The 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment () is a special operations forces regiment of the Italian Army based in Montorio Veronese in Veneto. Originally the regiment belonged to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry specialty, but since 14 July 1996 its personnel also belongs to the Paratroopers infantry specialty. On 1 November 1882, the Royal Italian Army formed the 4th Alpini Regiment, which had its recruiting area in the Graian Alps and Pennine Alps. Since 2013 the regiment is assigned to the Army Special Forces Command. The regiment is one of the most often and one of the highest decorated regiments of the Italian Army, although its two Gold Medals of Military Valor were awarded to the regiment's currently inactive Alpini Battalion "Aosta", respectively the currently active Battalion "Monte Cervino".
During World War I the regiment expanded to ten battalions, which fought separately in the alpine areas of the Italian front. For its conduct and bravery during the war the Alpini Battalion "Aosta" was awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valor, making it the only Alpini unit to be awarded Italy's highest military honor in the war. In 1935 the regiment was assigned to the 1st Alpine Division "Taurinense", with which it served during World War II in the invasion of France. In winter 1942–43, the Skiers Battalion "Monte Cervino", which had been reformed by the 4th Alpini Regiment in October 1941, was destroyed on the Eastern Front during the Red Army's Operation Little Saturn. For its conduct, bravery and sacrifice in the Soviet Union between February 1942 and February 1943 the Skiers Battalion "Monte Cervino" was awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valor. In 1942 the division was transferred to Montenegro, where it served on occupation duty until the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943. Following the announcement the division instantly began to fight German forces. By early October the remnants of the division and of its regiments were forced to surrender to the Germans. With Alpini, who had escaped from Montenegro, the Italian Co-Belligerent Army formed in fall 1943, the Alpini Battalion "Piemonte", which fought on the allied side in the Italian campaign. From June to September 1944, the Alpini Battalion "Piemonte" was assigned to the reformed 3rd Alpini Regiment. On 30 September 1944, the 3rd Alpini Regiment was disbanded and the Alpini Battalion "Piemonte" was assigned to the Special Infantry Regiment "Legnano" of the Combat Group "Legnano".
On 15 April 1946, the 4th Alpini Regiment was reformed and in 1952 assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense". In 1975 the regiment was disbanded and its flag and traditions assigned to the Alpini Battalion "Aosta", which was assigned to the Alpine Military School. In 1989, the battalion was reorganized and renamed Tactical Logistic Support Battalion "Aosta". In 1998, battalion merged with the Alpine Military School's Complement Officer Cadets Battalion and was renamed Training Battalion "Aosta". In 2001, the Training Battalion "Aosta" was reduced to Training Unit "Aosta" and the flag of the 4th Alpini Regiment transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome. On 24 September 2004, the Alpini Paratroopers Battalion "Monte Cervino" lost its autonomy and the next day the battalion entered the 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment, which inherited the flag, traditions, honors and coat of arms of the 4th Alpini Regiment. Since 2013, the regiment is assigned to the Army Special Forces Command. The regiment's anniversary falls on 18 May 1917, the day the regiment's Alpini Battalion "Aosta" stormed and held the summit of Monte Vodice during the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo.
History On 15 October 1872, the Royal Italian Army formed 15 locally recruited Alpini companies in the alpine regions of Northern Italy. Nine more companies were formed the following year. In 1875 the 24 companies were organized into seven battalions, and in 1878 the companies were increased to 36 and the battalions to ten. On 1 November 1882, the Alpini companies were increased to 72 and grouped into 20 battalions. On the same date the battalions were assigned to six newly formed Alpini regiments, which were numbered 1st to 6th from West to East, while companies were numbered from 1 to 72 from to West to East. Upon entering the regiments, the battalions, which until then had been designated by a Roman numeral, were named for their recruiting zone, while the Alpini companies were renumbered sequentially from 1st to 72nd. One of the six Alpini regiments formed on 1 November 1882 was the 4th Alpini Regiment, which was formed in Turin in Piedmont. The new regiment received the Battalion "Val Pellice", which recruited in the Pellice Valley, the Battalion "Val Chisone", which recruited in the Chisone Valley, and the Battalion "Val Brenta", which was recruited in the Brenta valley in Veneto.
4th Alpini Regiment, in Turin Battalion "Val Pellice", in Pinerolo 24th, 25th, 26th, and 27th Company Battalion "Val Chisone", in Fenestrelle 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st Company Battalion "Val Brenta", in Bassano 62nd, 63rd, and 64th Company
On 1 April 1885, the regiment transferred the Battalion "Val Chisone" to the 3rd Alpini Regiment, and the Battalion "Val Brenta" to the 6th Alpini Regiment. In turn the regiment received from the 6th Alpini Regiment the battalion "Val d'Orco" and "Val d'Aosta". The Battalion "Val d'Orco" recruited in the Orco Valley, while the Battalion "Val d'Aosta" recruited in the Aosta Valley.
In 1886 the regiment moved from Turin to Ivrea and on 1 November of the same year, the battalions changed their names from their recruiting zones to the cities and towns, where their base was located. At the same time Alpini soldiers and non-commissioned officers were issued thread tufts, called Nappina in Italian, which were clipped to the Cappello Alpino headdress, and colored white for the troops of a regiment's first battalion, red for the troops of a regiment's second battalion, green for the troops of a regiment's third battalion, and blue for the troops of a regiment's fourth battalion. The 4th Alpini Regiment consisted afterwards of the following units:
4th Alpini Regiment, in Ivrea Alpini Battalion "Pinerolo", in Pinerolo (former Battalion "Val Pellice") 24th, 25th, 26th, and 27th Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Ivrea", in Ivrea (former Battalion "Val d'Orco") 37th, 38th, 39th, and 40th Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Aosta", in Aosta (former Battalion "Val d'Aosta") 7th, 41st, 42nd, and 43rd Alpini Company
On 1 October 1888, the Alpini Battalion "Pinerolo" was transferred to the 3rd Alpini Regiment, which in turn ceded its Alpini Battalion "Susa 2°" in Susa to the 4th Alpini Regiment. On 1 February 1889, the Alpini Battalion "Susa 2°" was renamed Alpini Battalion "Susa". In 1895–96 the regiment provided 14 officers and 512 troops to help form the I and II provisional Alpini battalions, which were deployed to Eritrea for the First Italo-Ethiopian War. In 1901 the regiment was assigned together with the 3rd Alpini Regiment and 5th Alpini Regiment to the II Alpini Group, which on 9 August 1910 was renamed II Alpine Brigade. In 1908 the Alpini Battalion "Susa" returned to the 3rd Alpini Regiment, and the 4th Alpini Regiment formed a new battalion, which received the 7th Alpini Company of the Alpini Battalion "Aosta", the 24th Alpini Company of the Alpini Battalion "Pinerolo", and the 37th Alpini Company of the Alpini Battalion "Ivrea". The new battalion was initially based in Pallanza and therefore named Alpini Battalion "Pallanza", but soon the battalion moved from Pallanza to Intra and was renamed Alpini Battalion "Intra". The 4th Alpini Regiment consisted now of the following battalions:
4th Alpini Regiment, in Ivrea Alpini Battalion "Ivrea", in Ivrea 38th, 39th, and 40th Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Aosta", in Aosta 41st, 42nd, and 43rd Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Intra", in Intra 7th, 24th, and 37th Alpini Company
In December 1908 the regiment was deployed to the area of the Strait of Messina for the recovery efforts after the 1908 Messina earthquake. For its service the regiment was awarded a Silver Medal of Merit, which was affixed to the regiment's flag. On 29 September 1911 the Kingdom of Italy declared war against the Ottoman Empire and the regimental command of the 4th Alpini Regiment along with the Alpini Battalion "Ivrea" deployed to Libya for the Italo-Turkish War.
World War I
At the outbreak of World War I the Alpini speciality consisted of eight regiments, which fielded 26 battalions with 79 companies. Each Alpini battalion, with the exception of the Alpini Battalion "Verona", fielded three Alpini companies, while the Alpini Battalion "Verona" fielded four companies. Each company consisted of one captain, four lieutenants and 250 other ranks. After Italy's initial declaration of neutrality 38 additional Alpini companies were formed during the autumn of 1914 with men, who had completed their military service in the preceding four years. These companies were numbered from 80th to 117th and assigned to the existing Alpini battalions. In January 1915, each Alpini battalion formed a reserve battalion, with men, who had completed their military service at least four years, but not more than eleven years prior. These reserve battalions were named for a valley (; abbreviated Val) located near their associated regular Alpini battalion's base, and the reserve battalions received the same Nappina as their associated regular Alpini battalion. The companies of the Valle battalions were numbered from 201st to 281st, with the numbers 227th, 233rd, 237th, 271st, and 273rd unused.
On 23 May 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary and at the time the 4th Alpini Regiment consisted of the following units:
4th Alpini Regiment, in Ivrea Alpini Battalion "Ivrea" 38th, 39th, 40th, 86th, and 111th Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Aosta" 41st, 42nd, 43rd, 87th, and 103rd Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Intra" 7th, 24th, 37th, and 112th Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Val d'Orco" 238th, 239th, and 240th Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Val Baltea" 241st, 242nd, and 280th Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Val Toce" 207th, 243rd, and 281st Alpini Company
By the end of 1915 the Alpini regiments began to form additional companies with recruits born in 1896. These new companies were numbered from 118th to 157th and were used, together with the 38 companies formed earlier, to form an additional reserve battalion for each regular battalion. These new battalions were named for a mountain () located near their associated regular Alpini battalion's base, and the reserve battalions received the same Nappina as their associated regular Alpini battalion. The 4th Alpini Regiment thus added the following Monte battalions:
Alpini Battalion "Monte Levanna" 86th, 111th, and 132nd Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Monte Cervino" 87th, 103rd, and 133rd Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Monte Rosa" 112th, 134th, and 135th Alpini Company
As the mountainous terrain of the Italian front made the deployment of entire Alpini regiments impracticable, the regimental commands of the eight Alpini regiments were disbanded in March 1916. Likewise in April 1916 the pre-war alpine brigade commands were disbanded, and the personnel of the regimental commands and alpine brigade commands used to from twenty regiment-sized group commands and nine brigade-sized grouping commands. Afterwards Alpini battalions were employed either independently or assigned to groups, groupings, or infantry divisions as needed.