4th Engineer Regiment (Italy)

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4th Engineer Regiment
4° Reggimento Genio Guastatori
Regimental coat of arms
Active1 Nov. 1926 - 8 Sept. 1943
7 Nov. 1975 - today[1]
Country Italy
BranchItalian Army
RoleCombat engineers
Part ofMechanized Brigade "Aosta"
Garrison/HQPalermo
Motto(s)"Ad ogni costo"
Anniversaries24 June 1918 - Second Battle of the Piave River
Decorations
1x Military Order of Italy[2]
1x Silver Medal of Military Valor
1x Gold Medal of Army Valor
2x Bronze Medals of Army Valor[3]
Insignia
Sappers gorget patches

The 4th Engineer Regiment (

military engineer regiment of the Italian Army based in Palermo in Sicily. Today the regiment is the engineer unit of the Mechanized Brigade "Aosta".[4][5]

The 4th Engineer Regiment was formed in 1926. During the

4th Alpine Army Corps. In 1992 the 51st Engineer Battalion "Simeto" based in Palermo was disbanded and the next day the 4th Pioneer Regiment was formed in its stead. The regiment retained the flag of the Simeto battalion until 1995, when the flag of the 4th Engineer Regiment was transferred from Trento to Palermo and given to the 4th Pioneer Regiment.[1][5] The regimental anniversary falls, as for all engineer units, on June 24, the end of the Second Battle of the Piave River in 1918.[4]

History

On 1 October 1922 the 3rd Army Corps Engineer Grouping was formed in

Miners Engineer Regiment. The grouping consisted of a command, a sappers-miners battalion, a telegraphers battalion, a photo-electricians company, three dovecotes (in Verona, Trento, and Bolzano), and a depot. On 1 November 1926 the grouping was renamed 4th Engineer Regiment. In February 1928 the regiment provided a telegraphers company and the dovecote in Treviso for the formation of the 11th Engineer Regiment.[5]

On 1 February 1931 the regiment formed a Miners-Cableway Battalion, which was transferred on 28 October 1932 to the newly formed

2nd Miners Regiment in Verona. On the same date the regiment received the 7th Company/ IV Battalion from the disbanded 2nd Radio-Telegraphers Regiment.[6] On 1 October 1934 the regiment received a radio-telegraphers battalion from the 3rd Engineer Regiment. Afterwards the regiment consisted of a command, a sappers-miners battalion, a telegraphers battalion, a radio-telegraphers battalion, a non-commissioned officer recruits company, three dovecotes, and a depot.[5]

For the

32nd Motorized Division "Trento", and a mixed engineer company for the 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria". The Trento was deployed to Libya to deter British forces in Egypt from closing the Suez Canal for Italian shipping. The Pusteria was deployed to Ethiopia and involved in the Italian campaign. In 1936 the regiment moved from Verona to Bolzano. In January 1937 the telegraphers and radio-telegraphers battalions were renamed connections battalions.[5]

World War II

With the outbreak of World War II the regiment's depot began to mobilize new units:[5]

The 9th Engineer Grouping was assigned on 10 June 1940 to the

allied landings on Sicily.[5]

The II Mixed Engineer Battalion was assigned to the 2nd Alpine Division "Tridentina", which was sent to the Eastern Front. The division and battalion were nearly wiped out there during Operation Little Saturn. For its conduct during the campaign the II Mixed Engineer Battalion was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor, which today is affixed to the flag of the 4th Engineer Regiment.[3] The regiment and the remaining battalions it had raised were disbanded by invading German forces after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943.[5][1]

Cold War

During the

4th Alpine Army Corps' Engineer Command and consisted of a command, a command and park company, and three engineer companies. At the time the battalion fielded 756 men (38 officers, 98 non-commissioned officers, and 620 soldiers).[1][5][8]

For its conduct and work after the 1976 Friuli earthquake the battalion was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the battalion's flag.[3][5][9] The battalion was once again deployed after the 1980 Irpinia earthquake and was awarded a second Bronze Medal of Army Valor.[3] In 1986 the command and park company split into a command and services company, and a special equipment company.[5]

After the Cold War the army undertook a major reorganization of its forces: on 19 September 1992 the 51st Engineer Battalion "Simeto" in Palermo was disbanded and the next day the 4th Pioneer Regiment was reformed with the personnel and materiel of the disbanded battalion. The regiment retained the flag of the Simeto as the flag of the 4th Engineer Regiment was still assigned to the 4th Engineer Battalion "Orta", which on 3 October 1993 was disbanded and the next day the 1st Engineer Regiment was reformed with the personnel and materiel of the disbanded battalion.[5]

On 13 October 1995 the 1st Engineer Regiment was renamed

Vittoriano in Rome. In 2000 the regiment was renamed 4th Engineer Regiment.[1]

Organization

VTMM "Orso"
Route Clearing vehicle of the Italian engineer corps

As of 2023 the 4th Engineer Regiment consists of:[10][11]

  • Regimental Command, in Palermo[10]
    • Command and Logistic Support Company
    • Sappers Battalion "Simeto"[11]
      • 1st Sappers Company
      • 2nd Sappers Company
      • 3rd Sappers Company
      • Deployment Support Company

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "4° Reggimento Genio Guastatori - La Storia". Italian Army. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  2. ^ "L'Esercito e il 4 novembre". Italian Army. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "4° Reggimento Genio Guastatori - Il Medagliere". Italian Army. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b "4° Reggimento Genio Guastatori". Italian Army. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m F. dell'Uomo, R. Puletti (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo II. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 271.
  6. ^ F. dell'Uomo, R. Puletti (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo II. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 313.
  7. ^ "Decreto del Presidente della Repubblica 12 novembre 1976, n. 846". Quirinale - Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  8. ^ Stefani, Filippo (1989). La storia della dottrina e degli ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano - Vol. III - Tomo 2°. Rome: Ufficio Storico - Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito. pp. 1184–1185.
  9. ^ "4° Battaglione Genio Pionieri "Orta"". Quirinale - Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b "4° Reggimento Genio Guastatori". Ministero della Difesa. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  11. ^ a b "4° Reggimento Genio Guastatori - Manuale di Gestione" (PDF). Italian Defense Ministry. Retrieved 23 December 2023.