The 3rd Army Corps Auto Group "Fulvia" (Italian: 3° Autogruppo di Corpo d'Armata "Fulvia") is an inactive military logistics battalion of the Italian Army, which was based in Milan in Lombardy. Originally a transport regiment of the Royal Italian Army, the unit was last active from 1976 to 1982.[1] The regimental anniversary falls, as for all units of the Transport and Materiel Corps, on 22 May, the anniversary of the Italian Army's first major automobile use to transport reinforcements to counter the Austro-Hungarian Offensive at Asiago in 1916.[2]
| 3rd Army Corps Auto Group "Fulvia" | |
|---|---|
| 3° Autogruppo di Corpo d'Armata "Fulvia" | |
 Group coat of arms | |
| Active | 1 Oct. 1976 — 30 June 1982 |
| Country |  Italy |
| Branch | Italian Army |
| Role | Military logistics |
| Part of | 3rd Army Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | Milan |
| Motto(s) | "Silenter er ubicumque" |
| Anniversaries | 22 May 1916 - Battle of Asiago |
| Insignia | |
| Unit gorget patches |  |
History edit
In August 1920 the II Automobilistic Center was formed in Milan and assigned to the II Army Corps. In 1923 the center was disbanded and its personnel and materiel used to form the II Auto Grouping, which consisted of a command, an auto group, a railway group, and a depot. On 1 November 1926 the grouping was disbanded and the next day its personnel and vehicles were used to from the 3rd Automobilistic Center. The center consisted of a command, the III Automobilistic Group, and a depot. The three companies of the disbanded railway group were assigned to the 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 30th Field Artillery Regiment.[1]
In 1935-36 the center mobilized for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War for service in Eritrea the 300th Light Auto Unit, the 306th Special Auto Unit for the 27th Infantry Division "Sila", the 314th Auto Unit with Lancia R.O. trucks, the 315th Trucks Auto Unit, and the 320th Ambulances Auto Unit. For service in Somalia the center mobilized the 302nd Mixed Auto Unit, the 303rd Mixed Auto Unit, the 309th Ambulances Auto Unit, and the 327th Heavy Auto Unit.[1] On 16 January 1936 the center formed the XXIII Auto Group for the 8th Infantry Division "Po".[1]
On 1 July 1942 the unit was renamed 3rd Drivers Regiment. The regiment was disbanded by invading German forces after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943.[1]
During World War II the center mobilized in its depot in Milan among others the following units:[1]
- 3rd Auto Grouping
- 9th Auto Grouping
- 14th Auto Grouping
- 1st Heavy Auto Group
- 20th Heavy Auto Group
- 29th Heavy Auto Group
- 30th Heavy Auto Group
- 52nd Heavy Auto Group
- 52nd Autobus Auto Group
- 57th Heavy Auto Group
- 60th Heavy Auto Group
- 124th Heavy Auto Group
- 2nd Reserve Auto Group
- 8th Reserve Auto Group
- 9th Reserve Auto Group
- 10th Reserve Auto Group
- 11th Reserve Auto Group
- 48× auto units, including:[1]
- 122nd Light Auto Unit for the 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta"
On 26 February 1947 the 3rd Drivers Center was formed in Milan, which consisted of a command, the 3rd Auto Unit, the 3rd Vehicles Park, a fuel depot, and a depot. The center supported the III Territorial Military Command of the Northwestern Military Region. The unit was tasked with the transport of fuel, ammunition, and materiel between the military region's depots and the logistic supply points of the army's divisions and brigades. On 1 March 1949 the 3rd Vehicles Park was transferred to the 3rd Automotive Repair Shop. On 1 June 1953 the center added the newly formed III Auto Group, which incorporated the center's 3rd Auto Unit. The group consisted of a command, the 1st Auto Unit, the 2nd Auto Unit (the former 3rd Auto Unit), and two light workshops.[1]
On 30 June 1957 the 3rd Drivers Center was disbanded. The next day the III Territorial Military Command was reorganized as III Army Corps and the III Auto Group, now designated III Army Corps Auto Group, was assigned to the corps. The group now consisted of a command, the 1st Mixed Auto Unit, the 2nd Mixed Auto Unit, and a light workshop.[1]
3rd Army Corps Auto Group "Fulvia" edit
As part of the 1975 army reform the 3rd Army Corps Auto Group was renamed 3rd Army Corps Auto Group "Fulvia" on 1 October 1976. The group consisted of a command, a command unit, and two mixed auto units. Like all Italian Army transport units the group was named for a historic road near its base, in case of the 3rd Army Corps Auto Group for the Roman road Via Fulvia.[1]
On 12 November 1976 the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone issued decree 846, which granted the group a new flag and assigned the traditions of the 3rd Drivers Regiment to the group.[3]
On 30 June 1982 the 3rd Army Corps Auto Group "Fulvia" was disbanded and its 1st Mixed Auto Unit and 2nd Mixed Auto Unit were transferred to the 3rd Maneuver Logistic Battalion in Milan. The two units were reorganized into a medium transport company and a mixed transport company. On 15 December 1982 the flag of the 3rd Drivers Regiment was returned to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome.[1]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k F. dell'Uomo, R. di Rosa (2001). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Secondo - Tomo II. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 453.
- ^ "Arma dei Trasporti e Materiali - La Storia". Italian Army. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ "Decreto del Presidente della Repubblica 12 novembre 1976, n. 846". Quirinale - Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 20 January 2024.