The Logistic Battalion "Mantova" (Italian: Battaglione Logistico "Mantova") is an inactive logistics unit of the Italian Army, which was assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Mantova".[2] 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.[3]
| Logistic Battalion "Mantova" | |
|---|---|
| Battaglione Logistico "Mantova" | |
 Battalion coat of arms | |
| Active | 1 Nov. 1975 - 30 June 1996 |
| Country |  Italy |
| Branch | Italian Army |
| Type | Military logistics |
| Part of | Mechanized Brigade "Isonzo" Mechanized Brigade "Mantova" |
| Garrison/HQ | Tricesimo |
| Motto(s) | "Operosamente vivere" |
| Anniversaries | 22 May 1916 - Battle of Asiago |
| Decorations |  1x Bronze Medal of Army Valor[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Unit gorget patches |  |
History edit
The battalion is the spiritual successor of the logistic units of the Royal Italian Army's 14th Infantry Division "Isonzo", which was active during World War II.[2]
As part of the 1975 army reform the units of the Infantry Division "Mantova" were reorganized and on 21 October 1975 the Mechanized Brigade "Isonzo" was formed in the city of Cividale del Friuli and assigned to the Mechanized Division "Mantova". On 1 November of the same year the Logistic Battalion "Isonzo" was formed in Tricesimo and assigned to the brigade. Initially the battalion consisted of a command, a command platoon, a supply and transport company, a medium workshop, and a vehicle park.[2] At the time the battalion fielded 692 men (38 officers, 85 non-commissioned officers, and 569 soldiers).[4]
On 12 November 1976 the battalion was granted a flag by decree 846 of the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone.[2][5]
For its conduct and work after the 1976 Friuli earthquake the battalion was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the battalion's flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms.[2][1]
On 1 December 1981 the battalion was reorganized and consisted then of the following units:[2]
In 1986 the Italian Army abolished the divisional level and brigades, which until then had been under one of the Army's four divisions, came under direct command of the Army's 3rd Army Corps or 5th Army Corps. As the Mechanized Division "Mantova" carried the traditions of the 104th Infantry Division "Mantova" and Combat Group "Mantova", which had both fought against the Germans during the Italian campaign of World War II the army decided to retain the name of the division. On 30 September 1986 the Mantova's division command in Udine was disbanded and the next day the command of the Mechanized Brigade "Isonzo" moved from Cividale del Friuli to Udine, where the command was renamed Mechanized Brigade "Mantova". The brigade retained the Isonzo's support units, which changed their names from Isonzo to Mantova on the same date.[2][6][7]
On 1 April 1996 Logistic Battalion "Gorizia" joined the Mechanized Brigade "Mantova" and subsequently the Logistic Battalion "Mantova" was disbanded on 30 June 1996. On 3 July of the same year the battalion's flag was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome.[2]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Bandiera del Battaglione Logistico "Isonzo"". President of Italy. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i F. dell'Uomo, R. Puletti (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo II. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 391.
- ^ "Arma dei Trasporti e Materiali - La Storia". Italian Army. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ Stefani, Filippo (1989). La storia della dottrina e degli ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano - Vol. III - Tomo 2°. Rome: Ufficio Storico - Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito. p. 1190.
- ^ "Decreto del Presidente della Repubblica 12 novembre 1976, n. 846". Quirinale - Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ F. dell'Uomo, R. di Rosa (2001). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Secondo - Tomo I. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 37.
- ^ F. dell'Uomo, R. Puletti (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo I. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 77.