World War II The first Italian paratrooper units were trained and formed shortly before
World War II in
Castel Benito, near
Tripoli in
Libya, where the first Military Parachuting School was located. Later the school was moved to
Tarquinia in Italy. On 1 September 1941 the
Royal Italian Army raised the 1st Paratroopers Division in
Tarquinia. The division initially was organized as follows: •
1st Paratroopers Division • 1st Paratroopers Infantry Regiment (raised 1 April 1941) • II Paratroopers Battalion • III Paratroopers Battalion • IV Paratroopers Battalion • Cannons Company (
47/32 cannons) • 2nd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment (raised 1 September 1941) • V Paratroopers Battalion • VI Paratroopers Battalion • VII Paratroopers Battalion • Cannons Company (
47/32 cannons) • I Paratroopers Artillery Group (
47/32 cannons, raised 28 August 1941) For reasons of order of precedence the title I Paratroopers Battalion was reserved for the
I Carabinieri Paratroopers Battalion. • IX Paratroopers Battalion • X Paratroopers Battalion • Cannons Company (
47/32 cannons) •
185th Artillery Regiment "Folgore" • Paratroopers Command and Signal Unit "Folgore", in Livorno •
3rd Paratroopers Battalion "Poggio Rusco" (Recruits Training), in Pisa in Livorno (moved to
Siena in 1978) •
9th Paratroopers Assault Battalion "Col Moschin", in Livorno (
M56 105 mm towed
howitzers) •
Paratroopers Logistic Battalion "Folgore", in
Pisa •
26th Light Airplanes and Helicopters Squadrons Group "Giove", at Pisa-
San Giusto Air Base • Command and Services Squadron • 426th Reconnaissance Helicopters Squadron (
AB 206 reconnaissance helicopters) • 526th Multirole Helicopters Squadron (
AB 204B/205 multirole helicopters) • Paratroopers Pathfinder Company "Folgore", in Siena • Paratroopers Anti-tank Company "Folgore", in Livorno (
BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles) • Paratroopers Engineer Company "Folgore", in
Lucca In 1982 the brigade deployed in Italy's first international mission abroad since World War II, when it joined the
Multinational Force in Lebanon and on 1 January 1983 the Military Parachuting School in Pisa with the 3rd Paratroopers (Recruits Training) Battalion "Poggio Rusco" returned to the brigade . On 1 January 1986, the "Folgore" brigade and the
Motorized Brigade "Friuli", in conjunction with some units of the Army's 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. On 31 October of the same year the army disbanded the
Mechanized Division "Folgore", leaving the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" as only heir of the name and traditions associated with the name "Folgore". In 1991 tactical group of the brigade was sent to
Kurdistan as part of the
Operation Provide Comfort. The same year the army disbanded seven combat brigades as the
Cold War had ended. On 31 May 1991 the "Folgore" received the 183rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Nembo" from the
Mechanized Brigade "Gorizia", which subsequently was re-roled as a paratroopers battalion. Beginning in 1992 the battalions returned to their regimental names. The brigade's new structure was as follows: •
Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore", in
Livorno • Command and Signal Unit "Folgore", in Livorno •
1st Carabinieri Paratroopers Regiment "Tuscania", in Livorno •
9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment "Col Moschin", in Livorno •
183rd Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo", in
Pistoia •
186th Paratroopers Regiment "Folgore", in
Siena (former 5th Paratroopers Battalion) •
187th Paratroopers Regiment "Folgore", in Livorno (former 2nd Paratroopers Battalion) •
185th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Folgore", in Livorno, with
Mod56 105 mm howitzers •
Paratroopers Logistic Battalion "Folgore", in
Pisa • Military Parachuting School, in Pisa • 26th Light Airplanes and Helicopters Squadron "Giove", at
San Giusto Air Base • Paratroopers Engineer Company "Folgore", in Lucca On 3 December 1992 the brigade deployed for a year to
Somalia as part of
Operation Restore Hope (later
Unified Task Force). There the brigade was engaged in a battle on 2 July 1993 where it lost three men and a further 36 were injured. The three deceased soldiers were each awarded the
Gold Medal of Military Valor for their conduct during the battle.
After the Cold War On 1 October 1997, the brigades passed to the
Projection Forces Command (Comando Forze di Proiezione or COMFOP), which commanded all rapid-deployable units of the Italian Army. However, on 1 December 2000 the brigade passed to the
1st Defence Forces Command (1° Comando Forze di Difesa or COMFOD 1°) and received the 5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena" in
Legnano, which was renamed as
8th Engineer Regiment "Folgore" and incorporated the brigade's Paratroopers Engineer Company "Folgore". The same year on 31 August the 185th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Folgore" retired its howitzers and began its conversion to a
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol Special Operations unit. In March 2001, the brigade lost its logistic battalion and the 26th Light Airplanes and Helicopters Squadron "Giove" and when in 2002 the
Carabinieri were separated from the Army to become the Fourth
Armed Force of Italy the 1st Carabinieri Paratroopers Regiment "Tuscania" left the brigade. From April to September 2005 the brigade was employed in Iraq as part of the
Multi-National Force – Iraq. In 2007 the brigade sent a task force to
East Timor as part of
International Force for East Timor, while the majority of its units deployed to Lebanon as part of
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon II. The brigade deployed twice to
Afghanistan in support of
ISAF – once in 2009 and once in 2011 == Organization ==