Airmobile Brigade Friuli

Infantry Brigade Friuli

On 15 April 1960, the Friuli Infantry Division was reduced to brigade, losing all its traditional regiments. The brigade was headquartered in Florence and most of its units stationed in the surrounding region of Tuscany. By 1964 the structure of the Infantry Brigade Friuli was:

• Infantry Brigade Friuli, in Florence
  • 78th Infantry Regiment Lupi di Toscana, in Scandicci
    • I Battalion, in Scandicci
    • II Battalion, in Pistoia
    • Anti-tank Company, in Scandicci
  • XIX Armored Battalion, in Florence, with M26 Pershing tanks and M113 armoured personnel carriers
  • Friuli Field Artillery Group, in Pistoia, with M114 155mm towed howitzers
  • Friuli Logistic Services Battalion, in Coverciano
  • Friuli Engineer Company Friuli, in Florence
  • Friuli Signal Company Friuli, in Florence
  • Light Aircraft Section Friuli with L-21A Super Cub

The brigade stored materiel and equipment, including M1 40/56 anti-aircraft cannons, for the Friuli Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Group in Pistoia, which in case of war would have been activated and filled with reservists from Tuscany.

Motorized Brigade Friuli

Friuli

19 Butera

78 Lupi di Toscana

87 Senio

225 Arezzo

35 Riolo

Friuli Motorized Brigade battalions in 1989

With the abolishment of the regimental level in Italy on 23 September 1975, the brigade changed its name and became the Motorized Brigade Friuli. The new structure was:

• Motorized Brigade Friuli, in Florence
  • Friuli Command and Signal Battalion, in Florence
  • 19th Armored Battalion M.O. Butera, in Florence, with a mix of M47 Patton main battle tanks and M113 armoured personnel carriers
  • 78th Motorized Infantry Battalion Lupi di Toscana, in Scandicci
  • 87th Motorized Infantry Battalion Senio, in Pistoia
  • 225th Infantry (Training) Battalion Arezzo, in Arezzo
  • 35th Field Artillery Group Riolo, in Pistoia, with M114 155mm towed howitzers
  • Friuli Logistic Battalion, in Coverciano
  • Friuli Anti-tank Company, in Scandicci
  • Friuli Engineer Company, in Florence

The brigade stored materiel and equipment for the 35th Motorized Infantry Battalion Pistoia in Pistoia, which in case of war would have been activated and filled with reservists from Tuscany.

On 1 January 1986, the Friuli Brigade and the Folgore Parachute Brigade, in conjunction with some units of the Army's Light Army Aviation and the Navy's San Marco Regiment, became the Rapid Intervention Forces of the Italian Military, deployable on short notice for out of area missions.

Mechanized Brigade Friuli

After the end of the Cold War and the subsequent reduction of the Italian Army the Friuli merged on 1 June 1991 with the Mechanized Brigade Trieste. Although the new brigade was named Mechanized Brigade Friuli, it was headquartered in Bologna in the HQ building of the Trieste brigade. Before the merger the 87th Motorized Infantry Battalion Senio had been disbanded on 31 January 1991, and the 35th Field Artillery Group Riolo and the 19th Armored Battalion on 6 May 1991.

After the reintroduction of the regimental level in 1992 the brigade was then composed of the following units as of 1 January 1993:

• Mechanized Brigade Friuli, in Bologna
  • Friuli Command and Signal Battalion, in Bologna (renamed Command and Tactical Support Battalion after merging with the engineer company in 1993)
  • 4th Tank Regiment, in Ozzano dell'Emilia, with Leopard 1A2 main battle tanks (later renamed 33rd Tank Regiment)
  • 6th Bersaglieri Regiment, Bologna, with VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers
  • 66th Mechanized Battalion Valtellina, in Forlì, with VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers (later renamed 66th Infantry Regiment Trieste)
  • 78th Infantry Regiment Lupi di Toscana, in Scandicci, with VCC-2 armoured personnel carriers
  • 225th Infantry Regiment Arezzo, in Arezzo (later replaced by the 121st Infantry Regiment Macerata)
  • 21st Self-propelled Artillery Group Romagna, with M109 155mm self-propelled howitzers, in Bologna (later renamed 21st Self-propelled Field Artillery Regiment Trieste)
  • Friuli Logistic Battalion, in Budrio
  • Engineer Company, in Bologna (merged in September 1993 into the Command and Signal Battalion)

Airmobile Brigade Friuli

During the late 1990s the brigade was reorganized to become Italy's only Air Assault Brigade. The 33rd Tank was transferred to the Ariete Armored Brigade and the 121st Infantry Regiment to the Legnano Mechanized Brigade; the 21st Self-propelled Artillery Regiment was transferred to the Pinerolo Armored Brigade in Southern Italy. In 1995 the brigade received the 4th Alpine Army Corps' 3rd Cavalry Regiment Savoia Cavalleria, which was transferred from Meran in South Tyrol to Grosseto in Tuscany. On 5 September of the same year the 78th Infantry Regiment Lupi di Toscana left the brigade to become a training regiment. On 1 January 1999, the 7th Army Aviation Regiment Vega and on 1 May 2000, the 5th Army Aviation Regiment Rigel were transferred to the brigade, which on the second date changed its name to Airmobile Brigade "Friuli". On 27 June 2001 the Friuli Logistic Battalion became the 6th Transport Regiment and was transferred to the Logistic Projection Brigade. On 1 January 2005, the 6th Bersaglieri Regiment was transferred to the Aosta Mechanized Brigade on Sicily.