Mameli Armored Brigade

32^ Brigata Corazzata Mameli
Coat of Arms of the 32nd Armored Brigade Mameli after 1986
Active 1 October 1975 - 1 April 1991
Country Italy
Branch Italian Army
Type Cavalry
Role Armored warfare
Part of

1975-1986 Ariete Armored Division

1986-1991 5th Army Corps
Garrison/HQ Tauriano

The 32nd Armored Brigade Mameli was an armored brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units were tank and Bersaglieri battalions. The brigade's headquarters was in the city of Tauriano, a subdivision of the city of Spilimbergo. All the brigade's units were based in Spilimbergo. The brigade's name was chosen to honor the Italian patriot Goffredo Mameli writer of the lyrics of the Italian national anthem. The brigade's sister brigades, the 132nd Armored Brigade Manin and 8th Mechanized Brigade Garibaldi were named in honor of Daniele Manin and in honor of Giuseppe Garibaldi, both heroes of the Italian unification.

History

Mameli Armored Brigade battalions in 1989

The brigade was activated during a major reorganization of the Italian Army: in 1975 the regimental level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of newly formed multi-arms brigades. On 1 October 1975 the 32nd Armored Brigade Mameli was activated along with the 132nd Armored Brigade Manin followed one month later by the 8th Mechanized Brigade Garibaldi. To form the Mameli the 32nd Tank Regiment of the Ariete Armored Division was reorganized and elevated to brigade. The Ariete Armored Division was part of the 5th Army Corps based in North-Eastern Italy. The 5th Army Corps was tasked with defending the Yugoslav-Italian border against possible attacks by either the Warsaw Pact, or Yugoslavia or both. The Ariete Armored Division was the corps' armored reserve. The brigade's authorized strength was 3,381 men (214 Officers, 516 non-commissioned officers and 2,651 soldiers) and it consisted initially of the following units:

  • 32nd Armored Brigade Mameli, in Tauriano (former 32nd Tank Regiment)
    • Mameli Command and Signal Battalion, in Tauriano
    • 3rd Tank Battalion M.O. Galas, in Tauriano, with M60A1 Main battle tanks
    • 5th Tank Battalion M.O. Chiamenti, in Tauriano, with M60A1 Main battle tanks
    • 23rd Bersaglieri Battalion Castel di Borgo, in Tauriano, with VCC-1 Armored personnel carriers
    • 12th Self-propelled Field Artillery Group Capua, in Vacile, with M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzers (former I Self-propelled Field Artillery Group, 132nd Armored Artillery Regiment)
    • Mameli Logistic Battalion, in Vacile
    • Mameli Anti-tank Squadron, in Vacile
    • Mameli Engineer Company, in Vacile

On 31 October 1986 the Italian Army abolished the divisional level and brigades, that until then had been under one of the Army's four divisions, came forthwith under direct command of the Army's 3rd and 5th Army Corps. The Mameli, Garibaldi and Manin (renamed Ariete in the same year) came direct command of the 5th Army Corps and the Mameli received the 19th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron Cavalleggeri Guide from the disbanded division.

After the end of the Cold War the Italian Army began to draw down its forces and the Mameli was the first brigade to be disbanded. On 1 April 1991 the brigade was officially deactivated along with some of its subordinate units. The 3rd Tank and 5th Tank Battalion and 23rd Bersaglieri Battalion were transferred to the Ariete Armored Brigade, while the 19th Cavalry Squadron Cavalleggeri Guide passed to the Garibaldi Bersaglieri Brigade.

References

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