The Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" (19th) ( - "Chevau-léger Guides") is a cavalry unit of the Italian Army based in Salerno in Campania. The regiment was the only Guides cavalry unit of the Savoyard state and later the Kingdom of Italy. Today the regiment is the reconnaissance unit of the Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi". The regiment was formed in 1860 by the Royal Sardinian Army with pre-existing units. In 1866, the regiment distinguished itself in the Battle of Custoza. In World War I the regiment fought on the Italian front. After World War I the regiment was disbanded in November 1919, but then reformed already seven months later in May 1920. In 1934, the regiment operated the army's Fast Tanks School. During World War II the regiment operated as a mounted unit and fought in 1940-41 in the Greco-Italian War. Afterwards the regiment remained in Albania on occupation duty until it was disbanded by invading German forces after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943.
In 1949, during the Cold War, the Italian Army formed an armored squadron, which was given the name and traditions of the regiment. The squadron was assigned to the Armored Brigade "Ariete" as the brigade's reconnaissance unit. In 1952, the Armored Brigade "Ariete" was expanded to Armored Division "Ariete" and consequently, one year later the squadron was expanded to Squadrons Group "Cavalleggeri Guide". In 1975, the squadrons group was renamed 19th Squadrons Group "Cavalleggeri Guide" and assigned the regiment's standard. In 1986, the Armored Division "Ariete" was disbanded and the squadrons group was transferred to the 32nd Armored Brigade "Mameli". In 1991, the brigade was disbanded and the squadrons group moved to Salerno in the South of Italy, where it joined the 8th Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi". In August of the same year, the squadrons group lost its autonomy and entered the 19th Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide", which one year later was renamed Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" (19th). The regiment's anniversary falls on 24 June 1866, the day of the Battle of Custoza, during which the regiment's squadrons distinguished themselves, for which the regiment was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor. As the regiment is a Chevau-léger unit, its enlisted personnel is addressed as "Chevau-léger" ().
History Italian Wars of Independence Second Italian War of Independence
On 12 September 1848, between the two campaigns of the First Italian War of Independence, three squadrons of mounted guides were formed in Stupinigi. On 3 January 1850, these three squadrons entered the newly formed Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Monferrato" in Pinerolo. In preparation for the Second Italian War of Independence, the Royal Sardinian Army's Cavalry School in Pinerolo formed on 10 April 1859 a new Mounted Guides Squadron. The squadron consisted of seven officers and 150 enlisted men, which were divided into six platoons. The personnel for the squadron was drawn from existing cavalry regiments and mounted on fresh horses. Each of the squadron's six platoons was attached to one of the six divisions of the Royal Sardinian Army for the upcoming war, which began on 26 April 1859. During the war the Guides distinguished themselves and members of the squadron were awarded a total of 14 Silver Medals of Military Valor and 16 Bronze Medals of Military Valor.
On 25 February 1860, the Horse Guides Squadron entered the newly formed Guides Regiment (), which also incorporated the Mounted Guides Squadron of the Emilian Army, as well as Lombardian troops, who had previously served in the cavalry of the Imperial Austrian Army, and 200 officers and enlisted drawn from existing light cavalry regiments of the Royal Sardinian Army. The new regiment consisted of five squadrons and a depot, and fielded 32 officers, 710 enlisted, and 586 horses. As one of the Royal Sardinian Army's light cavalry regiments, the regiment's troops were armed with musket, pistol and sabre. The regiment's members wore an azure colored uniform with white ornaments. The troops also received azure sabretaches embroidered with the white cross of Savoy and azure shabracks for their horses. This made the regiment, together with the Regiment "Ussari di Piacenza", one of only two cavalry regiments not to wear the Sardinian cavalry's dark blue uniform. On 6 June 1860, the Sardinian War Ministry ordered that the army's light cavalry regiments would be equipped henceforth only with sabre and pistol.
In October 1860, the regiment's 1st Squadron and 2nd Squadron participated in the Sardinian campaign in central and southern Italy, which led to the annexation of central and southern Italy. In January 1861, the regiment added two new squadrons and then consisted of seven squadrons. Between 1864 and 1866, the regiment operated in southern Italy to suppress the anti-Sardinian revolt, which had erupted after the Kingdom of Sardinia had annexed the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In these years the regiment operated in Campania and Capitanata and then in Sicily. On 1 February 1866, the regiment's 7th Squadron was disbanded.
Third Italian War of Independence On 20 June 1866, the Third Italian War of Independence between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austrian Empire began. During the war the Guides Regiment formed, together with the Regiment "Lancieri di Aosta" and Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Lucca", the Cavalry Brigade of the I Corps of the Army of the Mincio, which operated along the Mincio river. On 24 June 1866, the I Corps fought in the Battle of Custoza, during which the Guides Regiment's squadrons distinguished themselves. At 6:00 in the morning of the day, the Italian I Corps encountered Austrian forces at Oliosi and soon the 1st Division and 5th Division of the I Corps were in heavy combat against the Austrian V Corps, which fielded twice the number of troops. After four hours of combat, the Italian 1st Division was badly mauled and needed to retreat. At Campagna Rossa, just to the West of Oliosi, the remnants of the Italian 29th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Pisa") were about to be overrun, when the Guides Regiment's 3rd Squadron arrived and was ordered to immediately charge the IV Battalion of the Austrian 76th Infantry Regiment "von Paumgarten", which was pressing the Italian 29th Infantry Regiment hardest. The 3rd Squadron charged the Austrian infantry, which was forced to cease its attacks on the 29th Infantry Regiment and form squares to meet the cavalry charge. The 3rd Squadron suffered two officers and 27 enlisted killed in the charge, which had allowed the 29th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Pisa") to disengage and retreat to Valeggio.
While part of the Italian I Corps was engaged at Oliosi, the corps' 2nd Division and the Guides Regiment's 1st and 2nd squadrons remained at Pozzolengo to guard against a possible Austrian sally from the city of Peschiera. At 9:30 in the morning the Italian patrols discovered that the Austrian tried to move around the I Corps' divisions at Oliosi with the aim to take the bridge over the Mincio river at Monzambano, which would have cut off the line of communication and retreat of the Italian I Corps. Consequently, the 2nd Division left Pozzolengo and marched to Monzambano, while the two squadrons of the Guides Regiment rode ahead. At noon, the two squadrons arrived at the bridge and lined up to face the Austrian forces arriving from the North. Shortly thereafter, Austrian infantry appeared in the distance. The 1st Squadron charged the first Austrian unit, a battalion of the Tyrolean Kaiserjäger Regiment, which was dispersed. The 1st Squadron then fell back, and the 2nd Squadron lined up to charge the every more numerous Austrian infantry. The second charge was led by the 1st Platoon of the 1st Squadron and the 2nd Squadron, which together drove the Austrian infantry back a second time. By now Italian infantry of the Brigade "Siena" had arrived, which secured the bridge. In the two charges the 1st and 2nd squadrons had suffered three killed and 10 injured. For the conduct of its squadrons at Custoza the Guides Regiment was awarded, belatedly on 14 June 1910, a Silver Medal of Military Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's standard.
On 10 September 1871, the regiment was renamed 19th Cavalry Regiment (Guide). On 1 April 1872, the regiment adopted the Royal Italian Army's standard cavalry uniform and the colors of its former azure colored uniform were reflected in the regiment's azure-white gorget patches. On 5 November 1876, the regiment was renamed Cavalry Regiment "Guide" (19th). On 1 October 1883, the regiment ceded its 6th Squadron to help form the Cavalry Regiment "Catania" (22nd). In 1887, the regiment provided personnel and horses for the formation of the 1st Africa Cavalry Squadron and the Mounted Hunters Squadron, which fought in the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1887–1889. On 1 November of the same year, the regiment ceded one of its squadrons to help form the Cavalry Regiment "Vicenza" (24th). In 1895-96, the regiment provided 73 enlisted for units deployed to Italian Eritrea for the First Italo-Ethiopian War. On 16 December 1897, the regiment was renamed Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" (19th). On 1 October 1909, the regiment ceded its 3rd Squadron to help form the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Aquila" (27th).
Italo-Turkish War On 29 September 1911, the Kingdom of Italy declared war against the Ottoman Empire, which started the Italo-Turkish War. On 5 October 1911, sailors of the Royal Italian Navy occupied Tripoli in Libya. On 11 October, the sailors were replaced by Royal Italian Army units. In January 1912, 2nd Squadron and 4th Squadron of the Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" (19th) arrived in Tripoli as reinforcement. On 8 June 1912, the two squadrons fought in the Battle of Zanzur. At the end of 1913, the two squadrons were repatriated.
World War I At the outbreak of World War I the regiment consisted of a command, a depot, and two cavalry groups, with the I Group consisting of three squadrons and the II Group consisting of two squadrons and a machine gun section. Together with the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Treviso" (28th) the regiment formed the VIII Cavalry Brigade, which was assigned to the 4th Cavalry Division "Piemonte". In April 1916, the division was dismounted for service in the trenches of the Italian front. After being dismounted the regiment was reinforced by the dismounted 3rd Squadron of the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Lodi" (15th). On 11 May 1916, the 4th Cavalry Division "Piemonte" entered the trenches at Monfalcone below the Karst plateau. In the night from 14 to 15 May 1916, just before the start of the Austro-Hungarian Asiago offensive, the Austro-Hungarian Army launched a surprise diversionary attack on the Italian positions at Monfalcone. The Austro-Hungarian attack drove the Italian cavalry troops off the important Height 93, which the VIII Cavalry Brigade, supported by the 15th Bersaglieri Regiment and the XI Cyclists Battalion of the 11th Bersaglieri Regiment, retook the following day. The next day, on May 16, the Italian units pushed the Austro-Hungarian troops back to their starting lines.