859, the
Second Italian War of Independence ended with the
Armistice of Villafranca, which called for the rulers of the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the
Duchy of Modena and Reggio, and the
Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, which all had fled their nations, to be restored to their thrones. However neither Sardinia nor the Sardinian installed governments in the three nations wished for a return of the rulers. In March 1916, the brigade was again below San Martino del Carso for the
Fifth Battle of the Isonzo. On 29 June 1916, Austro-Hungarian troops attacked the line held by the I Battalion of the 19th Infantry Regiment (
Brigade "Brescia"), II Battalion of the
20th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Brescia"), the
48th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Ferrara"), and the 30th Infantry Regiment's II and III battalion with a mix of
phosgene and
chlorine gas. The 30th Infantry Regiment's surviving troops abandoned the first Italian trench line and only a counterattack by the rest of the Brigade "Pisa" and the
Brigade "Regina" stabilized the line. On this day, the Brigade "Pisa" suffered 447 killed in action, 222 wound in action, and 934 missing in action. The brigade was taken out of the line and sent to the rear to be rebuilt. In August 1916, the brigade was again below San Martino del Carso for the
Sixth Battle of the Isonzo, but this time the brigade broke through the Austro-Hungarian lines and advanced onto the
Karst plateau and pushed the enemy back to the
Pečinka. The brigade, which had suffered 1,700 casualties, remained in the first line for the
Seventh Battle of the Isonzo, which began on 14 September 1916, and for the
Eighth Battle of the Isonzo, which began on 10 October 1916. For their conduct during the first two year of the war, especially in the battles below San Martino del Carso, the two regiments of the Brigade "Pisa" were both awarded a
Silver Medal of Military Valor. The medals were affixed to the regiments' flags and added to their coat of arms. On 17 June 1918, during the
Second Battle of the Piave River, the Brigade "Pisa" was transferred to the Piave front. On 19 June 1918, the brigade attacked the Austro-Hungarian bridgehead on the Northeastern side of the
Montello hill. After two days of heavy fighting the brigade had driven the Austro-Hungarians off the hill, which forced the enemy to retreat back over the Piave river. In October 1918, the brigade returned to the Montello for the
Battle of Vittorio Veneto. On 24 October 1918, the battle began and during the night of the 26 to 27 October the 30th Infantry Regiment became one of the first Italian unit to cross the Piave river. Around noon on the 27th the battalions of the 30th Infantry Regiment reached
Sernaglia, which the regiment defended against an Austro-Hungarian counterattack. On 29 October 1918, the brigade advanced to
Solighetto and
Pieve di Soligo and from there pursued the retreating enemy to
Follina. For its conduct and bravery during the second half of the war, especially during the crossing of the Piave river, the 30th Infantry Regiment was awarded a
Gold Medal of Military Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and added to its coat of arms. On 8 February 1934, the division changed its name to
26th Infantry Division "Assietta". A name change that also extended to the division's infantry brigade. On 1 April 1934, the division transferred the 30th Infantry Regiment "Pisa" to the
3rd Territorial Division of Alessandria, which in turn transferred the 38th Infantry Regiment "Ravenna" to the "Assietta" division. In 1935, the 26th Infantry Division "Assietta" was mobilized for the
Second Italo-Ethiopian War. On 15 December 1935, the division with the 38th Infantry Regiment "Ravenna", 63rd Infantry Regiment "Cagliari", and 25th Field Artillery Regiment arrived in
Libya. In January 1936, the division was shipped to
Eritrea in January 1936, while the 25th Field Artillery Regiment remained in Libya. The 30th Infantry Regiment "Pisa" remained in Italy and provided 17 officers and 240 troops to units deployed to East Africa for the war. On 25 March 1939, the division transferred the 38th Infantry Regiment "Ravenna" to the
III Infantry Brigade "Monferrato" and received the 30th Infantry Regiment "Pisa" in turn. On 5 April 1939, the 63rd Infantry Regiment "Cagliari" left the 26th Infantry Division "Assietta" and joined the newly formed
59th Infantry Division "Cagliari". On the same date the XXVI Infantry Brigade "Assietta" was disbanded and the 29th and 30th infantry regiments came under direct command of the "Assietta" division. Furthermore, the 29th Infantry Regiment "Pisa" and 30th Infantry Regiment "Pisa" were renamed 29th Infantry Regiment "Assietta" respectively 30th Infantry Regiment "Assietta", while the 25th Field Artillery Regiment was renamed 25th Artillery Regiment "Assietta". On 12 November 1976, the
President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone assigned with decree 846 the flag and traditions of the 30th Infantry Regiment "Pisa" to the 30th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Pisa".
Recent times After the end of the
Cold War Italian Army began to draw down its forces and on 1 May 1991 the 30th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Pisa" was reorganized as a recruits training battalion and renamed 30th Infantry Battalion "Pisa". The battalion was assigned to the Anti-aircraft Artillery Command and consisted of a command, a command and services company, and two recruit companies. On 24 September 1991, the 30th Infantry Battalion "Pisa" was disbanded and the next day its personnel used to reform the
85th Infantry Regiment "Verona". On 1 October 1991, the flag of the 30th Infantry Regiment "Pisa" was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the
Vittoriano in Rome. == References ==