Regiment "Lancieri di Aosta" (6th)

In 1792 King Victor Amadeus III joined the War of the First Coalition against the First French Republic and the regiment had its baptism of fire in the County of Nice against French troops. The regiment fought against the French Army of Italy during the French campaign in Italy until in 1796 the newly appointed commander of the Army of Italy Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia in one month. After King Victor Amadeus III had been forced to sign the Armistice of Cherasco the "Aosta" regiment was disbanded and its remaining squadrons transferred to the Royal Piedmont Cavalry and Savoy Cavalry.[1][4]

The regiment was reformed on 3 October 1831 in Vercelli by order of King Charles Albert as Regiment "Aosta Cavalleria" with six squadrons of dragoons. The regiment participated in the First Italian War of Independence, during which the regiment fought in 1848 at the battles of Goito Bridge, Mantua, Santa Lucia, Goito, Sommacampagna and Custoza. In 1849 the regiment distinguished itself at the Battle of Novara for which it was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valour.[2][1][4]

After the defeat in the First Italian War of Independence the Kingdom of Sardinia reformed its military and the Aosta was reorganized as a Chevau-léger unit and renamed "Cavalleggeri di Aosta". During the Second Italian War of Independence the regiment fought at Castelnuovo Scrivia, Montebello, and San Martino, and participated in the siege of Peschiera.[1][4]

Lancers arresting two brigands in 1864

In 1860 the regiment was reorganized as Lancer unit and renamed "Lancieri di Aosta". Between February 1863 and March 1864 the regiment was employed in the counter-insurgency role against "brigands" in Southern Italy near Capitanata, in the Murge, and around Bari.[1][4]

During the Third Italian War of Independence the regiment fought on 24 June 1866 at the Battle of Custoza, where the regiment charged the Austrian lines 14 times to allow the Italian I Division to retreat from the Imperial advance. For this feat the regiment became only the second cavalry regiment and the only cavalry regiment in the 19th century to be awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valour.[2] After the Italian Army had crossed the Po on 7 July the regiment rapidly advanced northwards reaching Udine on the 25th of the same month.[1][4]

In 1870 the regiment participated in the Capture of Rome. In 1871 the regiment was renamed 6th Cavalry Regiment (Aosta), and in 1876 Cavalry Regiment "Aosta" (6th), and in 1897 Regiment "Lancieri di Aosta" (6th).[1][4]

During World War I the regiment served as infantry, until 17 November 1915 on the lower Isonzo and from May 1916 on the Asiago plateau, where Austro-Hungarian army tried to break through the Italian lines. During the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo the regiment fought on the Banjšice Plateau. After the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Caporetto the regiment covered the Italian retreat to the Piave river, fighting rearguard actions at Cividale del Friuli e Fagagna. In 1918, after the Italian crushing victory at the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, the regiment, like all cavalry regiments, was ordered to advance as fast and as far as possible and to take the bridges of the Tagliamento and Isonzo rivers. The Aosta took the bridge over the Tagliamento at Latisana on 3 November 1918 and charged Austro-Hungarian defenses at Corgnolo on 4 November, the last day of the war. For the capture of the bridge and the last charge of the war the regiment received a Bronze Medal of Military Valour.[1][4][2]

After the war the Italian Army disbanded 14 of its 30 cavalry regiments and on 20 May 1920 the Aosta received the 3rd and 4th squadrons from the disbanding Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Caserta" (17th). The two squadrons were merged and integrated into the Aosta as 2nd Squadron and the regiment was renamed Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Aosta" (6th). In 1920 the army disbanded a further five regiments and the Aosta received on 1 July the 1st and 2nd squadrons from the disbanding Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" (7th); with the 2nd Squadron carrying the traditions of the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Roma" (20th), which had been disbanded in 1919. The Aosta now consisted of:[1][4]

• Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Aosta" (6th)
  • I Squadrons Group
    • 1st Squadron "Cavalleggeri di Aosta"
    • 2nd Squadron "Cavalleggeri di Caserta"
  • II Squadrons Group
    • 3rd Squadron "Lancieri di Milano"
    • 4th Squadron "Cavalleggeri di Roma"
  • Regimental Depot

On 1 March 1930 the regiment received a 5th Squadron equipped with eight heavy machine guns, 15 trucks for the regimental train, twelve motorbikes, and three R/3 radios. On 8 February 1934 the regiment returned to use its traditional name Regiment "Lancieri di Aosta" (6th). The next June the regiment raised two more squadron groups: the III Truck-mounted Machine Gunner Squadrons Group in Torre Annunziata and the IV Truck-mounted Machine Gunner Squadrons Group in Baiae. Each group fielded three machine gunner squadrons of 120 men and one command squadron of 60 men.[1][4]

Both machine gunner groups were deployed to Italian Somaliland for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. On 20 January 1937 the two groups, together with the I and II Squadron Groups of the Regiment "Genova Cavalleria" (4th), participated in conquest of Neghelli, for which each group was awarded a Bronze Medal of Military Valour.[2] After their return to Italy in late spring 1937 the III and IV group were disbanded. For the Italian military intervention in the Spanish Civil War the Aosta was ordered to provide a platoon of 64 volunteers. On 7 April 1939 the regiment's I Squadrons Group participated in the Italian invasion of Albania.[1][4]

The regiment entered World War II with the following structure:[4]

• Regiment "Lancieri di Aosta" (6th)
  • Regimental Command (includes signals, logistics, medics, etc.)
  • I Squadrons Group
    • 1st Lancers Squadron
    • 2nd Lancers Squadron
  • II Squadrons Group
    • 3rd Lancers Squadron
    • 4th Lancers Squadron
  • 5th Machine Gunners Squadron
  • Regimental Depot, in Naples

The regiment fielded 37 officers, 810 non-commissioned officers and soldiers, 758 saddle horses, 52 pack horses, 36 machine pistols, 12 machine guns, 31 bicycles, 6 motorbikes and 15 trucks.[4]

In summer 1940 the regiment, together with the Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" (7th) and Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" (19th), was deployed to Italian occupied Albania for Benito Mussolini's upcoming invasion of Greece. The three regiments formed the Fast Coastal Grouping (Raggruppamento Celere del Litorale) on the extreme right of the Italian front. On 28 October 1940 the Italian attack commenced, but it quickly devolved into a military disaster. On 10 1940 the Aosta crossed the enemy lines to raid Greek depots at Paramythia, for which the regiment was awarded a War Cross of Military Valour.[2] After its return to Italian lines the regiment spent the rest of the war on the defensive until Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht invaded Yugoslavia and Greece. After the German defeat of Greece the Aosta was on occupation duty in Athens and Piraeus.[1][4]

In the meantime back in Naples the regimental depot had raised the IV Machine Gunner Squadrons Group "Aosta" for service in the Western Desert Campaign. The squadrons group arrived in Tobruk in September 1941 and was attached to the 102nd Motorised Division "Trento". The IV Squadrons Group remained in the North African theater until its remnants surrendered to Allied Forces at the end of the Tunisian Campaign in 1943.[1][4]

In 1942 the Aosta regiment remained on garrison duty in Greece between the Corinth Canal and Megara, and later in Lamia and Larissa, where the regiment skirmished with Greek partisans.

On 8 September 1943 the regiment was dislocated between Trikala and Karditsa when it was informed that Italy had switched sides with the Armistice of Cassibile. Without orders from the Italian High Command the Aosta regiment's commander Colonel Giuseppe Berti refused German demands to surrender, contacted the British Middle East Command in Cairo, placed his unit under British command and marched it into the Pindus Mountains, where the regiment, together with the 24th Infantry Division "Pinerolo" joined the Greek partisans of ELAS and EDES. In Greece the regiment had been reinforced with the XXXI Group on Foot and one battery from the 18th Field Artillery Regiment, bringing the regiment's strength on 10 September 1943 to 48 officers, 1,718 non-commissioned officers and soldiers, around 800 horses, 52 machine pistols, 38 machine guns, 31 bicycles, 6 motorbikes and 15 trucks.[1][4]

In coming weeks the regiment clashed with German forces at Kalabaka and 100 men raided the Luftwaffe's air field at Larissa. In October 1944 the German Wehrmacht began its retreat from Greece. On 12 October 1944 the remaining German forces left Athens as the British 23rd Armoured Brigade had landed in Piraeus. On 14 October 1944 the British forces under General Ronald Scobie liberated Athens. On the same day ELAS partisans tried to disarm the troops of the Aosta regiment. In the ensuing fighting 20 Italians were killed and 49 wounded. By nightfall the regiment acquiesced to the demands and surrendered its weapons. The remnants of the regiment were repatriated by the Royal Navy on 28 October 1944.[1][4]

In 1951 the 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment "Lancieri di Aosta" was raised in Reggio Emilia, which on 25 June 1952 received the regiment's flag with the regiment's traditions and decorations. Equipped with a mix of donated US Army armored fighting vehicles (M3 Scout Car, M8 Greyhound, M5 Stuart, M24 Chaffee, M47 Patton) the regiment was the armoured formation of the Infantry Division "Trieste" in Bologna until 20 October 1954, when the regiment was assigned to the VI Military Territorial Command.[1][4]

On 4 November 1958 the regiment returned to use its traditional name until it was disbanded on 31 August 1964, with its squadron groups used to form on 16 September 1964 two cavalry reconnaissance groups: the I Squadrons Group became the Squadrons Group "Lancieri di Aosta" in Cervignano del Friuli, while the II Squadrons Group moved from Reggio Emilia to Gradisca d'Isonzo and became the Squadrons Group "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo". The Aosta joined the Infantry Division "Mantova" as divisional reconnaissance unit, while the regiment's flag was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome.[1][4]

During the 1975 army reform the Aosta was equipped with Leopard 1A2 main battle tanks, assigned to the Armored Brigade "Vittorio Veneto", renamed 6th Tank Squadrons Group "Lancieri di Aosta" and received the Aosta regiment's flag. For its conduct and work after the 1976 Friuli earthquake the squadrons group was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valour, which was affixed to the squadron group's war flag and added to the squadron group's coat of arms.[5][2][1][4]

On 7 May 1991 the regiment moved from Cervignano del Friuli to Palermo, where it joined the Motorized Brigade "Aosta". On 3 March 1993 the squadrons group was renamed as Regiment "Lancieri di Aosta" (6th) without changing size. Around the same time the regiment began to receive wheeled Centauro tank destroyers.[4]