Airmobile Brigade "Friuli"

The 20th Infantry Division "Friuli" was formed on 24 August 1939 by renaming the existing 20th Infantry Division "Curtatone e Montanara" in Livorno.[2] The division was immediately split to create the 44th Infantry Division "Cremona", but it retained its traditional regiments: the 87th and 88th infantry regiments. To bring the "Friuli" division to full strength it received the 35th Artillery Regiment on 4 September 1939.[5]

After the armistice between Italy and the Allies on 3 September 1943 the "Friuli" fought on the allied side as part of the Italian Co-Belligerent Army and liberated Bologna towards the war's end.[1][3]

After World War II the division was the only division of the IV Military Territorial Command and based in the city of Bolzano. In 1949 the division moved to Florence where it joined the VII Military Territorial Command. There the division was augmented with the 78th Infantry Regiment "Lupi di Toscana", 8th Field Artillery Regiment and 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment. Later the 3rd Light Anti-Air Artillery Regiment was replaced by the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment "Piemonte Cavalleria".

In September 1956 the Infantry Division "Friuli" and the Infantry Division "Trieste" entered the newly raised VI Army Corps.

On 15 April 1960, the Infantry Division "Friuli" was reduced to brigade, losing its traditional regiments.[2] The brigade was headquartered in Florence and most of its units stationed in the surrounding region of Tuscany. By 1964 the structure of the Infantry Brigade "Friuli" was:[2]

• Infantry Brigade "Friuli", in Florence
  • 78th Infantry Regiment "Lupi di Toscana", in Scandicci
    • Command and Services Company, in Scandicci
    • I Infantry Battalion, in Scandicci
    • II Infantry Battalion, in Pistoia
    • III Infantry Battalion, in Scandicci
    • Regimental Anti-tank Company, in Scandicci (anti-tank guided missiles and M47 tanks)
  • Armored Battalion "Friuli", in Florence (M26 Pershing tanks and M113 armoured personnel carriers)
  • Field Artillery Group "Friuli", in Pistoia (M14/61 105mm towed howitzers)
  • Light Aviation Unit "Friuli", at Florence-Peretola Air Base[6] (L-21B Super Cub)
  • Engineer Company "Friuli", in Florence
  • Signal Company "Friuli", in Florence
  • Supply, Repairs, Recovery Unit "Friuli", in Coverciano[7]
  • Transport Unit "Friuli", in Coverciano[7]

The brigade stored materiel and equipment, including M1 40/56 anti-aircraft cannons, for the Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Group "Friuli" in Pistoia, which in case of war would have been activated and filled with reservists from Tuscany.

Friuli

19 Butera

78 Lupi di Toscana

87 Senio

225 Arezzo

35 Riolo

Friuli units in 1989

With the abolishment of the regimental level during the 1975 army reform the 78th Regiment was disbanded on 23 September 1975, and the brigade changed its name to Motorized Brigade "Friuli". The new structure was:[2]

• Motorized Brigade "Friuli", in Florence[8][9]
  • Command and Signal Unit "Friuli", in Florence
  • 78th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Lupi di Toscana", in Scandicci
  • 87th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Senio", in Pistoia[3]
  • 225th Infantry Battalion "Arezzo" (Recruits Training), in Arezzo
  • 19th Armored Battalion "M.O. Tumiati", in Florence (M47 Patton tanks and M113 APCs)
  • 35th Field Artillery Group "Riolo", in Pistoia (M114 155mm towed howitzers)[5]
  • Logistic Battalion "Friuli", in Coverciano
  • Anti-tank Company "Friuli", in Scandicci (BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles)
  • Engineer Company "Friuli", in Florence

The brigade also stored the equipment for a third maneuver battalion in Arezzo, which in case of war would have been filled with reservists, and recruits from the 225th Infantry (Recruits Training) Battalion "Arezzo", and would have been named 35th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Pistoia".

On 1 January 1986, the "Friuli" Brigade and the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore", in conjunction with some units of the 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.[2]

After the end of the Cold War and the subsequent reduction of the Italian Army the Friuli merged with the Mechanized Brigade "Trieste" on 1 June 1991. Although the new brigade was named Mechanized Brigade "Friuli", it was headquartered in Bologna in the building of the Trieste's staff. Before the merger the 87th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Senio" had been disbanded on 31 January 1991,[3] and the 35th Field Artillery Group "Riolo" and the 19th Armored Battalion on 6 May 1991.[2][5]

After the reintroduction of the regimental level in 1992 the brigade was composed of the following units on 1 January 1993:[2]

• Mechanized Brigade "Friuli", in Bologna
  • Command and Signal Unit "Friuli", in Bologna (renamed Command and Tactical Supports Unit after merging with the Engineer Company "Friuli" in 1993)[2]
  • 4th Tank Regiment, in Ozzano dell'Emilia (Leopard 1A2 main battle tanks; renamed 33rd Tank Regiment on 1 September 1993)[2]
  • 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, in Bologna (VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers)
  • 66th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Valtellina", in Forlì (VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers; later renamed 66th Infantry Regiment "Trieste")[2]
  • 78th Infantry Regiment "Lupi di Toscana", in Scandicci (VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers)
  • 225th Regiment "Arezzo", in Arezzo (replaced by the 121st Infantry Regiment "Macerata" on 15 September 1993)[2]
  • 21st Self-propelled Artillery Group "Romagna", in Bologna (M109 155mm self-propelled howitzers; later renamed 21st Self-propelled Field Artillery Regiment "Trieste")[2]
  • Logistic Battalion "Friuli", in Budrio
  • Engineer Company "Friuli", in Bologna (merged in September 1993 into the Command and Signal Unit)

On 7 October 1995 the brigade received a cavalry regiment: the 4th Alpine Army Corps' Regiment "Savoia Cavalleria" (3rd) based in Meran in South Tyrol was disbanded and the name transferred to the Regiment "Lancieri di Firenze" (9th) based in Grosseto in Tuscany. On 5 September of the same year the 78th Infantry Regiment "Lupi di Toscana" was disbanded.[2] During the late 1990s the brigade was earmarked to become Italy's only Air Assault brigade and therefore the 33rd Tank Regiment was transferred to the Armored Brigade "Ariete", the 121st Infantry Regiment "Macerata" to the Mechanized Brigade "Legnano", and the 21st Self-propelled Artillery Regiment "Trieste" to the Armored Brigade "Pinerolo". On 1 January 1999 the 7th Air Cavalry Regiment "Vega" and on 1 May 2000, the 5th Air Cavalry Regiment "Rigel" joined the brigade, which on the latter date changed its name to Airmobile Brigade "Friuli".[2] On 27 June 2001 the Logistic Battalion "Friuli" became the 6th Transport Regiment and was transferred to the Logistic Projection Brigade. In 2003 the army's aviation left the cavalry arm and became a corps of its own and consequently the brigade's two air cavalry regiments changed their names to army aviation regiment. On 1 January 2005 the 6th Bersaglieri Regiment was transferred to the Mechanized Brigade "Aosta" on Sicily.[2]