The Infantry Brigade "
Friuli" was formed on 1 November 1884 in
Milan and consisted of the
87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" and the 88th Infantry Regiment "Friuli". At the outbreak of hostilities between
Kingdom of Italy and the
Austrian Empire in 1915 the Friuli along with the
Infantry Brigade "Cremona" formed the 16th Division of the Line. The brigade fought bravely in
World War I but was dissolved after the war on 28 December 1926. After the
armistice between Italy and the Allies on 3 September 1943 the "Friuli" fought on the allied side as part of the
Italian Co-Belligerent Army and liberated
Bologna towards the war's end. (
L-21B Super Cub) • Engineer Company "Friuli", in Florence • Signal Company "Friuli", in Florence • Supply, Repairs, Recovery Unit "Friuli", in Coverciano • Transport Unit "Friuli", in Coverciano • Command and Signal Unit "Friuli", in
Florence •
78th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Lupi di Toscana", in Scandicci •
87th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Senio", in
Pistoia •
225th Infantry Battalion "Arezzo" (Recruits Training), in
Arezzo •
19th Armored Battalion "M.O. Tumiati", in Florence (
M47 Patton tanks and M113
APCs) •
35th Field Artillery Group "Riolo", in Pistoia (
M114 155 mm towed howitzers) •
Logistic Battalion "Friuli", in
Coverciano • Anti-tank Company "Friuli", in Scandicci (
BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles) • Engineer Company "Friuli", in Florence The brigade also stored the equipment for a third maneuver battalion in Arezzo, which in case of war would have been filled with reservists, and recruits from the 225th Infantry (Recruits Training) Battalion "
Arezzo", and would have been named 35th Motorized Infantry Battalion "
Pistoia". On 1 January 1986, the "Friuli" Brigade and the
Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore", in conjunction with some units of the Light Army Aviation and the
Navy's San Marco Regiment, became the Rapid Intervention Forces of the
Italian Military, deployable on short notice for out of area missions.
Mechanized Brigade "Friuli" After the end of the
Cold War and the subsequent reduction of the Italian Army the Friuli merged with the
Mechanized Brigade "Trieste" on 1 June 1991. Although the new brigade was named Mechanized Brigade "Friuli", it was headquartered in
Bologna in the building of the Trieste's staff. Before the merger the 87th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Senio" had been disbanded on 31 January 1991, and the 35th Field Artillery Group "Riolo" and the 19th Armored Battalion on 6 May 1991. After the reintroduction of the regimental level in 1992 the brigade was composed of the following units on 1 January 1993: •
Mechanized Brigade "Friuli", in
Bologna • Command and Signal Unit "Friuli", in Bologna (renamed Command and Tactical Supports Unit after merging with the Engineer Company "Friuli" in 1993) •
4th Tank Regiment, in
Ozzano dell'Emilia (
Leopard 1A2
main battle tanks; renamed 33rd Tank Regiment on 1 September 1993) •
6th Bersaglieri Regiment, in Bologna (
VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers) •
66th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Valtellina", in
Forlì (VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers; later renamed 66th Infantry Regiment "Trieste") •
78th Infantry Regiment "Lupi di Toscana", in Scandicci (VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers) •
225th Regiment "Arezzo", in Arezzo (replaced by the 121st Infantry Regiment "Macerata" on 15 September 1993) •
21st Self-propelled Artillery Group "Romagna", in Bologna (
M109 155 mm self-propelled howitzers; later renamed 21st Self-propelled Field Artillery Regiment "Trieste") •
Logistic Battalion "Friuli", in
Budrio • Engineer Company "Friuli", in Bologna (merged in September 1993 into the Command and Signal Unit)
Airmobile Brigade "Friuli" On 7 October 1995 the brigade received a cavalry regiment: the
4th Alpine Army Corps'
Regiment "Savoia Cavalleria" (3rd) based in
Meran in
South Tyrol was disbanded and the name transferred to the
Regiment "Lancieri di Firenze" (9th) based in
Grosseto in Tuscany. On 5 September of the same year the 78th Infantry Regiment "Lupi di Toscana" was disbanded. During the late 1990s the brigade was earmarked to become Italy's only
Air Assault brigade and therefore the 33rd Tank Regiment was transferred to the
Armored Brigade "Ariete", the 121st Infantry Regiment "Macerata" to the
Mechanized Brigade "Legnano", and the 21st Self-propelled Artillery Regiment "Trieste" to the
Armored Brigade "Pinerolo". On 1 January 1999 the
7th Air Cavalry Regiment "Vega" and on 1 May 2000, the
5th Air Cavalry Regiment "Rigel" joined the brigade, which on the latter date changed its name to Airmobile Brigade "Friuli". On 27 June 2001 the Logistic Battalion "Friuli" became the 6th Transport Regiment and was transferred to the Logistic Projection Brigade. In 2003 the army's aviation left the cavalry arm and became a corps of its own and consequently the brigade's two air cavalry regiments changed their names to army aviation regiment. On 1 January 2005 the 6th Bersaglieri Regiment was transferred to the
Mechanized Brigade "Aosta" on
Sicily. == Organization ==