32nd Tank Regiment (Italy)

32nd Tank Regiment
32° Reggimento Carri
Regimental coat of arms
Active	15 Sept. 1936 — 8 Jan. 1942 20 Sept. 1942 — 31 Aug. 1944 1 March 1964 — today
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Part of	132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete"
Garrison/HQ	Tauriano
Motto(s)	"Ferrea mole ferreo cuore"
Anniversaries	8 February 1941 - Battle of Beda Fomm
Decorations	1x Gold Medal of Military Valor[1] 1x Silver Medal of Army Valor[2] 1x Bronze Medal of Army Valor[3] 1x Bronze Medal of Red Cross Merit [4]
Insignia
Tank units gorget patches

The 32nd Tank Regiment (Italian: 32° Reggimento Carri) is a tank regiment of the Italian Army based in Tauriano in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The regiment is equipped with Ariete main battle tanks and assigned to the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete".^[5] On 15 September 1936 the regiment was formed by the Royal Italian Army as 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment. On 1 December 1938, the regiment was reorganized and reformed as 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment and assigned to the II Armored Brigade. In January 1941, the regiment deployed to North Africa, where it fought in the Western Desert campaign in Libya and Egypt. In December 1941, the regiment was disbanded and its role taken over by the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment.^[6][7]

In September 1942, the regiment was reformed on the island of Sardinia. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943, the regiment joined the Italian Co-belligerent Army. In March 1944, the regiment was split and helped reform the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment. Both regiments were disbanded at the end of August 1944. The regiment was reformed in 1964 and assigned to the Armored Division "Ariete". In 1976 the regiment's flag and traditions were assigned to the 3rd Tank Battalion "M.O. Galas", which had become an autonomous unit on 1 October 1975. In 1992 the battalion lost its autonomy and entered the reformed 32nd Tank Regiment.^[6][7]

Originally the unit, like all Italian tank units, was part of the army's infantry arm, but on 1 June 1999 the tankers specialty was transferred from the infantry arm to the cavalry arm. The battalion's anniversary falls on 8 February, the last day of the Battle of Beda Fomm, during which the remnants of the III Tank Battalion M13/40 continued to fight until the total annihilation of the battalion.^[6][7]

On 1 October 1927, the Royal Italian Army reorganized its Armed Tanks Formation Center in Rome and formed the Armed Tanks Regiment (Italian: Reggimento carri armati) as central training unit for the army's tank battalions. On 15 September 1936, the Armed Tanks Regiment was split into four tank infantry regiments, which had training and administrative functions only:^[6][7]

• 1st Tank Infantry Regiment, in Vercelli
• 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment, in Verona
• 3rd Tank Infantry Regiment, in Bologna
• 4th Tank Infantry Regiment, in Rome

The 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment received four battalions from the disbanded regiment and formed a depot, which included training and maintenance units. The four battalions, like all tank battalions at the time, were named for infantry officers, who had served in World War I and been awarded posthumously Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor. The regiment consisted of the following units after its founding:^[6][7]

The assault tanks battalions fielded initially L3/33 tankettes, which were then replaced by slightly improved L3/35, while the breach tanks battalion fielded Fiat 3000 light tanks. In 1938 the regiment received the XXII Assault Tanks Battalion "Coralli", in Trento. The same year the all Assault Tank Battalions were renamed Tank Battalion L (with L standing for Italian: "Leggero" or Light), while Breach Tanks Battalions were renamed Tank Battalion M (with M standing for Italian: "Medio" or Medium).^[7]

On 30 November 1938, the 1st Tank Infantry Regiment transferred its IV Tank Battalion M to the 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment, the 3rd Tank Infantry Regiment transferred its XXI Tank Battalion L to the 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment, and the 4th Tank Infantry Regiment transferred its V Tank Battalion M to the 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment. On 1 December 1938, the 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment was disbanded and the regiment's command and depot formed the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment as an operational unit for the II Armored Brigade. The same day the new regiment transferred its IV Tank Battalion L and XXII Tank Battalion L to the 1st Tank Infantry Regiment, and its V Tank Battalion L and XI Tank Battalion L to the 3rd Tank Infantry Regiment. Upon entering the new regiment the tank battalion M were renumbered and moved to the regiment's expanded base in the Montorio Veronese quarter of Verona. Afterwards the regiment consisted of the following units:^[7]

On 1 February 1939, the II Armored Brigade was dissolved and the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment, 8th Bersaglieri Regiment and newly formed 132nd Armored Artillery Regiment were assigned to the newly formed 132nd Armored Division "Ariete".^[8] On 23 September 1939, the regiment received the III Tank Battalion L from the 1st Tank Infantry Regiment and in turn transferred on 1 November 1939 its CCCXXIII Tank Battalion M to the 1st Tank Infantry Regiment. At the same time the two remaining tank battalions M replaced their Fiat 3000 light tanks with M11/39 tanks. In April 1940 the CCCXXI and CCCXXII tank battalions were renumbered as I and II tank battalions M11/39, while the XXI Tank Battalion L was renumbered IV Tank Battalion L.^[7]

On 10 June 1940, the day Italy entered World War II the regiment consisted of the following operational battalions.^[7]

On 1 August 1940, the regiment received the I and II tank battalions L from the 1st Tank Infantry Regiment, while transferring its I and II tank battalion M11/39 to the 4th Tank Infantry Regiment, with which the two battalions deployed to Libya for the Italian invasion of Egypt. As replacement the depot of the regiment in Verona formed the III Tank Battalion M13/40, followed on 8 October 1940 by the IV Tank Battalion M13/40, and on 11 November 1940 the V Tank Battalion M13/40. Each of the three battalions fielded 37 M13/40 tanks. At the same time the III and IV tank battalions L were disbanded. In fall 1940, the III Tank Battalion M13/40 was sent to Libya to bolster Italian forces in Egypt.^[7]

On 9 December 1940, the British Western Desert Force commenced Operation Compass and the II Tank Battalion M11/39 was destroyed on the same day during the British Attack on Nibeiwa. On 13 December 1940, the V Tank Battalion M13/40 embarked in Naples and sailed for Libya. The battalion was assigned on 10 January 1941 to the Special Armored Brigade and arrived on the front on 15 January. On 21-22 January 1941, the I Tank Battalion M11/39 was destroyed during the British capture of Tobruk. On 24 January 1941, the III, V, VI, and XXI tank battalions M13/40 clashed with the British 7th Armoured Division in the action at Mechili. The end for the remnants of the Italian 10th Army came on 6–7 February 1941, when their retreat was blocked by the 7th Armoured Division at Beda Fomm and the furious and futile attempts of the tank battalions to open a breach in the British line during the Battle of Beda Fomm came to naught. With 7 February 1941 the 10th Army with all its units and all the reinforcements sent to it had been destroyed or captured by the British XIII Corps. On 8 February 1941, the III and V tank battalions M13/40 were declared lost due to wartime events.^[7]

For their valor and sacrifice during Operation Compass the III Tank Battalion M13/40 was awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valor, while the V Tank Battalion M13/40 was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor. Until 1975 both medals were affixed to the 32nd Tank Regiment's flag and displayed on the regiment's coat of arms. When the V Tank Battalion became an autonomous unit in 1975 the Silver Medal of Valor was transferred to the battalion's flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms.^[1][4][7]

Due to the deteriorating situation at the Greco-Italian front the IV Tank Battalion M13/40 was sent in January 1942 to Albania, where the battalion was attached to the 31st Tank Infantry Regiment of the 131st Armored Division "Centauro".^[7]

On 22 January, the day Tobruk fell, the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment, together with the entire 132nd Armored Division "Ariete", embarked in Naples and sailed for Tripoli in Libya where the division arrived on 24 January, the day British spearheads engaged the last Italian units in Cyrenaica. After arriving in Libya the regiment was in no shape to contrast the British advance as it consisted of the I, II, and III tank battalions "L" with useless L3 tankettes.

The first useful M13/40 tanks arrived on 11 March with the VII Tank Battalion "M" with, which the 32nd regiment's depot in Verona had raised. Followed by the VIII Tank Battalion "M" formed by the 4th Tank Infantry Regiment, and later on 21 July 1941 by the IX Tank Battalion "M" formed by the 3rd Tank Infantry Regiment.

The regiment participated in the Erwin Rommel's Operation Sonnenblume and the following Siege of Tobruk. As the regiment's L3/35 tankettes were useless Ariete division commander General Ettore Baldassarre demanded repeatedly to be sent M13/40 tanks to re-equip the regiment's three "L" battalions or be sent "M" tank battalions. Ultimately the High Command in Rome settled on a plan to repatriate the men of the 32nd and retrain them at the 32nd's depot in Verona. Therefore the 4th Tank Infantry Regiment raised a new command company, which was transferred to Libya on 1 June 1941 and gave birth to the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment on 1 September 1941 and in October the XIII Tank Battalion "M", raised by the 32nd regiment's depot in Verona, was transferred to the 31st Tank Infantry Regiment instead of being sent to Africa. After its activation the 132nd regiment received the three "M" battalions of its sister regiment, whose return to Italy was repeatedly postponed, until both regiments were heavily invested and decimated during the British Operation Crusader, fighting battles at Bir el Gubi on 19 November and 4-7 December and for Point 175 before retreating West.

As the Ariete division had lost 76% of its men during Operation Crusader the 32nd regiment was taken out of the front on 31 December 1941 and sent to the rear.^[9] On 8 January 1942, the 32nd was disbanded and its personnel used to bring the 132nd regiment partially back up to strength. The flag of the regiment was then transferred to Verona, where the regiment was activated again in May of the same year.^[6]

On 20 September 1942, the regimental command and the XVI Tank Battalion "M" it had raised moved to Sanluri in Sardinia to take command of the armored units on the island. The regiment had now the following structure:^[6]

On 15 May 1944 the Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" was raised again in Sardinia and the 32nd and 132nd tank infantry regiments joined the division, which remained static on the island. On 2 October 1944, the 32nd regiment was disbanded without having seen combat. The 132nd regiment has already been disbanded on 27 August and the Grantieri division on 31 August.^[6]

On 1 March 1964 the regiment was reformed in Cordenons as 32nd Tank Regiment and joined the Armored Division "Ariete". The regiment consisted of the III and V tank battalions, and the XXIII Bersaglieri Battalion. In 1968 the regiment moved to Tauriano.^[6]

During the 1975 army reform the 32nd Tank Regiment was disbanded on 30 September 1975 and its III Tank Battalion became the 3rd Tank Battalion "M.O. Galas", while the V Tank Battalion became the 5th Tank Battalion "M.O. Chiamenti", and its XXIII Bersaglieri Battalion became the 23rd Bersaglieri Battalion "Castel di Borgo". The flag and traditions of the disbanded regiment were assigned to the 3rd Tank Battalion "M.O. Galas". Tank and armored battalions created during the 1975 army reform were all named for officers, soldiers and partisans, who were posthumously awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor for heroism during World War II. The 3rd Tank Battalion's name commemorated 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment Sergeant Bruno Galas, who had fought with the III Tank Battalion in North Africa and was killed in action on 3 January 1941 during the Battle of Bardia.^[10] Equipped with M60A1 Patton main battle tanks the battalion joined the Armored Brigade "Mameli", whose headquarters had been formed from the 32nd Tank Regiment's headquarters.^[6]

For its conduct and work after the 1976 Friuli earthquake the battalion was awarded a Silver Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the battalion's flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms.^[2]

The 5th Tank Battalion "M.O. Chiamenti" was formed during the 1975 army reform by renaming the V Tank Battalion of the 32nd Tank Regiment. The 5th Chiamenti was granted a new flag.

After the end of the Cold War the Italian Army began to draw down its forces and the "Mameli" was the first brigade disband. On 1 April 1991, the brigade was deactivated along with some of its subordinate units, while the 3rd and 5th tank battalions, and 23rd Bersaglieri Battalion joined the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete". On 25 August 1992 the 5th Tank Battalion "M.O. Chiamenti" disbanded and its personnel entered the "Galas" battalion, which entered the reformed 32nd Tank Regiment the next day.^[6]

From 29 December 1992 to 15 March 1994 the regiment participated with some of its companies in the international Unified Task Force and UNOSOM II missions in Somalia. During this mission on 3 July 1993 the regiment fought in the Battle at Checkpoint Pasta, where for the first time since World War II Italian tanks opened fire at enemy forces. For its conduct and service in Somalia the regiment was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms.^[4]

As of 2024 the 32nd Tank Regiment consists of:^[5][11]

The regiment is equipped with Ariete AMV main battle tanks.^[5]

• 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete"

• Montanari, Mario (1993). Le Operazioni in Africa Settentrionale: Tobruk (Marzo 1941 – Gennaio 1942) Parte Seconda [Operations in North Africa: Tobruk (March 1941 – January 1942) Second Part]. Vol. II (2nd [online scan] ed.). Roma: Esercito Italiano Ufficio Storico. OCLC 885609741. Retrieved 30 November 2019 – via issuu.

• Italian Army Website: 32° Reggimento Carri