The 20th Infantry Regiment "Brescia" () is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Brescia in Lombardy. The regiment is named for the city of Brescia and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. The regiment was formed in 1848 by the Royal Sardinian Army during the First Italian War of Independence. After the war the regiment was disbanded. In 1859, the regiment was reformed after the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed Lombardy after the Second Italian War of Independence. The regiment fought in the Third Italian War of Independence in 1866 and participated in the Capture of Rome in 1870. In 1911–12, the regiment fought in the Italo-Turkish War. During World War I the regiment fought on the Italian front and then on the Western Front.
During World War II, the regiment was assigned to the 27th Infantry Division "Brescia", with which it fought in the Western Desert campaign. In November 1942, the regiment was destroyed during the Second Battle of El Alamein. The regiment was awarded Italy's highest military honor, a Gold Medal of Military Valor, for bravery and valor shown from the Battle of Gazala to the First Battle of El Alamein.
In 1975, the regiment's flag and traditions were assigned to the 20th Mechanized Infantry Battalion "Monte San Michele", which was assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Brescia". In 1991, the battalion was disbanded, and the flag of the 20th Infantry Regiment "Brescia" transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome. The regiment's anniversary is commemorated on July 15, 1918, which was the first day of the Second Battle of the Marne. During this battle, the Brigade "Brescia" fought to annihilation, resulting in both of its regiments being awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor.
History First Italian War of Independence On 12 January 1848, the people of Palermo in Sicily rebelled against the rule of Ferdinand II of the House of Bourbon, King of the Two Sicilies. The Sicilian revolution was the first of the revolutions of 1848. After the news of the February Revolution in Paris, which had led to the abdication of King Louis Philippe on 24 February, reached Turin, the King of Sardinia Charles Albert ordered on 1 March 1848 the mobilization of the Royal Sardinian Army. Initially the King's intention was to use the army against his own citizens, if they would rise against the Savoyard dynasty, but on 18 March 1848, the people of Milan, which was the capital of the Habsburg ruled Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, rose up and in five days of fighting drove the Austrian forces out of the city. On 23 March 1848, King Charles Albert declared war on the Austrian Empire in the hope that he could use the rebellions in Lombardy–Venetia to expand his own kingdom. Thus began the First Italian War of Independence.
On 25 and 26 March 1848, two Sardinian advance guards crossed the Ticino (river) Ticino river, which formed the border between the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Austrian Empire. On 29 March, the main body of the Royal Sardinian Army crossed the Ticino river and marched directly towards the Quadrilatero fortresses at Mantua, Peschiera del Garda, Verona, and Legnano, in whose vicinity the First Campaign of the war was fought. On 22–27 July 1848, Sardinia 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. By 19h in the evening of 4 August 1848, the Sardinian troops had 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. With the Sardinian troops also thousands of Milanese civilians and many of the Lombard volunteers, who had enrolled in the provisional Lombard battalions 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 an armistice, 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, whose rulers would be restored to their thrones. Thus ended the First Campaign of the war.
After the armistice the Austrians sent troops to occupy the duchies of Parma and Piacenza and Duchy of Modena and Reggio, while King Charles Albert began to expand his army with the intent to resume the war at the earliest opportunity. On 16 September 1848, the Royal Sardinian Army formed the 19th Infantry Regiment and 20th Infantry Regiment with the Lombard volunteers, who had retreated with the Royal Sardinian Army over the Ticino river after the signing of the armistice. The 19th Infantry Regiment was formed with the I, III, V, IX, X, XI provisional Lombard battalions, while the 20th Infantry Regiment was formed with the II, IV, VI provisional Lombard battalions, the 1st Brescian Jäger Regiment, the 2nd Lombard Legion, and the Cremonese Volunteer Battalion. The two regiments formed the 1st Brigade of the Lombard Division, which was commanded by General Girolamo Ramorino. On 1 October 1848, the 19th Infantry Regiment ceded two battalions to help form the 21st Infantry Regiment, which also received the XXII Provisional Lombard Battalion, while on the same date the 20th Infantry Regiment ceded three battalions to help form the 22nd Infantry Regiment. The two new regiments formed the 2nd Brigade of the Lombard Division.
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 Ramorino was 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 division 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 Division, 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 and on the evening of the same day 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.
Second Italian War of Independence In fall 1859, after the Second Italian War of Independence, the armies of the French Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia occupied Lombard part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, as well as the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, and the Papal Legations of the Romagne. On 1 November 1859, the Royal Sardinian Army formed eight new infantry regiments to garrison the occupied territories. Each existing infantry regiment, with the exception of the 1st Infantry Regiment and 2nd Infantry Regiment of the Brigade "Re", ceded its III Battalion and three depot companies with recruits, to help form the new infantry regiments. Consequently, on 1 November 1859, the 7th Infantry Regiment and 8th Infantry Regiment of the Brigade "Cuneo" ceded their III Battalion and three depot companies to form the 19th Infantry Regiment in Villefranche-sur-Mer, while the 3rd Infantry Regiment and 4th Infantry Regiment of the Brigade "Piemonte" ceded their III Battalion and three depot companies to form the 20th Infantry Regiment in Nice. On the same day the Brigade "Brescia" was formed and the 19th and 20th infantry regiments assigned to it. The brigade was then sent to garrison Bergamo.
On 1 March 1860, the 19th Infantry Regiment ceded two companies to help form the 27th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Pavia"), while the 20th Infantry Regiment ceded two companies to help form the 28th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Pavia"). On 5 May 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi's Expedition of the Thousand set off, with the support of the Sardinian government, from Genoa and landed on 11 May in Marsala in Sicily. On 15 May 1860, Garibaldi won the Battle of Calatafimi and the Sardinian government decided to send reinforcements to Sicily. This triggered the Sardinian campaign in central and southern Italy. After the successful conclusion of Garibaldi's Expedition of the Thousand the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and most of the Papal Legations. On 17 March 1861, King Victor Emmanuel II proclaimed himself King of Italy.
Third Italian War of Independence On 16 April 1861, the 19th Infantry Regiment ceded one battalion to help form the 58th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Abruzzi"), while the 20th Infantry Regiment ceded one battalion to help form the 59th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Calabria"). On 1 August 1862, the 19th Infantry Regiment and 20th Infantry Regiment ceded both their 17th Company and 18th Company to help form the 71st Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Puglie"). On the same date both regiments also ceded a company to help form the 7th Grenadiers Regiment (Grenadiers of Tuscany Brigade). In 1866, the Brigade "Brescia" participated in the Third Italian War of Independence, during which the brigade fought in the Battle of Custoza. In September 1870, the brigade participated in the capture of Rome.
On 25 October 1871, the brigade level was abolished, and the two regiments of the Brigade "Brescia" were renamed 19th Infantry Regiment "Brescia", respectively 20th Infantry Regiment "Brescia". On 2 January 1881, the brigade level was reintroduced, and the two regiments were renamed again as 19th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Brescia") and 20th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Brescia"). On 1 November 1884, the 19th Infantry Regiment ceded some of its companies to help form the 91st Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Basilicata"), while the 20th Infantry Regiment ceded some of its companies to help form the 92nd Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Basilicata"). In 1887–88 the regiment's 2nd Company deployed to Massawa for the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1887–1889, which led to the establishment of the Italian colony of Eritrea. In 1895–96, the regiment provided twelve officers and 250 enlisted for units deployed to Italian Eritrea for the First Italo-Ethiopian War.
In 1911, the 20th Infantry Regiment was deployed to Libya for the Italo-Turkish War. The regiment operated in Cyrenaica. In 1913–14, the regiment remained in Libya and fought against local rebels.
World War I