17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca"

17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca"
17° Reggimento Artiglieria Controaerei "Sforzesca"
Regimental coat of arms
Active	1 Nov. 1888 - 8 Sept. 1943 1 Jan. 1947 — 31 Jan. 1964 1 April 1964 — today[1]
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Part of	Anti-aircraft Artillery Command
Garrison/HQ	Sabaudia
Motto(s)	"Con forza ed ardimento"
Anniversaries	15 June 1918 - Second Battle of the Piave River
Decorations	3x Silver Medals of Military Valor[2]
Insignia
Regimental gorget patches

The 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" (Italian: 17° Reggimento Artiglieria Controaerei "Sforzesca") is an anti-aircraft artillery regiment of the Italian Army. Originally an artillery regiment of the Royal Italian Army, the regiment fought on the Italian front in World War I, and was assigned in World War II to the 2nd Infantry Division "Sforzesca", with which the regiment was deployed to the Eastern Front, where division and regiment were destroyed during Operation Little Saturn. Reformed in 1947 the regiment transferred from the field artillery to the anti-aircraft specialty on 1 July 1953. Today the regiment is based in Sabaudia in Lazio and assigned to the Anti-aircraft Artillery Command.^[3][4] The regimental anniversary falls, as for all Italian Army artillery regiments, on June 15, the beginning of the Second Battle of the Piave River in 1918.^[4]

On 1 November 1888 the 17th Field Artillery Regiment was formed in Novara. The new regiment consisted of eight batteries and one train company ceded by the 5th Field Artillery Regiment. The ceded batteries had participated in the First, Second, and Third Italian War of Independence, as well as the Piedmontese invasion of Central and Southern Italy in 1860–61.^[4][1][5]

In 1895-96 the regiment formed for the First Italo-Ethiopian War the 1st Mountain Artillery battery, which fought in the Battle of Adwa. The regiment also provided 139 troops for units deployed to Eritrea for the war. In 1911-12 the regiment provided for the Italo-Turkish War one group command and two batteries, as well as 235 troops for other units.^[4]

On 29 February 1912 the regiment ceded its III Group to help form the 25th Field Artillery Regiment, and in April of the same year the regiment provided personnel to help form the 1st Heavy Field Artillery Regiment.^[4]

At the outbreak of World War I the regiment was assigned, together with the Brigade "Como" and Brigade "Umbria", to the 2nd Division. At the time the regiment consisted of a command, three groups, and a depot. During the war the regiment's depot formed the command of the 4th Heavy Field Artillery Grouping, and the X, XIII, XVII, XXXVIII, and CII heavy field howitzer groups. The regiment's depot also formed 17 heavy field howitzer batteries and two siege batteries. During the war the regiment fought on the Sass de Stria, Col di Lana, and Monte Piana in 1915, on the Forcella Travenanzes in 1916, and on Monte Santo and on Škabrijel during the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo in 1917. During the retreat to the Piave river after the Battle of Caporetto the regiment defended the bridge over the Piave at Vidor. In 1918 the regiment fought at Monastier and Fossalta during the Second Battle of the Piave River, and again at Monastier during the Battle of Vittorio Veneto.^[4]

After the war the regiment moved in 1920 from Novara to the newly annexed Monfalcone, where it remained only for one year before returning in 1921 to Novara. In 1926 the regiment was assigned to the 2nd Territorial Division of Novara and consisted of a command, one group with 100/17 mod. 14 howitzers, two groups with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns, one group with mule-carried 75/13 mod. 15 mountain guns, and a depot. In 1934 the regiment was renamed 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca". In 1935-36 the regiment provided 8 officers and 150 enlisted to augment units deployed for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.^[4]

On 1 September 1939 the regiment's depot in Novara reformed the 59th Artillery Regiment "Cagliari" for the 59th Infantry Division "Cagliari". Two days later, on 3 September, the regiment ceded one of its 75/27 mod. 11 groups to help reform the 36th Artillery Regiment "Forlì" for the 36th Infantry Division "Forlì".^[4][1]

On 10 June 1940, the day Italy entered World War II, the regiment consisted of a command, command unit, a group with horse-drawn 100/17 mod. 14 howitzers, two groups with mule-carried 75/13 mod. 15 mountain guns, and an anti-aircraft battery with 20/65 mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns.^[4]

The June 1940 the 2nd Infantry Division "Sforzesca", which also included the 53rd Infantry Regiment "Sforzesca" and 54th Infantry Regiment "Sforzesca", participated in the invasion of France and in January 1941 the division was sent to Albania to reinforce the crumbling Italian front in the Greco-Italian War. The entered the front on 28 January and remained in heavy defensive fighting until 28 February. During the Italian offensive on 1 March 1941, the Sforzesca captured Chiaf and by 4 March had moved to Bregu i Buzit. For its conduct in Albania the regiment was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and is depicted on the regiment's coat of arms.^[4][1]

In April 1942 the regiment was reorganized in preparation for the division's deployment to the Eastern Front: on 10 April the Sforzesca's depot in Novara formed the command and command unit of the 117th Artillery Regiment "Rovigo" for the 105th Infantry Division "Rovigo" and on 15 April the 159th Artillery Regiment "Veneto" for the 159th Infantry Division "Veneto". The Sforzesca's two groups with 75/13 mod. 15 mountain guns were initially assigned to the 159th Artillery Regiment "Veneto", before being transferred on 7 May 1942 to the 117th Artillery Regiment "Rovigo". As replacement the Sforzesca received two groups with 75/18 mod. 35 howitzers, one of which arrived from the 108th Artillery Regiment "Cosseria", and one group with 105/28 cannons, which was transferred from the 1st Army Corps Artillery Regiment. The Sforzesca also formed a new anti-aircraft battery with 20/65 mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns.^[4][1]

The 2nd Infantry Division "Sforzesca" was assigned to the Italian 8th Army, which was sent to the Eastern Front. After the arriving in the Soviet Union the regiment also received the 70th Anti-tank Battery with 75/39 anti-tank guns. On 16 December 1942 the Red Army commenced Operation Little Saturn, which destroyed most of the Italian 8th Army. The remnants of the Sforzesca division were repatriated in April 1943.^[4]

For its conduct in Ukraine and Russia the regiment was awarded two Silver Medals of Military Valor, which were affixed to the regiment's flag and are depicted on the regiment's coat of arms.^[4][1]

In April 1943 the survivors of the division were repatriated and the few remaining troops of the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" were assigned to the 157th Artillery Regiment "Novara" of the 157th Infantry Division "Novara". On 1 June 1943 the Novara division and its units were renamed Sforzesca. On 9 July 1943 the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" was in Divača, where it received its old flag. The regiment was disbanded near Florence by invading German forces after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943.^[4][1]

On 1 January 1947 the regiment was reformed in Novara as 17th Field Artillery Regiment, with personnel and materiel of III and IV groups of the 7th Field Artillery Regiment. The regiment was assigned to the Infantry Division "Cremona" and consisted of a command, a command unit, and two groups with QF 25-pounder field guns. In August of the same year the regiment formed a III Group with QF 25-pounder field guns.^[4][1][6]

On 1 January 1951 the Infantry Division "Cremona" included the following artillery regiments:^[4][6]

On 1 July 1951 the 1st Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment was reorganized as 1st Heavy Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment and transferred its II Light Anti-aircraft Group with 40/56 autocannons to the 17th Field Artillery Regiment, which renumbered the new group as IV Group. On 1 September the III Group with QF 25-pounder field guns was disbanded.^[4][1][6]

On 30 June 1953 the regiment moved from Novara to Lodi, where the next it was reformed as 17th D.A.T. Anti-aircraft Artillery Grouping. The D.A.T. (Italian: Difesa Area Territoriale or Territorial Area Defence) units were tasked with the air defence of cities. The grouping consisted initially of a command, a command unit, and the II Group with 90/53 anti-aircraft guns in Anzio, which moved on 27 September 1953 from Anzio to Lodi. In 1954 the grouping formed the III Group with 90/53 anti-aircraft guns in Lodi and the I Group with 90/50 M1 anti-aircraft guns in Milan. On 31 December 1955 the organization of the grouping was changed: its three groups were renumbered XI, XII, and XII, the XI (former I Group) exchanged its 90/50 M1 anti-aircraft guns for 90/53 anti-aircraft guns, and CCIV and CCVII light anti-aircraft with 40/56 autocannons were formed. However for the CCIV Light Anti-aircraft Group existed only on paper as only the 813th Battery had been formed and neither a group command or the other batteries of the group.^[4][6]

On 10 December 1957 the CCVII Group was moved to Ghedi Air Base. On 22 December 1958 the command of the CCIV Group was formed, which took command of the 813th Battery. On 8 April 1961 the group received the 805th Battery from the 2nd D.A.T. Anti-aircraft Artillery Grouping. On 30 April of the same year 2nd D.A.T. Anti-aircraft Artillery Grouping in Savona incorporated three of the groups of the 17th D.A.T. Anti-aircraft Artillery Grouping and the next day the 2nd Grouping was disbanded, while the 17th Grouping transferred its name and flag from Lodi to Savona. Afterwards the grouping consisted of a command, a command unit, the IV, V, and X groups with 90/53 anti-aircraft guns, and the CCIV and CCVII groups with 40mm L/70 autocannons.^[4][6]

On 1 October 1962 the grouping was renamed 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Grouping and assigned to the Anti-aircraft Artillery Command. On 31 January 1964 the 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Grouping and its three heavy groups were disbanded. The next day the CCIV and CCVII light groups were assigned to the 3rd Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment in Bologna, which now consisted of four heavy groups and four light groups. On 31st March of the same year the 3rd Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment and its VIII Group with 90/50 M1 anti-aircraft guns were disbanded. The next day the unit assumed the name 17th Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment. The regiment consisted of the following units:^[4][1][6]

The VI and VII groups were disbanded 31 August 1964 and the next day the IX Group was transferred to the 121st Heavy Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment.^[4][6]

In 1972 the regiment moved from Bologna to Brescia. On 1 February 1973 the III Group in Lodi was disbanded. As part of the 1975 army reform the 17th Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment was disbanded on 31 October 1975 and the next day the regiment's group in Villafranca was reorganized and renamed 17th Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Group "Sforzesca" and received the flag of the 17th Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment. Subsequently all the groups were reduced to batteries.:^[4][1] After the reform the group fielded 471 men (24 officers, 89 non-commissioned officers, and 358 soldiers)^[7] and with decree 846, issued by the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone on 12 November 1976, the group was officially assigned the traditions of the 17th Artillery Regiment.^[4][8] The group consisted now of the following units:^[4][1][6]

In 1993 the batteries were disbanded (2nd on 15 September, 3rd on 15 November, 1st on 15 December). On 14 December of the same year the 2nd Light Anti-aircraft Group in Mestre left the 121st Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment and the next day the group was renamed 17th Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Group "Sforzesca". On 17 September 1995 the 17th Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Group "Sforzesca" lost its autonomy and the next day the group entered the 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment. The regiment's 1st Anti-aircraft Group consisted of three batteries and was equipped with Stinger man-portable air-defence systems and Skyguard Aspide air defence systems.^[4][6]

On 30 June 1997 the flag of the 18th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment left its base in Rimini and was transferred the next day to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome. On the same day, 1 July 1997, the flag of the 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment was transferred from Villafranca to Rimini, where the 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" was formed with the units of the disbanded 18th Regiment^[4][1][6]

On 1 January 2002 the regiment was assigned to the Anti-aircraft Artillery Brigade. In October 2002 the command of the 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" in Rimini moved to Sabaudia and the regiment's group was assigned to the 121st Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Ravenna" as 2nd Anti-aircraft Group. On 11 September 2009 the Anti-aircraft Artillery Brigade was merged with the Anti-aircraft Artillery School to form the Anti-aircraft Artillery Command.^[1][6]

As of 2023 the 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" is organized as follows:^[9][10]

The regiment's Skyguard surface-to-air missile systems are in the process of being replaced by Grifo systems, which use CAMM-ER missiles.^[11] The 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" contributes two Stinger batteries to the Italian military's National Sea Projection Capability (Forza di proiezione dal mare), which consists of the Italian Army's Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli" and the Italian Navy's 3rd Naval Division and San Marco Marine Brigade.^[12]

• Italian Army Website: 17° Reggimento Artiglieria Controaerei "Sforzesca"