1831 & before After
Charles Albert of Sardinia ascended to the throne of the
Kingdom of Sardinia on 27 April 1831 a major reform of the military was undertaken. Thus on 25 October 1831 the Grenadiers Brigade "Guardie" () was raised as one of ten infantry brigades of the kingdom. The brigade consisted of the 1st
Grenadiers Regiment (), with four battalions of four companies each and a
depot battalion of four companies, and the 2nd
Hunters Regiment (), with three battalions of four companies each and a depot battalion of three companies. After
Italy had been unified the brigade moved to
Florence, the capital of the newly united Italy, where it took on guard duties at the royal palace. During the
Third Italian War of Independence in 1866 the brigade fought at the
Battle of Custoza. On 25 October 1871 the brigade level was abolished in the Royal Army and the two regiments became independent units with the names:
1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna", and
2nd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna". On 6 June 1916 the brigade was relieved on Mount Cengio, where it had suffered 4,478 casualties out of 6,000 men deployed. For their conduct both grenadier regiments were awarded a
Gold Medal of Military Valor. After the Austrian offensive had been defeated the brigade returned to the Isonzo front and participated in the
sixth,
seventh, and
eighth Battle of the Isonzo. During 1917 the brigade continued to fight along the
Isonzo river. After the Italian defeat in the
Battle of Caporetto and the following retreat to the
Piave river the brigade had to be rebuilt. In 1918 the brigade fought in the last two battles on the
Italian front: the
Battle of the Piave River and the final and decisive
Battle of Vittorio Veneto. After the war the brigade was garrisoned in Rome, where a third Grenadier Regiment was raised on 1 December 1926. and some minor units. while the
2nd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" and the 13th Field Artillery Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" were awarded a
Bronze Medal of Military Valor each. which had come from
Sardinia and tried to retreat through Corsica towards the harbour of
Bastia in the island's north. On 13 September elements of the
Free French 4th Moroccan Mountain Division landed in
Ajaccio to support the Italian efforts to stop the 30,000 retreating Germans. However the Germans managed to escape. The three loyal Granatieri battalions were combined by the
Italian Co-Belligerent Army with other units to raise "Granatieri di Sardegna" division anew in Sardinia on 15 May 1944. (detached to the Scuola Truppe Meccanizzate e Corazzate) • Command and Services Company, in Persano (includes an
anti-tank guided missile platoon) • IV Bersaglieri Battalion, in Persano (
M113 armored personnel carriers) • IX Tank Battalion, in
Salerno (
M47 Patton tanks) •
Squadron "Cavalleggeri di Alessandria", in
Persano • Command and Services Battery, in L’Aquila • I Field Artillery Group, in
Bracciano (
M14/61 105 mm towed howitzers) • II Field Artillery Group, in L'Aquila (M14/61 105mm towed howitzers) • III Self-propelled Field Artillery Group, in L'Aquila (
M7 105 mm self-propelled howitzers; 7th Battery assigned to 3rd Armored Infantry Regiment in Persano • Artillery Specialists Battery, in L’Aquila • Light Aviation Unit "Granatieri di Sardegna", at Rome-
Urbe Air Base (
L-19E Bird Dog light aircraft and
AB 206 reconnaissance helicopters) •
Engineer Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna", in Rome •
Signal Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna", in Rome • Services Grouping "Granatieri di Sardegna", in Civitavecchia • Command Platoon, in Civitavecchia • Resupply, Repairs, Recovery Unit "Granatieri di Sardegna", in L'Aquila • Transport Unit "Granatieri di Sardegna", in L'Aquila • Medical Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna" (Reserve), in L'Aquila • Provisions Company "Granatieri di Sardegna", in L'Aquila
Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna" During the
1975 army reform the regimental level was abolished and battalions came forthwith under direct command of multi-arms brigades. Therefore, the army decided to split the Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" in two brigades. On 30 September 1975 the
17th Infantry Regiment "Acqui" was disbanded and on 1 October 1975 the
Motorized Brigade "Acqui" raised from the regimental command. The "Granatieri di Sardegna" division remained active for one more year to change from a motorized to a mechanized unit by adding the battalions of the 1st Armored Bersaglieri Regiment and the II Self-propelled Field Artillery Group of the
Armored Division "Centauro", before contracting to Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna" on 1 November 1976. The brigade commanded the following units after the reform was complete: in Rome • Command and Signal Unit "Granatieri di Sardegna", in Rome •
1st Mechanized Granatieri Battalion "Assietta", in Rome (former I Battalion,
1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" Regiment) •
2nd Mechanized Granatieri Battalion "Cengio", in Rome (former II Battalion,
1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna") (former II Self-propelled Field Artillery Group, 131st Armored Artillery Regiment) •
Logistic Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna", in Civitavecchia (former Services Grouping "Granatieri di Sardegna") •
14th Reconnaissance Squadron "Cavalleggeri di Alessandria", in Civitavecchia (put in reserve status 30 June 1979) • 32nd Granatieri Anti-tank Company, in Civitavecchia (
BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles) (former Bersaglieri Anti-tank Company, 1st Armored Bersaglieri Regiment) • Engineer Company "Granatieri di Sardegna", in Civitavecchia (split from the Pioneer Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna")
After the Cold War on public duties in southern Lebanon With the end of the
Cold War the Italian Army began to draw down its forces and battalions returned to their regimental names for traditional reasons. On 30 November 1992 the Anti-tank Company was disbanded, and on 4 October 1993 the Engineer Company merged with the Command and Signal Unit, which was renamed as Command and Tactical Supports Unit. On 1 September of the same year the 6th Tank Battalion was renamed
4th Tank Regiment, but on 9 October 1995 the regiment was transferred to
Bellinzago Novarese, where it joined the
Armored Brigade "Centauro". In spring 1992 the 13th Field Artillery Group "Magliana" received
M109G 155 mm self-propelled howitzers and was elevated to regiment on 19 August of the same year with the name: 13th Self-propelled Field Artillery Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna". Three years later on 20 September 1995 the regiment was disbanded and the 7th Self-propelled Field Artillery Regiment "Cremona" of the
Motorized Brigade "Cremona" moved from Turin to Rome to join the "Granatieri di Sardegna" brigade on 21 December 1995. On 15 May 1996 the 33rd Self-propelled Field Artillery Group "Acqui" joined the brigade when the army disbanded the
Motorized Brigade "Acqui", and the 7th Self-propelled Field Artillery Regiment "Cremona" transferred to army's Artillery Command to become an
NBC-defence unit. At the same time the
Regiment "Lancieri di Montebello" (8th) entered the brigade, while the
3rd Regiment "Granatieri Guardie" left the brigade. After the last round of reforms in 1997 the brigade consisted of the following units: •
Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna", in
Rome • Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Granatieri di Sardegna", in Rome •
1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna", in Rome •
2nd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna", in
Spoleto •
1st Bersaglieri Regiment, in Rome •
Regiment "Lancieri di Montebello" (8th), in Rome •
33rd Self-propelled Field Artillery Group "Acqui", in
L'Aquila •
Logistic Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna", in Civitavecchia == Organization ==