With
1975 Italian Army reform the regimental level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of multi-arms brigades. At the same time the army reduced and realigned its forces and therefore the Tridentina saw some changes to its composition: the 6th Alpini Regiment, 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment, and Mountain Artillery Group "Verona" were disbanded, while the brigade headquarters and the signal company were merged to form the Command and Signal Unit "Tridentina". An anti-tank company was raised, the Light Aircraft Unit "Tridentina" was transferred to the newly formed 4th Army Light Aviation Regiment "Altair" of the
4th Army Corps, the Services Grouping "Tridentina" was reorganized as a logistic battalion, and the Alpini Battalion "Bolzano" was reduced to reserve unit. After the Mountain Artillery Group "Verona" had been disbanded and the 1st Heavy Artillery Group "Adige" moved from Verona into the now vacant base in
Elvas. After the reform the brigade's two Alpini battalions had an authorized strength of 950 men, with the exception of the "Val Brenta" battalion, which was tasked to man fortifications in the Puster and Piave valleys. The "Val Brenta" fielded three active and nine reserve companies with a wartime strength of more than 2,200 men. The two artillery groups had an authorized strength of 610 men and fielded 18
M56 105 mm pack
howitzers each. The new composition was: •
Alpine Brigade "Tridentina", in
Brixen • Command and Signal Unit "Tridentina", in Brixen •
Alpini Battalion "Trento", in
Welsberg • Headquarters and Service Company • 94th Alpini Company • 144th Alpini Company • 145th Alpini Company • 128th Heavy Mortar Company •
Alpini Battalion "Bassano", in
Innichen • Headquarters and Service Company • 62nd Alpini Company • 63rd Alpini Company • 74th Alpini Company • 129th Heavy Mortar Company •
Alpini Battalion "Val Brenta", in
Bruneck (put into reserve status on 23 August 1986; only the 262nd Alpini Company remained in active service) • Headquarters and Service Company • 253rd Alpini Company, in
Brenner (transferred on 1 July 1979 from the disbanded
Alpini Battalion "Val Chiese" of the
Alpine Brigade "Orobica") • 262nd Alpini Company, in
Winnebach (Type A*) • 263rd Alpini Company, in
Vierschach (Type A) • 264th Alpini Company, in
Santo Stefano di Cadore (Type A, transferred on 1 November 1976 from the disbanded Alpini Battalion "Val Cismon" of the
Alpine Brigade "Cadore"; downgraded to Type C on 30 June 1979 and duties taken over by the 262nd Company) • 265th Alpini Companynote 1, in
Santo Stefano di Cadore (Type C*, transferred on 1 November 1976 from the disbanded Alpini Battalion "Val Cismon") • 274th Alpini Companynote 1, in
Toblach (Type C) • 277th Alpini Companynote 1, in
Höhlenstein (Type C, transferred on 1 November 1976 from the disbanded Alpini Battalion "Val Cismon") • 347th Alpini Companynote 2, in
Prags (Type C, transferred on 1 November 1976 from the disbanded Alpini Battalion "Val Cismon") • 351st Alpini Companynote 2, in
Bruneck (Type C, ex "Val Leogra") • 352nd Alpini Companynote 2, in Bruneck (Type C, ex "Val Leogra") • 353rd Alpini Companynote 1, in
Percha (Type C, ex "Val Leogra") • 354th Alpini Companynote 2, in Bruneck (Type C, ex "Val Leogra") • 355th Alpini Companynote 2, in Bruneck (Type C, ex "Val Leogra") •
Mountain Artillery Group "Vicenza", in
Bruneck (moved to Elvas in 1983) • Headquarters and Service Battery • 19th Mountain Artillery Battery • 20th Mountain Artillery Battery • 21st Mountain Artillery Battery •
Mountain Artillery Group "Asiago", in
Toblach • Headquarters and Service Battery • 28th Mountain Artillery Battery • 29th Mountain Artillery Battery • 30th Mountain Artillery Battery •
Logistic Battalion "Tridentina", in
Vahrn • Command and Services Platoon • 1st Light Logistic Unit • 2nd Light Logistic Unit • Medium Logistic Unit • Anti-tank Company "Tridentina", in
Bruneck • Engineer Company "Tridentina", in
Brixen • Type A = fortification fully equipped, provisioned and manned; close support platoon onsite • Type B = fortification fully equipped, provisioned and manned; close support platoon off site • Type C = fortification fully equipped; provisions, crew and close support platoon off site Note 1: Company was Type A until 1975. Note 2: Company was Type A until 1964.
Strategic plans in case of war s After the 1975 reform the 4th Alpine Army Corps was responsible to defend the Italian border along the
main chain of the alps from the
Swiss-
Austrian-Italian border
tripoint in the west to the Italian-
Yugoslavian border in the east. In case of war with Yugoslavia the 4th Alpine Army Corps would remain static in its position guarding the left flank of the
5th Army Corps, which would meet the enemy forces in the plains of
Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The only brigade which would have seen combat in such a case would have been the
Julia. In case of a war with the
Warsaw Pact the 4th Alpine Army Corps had two war planes: one in the case the Soviet
Southern Group of Forces and
Hungarian Army would march through Yugoslavia and the other in case the Warsaw Pact would violate the
Austrian neutrality and march through Austria. In case the enemy forces would come through Yugoslavia, the Julia would cover the mountainous left flank of the 5th Army Corps, which with its four armoured and five mechanized brigades would try to wear down the enemy before it could break out into the North Italian
Padan plain. The other alpine brigades would remain static. In the more likely case the Soviet and Hungarian divisions would invade Austria and march through Southern
Styria and through the
Drava valley in
Carinthia the alpine brigades would have been the first front line units of the Italian Army. The
Julia would have defended the
Canal Valley, the
Cadore the
Piave Valley, while the
Orobica had a special mission, and the
Taurinense would remain in reserve. The Tridentina was tasked with defending the
Puster Valley at all costs. Connected by a low pass to the Drava valley, the Puster valley ends near
Brixen, and a Soviet breakthrough there would have cut the important line of communication over the
Brenner Pass between the Italian Army and
NATO's
Central Army Group in Southern Germany. Furthermore, from Brixen Soviet forces could either turn northwards and attack the Southern flank of the Central Army Group or they could turn southwards to Verona and attack the Italian 5th Army Corps in its back. Therefore the Tridentina was the second strongest Alpini brigade. It manned four lines of defence in the Puster Valley and the 4th Alpine Army Corps had an armoured, and a mechanized battalion, as well as the 4th Heavy Field Artillery Regiment, and a self-propelled artillery group in reserve to support the Tridentina. Furthermore the 1st Heavy Artillery Group "Adige" was based in the village of Elvas near Brixen. The "Adige" was armed with
M115 howitzers and in peacetime part of the
3rd Missile Brigade "Aquileia". In case of war the group would have supported the Tridentina with conventional artillery fire, but if a Soviet breakthrough was imminent the "Adige" would have plastered the Puster Valley from beginning to end with
W33 nuclear artillery shells, which were stored in the village of
Natz at "Site Rigel" by the
United States Army's
11th Field Artillery Detachment. The "Adige" had two firing batteries with four howitzers per battery and 140 (!) nuclear artillery shells to fulfil its task. After the introduction of the
MGM-52 Lance tactical
surface-to-surface missile system in the 1980s the 1st Heavy Artillery Group "Adige" was disbanded on 31 July 1982 and its 8th Battery joining the 9th Heavy Artillery Group "Rovigo" as 3rd Battery "Wolves of Elvas". The "Rovigo" itself lost its nuclear capability in 1986 and in the same year the US Army left Site Rigel. To aid in the defence of the narrow mountain valleys the 4th Alpine Army Corps re-activated some fortifications of the World War II era
Alpine Wall. In the area of operation of the Tridentina the task of maintaining and manning the fortifications fell to the
Alpini Battalion "Val Brenta": •
Winnebach: 9 bunker, 203 men, 262nd Alpini Company (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento Prato Drava) •
Vierschach: 6 bunker, 180 men, 263rd Alpini Company (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento Versciaco) •
Kreuzbergpass: 7 bunker, 247 men, 264th AlpiniCompany (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento Passo Monte Croce Comelico) •
Val Frison: 3 bunker, ? men, 265th Alpini Company (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento Val Frison) •
Toblach: 10 bunker, 304 men, 274th Alpini Company (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento Dobbiaco) •
Landro Nord: 3 bunker, 150 men, 277th Alpini Company (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento della Val di Landro) •
Prags: 2 bunker, 116 men, 347th Alpini Company (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento di Braies) •
Antholz: 6 bunker, 164 men, 351st Alpini Company (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento Anterselva) •
Olang: 10 bunker, 373 men, 352nd Alpini Company (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento Rasun-Valdaora) •
Percha: 7 bunker, 223 men, 353rd Alpini Company (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento di Perca) •
Saalen: 4 bunker, 113 men, 354th Alpini Company (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento di Sares) •
Mühlbach: 5 bunker, 141 men, 355th Alpini Company (Italian Wikipedia:
Sbarramento Chiusa di Rio) As the fortifications manned by the 264th Alpini Company were in the area of operation of the
Alpine Brigade "Cadore" information about the 264th Company can be found at the Cadore's article. On 23 August 1986 the "Val Brenta", with the exception of the 262nd Alpini Company, was disbanded and the bunkers stripped of their equipment. The 262nd Alpini Company was disbanded in 1991. == 1990s Reorganization ==