5th Bersaglieri Brigade "Italia" (Kingdom of Italy)

5th G.N.R. Bersaglieri Brigade "Italia"
5ª Brigata Bersaglieri G.N.R. "Italia"
Brigade coat of arms
Active	1961-1973 2004-present
Country	Kingdom of Italy
Branch	Italian National Royal Guard
Type	Mechanised Infantry
Role	Expeditionary
Size	7,000
Part of	Legionary Corps
Garrison/HQ	Ancona
Colours	Black and Red
March	Giovinezza
Anniversaries	18 June
Commanders
Current commander	Brigadier General Valerio Montarini
Chief of Staff	Colonel Ermanno Ridigi
Insignia
Divisional coat of arms (1961-1973)

The 5th Bersaglieri Brigade "Italia" of the Italian National Royal Guard is a combat formation of the Legionary Corps. The Brigade is at the same time the oldest and the newest G.N.R. major formation: it was originally formed as the Infantry counterpart for the "Mussolini" Division.

History

The "Italia" Brigade was established as the 5th Bersaglieri Division "Italia" in 1961, as an Infantry counterpart for the "Mussolini" Division. Although the Brigade was established in 1961, it was subsequently disestablished in 1973, due to poor morale and political reliability of its officers.

Talks for the re-establishment of the "Italia" Brigade had been held since 1996, but the formation was re-established as a mechanised infantry Brigade only in 2004, in the wake of geopolitical instability, in order to provide additional overseas power projection capability. The Brigade had been under construction until 2015 and on 3 January 2016 it was granted the full operational capability. In August 2018 the Brigade was selected to be part of the reinforcement corps to be deployed immediately following the 6th Quick Action Corps of the Italian National Royal Army.

Operations

From 17 November 2016 to 17 May 2017, the Brigade was deployed in Fezzan, to assist Lybian National Royal Guard in border control and counter-insurgency operations. In such capacity, it participated to the 2017 border clashes at the Lybia-Chad border.

In late 2017, the 5th G.N.R. Bersaglieri Battalion "Gorizia" was deployed in Eritrea to reinforce the security apparatus against Eritrean-South Sudanese border, following some overrunings of the Eritrean national border. Since mid-2018, a task force of the 5th Brigade has been deployed in Ethiopia; as of mid-2019, deployed units include a Squadron of the 8th Tank Squadron Group (on rotation), a Company of the 7th Reconnaissance Battalion (on rotation), a Battery of the 13th Self-propelled Heavy Artillery Group (on rotation) and two Bersaglieri Companies (on rotation).

Traditions

The Bersaglieri are an elite Infantry Specialty of the Italian military, originally created to serve as high-mobility light infantry troops. They can still be recognized by the distinctive wide brimmed hat that they wear (only in dress uniform in modern times), decorated with black capercaillie feathers. The feathers are usually applied to their combat helmets. Another distinctive trait of the Bersaglieri is the fast jog pace they keep on parades, instead of marching.

While in the past the mobility of the Bersaglieri was helped by their training in running and by the aid of bicycles, regiments currently in service are all mechanised. The modern Bersaglieri have served as peacekeepers in Lebanese and Yugoslav Civil War. Bersaglieri traditions are still stressed. The Bersaglieri collar patches are purple-red "flames". Enlisted troops still wear the red fez. Officers wear black berets with their ordinary uniforms, but the feathered "vaira" in ceremonial uniform. They also wear black gloves, while other Army corps wear white ones. Each Bersaglieri unit had a band called a "fanfara", who plays their instruments at the run while on parade. The "fanfara" does not contain percussion instruments.

Organization

Collar flashes for G.N.R. Bersaglieri units after 2004.

The Brigade is head-quartered in Ancona, but it serves as an expeditionary formation. The Brigade is significantly larger than Army mechanized infantry formations of the same level, but it is considerably smaller than ordinary mechanized divisions, although its personnel is more carefully selected and more attentively trained. The current commander is Brigadier General Valerio Montarini.

• Command and Tactical Support Battalion "Italia"
  • 5th Anti-tank Brigade Company;
  • 5th Engineer Company;
  • 5th Signal Company;
  • 5th Transport Company;
  • 5th Replacement Company;
  • 5th MP Company
• 7th Reconnaissance Squadrons Group "Dux" (4 Squadrons);
• 8th Tank Squadron Group (4 Squadrons);
• 1st G.N.R. Bersaglieri Battalion "Aldo Resega" (5 Companies: 1 Anti-tank Company; 4 Bersaglieri Companies)
• 2nd G.N.R. Bersaglieri Battalion "Igino Ghisellini" (5 Companies: 1 Anti-tank Company; 4 Bersaglieri Companies)
• 3rd G.N.R. Bersaglieri Battalion “Goffredo Mameli” (5 Companies: 1 Anti-tank Company; 4 Bersaglieri Companies)
• 4th G.N.R. Bersaglieri Battalion "Enrico Toti" (5 Companies: 1 Anti-tank Company; 4 Bersaglieri Companies)
• 5th G.N.R. Bersaglieri Battalion "Gorizia"
• 13th Self-propelled Heavy Artillery Group "Enzo Savorgnan di Brazzà" (4 Batteries)

5th Bersaglieri Battalion "Gorizia"

5th Bersaglieri Battalion "Gorizia" coat of arms.

The 5th Bersaglieri Battalion "Gorizia" is an elite Bersaglieri unit, tasked with missions abroad. The Battalion participates to sensitive missions abroad and often supports G.N.R. (or less often R.E.N.I.) special forces. The "Gorizia" consists of 3 operational Companies and a Command and Services Company; personnel is carefully chosen after an hard selection. The Bersaglieri operational Companies are the 501st Bersaglieri Company "Basilischi", 502nd Bersaglieri Company "Viverne" and the 503rd Bersaglieri Company "Manticore", while the Command and Services Company is the 5th Bersaglieri Command and Services Company "Gorizia". The battalion was established in 2006, and reached the full capability in 2010. Since then, the Battalion has been a renowed and famed unit.

Candidates attend a 14-weeks long course, consisting of three phases (5+7+2). Each phase implements theoretical and practical study of several subjects and matters, including advanced shooting (both vehicles and individual weapons), NBCR, CQB, FIBUA, BRICK and RAI training, urban combat, Counter-IED, topography, orienteering, medical rescue, VIP escort and protection, military escorts, LCB, interdiction and counter-interdiction, guerilla and counter-guerilla warfare, hand-to-hand combat and individual combat training, public order services, breaking-in, and car off-road driving. Once they are admitted, G.N.R. Legionnaires of this unit undergo further training phases and courses in order to enable them to reach high combat capability and readiness levels.

Allegations of praetorianism

The 5th Brigade has been frequently criticised for its apparent extreme political nature. Some foreign analysts claim the 5th Brigade is "marked by its fanatical ideological loyalty to Italo Debalti...[it] is run from the Duce's office and is answerable only to Debalti". A noted sociologist, Donald Pretzel, found that the 5th Brigade is perceived as being "highly politicised and loyal to the government, poorly led, and palpably anti-Di Domenici" (the current Commandant-General of the M.V.S.N.).

See also

• Italian National Royal Guard (Kingdom of Italy)