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56-704: The history of the 3rd Army Corps begins after the second Italian war of independence . Following the Italian- French victory over the Austrian Empire , the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed the Papal Legations in present-day Emilia Romagna . Thus on 1 April 1860 the 3rd Higher Military Command was activated as a territorial command in Parma and tasked to defend the newly acquired territory between

112-566: A covert meeting at Plombières on 21 July 1858, Napoleon III and Cavour signed a secret treaty of alliance against Austria on 28 January 1859. France would help Piedmont-Sardinia, if attacked, to fight against Austria if Piedmont-Sardinia gave Nice and Savoy to France in return. The secret alliance served both countries by helping with the Sardinian-Piedmontese plan of unification of the Italian Peninsula under

168-692: A historically significant name , the division ceased to exist on 31 October in Novara, but the next day in the same location the Armoured Brigade Centauro was activated and took command of the units of the Curtatone : Each brigade, with the exception of the Centauro , fielded about 4,700 men. The Centauro fielded about 3,400 men and together with the corps' support units the entire corps fielded over 40,000 men. In 1982 Bersaglieri of

224-573: A result, Austria had to keep 30,000 troops in Transylvania , which could ill be spared from Italy. The French Army, under Marshal François Certain Canrobert , moved into Piedmont in the first massive military use of railways . The Austrian forces counted on a swift victory over the weaker Sardinian Army before French forces could arrive in Piedmont. However, Count Gyulai, the commander of

280-674: The Corpo Truppe Volontarie . The CTV was sent to help the Spanish Nationalists side in the war. From mid-1937, Bastico's force fought in the Battle of Santander , a decisive victory for the Nationalists. In late 1937, Bastico was replaced by Mario Berti . In October 1937, Bastico received the rank of general, "generale di corpo d'armata designato d'armata," the highest rank that could be assigned if Italy

336-676: The 27th Infantry Division Sila , 2nd Blackshirt Division 28 Ottobre and a brigade sized formation with light tanks. The corps fought in the First Battle of Tembien , Battle of Amba Aradam and Second Battle of Tembien . After the return to Milan the corps was given the task to defend Italy along the Swiss-Italian border. To aid in its task the corps was given command of the Alpine Wall fortifications in its area of operation. When Italy declared war on France on 10 June 1940

392-977: The 3rd Mountain Infantry Division Ravenna , 6th Infantry Division Cuneo and a mixed unit of four Alpini and two Mountain Artillery battalions. After the Italian invasion of Greece in October 1940 bogged down under stiff Greek resistance the III Army Corps was dispatched to Albania to augment the Italian forces along the Macedonian front. The corps commanded the 19th Infantry Division Venezia , 36th Mountain Infantry Division Forlì , 48th Infantry Division Taro and 53rd Infantry Division Arezzo and

448-675: The Alessandria and Po bridges around Casale Monferrato forced the Austrians to halt their advance on 9 May and to fall back on 10 May. Napoleon III left Paris on 10 May, landed at Genoa on 12 May and arrived in Alessandria on 14 May. Napoleon then took the command of the operations of the war, whose first major clash was the Battle of Montebello on 20 May, between the Austrian IX Corps led by Karl von Urban (under

504-683: The Austrian Empire on 23 May 1915 the III Army Corps under Lieutenant General Vittorio Camerana advanced on the extreme left flank of the Italian Army through the Valtellina , Camonica Trompia and Chiese valleys and along the Western shore of Lake Garda into Trentino . Although numerically superior the corps failed to cross the Stelvio and Tonale pass and advanced only until Riva del Garda and Tione , but failed to take either of

560-767: The Battle of Caporetto the III Corps was taken out of the front and became the Army's reserve corps, tasked with countering any enemy breakthrough on the Piave front during the winter of 1917/18. In spring of 1918 the corps returned to its original area of deployment. After Austria signed the Armistice of Villa Giusti the III corps finally advanced into Trentino . After the war the III Army Corps returned to its garrison in Milan . After

616-781: The Bersaglieri Brigade ''Garibaldi'' and the amphibious Lagunari Regiment Serenissima , thus the corps commanded all rapidly deployable units of the Italian Army. The new structure of the corps was: However already on 1 December 2000 it ceded its last brigades to the 1st Defence Forces Command (COMFOD 1°). The personnel of the 3rd Army Corps was used to raise the NATO Rapid Deployable Italian Corps in January 2001. Second Italian War of Independence Franco-Sardinian victory The Second Italian War of Independence , also called

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672-464: The House of Savoy . It also weakened Austria, a fiery adversary of Napoleon III's French Second Empire . Cavour, being unable to get French help unless the Austrians attacked first, provoked Vienna by a series of military maneuvers close to the border. Sardinia mobilised its army on 9 March 1859. Austria mobilised on 9 April 1859 and issued an ultimatum on 23 April demanding the complete demobilisation of

728-553: The Italian Army undertook a major reorganisation : the regimental level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of brigades, which combined units from different combat arms. In the same year the spelling of the name of the corps was changed from III Army Corps to 3rd Army Corps. Furthermore, the Cremona and Legnano divisions were reduced to brigades and therefore the 3rd Army Corps' new structure on 21 October 1975

784-927: The Legnano brigade were deployed in Italys first operation outside its soil since World War II as part of the Multinational Force in Lebanon . With the end of the Cold War the Italian Army began a decade long reduction of its forces. The first brigade to disband was the Goito on 1 June 1991, followed by the Brescia on 27 July 1991. Also on 1 June 1991 the Trieste ceased its colours in Bologna and in its stead

840-538: The Mechanized Brigade Friuli arrived from Florence . The Friuli took command of some units of the disbanded Trieste and entered the ranks of the 3rd Army Corps. In September 1993 the Legnano brigade deployed to Somalia in support of United Nations Unified Task Force mission. In spring 1997 the Corps assumed responsibility for Operation Alba , the first multinational mission led by Italy, in

896-744: The Sardinian War , the Austro-Sardinian War , the Franco-Austrian War , or the Italian War of 1859 (Italian: Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana ; German: Sardinischer Krieg ; French: Campagne d'Italie ), was fought by the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia against the Austrian Empire in 1859 and played a crucial part in the process of Italian Unification . A year prior to

952-593: The Treaty of Turin as compensation for its assistance. The Piedmontese, following their defeat by Austria in the First Italian War of Independence , recognized their need for allies. That led Prime Minister Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour to attempt to establish relations with other European powers, partially through Piedmont's participation in the Crimean War . In the peace conference at Paris after

1008-662: The Trebbia and Panaro rivers, an area roughly corresponding with the historic Emilia region. The command consisted of the 5th, 8th and 12th division of the Line. At the outbreak of the third Italian war of independence the command was renamed as III Army Corps and participated under command of Enrico Morozzo Della Rocca in the Italian Mincio campaign aimed at the Austrian Quadrilatero fortresses with

1064-633: The 4th Bersaglieri regiment as Corps reserve. All Italian attacks were repulsed by the Greeks until German forces invaded Greece through Bulgaria and cut the Greek Armies on the Albanian front off. Afterwards the III Army Corps advanced to Thebes where it remained on garrison duty until September 1943 when it surrendered to German forces after the Italian-Allied armistice . On 15 June 1945

1120-577: The 7th, 8th, 9th and 16th divisions of the line. On 24 June 1866 the corps was one of two engaged in the Battle of Custoza . In August 1867 the III Army Corps was disbanded. However, on 14 June 1869 the III Army Corps was raised again in Naples and given territorial duties. Until the outbreak of World War I the corps remained as a territorial command in Italy. After the Italian declaration of war against

1176-672: The Austrian troops in Lombardy , was very cautious and marched around the river Ticino in no specific direction until he crossed it to begin the offensive. Unfortunately for him, very heavy rains began to fall, which allowed the Piedmontese to flood the rice fields in front of his advance and slowed his army's march to a crawl. The Austrians, under Gyulai, captured Novara on 30 April and Vercelli on 2 May and advanced on Turin from 7 May onward. The Franco-Sardinian move to strengthen

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1232-482: The Crimean War, Cavour attempted to bring attention to efforts for Italian unification. He found Britain and France to be sympathetic but refusing to go against Austrian wishes, as any movement towards Italian independence would threaten Austria's territory of Lombardy–Venetia . Private talks between Napoleon III and Cavour after the conference identified Napoleon as the most likely candidate to aid Italy although he

1288-588: The II Corps, led by Patrice de MacMahon ; the III Corps, led by François Certain de Canrobert , the IV Corps; led by Adolphe Niel , and the V Corps, led by prince Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte . The Imperial Guard was commanded by Auguste Regnaud de Saint-Jean d'Angély . Napoleon III participated in the war and showed up on the battlefield in the belief that it would motivate the French people during

1344-996: The III Territorial Military Command was activated in Milan which at the time controlled only the Infantry Division Legnano in Bergamo . The Legnano was a unit of the Italian Co-Belligerent Army and had served on the Allied side during the Italian campaign . Following service with the American 5th Army , the Legnano served with the Polish II Corps on the extreme left of the British 8th Army . When

1400-507: The Sardinian Army. When it was not heeded, Austria started a war against Sardinia on 26 April. The first French troops entered Piedmont on 25 April, and France declared war on Austria on 3 May. The French Army for the Italian campaign had 170,000 soldiers, 2,000 horsemen and 312 guns, half of the whole French army. The army, under the command of Napoleon III, divided into five corps: the I Corps, led by Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers ;

1456-783: The Second Italo-Abyssinian War. In 1935, Bastico was the commander of the III Corps in Ethiopia and on 10 February 1936 he was promoted to lieutenant general (generale di corpo d'armata) . From 1936 to 1937, he was the commander of the II Corps . In 1937, during the later stages of the Spanish Civil War, Bastico replaced Mario Roatta as the commander-in-chief of the Italian volunteer corps in Spain,

1512-419: The United Provinces of Central Italy including the ( Duchy of Parma , Duchy of Modena , Grand Duchy of Tuscany , and part of the Papal States ) were annexed by the Kingdom of Sardinia, and France took its deferred rewards of Savoy and Nice . This latter move was vehemently opposed by Italian national hero Garibaldi, a native of Nice, and directly led to Garibaldi's expedition to Sicily , which would complete

1568-449: The armistice was signed on the following day - the Peace of Villafranca . Napoleon III signed the armistice with Austria at Villafranca for a combination of reasons. The Austrians had retreated to the Quadrilateral , which would be very costly to overrun. His absence in France had made the country vulnerable to attack. His actions in Italy were being criticised in France. He did not want Cavour and Piedmont to gain too much power, mostly at

1624-424: The basis for Prussia's rapid victories over Austria in 1866 and France in 1870-71 , which led to a united Germany under Prussian dominance. Ettore Bastico Ettore Bastico (9 April 1876 – 2 December 1972) was an Italian field marshal who served as the commander of Axis forces in North Africa from 1941 to 1943 during World War II . In addition to being a general of the Royal Italian Army , he served as

1680-462: The corps regained its historic name on 1 July 1957 it included besides the Legnano the Armoured Division Centauro in Novara , the Infantry Division Cremona and Alpine Brigade Taurinense both in Turin . In 1972 the Taurinense was transferred to the IV Alpine Army Corps . The corps - along with the 4th Alpine Army Corps and 5th Army Corps was part of NATOs Allied Land Forces Southern Europe Command (LANDSOUTH) in Verona . In 1975

1736-403: The corps was near the French-Italian border in Limone Piemonte . The Italian Army only performed limited patrols and remained in its positions until after France had asked for an armistice on 20 June 1940. The next day the Italian divisions crossed the border in force , but stiff French resistance stopped them along the entire front after a few kilometres. During the campaign the corps commanded

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1792-434: The drawdown of forces in the early 1920s the corps consisted of the 6th Infantry Division Legnano in Milan, the 7th Infantry Division Leonessa in Brescia and the 8th Infantry Division Po in Piacenza . In spring of 1936 the corps was sent to Eritrea to reinforce the Italian troops that faced stiffer than expected resistance during the Italian invasion of Abyssinia . The corps was led by Ettore Bastico and commanded

1848-468: The end of the war and the signing of the Armistice of Villafranca on 12 July. Austria ceded Lombardy to France, which, in turn, gave it to Sardinia. Exploiting the collapse of Austrian power in Italy, Sardinia annexed the United Provinces of Central Italy , consisting of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany , the Duchy of Parma , the Duchy of Modena and Reggio and the Papal Legations, on 22 March 1860. Two days later, Sardinia ceded Savoy and Nice to France at

1904-404: The expense of his men. He feared involvement of the German states. Most of Lombardy , with its capital, Milan , excluding only the Austrian fortresses of Mantua and Legnago and the surrounding territory, was transferred from Austria to France, which would immediately cede the territories to Sardinia. The rulers of Central Italy, who had been expelled by revolution shortly after the beginning of

1960-405: The general command of Stadion) and Forey 's division, part of the French I Corps under marshal d'Hilliers. The Austrians retreated after 9 hours of combat when the Sardinian Cavalry under De Sonnaz arrived, which made Gyulai even more cautious. Napoleon III crossed the Ticino river after the Battle of Turbigo and entered Lombardy. He advanced with part of his force and sent many other troops to

2016-462: The governor of the Italian held Aegean islands and of Libya . After his time in the army, he became a military historian and published several books. Bastico was born in Bologna , Italy . When he came of age, Bastico joined the Italian Army and fought in World War I . In 1928, Bastico was promoted to brigadier (generale di brigata) . At that time, the Kingdom of Italy was ruled by Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini . In this role, Bastico

2072-416: The initial advance had been brought to a halt by the Austro-Hungarian Army the corps dug in and, although fierce fighting continued - especially on the Adamello glaciers - the front in the corps' sector remained almost unchanged until the end of the war. The front became so static that the 35th Territorial Division was sent to participate in the Allied war effort in Macedonia . After the Italian defeat in

2128-407: The larger battle around Solferino, where, after a day-long battle, the French broke through. Ludwig von Benedek with the Austrian VIII Corps was separated from the main force and defended Pozzolengo against the Piedmontese part of the opposing army. It was successful, but the entire Austrian army retreated after the breakthrough at Solferino and withdrew back into the Quadrilateral. Meanwhile, in

2184-410: The north of Lombardy, the Italian volunteers of Giuseppe Garibaldi 's Hunters of the Alps defeated the Austrians at Varese and Como , and the Piedmontese-French Navy landed 3,000 soldiers and conquered the islands of Losinj (Lussino) and Cres (Cherso), in Dalmatia . After the Battle of Solferino, a cease fire was agreed on 8 July. The two emperors met on 11 July at Villafranca di Verona and

2240-491: The north to flank the Austrians. The Austrians planned a resistance before Milan, however they were defeated at the Battle of Magenta on 5 May, which caused Gyulai to retreat east of the river Mincio to the quadrilateral fortresses , where he was relieved of his post as commander by the Emperor Franz Josef , who assumed the command himself. The Piedmontese-French army took Milan and slowly marched further east to finish off Austria before Prussia could get involved. During

2296-405: The preliminary Unification of Italy . The annexation of Nice to France caused the Niçard exodus , or the emigration of a quarter of the Niçard Italians to Italy, and the Niçard Vespers . During the war, Prussia also mobilized 132,000 men, but never joined the fighting. The weaknesses laid bare during the mobilization caused the Prussian Army to initiate military reforms. These reforms were

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2352-456: The previous rulers, and France was unwilling to force them to do so. The Austrians were left to look on in frustration at the French failure to carry out the terms of the treaty. Austria had emerged triumphant after the suppression of liberal movements in 1849, but its status as a great power on the European scene was now seriously challenged and its influence in Italy severely weakened. As such, on 22 March 1860, with French and British approval,

2408-474: The retreat, the Austrians won one of their only victories of the war, when Karl von Urban defeated Giuseppe Garibaldi at the Battle of Treponti . The Austrians found out that the French had halted at Brescia and decided that they should counterattack along the river Chiese. The two armies met accidentally around Solferino , which precipitated a confused series of battles. A French corps held off three Austrian corps all day at Medole and kept them from joining

2464-508: The two cities. The corps consisted of the 5th and 6th Division of the Line (Infantry), the 35th Territorial Division, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment and the 5th Alpini Regiment . All soldiers of the 5th Alpini Regiment had been recruited in the aforementioned valleys and thus fought in a territory they knew perfectly well. However the 5th Alpini Regiment was never employed as a whole, but single companies or battalions were given specific mountain summits, ridges or passes to conquer and hold. After

2520-417: The wake of the Albanian Rebellion of 1997 . In 1997 the army undertook the next big reform process. The 3rd Army Corps saw its Cremona and Legnano brigades disbanded. It also had to cede the Centauro to the 5th Army Corps . On 1 October 1997 the 3rd Army Corps changed its name and became the Projection Forces Command ( Comando Forze di Proiezione or COMFOP) and gained the Parachute Brigade Folgore ,

2576-407: The war began on 26 April. Austria invaded Sardinia three days later, and France declared war on Austria on 3 May. The Austrian invasion was stopped by the arrival of French troops in Piedmont that had begun in late April. The Austrians were defeated at the Battle of Magenta on 4 June and pushed back to Lombardy , where the Franco-Sardinian victory at the Battle of Solferino on 24 June resulted in

2632-463: The war, in the Plombières Agreement , France agreed to support Sardinia's efforts to expel Austria from Italy in return for territorial compensation in the form of the Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice . The two states signed a military alliance in January 1859. Sardinia mobilised its army on 9 March 1859, and Austria mobilized on 9 April. On 23 April, Austria delivered an ultimatum to Sardinia demanding its demobilization. Upon Sardinia's refusal,

2688-426: The war, were to be restored. The agreement, made by Napoleon behind the backs of his Sardinian allies, led to great outrage in Piedmont-Sardinia, and Cavour resigned in protest. However, the Villafranca terms never took effect. Although they were reaffirmed by the final Treaty of Zürich in 11 November, the agreement had become a dead letter. The central Italian states were occupied by Piedmont, which would not restore

2744-543: The war. That would prove successful. The Sardinian Army had about 70,000 soldiers, 4,000 horsemen and 90 guns. It was divided into five divisions, led by Castelbrugo, Manfredo Fanti , Giovanni Durando , Enrico Cialdini and Domenico Cucchiari . Two volunteer formations, the Cacciatori delle Alpi and the Cacciatori degli Appennini , were also present. It was led by Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy , supported by Alfonso Ferrero la Marmora . The Austrian Army fielded more men with 220,000 soldiers, 824 guns and 22,000 horsemen. It

2800-408: Was a target of Giulio Douhet in Recapitulation (published with the work The Command of the Air ). Douhet devotes many pages to critically examining six "basic theories" put forth by Bastico and how they relate to the future of an Independent Air Force's role in future wars. Bastico was promoted to major general on 29 May 1932 and in 1935, he commanded the 1st CC.NN. Division "23 Marzo" during

2856-409: Was as follows: In 1986 the Italian Army abolished the divisional level and realigned its forces to counter a possible Warsaw Pact attack better. The 3rd Army Corps was to either act as last line of defence along the Adige and Po rivers or to counter-attack broken through enemy forces in the Venetian plains. The corps was augmented by two mechanized brigades and as the Centauro division carried

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2912-423: Was led by Field Marshal Ferenc Graf Gyulay . The newly-formed United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia also supported the Franco-Italian alliance. Their ruler, Alexandru Ioan Cuza , was given 10,000 rifles and ammunition by Napoleon III. Napoleon III, with his unwavering and very genuine sympathy, also sent a military mission to Bucharest . Encouraged, Cuza formed a new military camp at Ploiești . As

2968-446: Was not officially at war. In February 1939, the Italian volunteers left Spain. He was then assigned to the Second Army. Shortly after, Bastico was appointed commander of the new motorized Sixth Army, known at the " Army of the Po ," stationed in the Po Valley area. In 1939, Bastico was named senator of the Kingdom of Italy. When Italy entered World War II , Bastico was Governor of the Italian Aegean Islands ( Dodecanese ) and he

3024-428: Was promoted to Marshal of Italy ( Maresciallo d'Italia ) on 12 August 1942, largely to avoid him being junior in rank to Rommel, who was promoted to field marshal ( Generalfeldmarschall ) on 22 June. When Libya was lost to the British Eighth Army 's advance, since 2 February 1943 he was left without a command for the rest of the war. Bastico died in Rome at 96, after spending his last years studying history. At

3080-496: Was promoted to full general ( Generale d'Armata ) on 7 August 1940. On 19 July 1941, Bastico was named Governor-General of Italian Libya and commander-in-chief over all Axis forces in North Africa . Since Erwin Rommel was officially under Italian command in the North African campaign, Rommel's plans had to be first approved by Bastico. Bastico was made the commandant of the Giado concentration camp , established in February 1942 to intern Libyan and Italian Jews. Bastico

3136-405: Was still uncommitted. On 14 January 1858, Felice Orsini , an Italian, led an attempt on Napoleon III's life. The assassination attempt brought widespread sympathy for the Italian unity and had a profound effect on Napoleon III himself, who now was determined to help Piedmont against Austria to defuse the wider revolutionary activities, which governments in Italy might later allow to happen. After

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