Bersaglieri

## World War I

During World War I, the 12 Bersaglieri regiments were augmented by nine raised regiments and fought with distinction on the Italian Front. Of the 210,000 members of Bersaglieri regiments, 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded during the war. Italy's last surviving World War I veteran, Delfino Borroni, was a member of the 6th Bersaglieri Regiment from Bologna. Another member who served as Bersagliere on the front (and was wounded) was Benito Mussolini.

A contingent of Bersaglieri drawn from the autonomous battalions of the 1st Bersaglieri Regiment was sent to participate in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in 1917, where they were attached to the Egyptian Expeditionary Force commanded by General Edmund Allenby. Their "mainly political" role was to assert "hereditary ecclesiastical prerogatives in connection with the Christian churches at Jerusalem and Bethlehem."

### Peacetime regiments

At the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914 the Bersaglieri corps consisted of 12 regiments of three battalions on foot, and one cyclists battalion each. Each regiment also contained a machine gun section with two machine guns. The battalions on foot consisted of three companies of 250 men each, while the cyclist battalions consisted of three companies of 150 men each. Additionally each cyclists battalion had its own machine gun section with two machine guns. Between the outbreak of the war and the Italian declaration of war on 23 May 1915 the Italian army was forced to send the 1st Bersaglieri Regiment and five battalions from other Bersaglieri regiments to Libya as the local population fiercely resisted the Italian occupation. On 29 December 1914 the army sent the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment to Albania, which was in turmoil after its freshly installed ruler William, Prince of Albania had fled the country in September 1914. Already since 4 May 1912 two battalions of the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment were in Rhodes to garrison the newly conquered Italian Islands of the Aegean.

With war imminent the army began to raise new Bersaglieri battalions to replace the battalions deployed overseas and on 8 April 1915 the 10th bis Bersaglieri Regiment was formed to replace the 10th deployed in Albania. Starting in January 1915 additional battalions were raised starting, which remained autonomous and were not integrated in an existing regiment. When hostilities commended the Bersaglieri consisted of:

* 13 regiments (one in Libya, one in Albania, eleven in Italy)
* 55 battalions on foot (41 grouped in 13 regiments (two deployed to Rhodes); 14 autonomous battalions, of which seven in Libya and seven at the Italian Front)
* 12 cyclist battalions

On 10 January 1916 the High Command ordered to increase all Bersaglieri battalions on foot by one company. The battalions deployed to Libya were exempt. Later that spring the Bersaglieri companies of the battalions on foot were reduced from 250 to 225 men, but in turn each battalion received its own machine gun section with two machine guns, a submachine-gun section with two Villar Perosa submachine guns, and a Sapper unit with 88 men. On 3 March 1916 the regimental command of the 1st Bersaglieri Regiment was disbanded and its battalions became autonomous.

At the end of 1916 the Bersaglieri fielded:

* 15 regiments (one in Albania, 14 in Italy)
* 48 battalions on foot (45 grouped in 15 regiments and three autonomous battalions). Each of these battalions consisted of four companies of 225 men each, a sapper unit, a machine gun section, and two submachine-gun sections.
* 15 autonomous battalions on foot (two deployed to Rhodes, thirteen in Libya). Each of these battalions consisted of three companies of 250 men each and a machine gun section.
* 12 cyclist battalions, each with three companies of 150 men and a machine gun section.

Early in 1917 each battalion in Italy received a second submachine-gun section and in May the battalions were thoroughly reorganized: the machine gun sections of each battalion were increased to a machine gun company with six machine guns, while the battalion's 4th companies were group in independent "marching" battalions (*Battaglione di Marcia*), which acted as personnel reserve for the armies deployed to the front.

After the defeat at Caporetto the Italian army was forced to retreat from the Isonzo river to the Piave river. During the retreat four Bersaglieri regiments and three autonomous battalions were so badly mauled that they had to be disbanded: besides the wartime regiments 15 and 21, also the peacetime regiments 4 and 9 were disbanded. Thus at the end of 1917 the Bersaglieri corps consisted of:

* 16 regiments (one in Albania, 15 in Italy)
* 48 battalions on foot (grouped in 16 regiments). Each of these battalions consisted of three companies of 225 men each, a machine gun company, a sapper unit, and two submachine-gun sections.
* 15 autonomous battalions on foot (two deployed to Rhodes, ten in Libya). Each of these battalions consisted of three companies of 250 men each and a machine gun section.
* 12 cyclist battalions, each with three companies of 150 men and a machine gun section.

After the Battle of Caporetto the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army Luigi Cadorna was finally dismissed and replaced by Armando Diaz. Diaz reorganized the army and ordered the Bersaglieri battalions to be reorganized: the companies on foot were reduced to 150 men in three platoons - two of infantry and one of sappers and combat support troops. At the same the machine gun companies were increased to eight machine guns, and the submachine-gun sections increased to three and attached to the companies. Each battalion also received a Stokes mortar section, while each regiment received a flamethrower section and a "reparto cannoncini d'accompagnamento" (loosely translated: small accompaniment cannons unit), with Italian copies of the Austrian 3.7cm Infantry Gun M.15. Additionally the command of the 16th Bersaglieri Regiment was disbanded and its battalions became autonomous, six of the autonomous battalions deployed to Libya were ordered to return and reorganized as the other battalions on the Italian front. The cyclist battalions were also reorganized (see the "Cyclist Battalions" section here below).

At the onset of the last offensive of the war the Bersaglieri consisted of:

* 15 regiments (one in Albania, 14 in Italy)
* 45 battalions on foot (grouped in 15 regiments). Each of these battalions consisted of three companies of 150 men each, a machine gun company, three submachine-gun sections, and a Stokes mortar section.
* 12 autonomous battalions on foot (two deployed to Rhodes, four in Libya, and six battalions assigned to the two divisions of the Assault Army Corps. The overseas battalions consisted of three companies of 250 men each and a machine gun section, while the six battalions of the Assault Army Corps were organized as the regimental battalions.
* 8 cyclist battalions, each with three companies of 150 men and a machine gun section (six in two groups and attached to cavalry divisions, and two assigned to the Assault Army Corps)

### Regiments raised during the war

At the outbreak of the war the army fielded 13 Bersaglieri regiments: the twelve peacetime regiments and the 10th bis Bersaglieri Regiment, which had been raised with new battalions on 8 April 1915 to replace the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment sent to Vlorë in Albania on 29 December 1914. During 1915 two more regiments were raised; the 1st bis Bersaglieri Regiment with three autonomous battalions and then 13th Bersaglieri Regiment with three new battalions:

* 8 April 1915: 10th bis Bersaglieri Regiment
* 8 June - 25th June 1915: 13th Provisional Bersaglieri Regiment. The regiment was formed from new battalions and meant to replace the 1st Bersaglieri Regiment deployed to Libya, but it became never operational, and upon reaching the front the regiment was disbanded and its battalions became autonomous.
* 24 September 1915: 1st bis Bersaglieri Regiment, formed from the three autonomous of the short-lived 13th Provisional Bersaglieri Regiment
* 22 November 1915: 13th Bersaglieri Regiment

On 5 January 1916 the 1st bis Bersaglieri Regiment changed its name and became the 15th Bersaglieri Regiment, while on the same date the 10th bis Bersaglieri Regiment changed its name and became 16th Bersaglieri Regiment. During 1916 only one new regiment was raised: the 14th Bersaglieri Regiment on 11 March with two newly formed and one autonomous battalion.

In 1917 the army raised five new Bersaglieri regiments: the 17th and 18th regiments with newly raised battalions, the 19th regiment with three autonomous battalions, and the 20th and 21st regiments with reserve battalions.

* 31 Jan. 1917: 18th Bersaglieri Regiment
* 6 Feb. 1917: 17th Bersaglieri Regiment
* 15 Feb. 1917: 19th Bersaglieri Regiment
* 1 April 1917: 20th Bersaglieri Regiment
* 27 April 1917: 21st Bersaglieri Regiment

Due to the defeat at the Battle of Caporetto the army was forced to disbanded the 15th and the 21st Bersaglieri regiments with their battalions in November 1917. In 1918 the command of the 16th Bersaglieri Regiment was disbanded and its three battalions became autonomous.

After the war four of the regiments raised for the conflict were disbanded (13th, 14th, 17th, 18th), while the 19th Bersaglieri Regiment was renamed 4th Bersaglieri Regiment, and the 20th Bersaglieri Regiment was renamed 9th Bersaglieri Regiment. Of the nine regiments raised during the war none, except for 18th Bersaglieri Regiment, was ever activated again. The 18th was active again from 1 April 1935 until the 31 December 1936, from 1 February 1942 until 8 September 1943, and for the last time from 10 September 1993 until 1 January 2005.

### Cyclist Battalions

The twelve cyclist battalions of the peacetime regiments had been raised in 1910. Each consisted of three companies of 150 men, and a machine gun section with two machine guns. For the duration of the war the cyclists battalions operated independently from their regiments and were assigned as needed to higher commands. On various occasions Bersaglieri Cyclist Battalion Groups were formed, but only after the Battle of Caporetto forced the Italian army to retreat from the Isonzo front, during which the cyclist battalions served as rearguard, did the army institute permanent cyclist groups. These four groups were officially instituted on 15 January 1918 and each fielded three cyclist battalions and formed initially the mobile reserve of the Third Army on the lower Piave river:

* 1st Group: IV, V, XII cyclist battalions
* 2nd Group: II, X, XI cyclist battalions
* 3rd Group: I, VII, VIII cyclist battalions
* 4th Group: III, VI, IX cyclist battalions

In April and May 1918 the 1st and 2nd Group were assigned to the 1st, respectively the 7th Army to defend the Western, respectively the Eastern shore of Lake Garda from possible Austro-Hungarian amphibious landings. By June all four groups had returned to the 3rd Army and were assigned to the army's corps as mobile reserve (1st Group to XI Corps, 2nd Group to XXVIII Corps, 3rd Group as army reserve, 4th Group to XXIII Corps).

On 24 June 1918 the 2nd and 4th group and the II, VI, IX, and X battalions were disbanded and with their troops the Cyclist Assault Reserve Battalion formed. This battalion was assigned to the Assault Army Corps (*Corpo d'Armata d'Assalto*), which consisted of Bersaglieri and Arditi troops. The surviving III and XI cyclist battalions were assigned to 1st, respectively the 2nd Assault Division of the same carmy corps. The two remaining groups, the 1st and 3rd, left the 3rd Army on 16 October 1918 and were assigned for the last offensive of the war to the 1st, respectively 4th Cavalry division.

### Autonomous Battalions

During World War 1 the Bersaglieri regiments raised a number of battalions, which were not attached to a regiment and designated as "autonomous battalions". At the same time seven battalions of pre-war regiments, which were deployed to the Italian colonies, became autonomous and were replaced in their regiments by newly raised battalions. The 1st Bersaglieri Regiment was deployed to Italian Libya and its three battalions became autonomous in February 1916 when the regimental command returned to the mainland. Of the autonomous battalions raised during the war only the LII and LV battalions remaining autonomous and active for the entire duration of the conflict.

During the war a number of battalions of existing regiments became autonomous either for geographic reasons (battalion deployed to the colonies) or organizational reasons (regimental command disbanded). The following table gives an overview of these battalions:

### Machine Gunner Companies

At the outbreak of war each infantry and Bersaglieri battalion of the Italian Army fielded one machine gun section with two Maxim 1911 machine guns carried by horses. After the outbreak of the war this proved quickly to be inadequate and in spring 1916 the army began to raise dedicated machine gunner companies (*Compagnia Mitraglieri*). These companies were attached to brigades, divisions and army corps, which deployed them with tactical units (regiments, battalions, companies) as needed. 2,277 Machine Gunner companies were raised and numbered continuously. The Bersaglieri depots raised 31 companies equipped with six St. Étienne Mle 1907 machine guns each, and 84 companies equipped with six Fiat–Revelli Modello 1914 machine guns each.

### Special Bersaglieri Division

At the outbreak of war seven Bersaglieri regiments were assigned to divisions or army corps, while four Bersaglieri regiments formed on 20 May 1915 the Special Bersaglieri Division (*Divisione Speciale Bersaglieri*). The four regiments were joined by IV Mountain Artillery Group of the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment and minor support units. On 11 February 1916 the four regiments were grouped together in two brigades: the I Bersaglieri Brigade consisted of the 6th and 12th Bersaglieri regiments, while the II Bersaglieri Brigade consisted of the 9th and 11th Bersaglieri regiments. After not even a year of existence the division is transformed on 5 March 1915 into a standard infantry division and the two Bersaglieri brigades are attached like the regiments to divisions and army corps as needed.

(*Divisione Speciale Bersaglieri*)
 9th Bersaglieri Regiment
 11th Bersaglieri Regiment
 12th Bersaglieri Regiment

### Bersaglieri Brigades

After the Special Bersaglieri Division had been disbanded the two Bersaglieri brigades were attached to higher commands as needed. On 6th November 1916 the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment replaced the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment in the II Bersaglieri Brigade, but there were no further changes to the brigades during that year.

In 1917 the army decided to activate a further three Bersaglieri brigades of two regiments each, bringing the Bersaglieri closer in line with the regular infantry, all of whose regiments were grouped together in brigades of two infantry regiments. During the year the III, IV, and V Bersaglieri brigades were raised, with respectively the 17th and 18th, 14th and 20th, and 4th and 21st regiments. However the defeat in the Battle of Caporetto led to the destruction of the V Bersaglieri Brigade, which, together with the 21st Bersaglieri Regiment, was annihilated during the retreat from the Isonzo river to the Piave river.

In 1918 the army raised the V Bersaglieri Brigade again, and added the VI and VII Bersaglieri brigades, which consisted of the 8th and 13th, respectively 2nd and 3rd Bersaglieri regiments. With this all Bersaglieri regiments in Italy were now assigned to one of the seven Bersaglieri brigades.

### Assault Divisions

At the end of 1915 each infantry regiment the Italian Army began to create Arditi platoons modeled after the German Stormtroopers. These units remained a regimental asset until 1917 when the 2nd Army on its own initiative an Arditi school in Sdricca di Manzano. The first unit raised from volunteers was officially activated with a live-fire exercise in front of King Victor Emmanuel III on 29 July 1917. Named I Assault Battalion (*I Reparto d'Assalto*) the successful exercise led to the creation of a second battalion, with both units having their baptism of fire during the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo on the Banjšice Plateau.

After the success of the Arditi during the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo all armies were ordered to raise Arditi battalions. However each army raised and employed these battalions in different ways and only after the disastrous Battle of Caporetto did the Italian High Command take control of the formation and use of the Arditi units. Each army corps was to receive an Assault Battalion consisting of three Arditi companies, three machine gun sections, six machine pistol section, and six flamethrower sections. The Bersaglieri raised three Assault battalions.

On 10 June 1918 the I Assault Division was created with three groupings of three Arditi battalions each. On 25 June 1918 the II Assault Division was raised and the two division combined the form the Assault Army Corps (*Corpo d'Armata d'Assalto*). Each division consisted of three groupings with two assault battalions and a Bersaglieri battalion. Additionally each division fielded one Bersaglieri cyclists battalion, a cavalry squadron, a mountain artillery group, a sapper battalion, and various support units. The six Bersaglieri battalions in the groupings had been deployed to Libya until 28 May 1918. Additionally the corps fielded the Cyclist Assault Reserve Battalion formed on 24 June 1918 from the remaining men of the II, VI, IX, and X cyclist battalions.

The corps's two divisions had the following structure: