7th Alpini Regiment
The 7th Alpini Regiment () is a regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. History. Formation. The 7th Alpini Regiment was formed on 1 August 1887 by splitting the 6th Alpini Regiment: the regimental command of the 6th together with the battalions "Feltre", "Gemona", and "Pieve di Cadore" formed the 7th Alpini Regiment in Conegliano. On 9 May 1908 the regiment raised the "Tolmezzo" battalion, which was ceded a year later together with the "Gemona" battalion to form the 8th Alpini  Regiment. To bring the regiment back to strength on 1 October 1910 the "Belluno" battalion was raised and the regimental command moved to the city of Belluno. As with all Alpini regiments the battalions were named for the locations were they had their depot and around which they recruited their troops. At the end of 1910 the regiment was structured as follows: Italo-Turkish War. In October 1912 the "Feltre" Battalion was dispatched to Tripolitania to help establish Italian rule over the territories ceded by the Ottoman Empire after the Italo-Turkish War. There the battalion earned the regiment its  first Silver Medal of Military Valor for the battalion's conduct during the Battle of Assaba. In August 1914 the battalion returned to Italy. World War I. After the outbreak of World War I the regiment raised a fourth companies for each of its battalion: 95th Alpini Company for the "Feltre", 96th Alpini Company for the "Pieve di Cadore", and 106th Alpini Company for the "Belluno". With tensions between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire growing the regiment activated its first line reserve units between 5 and 30 January 1915: After the Italian declaration of war against  Austria-Hungary the regiment's battalions were immediately employed at the frontline, which ran through the Alps: At the end of November 1915, the three reserve battalion received each a third company: 275th Alpini Company for the "Val Piave", 276th Alpini Company for the "Val Cordevole", and 277th Alpini Company for the "Val Cismon". In December the training of the reservists of the third line battalions began, which also received the fourth company originally raised for the first line battalions: All the battalions of the regiment saw heavy fighting in the Alps against Austria's Kaiserjäger and Germany's Alpenkorps . Most of the time the regiment's companies were deployed alone to either capture of defend single mountains peaks or ridges in the Alps. On 22 May 1917 the regiment raised the "Monte Marmolada" battalion with personnel from the disbanded VIII Skiers battalion: After the Italian defeat in the Battle of Caporetto and during following retreat also the 7th Alpini had to abandon its positions along the main line of the Alps and retreat towards the Piave river. Covering the retreat the "Belluno" was surrounded and destroyed in Cansiglio on 10 November 1917. The same fate met the "Monte Marmolada , which was annihilated during the defense of Monte Castelgomberto on 4–5 December 1917. For this feat of arms the Monte Marmolada" was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor. Because of the loss of all personnel both battalions were officially disbanded on 9 December 1917. At the conclusion of the war the regiment had the following losses: KIA 141 officers and 3,602 troops, WIA 205 officers and 6,578 troops. In 1919 the reserve battalions were disbanded, while on 22 March 1919 the "Belluno" was reformed with the personnel of the "Val Cordevole" battalion. In the same year the "Feltre" was  dispatched to Albania to help suppress the Albanian Vlora revolt. Upon its return to Italy in early 1920 the "Feltre" was assigned to 9th Alpini Regiment until 1926, after which it returned to the 7th Alpini Regiment. The following awards were given to the regiment and its units for their conduct during the war: Second Italo-Ethiopian War. In 1935 the regiment entered the newly formed 3rd Alpine Division "Julia", but already on 12 January 1936 the regiment, together with the "Feltre" battalion, was sent to Eritrea to fight in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. After arriving the East Africa  the regiment entered the 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" and received the "Pieve di Teco" battalion from the 1st Alpini Regiment and the "Exilles" battalion from the 3rd Alpini Regiment. Additionally the regiment received the VII Complementare ("reserve troops") battalion, which distinguished itself at the Second Battle of Tembien by conquering the Uork Amba mountain, for which the battalion was awarded a Bronze Medal of Military Valor. Consequently, the VII Complementare battalion was renamed Alpini Battalion "Uork Amba" and when the 7th Alpini returned to Italy on 14 April 1937 the "Uork Amba" remained in Italian East Africa. World War II . At the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939 the regiment raised the "Val Cismon", "Val Piave", and "Val Cordevole" battalions from its reservists. The regiment and its six battalions were sent to the Western Alps to participate in the invasion of France. After the invasion the regiment and its three core battalions were again assigned to the 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria", while the three reserve battalions were disbanded on 31 October 1940. In November the "Pusteria" was sent to Albania to fight in the Greco-Italian War. Already in January 1941 the "Val Cismon" was raised again and sent to  Albania, where Italian forces were suffering heavy casualties, including the commanding officer of the 7th Alpini Regiment Colonel Rodolfo Psaro, who was killed on 8 December 1940. After the German invasion of Greece concluded the war each of the four battalions of the regiment ("Feltre", "Pieve di Cadore", "Belluno", "Val Cismon") was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor for separate actions. After garrison duty in the Balkans until August 1942 the 7th Regiment with its three battalions was sent to France to garrison the Alpes-Maritimes region, while the "Val Cismon" Battalion was assigned to the 9th Alpini Regiment . Meanwhile, the "Uork Amba" battalion fought in the East African Campaign and distinguished itself in the Battle of Keren earning the regiment yet another Silver Medal of Military Valor. In 1942 the "Val Cismon" was sent with the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" to fight in the Soviet Union as part of the Italian Army in Russia. The "Val Cismon" was annihilated during the Soviet Operation Little Saturn and only a few survivors managed to avoid capture after the Battle of Nikolayevka. After the Armistice of Cassibile in September 1943 the 7th Alpini Regiment had to surrender after a brief resistance  to Wehrmacht forces near the Col de Tende in France. Cold War. The regiment was raised again on 1 July 1953 in Belluno with the battalions "Pieve di Cadore" and "Belluno". On 1 December of the same year the regiment together with the 6th Mountain Artillery Regiment joined the newly created Alpine Brigade "Cadore". In 1956 the "Feltre" battalion was raised again, followed by the "Val Cismon" in 1963, which is placed under direct command of the brigade and tasked with manning the fortifications of the Vallo Alpino. The same year the "Belluno" and "Pieve di Cadore" were the first  units to arrive in Longarone after the Vajont dam disaster. For their rescue efforts the regiment was awarded a Gold Medal of Civil Valor. During the Italian Army 1975 reform the Val Cismon was reduced to company and transferred to the "Val Brenta" battalion of the Alpine Brigade "Tridentina", while on 11 November the 7th Regiment was disbanded and its battalions became independent. The war flag, traditions and coat of arms of the 7th were passed to the "Feltre" battalion. Before being disbanded in 1975 the structure of the 7th Alpini Regiment was as follows: After the end of the  Cold War the army decided to reactivate the regiments for traditional purposes and on 22 August 1992 the 7th Alpini Regiment was activated again with the "Feltre" as its sole battalion. On the same day the war flag, traditions and coat of arms of the 7th returned to it. Current structure. The regiment is part of the Alpine Brigade "Julia" and based in the city of Belluno. The Command and Logistic Support Company fields the following platoons: C3 Platoon, Transport and Materiel Platoon, Medical Platoon, and Commissariat Platoon. Equipment. The Alpini companies are equipped with Bv 206S tracked all-terrain  carriers, Puma 6x6 wheeled armored personnel carriers and Lince light multirole vehicles. The maneuver support company is equipped with 120mm mortars and Spike MR anti-tank guided missiles. Recognition. The regiment and its battalions were awarded a total of two Croce di Cavaliere dell'O.M.I., one Gold Medal of Military Valor, eight Silver Medals of Military Valor, three Bronze Medals of Military Valor and one Gold Medal of Civil Valor. However, as the "Pieve di Cadore" and "Belluno" battalions became independent units in 1975 and were granted their own war flags the medals awarded to these units were removed from  the war flag and coat of arms of the 7th Alpini Regiment and transferred to the 12th Alpini Regiment and 16th Alpini Regiment. The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medal of Military Valor awarded to the "Val Cismon" battalion were passed to the "Val Brenta" battalion, until it was disbanded in 1986.