6th Alpini Regiment The 6th Alpini Regiment ( ) is a light Infantry regiment of the Italian Army , specializing in Mountain Combat . The Alpini are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army , that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II . History . Formation . The 6th Alpini Regiment was formed on November 1 , 1882 . It consisted of the three battalions : Val d ' Orco , Val d ' Aosta , Val Tagliamento , named after the valleys and localities from which their soldiers were recruited . In 1886 two new battalions were raised and the now five battalions were renamed , taking their new names from the location of their main logistic depot : Verona , Vicenza , Bassano , Pieve di Cadore and Gemona . The latter two battalions passed to the newly formed 7th Alpini Regiment on August 1 , 1887 . World War I . The 6th regiment saw its first action in the Italo - Turkish War 1911 , fighting Ottoman forces in the Libyan desert . During World War I the regiment consisted of 10 battalions and saw heavy fighting in the Alps against Austria ’ s Kaiserjäger and Germany ’ s Alpenkorps . The battalions of the regiment in these days were ( pre - war raised units in bold , followed by their first and second line reserve battalions ) : Interwar Period . On September 10 , 1935 the 2nd Alpine Division “ Tridentina ” was formed and composed of the 5th Alpini and 6th Alpini Regiments and the 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment . In 1937 the battalions are reorganized and renamed : Vestone , Verona and Trento . The " Trento " battalion was placed under command of the newly formed 11th Alpini Regiment and participated in the Second Italo - Abyssinian War . World War II . On June 21 , 1940 ( one day before the French surrender ) the “ Tridentina ” division began to advance with other Italian units into Southern France . The division was then sent to Albania , where it sustained heavy losses in the Italian attack on Greece . As the German Wehrmacht came to the aid of the beaten Italian armies in Albania in April 1941 through the invasion of Yugoslavia the “ Tridentina ” was sent repatriated for rest and refit . In September 1942 the “ Tridentina ” under the command of General Luigi Reverberi was sent together with the Alpini divisions Julia and Cuneense and other Italian units to the Soviet Union to form the ARMIR ( Armata Italiana in Russia or Italian Army in Russia ) and fight alongside the Germans against the Red Army . The 6th regiment was augmented by the Val Chiese battalion before leaving Italy . 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 January 14 , 1943 the Soviet offensive Operation Little Saturn began and the three Alpini division found themselves quickly encircled by the rapidly advancing armoured Soviet Forces . After 12 days of heavy fighting the Julia and Cuneense divisions were completely annihilated . The remnants of the Tridentina were able to break the Soviet encirclement in the epic and desperate Battle of Nikolayevka on January 26 , 1943 allowing the 4250 survivors ( out of 15000 troops deployed ) to reach German lines . The few survivors of the 6th Regiment were repatriated and after the signing of the Italian armistice with the Allies on September 8 , 1943 the regiment was dissolved on September 10 , 1943 in the Italian village of Fortezza . The Cold War . After World War II the 6th Alpini regiment was reformed on April 16 , 1946 in the city of Meran with the battalions " Edolo " , " Bolzano " and " Trento " and became the sole Alpini regiment of the reformed Alpine Brigade Tridentina . In 1951 the reformed " Bassano " battalion returned to the 6th Alpini and on January 1 , 1953 it ceded the " Edolo " battalion to the reformed 5th Alpini Regiment . On September 30 , 1975 the regiment was disbanded and its battalions came under direct command of the Tridentina Brigade . The regimental colours and traditions were given to the care of the " Bassano " battalion . Today . On January 15 , 1993 the 6th Alpini Regiment was reformed and the " Bassano " became its single battalion . Today the 6th Regiment consists of the “ Bassano ” battalion , the regimental command and a logistic support company . The regiment is based in Innichen in the province of South Tyrol and directly subordinated to the Alpine Troops Command ( COMALP ) . It functions as a NATO - wide high altitude warfare training centre and administers the Training Areas in the Puster Valley .