Mechanized Brigade "Goito"

Brigata Meccanizzata "Goito"
3rd Army Corps
Garrison/HQ	Milan

The Mechanized Brigade "Goito" was a mechanized brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were mechanized Bersaglieri battalions. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Milan. The brigade's name was chosen in memory of the First Italian War of Independence Battle of Goito, where the Bersaglieri corps had its baptism of fire.

History

The brigade was activated during the

, and the I Services Battalion "Centauro" from the "Centauro" Division's Services Grouping "Centauro". Additionally, an anti-tank company and an engineer company were raised for the Goito.

The Armored Division "Centauro" was part of the

river. The brigade's authorized strength was 4,733 men (272 Officers, 637 non-commissioned officers and 3,824 soldiers) and it was initially composed by the following units:

• 3rd Mechanized Brigade "Goito", in Milan^[1][2]
  • Command and Signal Unit "Goito", in Milan
  • 4th Tank Battalion "M.O. Passalacqua", in Solbiate Olona (Leopard 1A2 main battle tanks)
  • 6th Bersaglieri Battalion "Palestro", in Turin (VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers)^[3]
  • 10th Bersaglieri Battalion "Bezzecca", in Solbiate Olona (VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers)^[4]
  • 18th Bersaglieri Battalion "Poggio Scanno", in Milan
    (VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers)
  • 3rd Field Artillery Group "Pastrengo", in Vercelli (M101 105mm towed howitzers, replaced with M109 155mm self-propelled howitzers
    in the early 1980s)
  • Logistic Battalion "Goito", in Monza
  • Anti-tank Company "Goito", in Turin
  • Engineer Company "Goito", in Novara

On 1 November 1986, the Italian Army abolished the divisional level and the brigades, which until then had been under one of the Army's four divisions, came forthwith under the direct command of the Army's 3rd or 5th Army Corps. The "Goito" along with the "Centauro" and "Legnano" brigades came under the 3rd Army Corps. On the occasion, the brigades dropped the numbers from their names and received a new coat of arms.

After the end of the

on 1 March 1991.

References