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50-526: In 1873, the Royal Italian Army formed the first Italian Ferrovieri companies, which were tasked with the construction and repair of railways. In 1891, the first railway operations companies were formed. In 1910, the Ferrovieri units were used to form the 6th Engineer Regiment (Ferrovieri). During World War I the regiment's depots formed numerous units, which built and operated railways along

100-696: A railway operations section in Turin, a depot in Turin, and a branch depot in Treviso. The Railway Operations Section operated the Chivasso–Ivrea–Aosta railway since 1915. In April 1920, the photo-electricians units were assigned to newly formed army corps telegraphers battalions. In November 1921, the 2nd Railway Operations Section was formed in Meran , which operated the Bolzano -Meran- Mals railway. In 1923,

150-592: A railway operations section in Turin, which operated the Turin-Pinerolo railway, a depot in Turin, and a branch depot in Rome. The regiment's oldest and thus senior company, the 1st Operations Company, had been active as 6th Sappers Company during the Second Italian War of Independence and the following Sardinian campaign in central and southern Italy . On 20 October 1860, during the latter campaign,

200-614: A recruitment centre for cavalry regiments stationed in India (and in 1830 a similar arrangement was established at Chatham for infantry regiments stationed in India and New South Wales). A second Cavalry Depot was later established at Canterbury ; in 1865 the Maidstone depot closed and Canterbury alone then served as home depot for the cavalry regiments overseas (with additional accommodation provided when necessary in Colchester). In 1897

250-435: A variety of regimental stores will also be kept at the depot. The regimental depot is not the same as the regimental headquarters (where the main officers' mess and certain central functions are based), though in practice the two will often be co-located. In a military dictionary of 1802, the word Depot is given multiple meanings: primarily it is said to describe 'any particular place in which military stores are deposited for

300-663: The 1st Engineer Regiment was operated railways to transport French and Sardinian troops. On 30 September 1873, the Italian government ordered that the Royal Sardinian Army 's Sappers Corps should be split into two regiments and each of the two new regiments should include two Ferrovieri companies. On 1 January 1874, the Sappers Corps was split into the 1st Engineer Regiment and 2nd Engineer Regiment . The former regiment included one Ferrovieri Company, while

350-892: The Allied armistice with Italy in September 1943 . The Kingdom was ultimately replaced by the Italian Republic in the 1946 Italian institutional referendum , and the Royal Army accordingly changed its name to become the Esercito Italiano ( Italian Army ). Regimental depot The regimental depot of a regiment is its home base for recruiting and training . It is also where soldiers and officers awaiting discharge or postings are based and where injured soldiers return to full fitness after discharge from hospital before returning to full duty. Normally,

400-588: The Childers Reforms which followed. A list of barracks in Britain and Ireland designated to serve as depots for cavalry regiments. In the French Royal Army and Imperial Army, in addition to many of the empire's many puppet states, a dépôt was a battalion in size and would provide drafts to the regular 'field battalions' on a regular basis. If mobilised, the depot itself would become

450-589: The Interwar period , the army was initially focused on border security in the Alps and on the Italian-Yugoslav border . It supported Benito Mussolini 's Fascist regime because of its expansionist ideology and reversal of previous governments' defense cuts. In the 1930s, the army participated in the final subjugation of Libya , participated in the invasion of Ethiopia , provided troops and materials for

500-731: The Italian campaign on the Eastern Front . After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943, the regiment was disbanded by invading German forces , while the Ferrovieri units in Southern Italy joined the Italian Co-Belligerent Army . These units repaired and operated railway lines, which supported the advance of the allied 15th Army Group during the Italian campaign . In 1957,

550-583: The Italian front . In 1919, the regiment was renamed Ferrovieri Engineer Regiment. During World War II the regiment formed ten Ferrovieri battalions and three Pontieri battalions, as well as three railway operations groups. One of the Ferrovieri battalions served in the Western Desert campaign and Tunisian campaign , while two Ferrovieri battalions served with the Italian Army in Russia during

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600-1079: The Macedonian Front as part of the Allied Army of the Orient . Some Italian divisions were also sent to the Western Front . In 1918, Italian troops saw intense combat during the German spring offensive. Italian soldiers also saw action in campaigns against the Ottoman Empire in Africa and the Middle East such as in the Senussi campaign . Overall, the Royal Italian Army suffered 460,000 to 709,000 killed and 947,000 to 1,050,000 wounded during World War I. During

650-703: The VI Army Corps . In 1963, the 3rd Dismountable Metal Bridges Company was disbanded. On 1 February 1964, the II Pontieri Battalion was returned to the 2nd Pontieri Engineer Regiment. On 1 July 1965, the Railway Operations Company was expanded to Railway Operations Battalion. As part of the 1975 Italian Army reform the VI Army Corps Engineer Battalion was disbanded on 31 October 1975. During

700-611: The campaign in Sicily . In the evening of 8 September 1943, the Armistice of Cassibile , which ended hostilities between the Kingdom of Italy and the Anglo-American Allies , was announced by General Dwight D. Eisenhower on Radio Algiers and by Marshal Pietro Badoglio on Italian radio . Germany reacted by invading Italy and the regiment and most of its units were disbanded soon thereafter by German forces. However,

750-584: The 186 mi (300 km) long Novi Grad – Bosanska Otoka – Martin Brod – Strmica railway in Northern Bosnia , which had been heavily damaged during the war. The regiment returned to Italy in 1998. For its service in Bosnia-Herzegovina the regiment was awarded a Silver Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms. On 1 December 1997

800-474: The 2nd and 4th companies were organized as construction companies. On 1 July 1895, the Ferrovieri Brigade became an autonomous unit and added the 5th and 6th construction companies. Afterwards the brigade's six companies were group into two Ferrovieri groups. In 1903, the I Ferrovieri Group, which consisted of the 1st Operations Company and 2nd Construction Company, moved to Rome . In September 1906,

850-456: The 6th Sappers Company distinguished itself in Battle of Macerone Pass and was awarded a Bronze Medal of Military Valor , which, upon the regiment's formation, was affixed to the regiment's flag. In 1912, the regiment's two motorists companies became responsible to train the personnel of the photo-electrical service, which operated searchlights . In December 1913, the branch depot in Rome formed

900-534: The Cavalry Depot at Canterbury was closed, with responsibility for recruitment devolving on the home-based regiments (which began to be affiliated with regiments serving overseas for the purpose of recruitment). A list of barracks in Britain and Ireland, either designated or newly built to serve as localization depots for infantry regiments in the wake of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s and

950-602: The Corps of Volunteer Troops ( Corpo Truppe Volontarie ) to fight in the Spanish Civil War , and participated in the Italian invasion of Albania . The Regio Esercito (Royal Army) was one of the largest ground forces in World War II, during which it was one of the pioneers of the use of paratroopers . Many Italian divisions were reinforced by a MVSN Gruppo di Assalto of two battalions due to

1000-681: The Ferrovieri Battalion in Castel Maggiore and the Railway Operations Company in Turin were assigned to the reformed 2nd Pontieri Engineer Regiment . On 1 January 1954, the Ferrovieri Battalion became an autonomous unit, which on 1 October 1957, was used to reform the Ferrovieri Engineer Regiment. On the same day, the 2nd Pontieri Engineer Regiment transferred the II Pontieri Battalion in Legnano and

1050-511: The Ferrovieri Brigade, which on the same date joined the newly formed 3rd Engineer Regiment . On 23 June 1887, the 3rd Engineer Regiment transferred the Ferrovieri Brigade to the 4th Engineer Regiment . In 1891, the Ferrovieri Brigade took over the operation of the Torino-Torre Pellice/Barge railway, which resulted in a reorganization of the brigade: the 1st and 3rd companies were reorganized as operations companies, while

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1100-764: The German Alpenkorps . In World War II , the Alpini fought alongside Axis forces in the Eastern Front as well as the Balkans Campaigns . The Regio Esercito dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy , following the unification of Italy in 1861 after most of the Papal States were seized. On 4 May 1861, Manfredo Fanti signed the creation decree, by which the new army

1150-536: The I and XIII Ferrovieri battalions, which were later joined by the II, III, and VI Ferrovieri battalions. The Ferrovieri repaired, and at times also operated, the Naples - Reggio Calabria , Naples- Caserta , Naples-Rome, Rome- Pisa , Rome-Florence , Bari - Ancona - Bologna , and Bologna-Verona railways. The grouping was disbanded on 1 November 1945, and only two of its dismountable metal bridges companies remained active. After

1200-601: The IV Corps captured Rome , which had remained under Papal control up until then. On 8 February 1885, a corps of fewer than 1,000 soldiers landed at Massaua , Eritrea , starting the creation of an Italian colonial empire . The Italian advance of the First Italo-Ethiopian War was halted at the Battle of Adwa by overwhelming Ethiopian forces. The following year, as part of the Italian collaboration with

1250-882: The IV Ferrovieri Battalion's 9th Ferrovieri Company built a combined road and rail bridge over the Corinth Canal , using an Austrian Roth-Waagner-Brückengerät . The same battalion repaired the bridge over the Gorgopotamos river after the British-Greek Operation Harling had successfully destroyed the bridge on 25 November 1942. Another bridge repaired by the regiment's troops was the Stampetta Bridge in Slovenia. The III and VI Ferrovieri battalions served during

1300-685: The Italian Royal Army were the elite mountain military corporals, the Alpini . The Alpini , which remain in existence today, are the oldest active mountain infantry in the world. Their original mission was to protect and secure Italy's northern mountain border that aligns with France and Austria . This group emerged in World War I when a three-year campaign was fought against the Austro-Hungarian Kaiserjäger and

1350-511: The Railway Operations Company in Turin to the Ferrovieri Engineer Regiment. The reformed regiment was assigned to the Tuscan-Emilian Military Region and consisted at the time of a command, a command company, the I Ferrovieri Battalion, the II Pontieri Battalion, the Railway Operations Company, and the 3rd Dismountable Metal Bridges Company. On 1 January 1962, the regiment received the VI Army Corps Engineer Battalion from

1400-868: The Special Photo-Electrical Section, which trained personnel of the army's artillery arm in the use of searchlights. In 1914, the Special Photo-Electrical Section was transferred to the Artillery Arm's newly formed Artillery Specialists Group. During World War I battalions and companies formed by the regiment operated in all sectors of the Italian front . In total the regiment's depot and branch depot formed three Ferrovieri battalions and 16 Ferrovieri companies, nine decauville operations companies, seven photo-electricians battalions and 36 photo-electricians companies. The two depots also formed 26 territorial photo-electricians sections which operated more than 1,200 searchlight stations. During

1450-480: The Two Sicilies . The Army of the Two Sicilies also waged what many modern historians now consider a civil war against outlaws and Bourbonist guerrillas , such as the famous Michelina Di Cesare , and against other Italian states' armies during the continuing wars of unification . After the monarchy ended in 1946, the army changed its name to become the modern Italian Army ( Esercito Italiano ). Within

1500-490: The brigade formed a Motorists Section in Turin. Between September 1907 and September 1910 the I Ferrovieri Group operated the Rome–Frascati railway . In October 1910, the Ferrovieri Brigade was renamed 6th Engineer Regiment (Ferrovieri). The new regiment consisted of a staff, a Ferrovieri battalion with four companies in Turin, a Ferrovieri battalion with two companies in Rome, a motorists battalion with two companies in Turin,

1550-789: The face of direct war violence. In total, 4,028 death sentences were passed in the Royal Italian Army whereas 2,967 were issued absentia where 750 were followed through and completed and 311 were not. The Royal Italian Army's first experience with modern warfare was in World War I , from 1915–1918. The war was fought mostly on the Italian Front in Northern Italy , costing the Italian Army serious casualties, including 246,133 killed, 946,640 wounded, 569,210 captured and 70,656 missing. The Italian 35th Division served on

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1600-819: The international pacification program after the revolt against the Turkish domination in Cyprus , another corps disembarked at Candia . On 14 July 1900, another expeditionary force was constituted to suppress the Boxer Rebellion in China in defense of the European protectorates. On 3 October 1911, Italy invaded Libya as part of the Italo-Turkish War . The war against the Ottoman Empire ended with

1650-464: The latter disbanded on 31 August of the same year and reformed as 32nd Engineer Battalion the next day. On 31 October 2017, the regiment disbanded its Operations Battalion and merged the battalion's functions and personnel into the Ferrovieri Battalion. As of 2024 the Ferrovieri Engineer Regiment is organized as follows: Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army ( Italian : Regio Esercito , lit.   'Royal Army') ( RE )

1700-401: The latter regiment included two Ferrovieri companies. The three companies were based in Turin and grouped together in the Ferrovieri Brigade, which was tasked with training the personnel of the two regiment's Ferrovieri companies. On 1 November 1877, the second Ferrovieri Company for the 1st Engineer Regiment was formed in Turin. On 1 November 1883, the four Ferrovieri companies were assigned to

1750-433: The new bridge was opened and traffic between Milan and the Simplon Railway could resume. For the reconstruction of the bridge the regiment was awarded a Bronze Cross of Army Merit, which was affixed to the regiment's flag. On 16 July 1992, the regiment's Command and Services Platoon was expanded to Command and Services Company. In 1996, after the Bosnian War , the regiment deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina , where it repaired

1800-438: The reform the regiment was transferred from the Tuscan-Emilian Military Region to the Engineering Inspectorate. After the reform the regiment's organization was as follows: On 8 October 1977, flood waters of the Toce river swept the railway bridge of the Domodossola–Milan railway between Fondotoce and Feriolo away and the Ferrovieri Engineer Regiment was called to rebuild the 120 m (131 yd) bridge. On 27 May 1978,

1850-500: The regiment received a Dismountable Metal Bridges Company from the 2nd Pontieri Regiment . During World War II the regiment's depot in Turin mobilized the following units: On 9 July 1943, the same day the allied forces landed on Sicily , the Italian Army's General Staff ordered that all Ferrovieri units, with the exception of those in Italian occupied France , Italian occupied Greece , Corsica and Sardinia , would be assigned on 15 July 1943 to four Ferrovieri groupings: During

1900-418: The regiment was assigned to the army's Engineer Grouping, which on 10 September 2010, was reorganized as Engineer Command . In July 1999, after the Kosovo War , the regiment deployed to Kosovo , where it operated the Skopje – Kosovo Polje – Pristina railway, and repaired/operated the Kosovo Polje– Peć and Klina – Prizren railways. The regiment returned to Italy in December 1999. For its service in Kosovo

1950-413: The regiment was awarded a Gold Cross of Army Merit, which was affixed to the regiment's flag. On 27 September 2001, the regiment ceded the operation of the Chivasso–Ivrea–Aosta railway to the Ferrovie dello Stato . On 1 February 2002, the regiment formed the Operations Battalion in Ozzano Emilia , which consisted of the personnel and materiel of the 2nd Ferrovieri Battalion (Operations) in Turin , before

2000-424: The regiment was reformed and included a Ferrovieri battalion and an operations battalion. In 2017, the two battalions merged into a single unit. The regiment's anniversary falls, as for all engineer units, on 24 June 1918, the last day of the Second Battle of the Piave River . In 1859, during the Second Italian War of Independence , the first use of railways for military purposes occurred in Italy, when personnel of

2050-434: The regiment's units in southern Italy were unaffected by the German invasion of Italy and thus able to join the Italian Co-Belligerent Army , which assigned them to the Ferrovieri Grouping. The grouping repaired and operated railway lines, which transported supplies and materiel for the allied 15th Army Group fighting its way up the Italian peninsula during the Italian campaign . Initially the Ferrovieri Grouping consisted of

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2100-450: The signing of the First Treaty of Lausanne in Ouchy , near Lausanne, Switzerland . In the Italian Royal Army, military justice was applied on the based on the 1870 Military Penal Code regulations. This regulation structure was very similar to the 1859 version which was inspired by the Royal Sardinian Army penal code of 1840 which preceded the Albertine Statute of 1848. These regulations and factors were determined to be inadequate in

2150-404: The small size of the divisions. In 1943, Italy surrendered and split into the Italian Social Republic , which fielded its own army, the Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano ( National Republican Army ). On the other side was the Esercito Cobelligerante del Sud ( Italian Co-Belligerent Army ), the army of the Italian Royalist forces, fighting on the side of the Allies in southern Italy after

2200-399: The two sections were united in the Operations Group. On 11 March 1926, the Ferrovieri Engineer Regiment was renamed Ferrovieri Regiment. On 25 April 1932, the 2nd Railway Operations Section was disbanded and the regiment then only operated the Chivasso–Ivrea–Aosta railway. In 1935, the regiment formed the following units in preparation for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War : On 1 October 1938,

2250-435: The use of the army'; but 'it also signifies an appropriated fort, or place, for the reception of recruits, or detached parties, belonging to different regiments'. At that time Maidstone Barracks served as depot for the British Cavalry; while the depot for the Infantry (established at Chatham Barracks in the 1770s) had moved in 1801 to Albany Barracks on the Isle of Wight. Later, the depot at Maidstone served specifically as

2300-424: The war Ferrovieri units built 91 mi (147 km) of railway, 373 mi (600 km) of decauville trench railways , and repaired 144 bridges. On 21 November 1919, the 6th Engineer Regiment (Ferrovieri) was renamed Ferrovieri Engineer Regiment. At the time the regiment consisted of command, the I Ferrovieri Battalion with four companies in Turin, the II Ferrovieri Battalion with two companies in Treviso ,

2350-403: The war, the VII Ferrovieri Battalion served in the Western Desert campaign and Tunisian campaign . The IX and X Ferrovieri battalions served on the Eastern Front , where the X Ferrovieri Battalion fought in the Battle of Arbuzovka as infantry, earning the battalion a War Cross of Military Valor , which was affixed to the regiment's flag and is depicted on the regiment's coat of arms. In 1941,

2400-431: The war, the two companies built 23 bridges and dismantled 13, which had been partially destroyed during the war. In 1947, the two companies were used to form a Ferrovieri Battalion in Castel Maggiore . In 1949, the a Railway Operations Section was reformed in Turin, which once again took over operation of the Chivasso–Ivrea–Aosta railway . The section was quickly expanded to Railway Operations Company. On 15 December 1949,

2450-410: Was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy , established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy . During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfredo Fanti signed a decree creating the Army of the Two Sicilies . This newly created army's first task was to defend its territorial gains against Legitimists in southern Italy, who remained loyal to Francis II of

2500-409: Was to replace the previous Royal Sardinian Army and the Army of the Two Sicilies . The first two tasks of the new organization were the repression of brigandage in southern Italy against irregular and hit and run forces (mixed with bands of various criminals), who refused to accept the suppression of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies , and the Third War of Italian Independence . On 20 September 1870,

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