Alpini Battalion "Val Tagliamento"
The Alpini Battalion "Val Tagliamento" is an inactive mountain warfare battalion of the Italian Army based last in Tolmezzo in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The battalion belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and was assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Julia". In 1882, the Royal Italian Army formed the Battalion "Val Tagliamento", which four years later was renamed Alpini Battalion "Gemona". In 1915, the army formed a new Alpini Battalion "Val Tagliamento", which fought in World War I in the alpine areas of the Italian front. The battalion was disbanded in 1920. In September 1939, the "Val Tagliamento" battalion was reformed and in June 1940 the battalion participated in the Italian invasion of France. In November 1940, the battalion was sent to Albania, where the battalion was attached to the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia", which had suffered heavy losses in the Greco-Italian War. In June 1941, after the Invasion of Yugoslavia, the battalion was sent to Montenegro on occupation duty. In August 1942, the battalion returned to Italy. At the end of 1942, the "Val Tagliamento" battalion was sent to occupied France on garrison duty. In July 1943, the battalion returned to Italy and was disbanded.
In 1963, the battalion was reformed and assigned to the 11th Alpini Fortification Grouping. The battalion was tasked with manning Alpine Wall fortifications in the But valley and the Tagliamento valley near Tolmezzo. In 1964, the battalion received a company from the disbanded Alpini Battalion "Val Natisone" and in 1975 it received nine companies from the disbanded Alpini Battalion "Val Fella". In 1976, the battalion was assigned the flag of the 11th Alpini Fortification Grouping. In 1991, the battalion was reduced to two companies and in 1992 the battalion was disbanded.
The battalion's anniversary falls on 23 April 1941, the last day of the Greco-Italian War, during which the Alpini battalions "Val Fella" and "Val Tagliamento" earned a shared Silver Medal of Military Valor.
History
On 5 October 1882, the Royal Italian Army's 6th Alpini Regiment formed the Battalion "Val Tagliamento" in Gemona. The battalion recruited in the Brenta valley in Veneto. On 1 November 1886, the Alpini battalions changed their names from their recruiting zones to the cities and towns, where their base was located. Consequently the Battalion "Val Tagliamento" was renamed Alpini Battalion "Gemona". On 1 August 1887, the "Gemona" battalion was transferred to the newly formed 7th Alpini Regiment, which in turn transferred the battalion on 1 October 1909 to the newly formed 8th Alpini Regiment.World War I
At the outbreak of World War I Italy declared its neutrality. In January 1915, the existing Alpini battalions began with the formation of 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 located near their associated regular Alpini battalion's base, and the reserve battalions wore the same Nappina on their Cappello Alpino as their associated regular Alpini battalion. On 10 February 1915, the 8th Alpini Regiment's Alpini Battalion "Tolmezzo" formed the Alpini Battalion "Val Tagliamento", which initially consisted of the 212th and 272nd Alpini Company. On 1 November 1916, the 278th Alpini Company joined the battalion.On 23 May 1915, Italy declared war on Austro-Hungary and the next day the battalions "Tolmezzo" and "Val Tagliamento" occupied took and held the summits of Pal Piccolo, Freikofel and Pal Grande. As the mountainous terrain of the Italian front made the deployment of entire Alpini regiments impracticable the Alpini battalions were employed either independently or assigned to groups, groupings, or infantry divisions as needed. In 1916, the "Val Tagliamento" battalion was deployed initially on Pal Piccolo. In September 1916, the battalion was sent to the Lagorai range, where it was tasked to take the summit of Cima Busa Alta. Between 8 and 10 October 1916 the battalion attacked, together with the Alpini Battalion "Cividale", the Austrian positions below the summit, some of which the battalions managed to conquer. Afterwards the battalion was deployed on the Monte Cauriol.
In November and December 1917, after the disastrous Battle of Caporetto, the Royal Italian Army was forced to retreat to new lines along the Piave river and in the Monte Grappa massif, where the Austro-Hungarian was then stopped in the First Battle of the Piave River and First Battle of Monte Grappa. On the Monte Grappa the 8th Alpini Regiment's battalions "Val Tagliamento", "Val Natisone", and "Monte Matajur" suffered heavy casualties in November and December 1917: the "Val Tagliamento" suffered 1,055 among killed, wounded, and missing, while the "Val Natisone" suffered 736 casualties, and the "Monte Matajur" 702 casualties. As the regiment's recruiting areas in Friuli had been occupied by Austro-Hungarian forces after the Battle of Caporetto, the three battalions were disbanded on 15 February 1918.
After the war, the Alpini battalions "Tolmezzo" and "Val Tagliamento" were awarded a shared Silver Medal of Military Valor for having taken and held the summits of Pal Piccolo, Freikofel and Pal Grande on 24 May – 4 July 1915, and for the "Val Tagliamento" to have taken Austrian positions on the Cima Busa Alta in the Lagorai range on 8–10 October 1916. The Silver Medal of Military Valor was affixed to the flag of the 8th Alpini Regiment added to the regiment's coat of arms.
Interwar years
On 31 October 1935, the III Superior Alpine Command "Julio" was reorganized as 3rd Alpine Division "Julia", which included the 7th Alpini Regiment, 8th Alpini Regiment, 9th Alpini Regiment, and 3rd Alpine Artillery Regiment "Julia". On 31 December 1935, the 7th Alpini Regiment was transferred to the newly formed 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria".On 7 April 1939, Italy invaded Albania and by the middle of April the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" moved to Northern Albania, where its regiments garrisoned the border with the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
World War II
On 2 September 1939, one day after the German Invasion of Poland had begun, the depots of the 8th Alpini Regiment in Italy reformed the Alpini battalions "Val Fella", "Val Tagliamento", and "Val Natisone". The three battalions were assigned to the 1st Alpini Group, with which they participated in June 1940 in the Italian invasion of France.In September 1940, the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" moved from Northern to Southern Albania and took up positions along the border with the Kingdom of Greece for the upcoming Italian invasion of Greece. On 28 October 1940, Italian forces invaded Greece and the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" engaged Greek forces in the Battle of Pindus, during which the "Julia" division suffered heavy casualties. In early November the Alpini battalions "Val Fella", "Val Tagliamento", and "Val Natisone" were sent to Albania, where the battalions "Val Fella" and "Val Tagliamento" reinforced the "Julia" division, while the battalion "Val Natisone" was attached to the XXV Army Corps. On 10 November, the "Julia" division was taken out of the line, but only four days later it had to return to the front in the Berat sector, where it came under heavy Greek attacks until 8 December. On 23 December 1940, the "Julia" division was again attacked by the Greeks; the attack lasted until 31 December and forced the division to retreat to the Mali i Qarrishtës ridge in extreme weather conditions. On 8 January 1941, a Greek offensive in the Berat sector hit the "Julia" division hard and the following day the division fell back once more. On 21 January 1941, the division was down to a single regiment with three understrength battalions. The remains of the "Julia" were withdrawn and transferred to Mavrovo, near Vlorë, where the division was reformed and received the Alpini Battalion "Susa" from the 3rd Alpini Regiment as reinforcement.
At the end of February the division, now 10,500 men strong, was sent again to the first line; on 24 February it was deployed on Mali i Golikut and along the Zagoria Valley. On 28 February a new battle was fought in the Tepelenë sector; the "Julia" division, as the last Italian unit defending the town, was attacked by the 2nd Greek Division, but managed to hold the front while suffering heavy casualties. On 7 March the Greeks attacked on Mali i Golikut, and two days later they renewed their attack, causing heavy losses; by 11 March the Greek offensive ended without taking Tepelenë, and both the "Julia" division and the two Greek divisions involved in the attack were worn out by the heavy fighting and losses.
In April 1941, following the German invasion and Axis occupation of Greece, the division was transferred to the Corinth Canal area and occupied the Peloponnese, while the three Valle battalions moved to the barracks of the "Julia" division in Shkodër in Northern Albania. For their service and sacrifice on the Greek between 14 November 1940 and 23 April 1941 the Alpini battalions "Val Fella" and "Val Tagliamento" were awarded a shared Silver Medal of Military Valor. Similarly the Alpini Battalion "Val Natisone" was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor for its service on the Greek Front. The medals were affixed to the 8th Alpini Regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms.
In June 1941, the 1st Alpini Group with the Alpini battalions "Val Fella", "Val Tagliamento", and "Val Natisone", was sent to occupied Montenegro on garrison duty. The Alpini group was attached to the 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" and heavily engaged by Yugoslav partisans. In August 1942, the Alpini Group returned to Italy. On 10 November 1942, Axis forces occupied Vichy France and by the end of the same year the Alpini group was attached to the 6th Alpine Division "Alpi Graie", with which it was sent to occupied France on garrison duty.
On 5 July 1943, the Alpini battalions "Val Fella", "Val Tagliamento", and "Val Natisone" returned from occupied France and were disbanded, with their personnel assigned to the 8th Alpini Regiment to help reform the regiment's regular Alpini battalions. The 8th Alpini Regiment, which had been nearly destroyed during its deployment to the Eastern Front, was still in the process of rebuilding its battalions, when the Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943. Five days later, on 13 September 1943, the regiment and its battalions were disbanded by invading German forces.