Alpine Brigade "Julia"

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"
** Alpini Battalion "Tolmezzo"
** Alpini Battalion "Cividale"
** Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila"
** 8th Mortar Company
* Mountain Artillery Group "Belluno", in Belluno
* Anti-tank Group "Julia", in Tarvisio
* 108th Field Hospital
* 58th Kitchen Platoon

In the following years the brigade was augmented with further units:

Headquarters Platoon
Signal Company "Julia", in Udine
3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment, in Udine with:
* Command Unit, in Udine
* Mountain Artillery Group "Conegliano", in Udine
* Light Anti-aircraft Group "Julia", in Udine
Engineer Company "Julia"
Mountain Artillery Group "Gemona", in Tai di Cadore
Alpini Paratroopers Platoon, in Udine
11th Frontier Defense Regiment, in Tolmezzo with the battalions:
* XII° Battalion
* XIII° Battalion
* XIV Battalion
* XV° Battalion
* XVI° Battalion
Services Grouping "Julia"
Light Aircraft Section "Julia"
Mountain Artillery Group "Osoppo", in Pontebba

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
* 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
* 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 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 Battalion "Julia", which became an active unit. As new training unit the Alpini 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
** 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
** Command and Services Company, in Tolmezzo
** 212th Alpini Company
** 216th Alpini Company
** 220th Alpini Company
** 269th Alpini Company
** 270th Alpini Company
** 271st Alpini Company
** 272nd Alpini Company
** 273rd Alpini Company
** 278th Alpini Company
** 288th Alpini Company
** 306th Alpini Company
** 307th Alpini Company
** 308th Alpini Company
** 312th Alpini Company
** 313th Alpini Company
** 314th Alpini Company
* Alpini 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
** 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
** 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}