The Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" (7th) ( - "Lancers of Milan") is an inactive cavalry unit of the Italian Army last based in Remanzacco in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In 1859, the Kingdom of Sardinia, after being victorious in the Second Italian War of Independence, traded the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice for the region of Lombardy, which the French Empire had received from the Austrian Empire after the war. In September of the same year, the Royal Sardinian Army formed the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Milano", which was named for the Lombardy's capital Milan. In June 1860, the regiment was renamed Regiment "Lancieri di Milano". In 1866, the regiment fought in the Third Italian War of Independence and in 1870 in the Capture of Rome. In World War I the regiment's squadrons fought on the Italian front. After the war the regiment was disbanded.
In 1938, the regiment was reformed as a training unit. In 1940, the regiment lost its training role and moved to annexed Albania. In fall of the same year the regiment fought in the Greco-Italian War and in April 1941, in the invasion of Yugoslavia. In 1942-43, the regiment served on anti-partisan duty in Albania, Croatia and occupied Greece. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943, the regiment's officers hid the regiment's standard and then dissolved the regiment near Larissa in Greece.
In 1964, during the Cold War, the Italian Army formed the Squadrons Group "Lancieri di Milano", which was given the name and traditions of the regiment. The squadrons group was based in Monza and assigned to the Infantry Division "Legnano" as the division's reconnaissance unit. In 1975, the squadrons group was renamed 7th Squadrons Group "Lancieri di Milano" and assigned the regiment's standard. The same year the squadrons group moved to Remanzacco and joined the Mechanized Division "Mantova" as the division's reconnaissance unit. In 1986, the Mechanized Division "Mantova" was disbanded and the squadrons group was transferred to the Armored Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli". In 1989, the squadrons group was disbanded and standard of the Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" (7th) was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome for safekeeping.
The regiment's anniversary falls on 19 June 1918, the fourth day of the Second Battle of the Piave River, on which the regiment defeated an Austro-Hungarian attack near Monastier di Treviso, for which the regiment was awarded a Bronze Medal of Military Valor. As the regiment is a lancer unit, its enlisted personnel is addressed as "Lancer" ().
History Italian Wars of Independence Second Italian War of Independence On 21 July 1858, French Emperor Napoleon III and the Prime Minister of Sardinia Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour met in Plombières and reached a secret verbal agreement on a military alliance between the French Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia against the Austrian Empire. On 26 January 1859, Napoleon III signed the Franco-Sardinian Treaty, followed by King Victor Emmanuel II on 29 January 1859. On 9 March 1859, Sardinia mobilized its army, followed by Austria on 9 April. On 23 April, Austria delivered an ultimatum to Sardinia demanding its demobilization. Upon Sardinia's refusal, Austria declared war on 26 April and three days later the Austrians crossed the Ticino river into Piedmont. Consequently, France honored its alliance with Sardinia and declared war on Austria on 3 May 1859, which led to the Second Italian War of Independence. On 24 June 1859, the three armies met in the Battle of Solferino. On 11 July 1859, Emperor Napoleon III and Emperor Franz Joseph I met at Villafranca and concluded the Armistice of Villafranca, which transferred Lombardy, then part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, from Austria to France. France and Sardinian would then exchange Lombardy for the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice.
After the conclusion of the armistice the French and Sardinian armies occupied Lombardy. On 16 September 1859, the nine cavalry regiments of the Royal Sardinian Army ceded each one squadron to help form three new Chevau-légers regiments: Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Milano" and Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Lodi", which were named for cities in Lombardy, and the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Montebello", which was named for the Battle of Montebello, that had been fought on 20 May of the same year. The Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Milano" was formed in the city of Vercelli and received the squadrons ceded by the Regiment "Piemonte Reale Cavalleria", Regiment "Savoia Cavalleria", and Regiment "Genova Cavalleria". Initially the regiment's troops were armed with musket, pistol, and sabre, but on 13 October 1859, the regiment's troops were equipped with lance, sabre and pistolone — a pistol with a shoulder stock. On 6 June 1860, the Sardinian War Ministry ordered that the army's cavalry regiments, which were equipped with lances — with the exception of the four line cavalry regiments — were to join the new Lancers speciality. Consequently, on the same day, the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Milano" was renamed Regiment "Lancieri di Milano".
In 1860-61, the regiment participated in the Sardinian campaign in central Italy, during which the regiment had its baptism of fire on 12 September 1860, in a clash with Papal troops at Fano. The next day, on 13 September 1860, the regiment charged and dispersed a column of papal troops at Senigallia, for which the regiment was awarded a Bronze Medal of Military Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's standard. On 18 September 1860, the regiment fought in the Battle of Castelfidardo against papal forces. Afterwards the Sardinian forces invaded the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, where on 26 October 1860, the regiment fought in the Battle of San Giuliano. Three days later, on 29 October 1860, the regiment fought in the decisive Battle of the Garigliano. During the following Siege of Gaeta the regiment was based in the nearby city of Fondi. On 17 March 1861, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was annexed by the newly proclaimed Kingdom of Italy and the Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" occupied Naples, the former capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and then moved to occupy Foggia.
In 1861-63, the regiment operated in southern Italy to suppress the anti-Sardinian revolt, which had erupted after the Kingdom of Sardinia had annexed the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. During this time the regiment was first based in Santa Maria Capua Vetere and then in Caserta, but operated in the region of Apulia.
On 16 February 1864, the regiment ceded its 3rd Squadron to help form the Regiment "Lancieri di Foggia".
Third Italian War of Independence On 20 June 1866, the Third Italian War of Independence between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austrian Empire began. During the war the Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" formed, together with the Regiment "Lancieri di Montebello" and Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Lodi", the I Cavalry Brigade of the IV Corps of the Army of the Po, which operated along the Po river. On 5 July 1866, the Army of the Po began the siege of the Austrian fortress at Borgoforte and during the night between 6 and 7 July the army crossed the Po river. On 11 July, the first forces of the Army of the Po entered Rovigo, which had been abandoned by the Austrians, as the Austrian forces in Italy had received the order to retreat towards the Isonzo river and the Trentino region. On 14 July, the Italian IV Corps ceded five divisions and the Italian I Corps one division to form the V Corps and VI Corps. Additionally the Italian II Corps and III Corps ceded both one division to form the VIII Corps. Afterwards the Army of the Po, which now consisted of the I, IV, V, VI, and VIII corps with a combined force of 14 divisions and six cavalry brigades, began a rapid advance through Veneto towards the Isonzo river without encountering Austrian forces.
During the advance through Veneto, two squadrons of the Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" were detached from the regiment and assigned to the 15th Division under General Giacomo Medici, which consisted of the Brigade "Pavia", Brigade "Sicilia", the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment's XXIII and XXV Bersaglieri battalions, and three batteries of the 9th Artillery Regiment. Medici was tasked with invading Trentino from the East through the Valsugana, while Giuseppe Garibaldi's volunteers invaded Trentino from the West. On 23 July 1866, the 15th Division arrived in Borgo Valsugana and a battle ensued against Austrian forces. By nightfall the Austrian had fallen back to Levico, where they were reinforced by two battalions. At 21:30 in the evening the General Medici ordered the 28th Infantry Regiment to attack the Austrian positions and take Levico. By 23:30 in the night the Austrian commander Franz Pichler von Deeben ordered a retreat to Pergine and the two squadrons of the Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" were sent in pursuit.
In September 1870, the regiment supported the 11th and 13th divisions, which invaded the Papal States from the East and on 20 September fought in the Capture of Rome. On 10 September 1871, the regiment was renamed 7th Cavalry Regiment (Milano), and on 5 November 1876, Cavalry Regiment "Milano" (7th). In 1887, the regiment provided personnel and horses for the formation of the Mounted Hunters Squadron, which fought in the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1887–1889. In 1895-96, the regiment provided one officer and 74 enlisted for units deployed to Italian Eritrea for the First Italo-Ethiopian War. On 16 December 1897, the regiment was renamed Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" (7th).
On 1 October 1909, the regiment ceded its 3rd Squadron to help form the Regiment "Lancieri di Vercelli" (26th). In 1911–12, the regiment provided two officers and 100 enlisted to units deployed for the Italo-Turkish War.
World War I At the outbreak of World War I the regiment consisted of a command, a depot, and two cavalry groups, with the I Group consisting of three squadrons and the II Group consisting of two squadrons and a machine gun section. Together with the Regiment "Lancieri Vittorio Emanuele II" (10th) the regiment formed the III Cavalry Brigade, which was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Division "Veneto". On 24 May 1915, one day after Italy had declared war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the III Cavalry Brigade crossed the border and occupied Cervignano del Friuli and on 27 May, the city of Grado. In April 1916, the 2nd Cavalry Division was dismounted for service in the trenches of the Italian front, however once the Austro-Hungarian Army began the Asiago offensive the division was quickly mounted again and sent to guard the assembly of the Italian 5th Army around Vicenza.
In 1917, the regiment's depot in Padua formed the 854th Dismounted Machine Gunners Company as reinforcement for the regiment. On 24 October 1917, the Imperial German Army and Austro-Hungarian Army began the Battle of Caporetto and already on the first day of the battle the German 14th Army broke through the Italian lines at Kobarid. All mounted Italian cavalry regiments were sent forward to cover the retreat of the Italian 2nd Army and 3rd Army from the Isonzo front. The III Cavalry Brigade was assigned to cover the retreat of the 2nd Army and the Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" (7th) fought delaying actions at Torreano and along the Ledra-Tagliamento Canal. The regiment then fell back to the new Italian line along the Piave river.