Cabinet Wars In 1672, the Regiment Lullino was formed with personnel recruited in the
Duchy of Savoy. The regiment was named after its first owner and commander Colonel
Marquis Alberto di Lullino di Genève. In 1676, the regiment passed to the Marquis of Bagnasco and was renamed Regiment Bagnasco, and by 1678 the regiment was owned by the Count of Masino, who renamed it Regiment Masino. In 1680, Duke
Victor Amadeus II took the regiment into national service and the regiment was renamed Regiment of "Saluzzo" for his dominion the
Marquisate of Saluzzo. In June and July 1916, the brigade undertook a series of attacks against enemy positions along the edge of the Karst plateau to occupy Austro-Hungarian forces in the area, while Italian troops battled to stop the Austro-Hungarian
Asiago offensive on the
Asiago plateau. During these attacks the I Battalion of the 13th Infantry Regiment, together with the II Battalion of the
123rd Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Chieti"), managed to conquer a foothold atop the Karst plateau overlooking the valley of
Doberdò. The unplanned advance had cost the brigade more than 2,200 casualties. During the
Sixth Battle of the Isonzo the brigade remained in reserve, while Italian forces finally conquered the positions on the Karst plateau. On 14 August, the brigade entered the line on the Karst plateau and attacked the new Austro-Hungarian line between
Pečinka and
Veliki Hribach. In three days the brigade lost almost 2,000 men and had to be sent to
Romans d'Isonzo in the rear to be rebuilt. The brigade then returned to the Karst plateau for the
Seventh Battle of the Isonzo, during which the 14th Infantry Regiment attacked without success the
Nad Logem on 16 and 17 September, for the
Eighth Battle of the Isonzo, during which the II and III battalions of the 13th Infantry Regiment attacked with little success Veliki Hribach, and for the
Ninth Battle of the Isonzo, during which the brigade attacked North of the Veliki Hribach and managed to take the summit of the
Volkovnjak. At the end of December 1916, the brigade was sent to
Sdraussina in the rear for a rest. On 24 October 1917, Austro-Hungarian forces, reinforced by German units, commenced the
Battle of Caporetto. The German forces were able to break into the Italian front line at
Caporetto and rout the Italian forces opposing them, which forced the Italian armies along the
Isonzo river and in the
Julian Alps to retreat behind the
Piave river. On 27 October the Brigade "Pinerolo" was ordered to retreat to Villesse and form the Italian rear guard. On 29 October the brigade crossed the lower
Cormor and the next day fought a rearguard action at
Palazzolo dello Stella. While crossing the
Monticano river the command and most of the I Battalion of the 14th Infantry Regiment were cut off by enemy forces and captured. On 10 November, the remnants of the brigade reached
San Biagio di Callalta on the right bank of the Piave river. On 13 and 14 November the remaining troops of the brigade participated in the attempt to destroy the Austro-Hungarian bridgehead at
Zenson di Piave. On 28 December, the brigade, which had suffered more than 2,100 casualties in the retreat, was taken out of the line and sent to the rear.
Interwar years On 30 September 1926, the command of the
Brigade "Arezzo" and the 226th Infantry Regiment were disbanded. On the same date the brigade's 225th Infantry Regiment was renamed
225th Infantry Regiment "Arezzo" and assigned to the Brigade "Pinerolo". On 10 November 1926, the Brigade "Pinerolo" was renamed
XXIV Infantry Brigade and its two original infantry regiments were renamed 13th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo" and 14th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo". The XXIV Infantry Brigade was the infantry component of the
24th Territorial Division of Chieti, which also included the
18th Field Artillery Regiment. In 1934, the 24th Territorial Division of Chieti changed its name to
24th Infantry Division "Gran Sasso". The same year the 13th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo" became an infantry school regiment and incorporated the Non-Commissioned Officer Recruits School in
Rieti as its II Battalion.
Second Italo-Ethiopian War On 30 May 1935, the depot of the 225th Infantry Regiment "Arezzo" in
Ascoli Piceno reformed the 97th Infantry Regiment "Genova", as replacement for the 225th Infantry Regiment "Arezzo", which, along with the rest of the 24th Infantry Division "Gran Sasso", was mobilized for the
Second Italo-Ethiopian War. On 1 June 1935, the depot of the 14th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo" in
Chieti reformed the 96th Infantry Regiment "Udine", while the depot of the 18th Artillery Regiment in
L'Aquila reformed the 44th Artillery Regiment. On 1 July 1935, the 95th Infantry School Regiment "Udine" was reformed in
Rieti and then moved to
L'Aquila, where it took over the base of the 13th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo". The three reformed infantry regiments were assigned to the CXXIV Infantry Brigade, which was the infantry component of the 124th Infantry Division "Gran Sasso II". In March 1945, the survivors of the "Pinerolo" division were repatriated. •
13th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo", in
Barletta On 12 November 1976, the
President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone assigned with decree 846 the flag and traditions of the 13th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo" to the 13th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Valbella". On 1 February 1979, the Motorized Brigade "Pinerolo" was mechanized and renamed
Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo". Consequently, also the 13th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Valbella" was mechanized. On 1 January 1982, the battalion was renamed 13th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Valbella" and consisted now of a command, a command and services company, three mechanized companies with
M113 armored personnel carriers, and a heavy mortar company with
M106 mortar carriers with 120mm Mod. 63 mortars. The battalion fielded now 896 men (45 officers, 100 non-commissioned officers, and 751 soldiers).
Recent times With the end of the
Cold War the Italian Army began to draw down its forces and on 31 December 1990 the 13th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Valbella" was reduced to a reserve unit and the flag of the 13th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo" was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the
Vittoriano in
Rome.
Reactivation On 1 October 2022, the name, flag and traditions of the 13th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo" were assigned to the Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Pinerolo" of the
Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo". On the same day the unit was renamed 13th Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Pinerolo". == Organization ==