page_title: Mechanized Brigade "Legnano"
section_title: Cold War
hierarchical_section_title: Mechanized Brigade "Legnano" / History / Cold War
caption_attribution_description: English: Structure of the Italian Army Infantry Division "Legnano" in 1974
context_page_description: The Mechanized Brigade "Legnano" was a mechanized brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were mechanized infantry battalions. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Bergamo in Lombardy. The name of the brigade commemorates the Lombard League victory in the Battle of Legnano in 1176 and its coat of arms depicts the Monument to the Warrior of Legnano in the centre of Legnano.
context_section_description: After the war the combat group was garrisoned in Bergamo. When the 67th Infantry Regiment "Palermo" returned to the combat group on 15 October 1946 the group became once more the Infantry Division "Legnano". The division also received the 3rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Group. In 1947 the two infantry regiments changed their name from "Palermo" to "Legnano" and the division was augmented with the Horse Artillery Regiment "Volòire".
  In the next years the division was motorized with American equipment and the 3rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Group was increased to full regiment with three battalions of armoured and mechanized cavalry. The division was the only major unit of the III Territorial Military Command in Milan until the command became the III Army Corps on 1 July 1957. Subsequently the Armored Division Centauro in Novara, the Infantry Division "Cremona" and Alpine Brigade "Taurinense" both based in Turin entered the III Army Corps.
  On 1 May 1958 the 4th Armored Infantry Regiment joined the division. The regiment consisted of the XX Tank Battalion with M47 Patton tanks and the II Bersaglieri Battalion. At the same time the 3rd Cavalry Regiment was reduced to Divisional Reconnaissance Group "Legnano". After the four artillery groups of the 11th Artillery Regiment had been re-equipped with M101 105mm and M114 155mm howitzers, the Horse Artillery Regiment "Volòire" was transferred to the III Army Corps.
  The structure of the division before the 1975 reform was as follows:
   Infantry Division "Legnano", in Bergamo
   4th Armored Infantry Regiment, in Legnano
  Command and Services Company, in Legnano (includes an anti-tank guided missile platoon)
  II Bersaglieri Battalion, in Legnano (M113 armored personnel carriers)
  XX Tank Battalion, in Legnano (M47 Patton tanks)
   67th Infantry Regiment "Legnano", in Montorio Veronese
  Command and Services Company, in Montorio Veronese
  I Infantry Battalion, in Montorio Veronese
  II Infantry Battalion, in Montorio Veronese
  III Infantry Battalion, in Montorio Veronese
  IV Mechanized Battalion, in Montorio Veronese (M113 armored personnel carriers and M47 tanks)
  Regimental Anti-tank Company, in Montorio Veronese (anti-tank guided missiles and M47 tanks)
   68th Infantry Regiment "Legnano", in Bergamo
  Command and Services Company, in Bergamo
  I Infantry Battalion, in Bergamo
  II Infantry Battalion, in Como
  III Infantry Battalion, in Brescia
  IV Mechanized Battalion, in Monza (M113 armored personnel carriers and M47 tanks)
  Regimental Anti-tank Company, in Monza (anti-tank guided missiles and M47 tanks)
   11th Field Artillery Regiment, in Cremona
  Command and Services Battery, in Cremona
  I Field Artillery Group, in Cremona (M14/61 105mm towed howitzers)
  II Field Artillery Group, in Cremona (M14/61 105mm towed howitzers)
  III Self-propelled Field Artillery Group, in Vercelli (M7 105mm self-propelled howitzers)
  IV Heavy Field Artillery Group, in Cremona (M114 155mm towed howitzers)
  V Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Group (Reserve), in (?) (Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft guns and 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine guns)
  Artillery Specialists Battery, in Cremona
  "Lancieri di Milano" Squadrons Group, in Monza (Fiat Campagnola reconnaissance vehicles and M47 Patton tanks)
  Engineer Battalion "Legnano", in Verona
  Signal Battalion "Legnano", in Bergamo
  Services Grouping "Legnano", in Presezzo
  Command Platoon, in Presezzo
  Supply, Repairs, Recovery Unit "Legnano", in Orio al Serio
  Transport Unit "Legnano", in Presezzo
  Medical Battalion "Legnano" (Reserve), in Presezzo (includes the 5th Field Hospital)
  Provisions Supply Company "Legnano", in Presezzo
   The Light Aviation Unit "Legnano", at Bergamo-Orio al Serio Air Base was disbanded on 16 July 1972.
  In 1975 the Italian Army undertook a major reorganization of it forces: the regimental level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of multi-arms brigades. Therefore, on 29 October 1975 the Infantry Division "Legnano" was split to form the Mechanized Brigade "Legnano" in Bergamo and the Mechanized Brigade "Brescia" in Brescia. The I and IV battalions of the 68th Infantry Regiment "
caption: Infantry Division "Legnano" in 1974
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