Mechanized Brigade "Isonzo"

The Mechanized Brigade "Isonzo" was a short-lived brigade of the

Mantova

63 Fioritto

52 Alpi

59 Calabria

76 Napoli

114 Moriago

120 Fornovo

28 Livorno

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Isonzo units in 1976

In 1975 the Italian Army undertook a major reorganization of its forces: the regimental level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of multi-arms brigades. As tensions with Yugoslavia over the city if

• Mechanized Brigade "Isonzo", in Cividale del Friuli^[1][2]
  • Command and Signal Unit "Isonzo", in Cividale del Friuli
  • 63rd Tank Battalion "M.O. Fioritto", in Cordenons (Leopard 1A2
    main battle tanks)
  • 52nd Infantry Fortification Battalion "Alpi", in Attimis (former I Battalion, 52nd Infantry Regiment "Alpi", fielded 12x companies)^[3]
  • 59th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Calabria", in Cividale del Friuli (former II Battalion, 59th Infantry Regiment "Calabria")^[4]
  • 76th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Napoli"
    , in Cividale del Friuli (former I Battalion, 76th Infantry Regiment "Napoli")
  • 114th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Moriago"
    , in Tricesimo (former II Battalion, 114th Infantry Regiment "Mantova")
  • 120th Infantry Fortification Battalion "Fornovo", in Ipplis (former III Battalion, 52nd Infantry Regiment "Alpi", fielded 13x companies)^[3]
  • 28th Field Artillery Group "Livorno", in Tricesimo (M114 155mm towed howitzers)^[5][6] (former IV Heavy Field Artillery Group, 5th Field Artillery Regiment)^[5][7]
  • Logistic Battalion "Isonzo", in Tricesimo
  • Anti-tank Company "Isonzo", in Tarcento (BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles)
  • Engineer Company "Isonzo", in Tarcento

The brigade was tasked with defending the central part of the Yugoslav-Italian border against a possible Warsaw Pact invasion with the Alpine Brigade "Julia" on its left flank and the Mechanized Brigade "Gorizia" on its right flank.

Deactivation

In 1986 the Italian Army abolished the divisional level and brigades, which until then had been under one of the Army's four divisions, came under direct command of the Army's 3rd or 5th Army Corps. As the Mechanized Division "Mantova" carried the traditions of the