Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" (12th)

The Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" (12th) ( - "Chevau-légers of Saluzzo") is an inactive cavalry unit of the Italian Army named for the Marquisate of Saluzzo. In 1848, Provisional Government of Milan formed two cavalry regiments for the First Italian War of Independence. In September of the same year, the two regiments joined the Royal Sardinian Army. In May 1849, the two regiments merged to form the 7th Regiment of Cavalry, which in January 1850 was renamed Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo". The regiment fought in the Crimean War, Second Italian War of Independence, and Third Italian War of Independence. In World War I the regiment fought on the Italian Front. During World War II the regiment was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division "Eugenio di Savoia", which was deployed to occupied Yugoslavia on anti-partisan duty. The division and its units were disbanded after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile by invading German forces.

In 1964, the Italian Army formed a squadrons group, which received the name and traditions of the regiment. In 1965, the Squadrons Group "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" joined the Infantry Division "Folgore" as the division's reconnaissance unit. In 1976, the squadrons group was renamed 12th Squadrons Group "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" and assigned the regiment's standard. In 1986, the Mechanized Division "Folgore" was disbanded and the squadrons group reorganized as a mechanized formation and assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Vittorio Veneto". In 1991, after the end of the Cold War the squadrons group was disbanded. The regiment's anniversary falls on 2 November 1918, the day the regiment charged an Austro-Hungarian Army rearguard at Istrago, for which the regiment was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor. As the regiment is a Chevau-léger unit, its enlisted personnel is addressed as "Chevau-léger" ().

History Italian Wars of Independence First Italian War of Independence On 29 March 1848, one week after the people of Milan had driven the Imperial Austrian Army out of the city during the Five Days of Milan, the Provisional Government of Milan ordered to form two cavalry depots in Milan: one for a Dragoons regiment and the other for a Chevau-légers regiment. Once the 1st Dragoons Squadron and the 1st Chevau-légers Squadron had been formed, they were sent to join the Lombard Division for the ongoing first campaign of the First Italian War of Independence. Afterwards the two depots continued to form the remainder of the two regiments, which were named Lombard Dragoons Regiment () respectively Lombard Chevau-légers Regiment (). The two regiments assembled at Vigevano in Lombardy. However, on 22-27 July 1848, the Royal Sardinian Army lost the Battle of Custoza and the Battle of Volta Mantovana. On the evening of 27 July, King Charles Albert ordered a retreat towards Milan. In the morning of 4 August 1848, the Sardinian forces, which included the 1st Dragoons Squadron and the 1st Chevau-légers Squadron, clashed with the Austrian vanguards outside of Milan. By 19h in the evening of 4 August, the Sardinian troops retreated within the walls of Milan, where one hour later King Charles Albert held a war council, which decided to abandon the city due to a lack of munitions and food. The next morning the Sardinians were informed that the Austrian commander Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz had agreed to allow the Sardinians to retreat and by 6 August the Sardinians had left Milan and retreated over the Ticino river into Piedmont. With the Sardinian troops also thousands of Milanese civilians and the military units of the Provisional Government of Milan, crossed the Ticino. Three days later, on 9 August, the Austrian General Heinrich von Heß and the Sardinian General Carlo Canera di Salasco signed the Armistice of Salasco, which stated that Charles Albert's troops would withdraw from the whole of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, and the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza and Duchy of Modena and Reggio. Thus ended the First Campaign of the war.

The armistice forced the Lombard Dragoons Regiment and Lombard Chevau-légers Regiment to move to Venaria Reale near Turin, where both regiments were formally incorporated into the Royal Sardinian Army on 5 September 1848. On 1 March 1849, the Sardinian Chamber of Deputies voted for the resumption of the war, with 94 votes in favour and 24 against. King Charles Albert decided that hostilities would resume on 20 March and, as stipulated in the 1848 armistice, the Austrians were informed about the continuation of the war eight days before the hostilities resumed. Charles Albert massed his army near Novara, while the Lombard Division under General Girolamo Ramorino and the Lombard Chevau-légers Regiment were sent to guard the Ticino river crossings at Pavia. On 20 March, the Lombard division was at La Cava, from where it was possible to observe the Ticino river from Pavia to its confluence with the Po river. In the event the Lombard Division was attacked it was to retreat North through Sannazzaro towards Mortara. However, early on 20 March General Ramorino abandoned La Cava and moved his forces South across the Po river, leaving only the 21st Infantry Regiment at La Cava with orders to retreat across the Po river if the regiment was attacked. At noon on the same day the whole Austrian Army crossed the Ticino river at Pavia and, even though the 21st Infantry Regiment led Major Luciano Manara resisted for six hours, the Austrians fixed the 21st Infantry Regiment in place with a screening forces, while the main body of the army marched North towards Mortara and Vigevano.

Ultimately the 21st Infantry Regiment was forced to retreat across the Po river, where it joined with the rest of the Lombard units, which played no role in the remaining events of the war. On 22-23 March 1849, Field Marshal Radetzky decisively defeated the Sardinians in the Battle of Novara, in which two squadrons of the Lombard Dragoons Regiment fought. In the evening of 23 March, King Charles Albert abdicated in favour of his son Victor Emmanuel. On 24 March, the new king met with Radetzky at Vignale and agreed to an armistice, which ended the short Second Campaign of the First Italian War of Independence. As a consequence of the Sardinian defeat the Lombard Division and its four regiments were disbanded in May 1849, while the two Lombard cavalry regiments were merged on 15 May 1849 as 7th Regiment of Cavalry. On 3 January 1850, the regiment was renamed Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" and ceded some of its horses to help form the 4th Squadron of the newly formed Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Monferrato". As one of the Royal Sardinian Army's light cavalry regiments, the regiment's troops wore a yellow kepi and were armed with musket, pistol, and sabre.

On 31 March 1855, the regiment's 1st Squadron was assigned to the Provisional Cavalry Regiment for the Sardinian expeditionary corps, which deployed to Crimea for the Crimean War. On 16 August 1855, the Provisional Cavalry Regiment fought in the Battle of the Chernaya. After the Crimean War the regiment was repatriated and, on 18 June 1856, disbanded and its squadrons returned to their original regiments.

Second Italian War of Independence On 26 April 1859, the Second Italian War of Independence began and three days later, on 29 April, a platoon of the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" drew first blood in a clash with the Austrian 12th Hussars Regiment "Graf Haller" at Zinasco. On 1 May, the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" clashed with Austrian vanguards at Torre Beretti. On 29 and 30 May, the bulk of the Piedmontese forces, which included the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo", crossed the Sesia river at Vercelli to cover the French Army's right flank, while the French crossed the Sesia further North. On 30 May, the Piedmontese 2nd Division advanced from Borgo Vercelli to Casalino, where the division was divided into two columns: one headed to Vinzaglio, while the other marched to Confienza. By nightfall of the 30 May, Confienza was in Italian hands and the next morning the 4th Squadron of Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" and a company of Bersaglieri attacked Austrian forces assembling to the South at Robbio to allow the Piedmontese Brigade "Piemonte" and Brigade "Aosta" at Confienza to prepare for upcoming Battle of Confienza.

On 24 June 1859, the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" fought in the Battle of San Martino, during which the regiment's 1st Squadron dispersed an Austrian Jäger Battalion near San Martino. Afterwards the regiment participated in the Siege of Peschiera. On 16 September 1859, the Royal Sardinian Army's nine cavalry regiments ceded one squadron each to help form three new Chevau-légers regiments and the three squadrons ceded by the cavalry regiments "Nizza Cavalleria", "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo", and "Cavalleggeri di Alessandria" were used to form the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Lodi". On 6 June 1860, the Sardinian War Ministry ordered that the army's light cavalry regiments would be equipped henceforth with sabre and pistol.

In 1862 and 1863, 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 based in Campania and clashed with rebels at Rapolla and Venosa in the Vulture region, and then at Gioia del Colle at the southern end of the Murge plateau. During these operations against the rebels the regiment lost 43 troops. On 16 February 1864, the regiment ceded its 5th Squadron to help form the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Caserta".

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 "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" formed, together with the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Alessandria" and Regiment "Lancieri di Foggia", the Cavalry Brigade of the III Corps of the Army of the Mincio, which operated along the Mincio river. On 24 June, the Army of the Mincio clashed with the Austrian South Army in the Battle of Custoza.

On 10 September 1871, the regiment was renamed 12th Cavalry Regiment (Saluzzo). On 1 January 1872, the regiment ceded one of its squadrons to help form the 20th Cavalry Regiment (Roma). On 5 November 1876, the regiment was renamed Cavalry Regiment "Saluzzo" (12th). On 1 October 1883, the regiment ceded its 6th Squadron to help form the Cavalry Regiment "Catania" (22nd). 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. On 1 November of the same year, the regiment ceded one of its squadrons to help form the Cavalry Regiment "Umberto I" (23rd). In 1895-96, the regiment provided 67 enlisted for units deployed to Italian Eritrea for the First Italo-Ethiopian War. On 16 December 1897, the regiment was renamed Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" (12th). On 1 October 1909, the regiment ceded its 3rd Squadron to help form the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Treviso" (28th). In 1911–12, the regiment provided five officer and 81 enlisted to units deployed for the Italo-Turkish War.

World War I