The 9th Alpini Regiment () is a mountain warfare regiment of the Italian Army based in L'Aquila in Abruzzo. The regiment belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and is assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Taurinense". The regiment was formed by the Royal Italian Army on 1 July 1921. In 1935 the regiment was assigned to the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia", with which it served during World War II in the Greco-Italian War, during which the division suffered heavy losses. For its service and sacrifice on the Greek Front the 9th Alpini Regiment was awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor. In summer 1942 the division was transferred to the Eastern Front in the Soviet Union, where it was destroyed in winter 1942–43 during the Soviet Operation Little Saturn. The remnants of the division were repatriated in spring 1943. For its service and sacrifice on the Eastern Front the 9th Alpini Regiment was awarded a second Gold Medal of Military Valor. On 8 September 1943, the Armistice of Cassibile was announced and invading German forces disbanded the 9th Alpini Regiment.
In September 1944, the Italian Co-belligerent Army formed the Alpini Battalion "Abruzzi", which was assigned to the Special Infantry Regiment "Legnano" of the Combat Group "Legnano". In November 1944, the "Abruzzi" battalion was renamed Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila". The Combat Group "Legnano"fought on the allied side in the Italian campaign until the German surrender. After the war the "L'Aquila" battalion was assigned to the 8th Alpini Regiment and based in Tarvisio in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
During the 1975 Italian Army reform the 8th Alpini Regiment was disbanded, while the Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila" was disbanded in Tarvisio and then reformed in L'Aquila as an autonomous unit. The same year the Alpini Battalion "Vicenza" was reformed as a training unit. Both battalions were assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Julia". In 1976, the "Vicenza" battalion was assigned the flag and traditions of the 9th Alpini Regiment, while the "L'Aquila" battalion was granted a new flag.
In 1992, the Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila" lost its autonomy and entered the reformed 9th Alpini Regiment. However, the original flag of the 9th Alpini Regiment remained with the Alpini Battalion "Vicenza" until the battalion was disbanded in 1996. Afterwards the flag was transferred to the 9th Alpini Regiment in L'Aquila. In 2017 the regiment formed the Multifunctional Battalion "Orta", which was renamed during the same year Multifunctional Battalion "Vicenza". which was renamed later in the same year "Vicenza".
The regiment's anniversary falls on 23 April 1941, the last day of the Greco-Italian War, during which the 9th Alpini Regiment earned its first Gold Medal of Military Valor.
History Interwar years On 1 July 1921, the Royal Italian Army formed the command of the 9th Alpini Regiment in the newly annexed city of Gorizia. The new regiment received four battalions from three of the existing Alpini regiments. Since 1886 Alpini soldiers and non-commissioned officers were issued thread tufts, called Nappina in Italian, which were clipped to the Cappello Alpino headdress, and colored white for the troops of a regiment's first battalion, red for the troops of a regiment's second battalion, green for the troops of a regiment's third battalion, and blue for the troops of a regiment's fourth battalion. After its formation the 9th Alpini Regiment consisted of the following units:
9th Alpini Regiment, in Gorizia Alpini Battalion "Feltre", in Kobarid (transferred from the 7th Alpini Regiment) 64th, 65th, and 66th Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Vicenza", in Tolmin (transferred from the 6th Alpini Regiment) 59th, 60th, and 61st Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Bassano", in Gorizia (transferred from the 6th Alpini Regiment) 62nd, 63rd, and 74th Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Cividale", in Cividale (transferred from the 8th Alpini Regiment) 16th, 20th, and 76th Alpini Company
With the transfer of the battalions also the military awards of the battalions were transferred from their original regiment to 9th Alpini Regiment, which thus received four Silver Medals of Military Valor and two Bronze Medals of Military Valor. The six medals were affixed to the 9th Alpini Regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms.
During 1921 the regiment was assigned to the 3rd Alpine Division, which also included the 7th Alpini Regiment, 8th Alpini Regiment, and 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment. In 1923, the 3rd Alpine Division was replaced by the III Alpini Grouping, which in 1926 was reorganized as III Alpine Brigade. The brigade included, besides the 9th Alpini Regiment, also the 8th Alpini Regiment and 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment. In November 1926, the regiment returned the Alpini Battalion "Feltre" to the 7th Alpini Regiment and the Alpini Battalion "Cividale" to the 8th Alpini Regiment.
On 27 October 1934, the III Alpine Brigade was renamed III Superior Alpine Command. In December of the same year the command was given the name "Julio". On 21 April 1935, the Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila" was formed in Gorizia with personnel drawn from the battalions "Vicenza" and "Bassano". The new battalion had its recruiting center in the city of L'Aquila in Abruzzo and was therefore assigned the traditions, honors and company numbers of the World War I Alpini Battalion "Monte Berico", which had also recruited in Abruzzo. On 31 October 1935, the III Superior Alpine Command "Julio" was reorganized as 3rd Alpine Division "Julia", which included the 7th Alpini Regiment, 8th Alpini Regiment, 9th Alpini Regiment, and 3rd Alpine Artillery Regiment "Julia". On 31 December 1935, the 7th Alpini Regiment was transferred to the newly formed 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria".
On 25 September 1937, the Alpini Battalion "Bassano" was transferred to the 11th Alpini Regiment. On 7 April 1939, Italy invaded Albania and by the middle of April the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" moved to Northern Albania, where its regiments garrisoned the border with the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
World War II
On 2 September 1939, one day after the German Invasion of Poland had begun, the Alpini battalions "Val Leogra" and "Val Pescara" were reformed with reservists and assigned to the 2nd Alpini Group. On 10 June 1940, the day Italy entered World War II, the regiment was in Albania and its organization was as follows:
9th Alpini Regiment, in Gorizia Regimental Command Company Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila" Command Company 93rd, 108th, and 143rd Alpini Company Alpini Battalion "Vicenza" Command Company 59th, 60th, and 61st Alpini Company 9th Quartermaster Unit 29th Supply Section 309th Medical Section 630th Field Hospital
Greco-Italian War In September 1940, the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" moved from Northern to Southern Albania and took up positions along the border with the Kingdom of Greece for the upcoming Italian invasion of Greece. On 28 October 1940, Italian forces invaded Greece and the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" engaged Greek forces in the Battle of Pindus, during which the "Julia" division suffered heavy casualties. On 10 November, the "Julia" division was taken out of the line, but only four days later it had to return to the front in the Berat sector, where it came under heavy Greek attacks until 8 December. On 23 December 1940, the "Julia" division was again attacked by the Greeks; the attack lasted until 31 December and forced the division to retreat to the Mali i Qarrishtës ridge in extreme weather conditions. In late December 1940, the Alpini battalions "Val Leogra" and "Val Pescara" were sent to Albania and attached to the 2nd Alpine Division "Tridentina". On 8 January 1941, a Greek offensive in the Berat sector hit the "Julia" division hard and the following day the division fell back once more. On 21 January 1941, the division was down to a single regiment with three understrength battalions. The remains of the Julia were withdrawn and transferred to Mavrovo, near Vlorë, where the division was reformed.
At the end of February the division, now 10,500 men strong, was sent again to the first line; on 24 February it was deployed on Mali i Golikut and along the Zagoria Valley. On 28 February a new battle was fought in the Tepelenë sector; the "Julia" division, as the last Italian unit defending the town, was attacked by the 2nd Greek Division, but managed to hold the front while suffering heavy casualties. On 7 March the Greeks attacked on Mali i Golikut, and two days later they renewed their attack, causing heavy losses; by 11 March the Greek offensive ended without taking Tepelenë, and both the "Julia" division and the two Greek divisions involved in the attack (the 2nd and the 17th) were worn out by the heavy fighting and losses.
In April 1941, following the German invasion and Axis occupation of Greece, the division was transferred to the Corinth Canal area and occupied the Peloponnese. On 27 April 1941, the Alpini Battalion "Val Cismon", which had been reformed by the 7th Alpini Regiment on 2 January 1941, was assigned as third battalion to the 9th Alpini Regiment. During the Greco-Italian War the division had suffered overall 9,317 casualties: 49 officers and 1,625 soldiers during October–November 1940, 153 officers and 3,644 soldiers between December 1940 and January 1941, and 116 officers and 3,730 soldiers between February and April 1941. For its service and sacrifice on the Greek front between 28 October 1940 and 23 April 1941 the 9th Alpini Regiment was awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valor. Separately the Alpini Battalion "Val Leogra", which had been attached to the "Tridentina" division, was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor for its service and conduct on the Greek Front. Both medals were affixed to the 9th Alpini Regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms.
On 1 April 1941, the regiment formed the Alpini Battalion "Vicenza bis", which was deployed to the Isonzo valley to fight Yugoslav partisans. On 15 February 1942, the regiment formed a support weapons company for each of its three battalions. These companies were equipped with Breda M37 machine guns, and 45mm Mod. 35 and 81mm Mod. 35 mortars. The 117th Support Weapons Company was assigned to the Alpini Battalion "Vicenza", the 118th Support Weapons Company to the Alpini Battalion "Val Cismon", and the 119th Support Weapons Company to the Alpini Battalion "L'Aquila".
Eastern Front On 2 March 1942, the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" was assigned, together with the 2nd Alpine Division "Tridentina" and 4th Alpine Division "Cuneense", to the Alpine Army Corps. The corps was assigned to the Italian 8th Army, which was readied to be deployed in summer 1942 to the Eastern Front. In preparation for the deployment to the Soviet Union the 9th Alpini Regiment's depot formed on 1 April 1942 the 83rd Cannons Company, which was equipped with 47/32 mod. 35 anti-tank guns.
In June 1942, the depots of the 9th Alpini Regiment formed the IX Replacements Battalion, which consisted of the 646th, 653rd, and 655th Alpini companies, and the 409th Support Weapons Company. On 20 June 1942, the IX Replacements Battalion was assigned to the newly formed 103rd Alpini Marching Regiment, which was assigned to the III Marching Brigade of the 8th Marching Division. The division provided replacement troops for the 8th Army's regiments fighting on the Eastern Front.