9th Alpini Regiment

The 9th Alpini Regiment was formed on 1 July 1921 in Gorizia and assigned to the 3rd Alpine Division. Initially the regiment consisted of four battalions, which had been transferred from other Alpini regiments:[5]

• Alpini Battalion "Vicenza", in Tolmino (from the 6th Alpini Regiment)
• Alpini Battalion "Bassano", in Gorizia (from the 6th Alpini Regiment)
• Alpini Battalion "Feltre", in Caporetto (from the 7th Alpini Regiment)
• Alpini Battalion "Cividale", in Cividale del Friuli (from the 8th Alpini Regiment)

In 1926 the Feltre and Cividale returned to their original regiments and the 9th Alpini Regiment consisted of the battalions Vicenza and Bassano.[5] On 11 March 1926 the 3rd Alpine Division was reduced to III Alpine Brigade.[6]

On 13 April 1935 the Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila" was formed in Gorizia,[1] drawing its personnel from the "Vicenza" and "Bassano" battalions. The new battalion was considered to be the heir of the World War I Alpini Battalion "Monte Berico", which had consisted of soldiers recruited in Abruzzo.[5] Gabriele D'Annunzio created the battalion's motto "D'Aquila Penne, Ugne di Leonessa", which is a word pun: its literal translation is "Eagle feathers, Lioness claws", but L'Aquila, Penne, Ugne and Leonessa are Abruzzo towns, which were the recruitment basin of the Monte Berico.[1] On 10 September 1935, the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" was formed by renaming the III Superior Alpine Command "Julio", which was the their of the III Alpine Brigade.[7]

On 31 October 1935 the regiment was structured as follows:

• 9th Alpini Regiment[8]
  • Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila"
    • 93rd Alpini Company
    • 108th Alpini Company
    • 143rd Alpini Company
    • 292nd Alpini Company
  • Alpini Battalion "Vicenza"
    • 59th Alpini Company
    • 60th Alpini Company
    • 61st Alpini Company
    • 290th Alpini Company
  • Alpini Battalion "Bassano"
    • 62nd Alpini Company
    • 63rd Alpini Company
    • 74th Alpini Company
    • 297th Alpini Company

On 20 January 1936 the fourth companies of the battalions were disbanded and on 25 September 1937 the Alpini Battalion "Bassano" was transferred to the 11th Alpini Regiment.[5]

After the outbreak of World War II the regiment formed reserve battalions, which were named after valleys (Italian: Val) located near L'Aquila and Vicenza. At the end of the 1939 the regiment consisted of the following units:

• 9th Alpini Regiment
  • Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila"
    • 93rd Alpini Company
    • 108th Alpini Company
    • 143rd Alpini Company
  • Alpini Battalion "Vicenza"
    • 59th Alpini Company
    • 60th Alpini Company
    • 61st Alpini Company
  • Alpini Battalion "Val Leogra" ("Vicenza" reserve battalion)
    • 259th Alpini Company
    • 260th Alpini Company
    • 261st Alpini Company
  • Alpini Battalion "Val Pescara" ("L'Aquila" reserve battalion)
    • 285th Alpini Company
    • 286th Alpini Company
    • 287th Alpini Company

In mid-April 1939 the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" was sent to Albania and posted to the Albanian-Yugoslav border until September 1941, when it was moved to the Greek border for the planned Italian invasion of Greece. During the following Greco-Italian war the 9th Alpini consisted of the Vicenza and L'Aquila battalions, and was led by Colonel Gaetano Tavoni.[7] After the German invasion of Greece and the Greek surrender the Julia returned to Italy. For its conduct during the Greco-Italian war the 9th Alpini Regiment was awarded Italy's highest military honor a Gold Medal of Military Valour.[9]

On 15 February 1942 the regiment's depot formed support weapons companies for the two regular battalions. In July 1942 the Julia was sent with the 2nd Alpine Division "Tridentina", 4th Alpine Division "Cuneense" and other Italian units to the Soviet Union to form the Italian Army in Russia (Italian: Armata Italiana in Russia abbreviated as ARMIR) and fight alongside the German Wehrmacht against the Red Army. To bring the regiment to full strength for the deployment to the Soviet Union it received the Alpini Battalion "Val Cismon" from the 7th Alpini Regiment. Taking up positions along the Don River, the Italian units covered part of the left flank of the German Sixth Army, which spearheaded the German summer offensive of 1942 into the city of Stalingrad.

After successfully encircling the German Sixth army in Stalingrad the Red Army's attention turned to the Italian units along the Don. On 14 January 1943, the Soviet Operation Little Saturn began and the three alpine division found themselves quickly encircled by rapidly advancing armored Soviet Forces. The Alpini held the front on the Don, but within three days the Soviets had advanced 200 km to the left and right of the Alpini. On the evening of 17 January the commanding officer of the Italian Mountain Corps General Gabriele Nasci ordered a full retreat. At this point the Julia and Cuneense divisions were already heavily decimated and only the Tridentina was still capable of conducting combat operations. As the Soviets had already occupied every village bitter battles had to be fought to clear the way out of the encirclement. The remnants of the Tridentina were able to break the Soviet encirclement in the Battle of Nikolayevka on 26 January 1943, allowing the survivors of the Julia to reach German lines, which were reached on the morning of 28 January. By then the men of the 9th Alpini Regiment had walked 200 km, fought in 20 battles and spent 11 nights camped out in the middle of the Steppe. Temperatures during the nights were between -30 °C and -40 °C. For its conduct during the campaign in the Soviet Union the 9th Alpini Regiment was once more awarded Italy's highest military honor a Gold Medal of Military Valour.[10]

The few survivors of the regiment were repatriated in spring 1943 and garrisoned in Udine. The L'Aquila was the worst affected battalion and returned with just three officers and 159 Alpini out more than 1,500 deployed. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943, the regiment and its battalions were disbanded by invading German forces.[5]

During the war the regiment's depot raised several additional units:

• Alpini Battalion "Vicenza Bis", raised in April 1941 and deployed for anti-partisan duties to the Isonzo valley
• IX Reserve Battalion, deployed with the Julia to the Soviet Union, where it was destroyed
• IX March Battalion, raised in late 1942 for the 8th Marching Division
• XXXIX Battalion "Monte Berico", initially raised as XXXIX Reserve Battalion for the 9th Alpini Regiment, but after the destruction of the regiment the battalion was assigned to the 167th Alpini Coastal Regiment of the 223rd Coastal Division.[5]

In September 1944 the Italian Co-belligerent Army raised the Alpini Battalion "Abruzzi", which was soon renamed Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila" for service with the Combat Group "Legnano". The Legnano participated on the allied side in the Italian campaign until the German surrender.[1]

On 15 April 1946 the Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila" was the first battalion to enter the reformed of the 8th Alpini Regiment, first based in Edolo and then in Tarvisio.[5]

Coat of arms of the Alpini Battalion "Vicenza"

During the 1975 Italian Army reform the 8th Alpini Regiment was disbanded and its battalions became independent. On 1 September 1975 the Alpini Battalion "Vicenza" in Tolmezzo was reformed as Alpini Battalion "Vicenza" (Recruits Training).[11] The Vicenza received the flag and traditions of the 9th Alpini Regiment, but had to transfer the two Silver Medals of Military Valour awarded to the Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila" to that battalion's newly created flag; while the two Gold Medals of Military Valour, awarded to the 9th Alpini Regiment for its conduct during the Greco-Italian war and on the Eastern Front, were duplicated for the new flag of the L'Aquila battalion. The Silver Medal of Military Valour awarded to the Vicenza battalion for its conduct during World War I, and the Silver Medal of Military Valour awarded to the Val Leogra battalion for its conduct during the Greco-Italian war remained affixed to the flag of the Alpini Battalion Vicenza.[1][3]

For its conduct and work after the 1976 Friuli earthquake the battalion was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valour, which was affixed to the battalion's flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms.[12]

With the battalions base in Tolmezzo damaged by the earthquake the battalion moved to Codroipo, with the exception of the 61st Company, which was transferred to Teramo to train the recruits of the L'Aquila Battalion.[1]

Coat of arms of the Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila"

During the same reform the Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila" in Tarvisio was disbanded on 31 August 1975 and the next day the Alpini Recruits Training Battalion "Julia" in L'Aquila was reformed as Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila".[13] As the traditions and flag of the 9th Alpini Regiment had been assigned to the Alpini Battalion "Vicenza", the L'Aquila was granted a new flag on 12 November 1976 by decree 846 of the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone.[14] The two Gold Medals of Military Valour awarded to the 9th Alpini Regiment for its conduct during the Greco-Italian war and on the Eastern Front, were duplicated for the new flag of the L'Aquila, while the Silver Medal of Military Valour awarded to the L'Aquila battalion for its conduct during the allied Spring 1945 offensive in Italy and the Silver Medal of Military Valour awarded to the Monte Berico battalion for its conduct in World War I, were transferred from the flag of the 9th Alpini to the L'Aquila's flag.[15][16][3]

The battalion recruited from the mountainous Abruzzo region and was operationally assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Julia". To support the battalion the 15th Battery of the Mountain Artillery Group "Conegliano" in Udine was detached to L'Aquila.[1]

For its conduct and work after the 1980 Irpinia earthquake the battalion was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valour, which was affixed to the battalion's flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms.[17]

On 4 September 1991 the Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila" entered the reformed 9th Alpini Regiment in L'Aquila. As the regiment's original flag had been assigned to the Alpini Battalion "Vicenza" the 9th Alpini continued to use the flag of the L'Aquila. On 27 August 1996 the Vicenza battalion was disbanded and the 9th Alpini Regiment received its original flag in a ceremony on 13 September 1996.[1][5]

On 1 September 1997 the regiment was transferred from the Alpine Brigade "Julia" to the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense".[5] In 2001 the regiment raised the 264th Anti-tank Company "Val Cismon", which later merged with the 119th Mortar Company to form the 119th Maneuver Support Company.[5] On 29 May 2017 the regiment raised the Multifunctional battalion "Orta",[18] which was renamed later in the same year "Vicenza".[19] As of 2022 the 9th Alpini Regiment is one of two Alpini regiments of the Army with two battalions on its ORBAT.

From 1921 to 1943, the 9th Regiment had 11 Commanders:

Commanding officer Colonel Riccardo Cristoni in 2013

Since 1991, the 9th Regiment has had 17 Commanders: