The Alpine Brigade "Julia" is a light infantry brigade of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain warfare. Its core units are Alpini, an infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself during World War I and World War II. The brigade carries on the name and traditions of the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia". The division's and brigade's name allude to the Julian Alps in the Friuli region where the division's regiments recruited their troops, and where after World War II the brigade was based. Accordingly, the brigade's coat of arms is modeled after the Friuli region's coat of arms.
The brigade supplies the headquarters and most units to the former Multinational Land Force, also known as the Italian-Hungarian-Slovenian Battlegroup. Component parts from the other two countries were the Slovenian 10th Motorized Battalion and the Hungarian 1st Light Infantry Battalion.
History Constitution The Julia was constituted on 15 October 1949 in the city of Cividale del Friuli. During the Cold War the brigade was the Italian Army's biggest brigade with around 10,000 men and was tasked to defend the Plöcken and Naßfeld passes with Austria in case Warsaw Pact forces would attack through neutral Austria. The brigade covered the left flank of the Italian 5th Army Corps, which was based along the Italian-Yugoslavian border and tasked to prevent an enemy breakthrough into the Northern Italian plain. Initially the brigade was composed as follows:
Alpine Brigade "Julia", in Cividale del Friuli 8th Alpini Regiment, in Udine Headquarters Platoon Alpini Battalion "Feltre" (battalion name transferred to the 7th Alpini Regiment of the Alpine Brigade "Cadore" on 1 June 1956, battalion renamed "Gemona") Alpini Battalion "Tolmezzo" Alpini Battalion "Cividale" Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila" 8th Mortar Company Mountain Artillery Group "Belluno", in Belluno (moved to Pontebba in 1952, and Tolmezzo in 1953) Anti-tank Group "Julia", in Tarvisio (disbanded 14 December 1952) 108th Field Hospital 58th Kitchen Platoon
In the following years the brigade was augmented with further units:
Headquarters Platoon (1950) Signal Company "Julia", in Udine (1 June 1950) 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment, in Udine (1 February 1951) with: Command Unit, in Udine (1 April 1951) Mountain Artillery Group "Conegliano", in Udine (1 May 1951) Light Anti-aircraft Group "Julia", in Udine (joined the brigade on 1 July 1951, transferred to the 5th Heavy Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment on 13 May 1957) Engineer Company "Julia" (1 April 1951) Mountain Artillery Group "Gemona", in Tai di Cadore (1 April 1951, renamed "Udine" 1 January 1957) Alpini Paratroopers Platoon, in Udine (1953) 11th Frontier Defense Regiment, in Tolmezzo (raised 1 September 1952, joined the brigade in May 1954; renamed 11th Alpini Fortification Regiment on 1 January 1957) with the battalions: XII° Battalion (renamed Alpini Battalion "Val Fella" on 1 July 1963) XIII° Battalion (created in 1959 and renamed Alpini Battalion "Val Natisone" on 1 July 1963) XIV Battalion (disbanded in 1962) XV° Battalion (renamed Alpini Battalion "Val Tagliamento" on 1 July 1963) XVI° Battalion (disbanded in 1962) Services Grouping "Julia" (1955) Light Aircraft Section "Julia" (raised in 1956 as part of the 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment, transferred to the brigade in 1958) Mountain Artillery Group "Osoppo", in Pontebba (15 October 1961)
On 26 October 1962 the Alpini Battalion "Mondovì" of the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense" moved to Paluzza in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region to augment the Julia, followed by the Taurinense's Mountain Artillery Group "Pinerolo" on 1 December 1963, which moved to Tolmezzo. With this the Julia reached its peak strength in men, units and equipment. For the next 30 years the Julia remained the biggest brigade of the Italian Army. At the start of 1964 the brigade was composed as follows:
Alpine Brigade "Julia", in Udine Headquarters and Headquarters Company, in Udine 8th Alpini Regiment, in Tolmezzo Headquarter Company, in Tolmezzo Alpini Battalion "Gemona", in Pontebba and Ugovizza Alpini Battalion "Tolmezzo", in Venzone and Moggio Udinese Alpini Battalion "Cividale", in Chiusaforte Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila", in Tarvisio Alpini Battalion "Mondovì", in Paluzza, Paularo and Forni Avoltri 8th Mortar Company, in Tolmezzo (disbanded on 31 December 1964) 11th Alpini Fortification Regiment, in Tolmezzo Command Company, in Tolmezzo Alpini Battalion "Val Tagliamento", in Tolmezzo and Paluzza Alpini Battalion "Val Fella", in Pontebba and Ugovizza Alpini Battalion "Val Natisone", in Stazione Carnia and Cavazzo Carnico (disbanded on 30 June 1964, companies transferred to the Val Tagliamento battalion) 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment, in Gemona Command and Services Battery, in Gemona Mountain Artillery Group "Belluno", in Tarvisio Mountain Artillery Group "Conegliano", in Gemona Mountain Artillery Group "Udine", in Tolmezzo Mountain Artillery Group "Osoppo", in Pontebba Mountain Artillery Group "Pinerolo", in Tolmezzo and Paularo Alpini (Recruits Training) Battalion "Julia", in L'Aquila and Teramo Services Grouping "Julia", in Udine Engineer Company "Julia", in Gemona Signal Company "Julia", in Udine Alpini Paratroopers Platoon, in Udine Light Aviation Unit "Julia", at Udine-Campoformido Air Base
The Alpini Paratroopers Platoon merged with the paratrooper platoons of the other four alpine brigades on 1 April 1964 to form the Alpini Paratroopers Company in Bolzano under direct command of the 4th Army Corps.
1975 Reorganization
With 1975 Italian Army reform the regimental level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of multi-arms brigades. At the same time the army reduced and realigned its forces and therefore the Julia saw major changes to its composition: the 8th Alpini Regiment, 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment, and 11th Alpini Fortification Grouping were disbanded. The Alpini Battalion "Cividale" moved to Tarvisio, while the Alpini Battalion "Tolmezzo" and Alpini Battalion "Gemona" were disbanded with their names transferred to the Alpini Battalion "Mondovì" respectively Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila". The name "Mondovì" was transferred to the Alpini Battalion "Orobica" of the 2nd Alpini Regiment of the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense", while the name "L'Aquila" was transferred to the Alpini (Recruits Training) Battalion "Julia", which became an active unit. As new training unit the Alpini (Recruits Training) Battalion "Vicenza" was raised in Tolmezzo, which moved subsequently to Codroipo. The Alpini Battalion "Val Tagliamento" moved to Tolmezzo and received the 269th Company and five reserve companies from the disbanded Alpini Battalion "Val Fella". The Mountain Artillery Group "Belluno" was disbanded and its name transferred to the Mountain Artillery Group "Osoppo", while the Mountain Artillery Group "Pinerolo" was disbanded and its name transferred to the Mountain Artillery Group "Susa" of the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense". The Mountain Artillery Group "Conegliano" moved to Udine, while the brigade headquarters and the signal company were merged to form the Command and Signal Unit "Julia", and the Services Grouping "Julia" was reorganized as a logistic battalion. An anti-tank company was raised, while the Light Aviation Unit "Julia" was disbanded.
After the reform the brigade's four Alpini battalions had an authorized strength of 950 men, with the exception of the "Val Tagliamento" battalion, which was tasked to man fortifications in the upper Canal valley. The "Val Tagliamento" 16 Alpini companies for an organic strength of almost 2,500 men. The brigade's three artillery groups had an authorized strength of 610 men and fielded 18 M56 105mm pack howitzers each. The new composition was:
Alpine Brigade "Julia", in Udine Command and Signal Unit "Julia", in Udine Alpini Battalion "Gemona", in Tarvisio Command and Services Company 69th Alpini Company 70th Alpini Company 71st Alpini Company 155th Heavy Mortar Company Alpini Battalion "Tolmezzo", in Paluzza Command and Services Company 6th Alpini Company, in Forni Avoltri 12th Alpini Company 72nd Alpini Company 114th Heavy Mortar Company Alpini Battalion "Cividale", in Tarvisio (moved to Chiusaforte in 1979) Command and Services Company 16th Alpini Company 20th Alpini Company 76th Alpini Company 115th Heavy Mortar Company Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila", in L'Aquila Command and Services Company 93rd Alpini Company 108th Alpini Company 143rd Alpini Company 119th Heavy Mortar Company Alpini Battalion "Val Tagliamento", in Tolmezzo (Nappina color denotes the original battalion: = Val Tagliamento, = Val Fella, = Val Natisone) Command and Services Company, in Tolmezzo 212th Alpini Company (Type A*, Plöcken Pass fortifications) 216th Alpini Company (Type B*, Campiolo fortifications) 220th Alpini Company (Type C*, Portis fortifications) 269th Alpini Company (Type B, Ugovizza fortifications) 270th Alpini Company (Type C, Malborghetto fortifications) 271st Alpini Company (Type C, Val d'Uque fortifications) 272nd Alpini Company (Type C, Torre Moscarda fortifications) 273rd Alpini Company (Type C, Tratte fortifications) 278th Alpini Company (Type C, Stua di Ramaz fortifications) 288th Alpini Company (Type C, Cavazzo fortifications) 306th Alpini Company (Type C, Sella Sompdogna fortifications) 307th Alpini Company (Type C, Sella Nevea fortifications) 308th Alpini Company (Type B, Sella Carnizza fortifications) 312th Alpini Company (Type C, Case Marco fortifications) 313th Alpini Company (Type C, Cereschiatis fortifications) 314th Alpini Company (Type C, Ponte del Cristo fortifications) Alpini (Recruits Training) Battalion "Vicenza", in Codroipo Command and Services Company 59th Alpini Company 60th Alpini Company 61st Alpini Company, in Teramo 117th Alpini Company Mountain Artillery Group "Belluno", in Pontebba (disbanded 31 October 1989) Command and Services Battery 22nd Mountain Artillery Battery 23rd Mountain Artillery Battery 24th Mountain Artillery Battery Mountain Artillery Group "Conegliano", in Udine Command and Services Battery 13th Mountain Artillery Battery 14th Mountain Artillery Battery 15th Mountain Artillery Battery in L'Aquila Mountain Artillery Group "Udine", in Tolmezzo (renamed Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Group "Udine" on 6 December 1991) Command and Services Battery 17th Mountain Artillery Battery 18th Mountain Artillery Battery 34th Mountain Artillery Battery Logistic Battalion "Julia", in Udine Command and Services Platoon 1st Light Logistic Unit 2nd Light Logistic Unit 3rd Light Logistic Unit Medium Logistic Unit Anti-tank Company "Julia", in Cavazzo Carnico Engineer Company "Julia", in Gemona Type A = fortification fully equipped, provisioned and manned; close support platoon onsite Type B = fortification fully equipped, provisioned and manned; close support platoon off site Type C = fortification fully equipped; provisions, crew and close support platoon off site
Strategic planning After the 1975 reform the 4th Alpine Army Corps was responsible to defend the Italian border along the main chain of the alps from the Swiss-Austrian-Italian border tripoint in the west to the Italian-Yugoslavian border in the east. In case of war with Yugoslavia the 4th Alpine Army Corps would remain static in its position guarding the left flank of the 5th Army Corps, which would meet the enemy forces in the plains of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The only brigade which would have seen combat in such a case would have been the Julia.