3rd Army Corps (Italy)

3º Corpo d'armata
3rd Army Corps
Stemma III CA.svg
3rd Army Corps Coat of Arms
Active1 April 1860 - 1 December 2000
CountryItaly
BranchItalian Army
RoleCorps Command
Garrison/HQMilan
EngagementsThird Italian War of Independence, World War I, Second Italo-Ethiopian War, World War II, Multinational Force in Lebanon

The 3rd Army Corps was one of three corps the Italian Army fielded during the Cold War. Based in the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont the corps was the army's operational reserve, while the 4th Alpine Army Corps and the 5th Army Corps, both based in the North East of Italy, were the army's front-line units. After the end of the Cold War the corps was reduced in size and on 1 December 2000 it ceded its last brigades to the 1st Defence Forces Command (COMFOD 1°). The personnel of the 3rd Army Corps was used to raise the NATO Rapid Deployable Italian Corps in January 2001.

History

Origins

The history of the 3rd Army Corps begins after the second Italian war of independence. Following the Italian-French victory over the Austrian Empire, the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed the Papal Legations in present-day Emilia Romagna. Thus on 1 April 1860 the 3rd Higher Military Command was activated as a territorial command in Parma and tasked to defend the newly acquired territory between the Trebbia and Panaro rivers, an area roughly corresponding with the historic Emilia region. The command consisted of the 5th, 8th and 12th division of the Line.

At the outbreak of the third Italian war of independence the command was renamed as III Army Corps and participated in the Italian Mincio campaign aimed at the Austrian Quadrilatero fortresses with the 7th, 8th, 9th and 16th divisions of the line. On 24 June 1866 the corps was one of two engaged in the Battle of Custoza.

In August 1867 the III Army Corps was disbanded. However, on 14 June 1869 the III Army Corps was raised again in Naples and given territorial duties. Until the outbreak of World War I the corps remained as a territorial command in Italy.

World War I

After the Italian declaration of war against the Austrian Empire on 23 May 1915 the III Army Corps under Lieutenant General Vittorio Camerana advanced on the extreme left flank of the Italian Army through the Valtellina, Camonica Trompia and Chiese valleys and along the Western shore of Lake Garda into Trentino. Although numerically superior the corps failed to cross the Stelvio and Tonale pass and advanced only until Riva del Garda and Tione, but failed to take either of the two cities. The corps consisted of the 5th and 6th Division of the Line (Infantry), the 35th Territorial Division, the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment and the 5th Alpini Regiment. All soldiers of the 5th Alpini Regiment had been recruited in the aforementioned valleys and thus fought in a territory they knew perfectly well. However the 5th Alpini Regiment was never employed as a whole, but single companies or battalions were given specific mountain summits, ridges or passes to conquer and hold.

  • III Army Corps (Lieutenant General Vittorio Camerana)
    • 5th Division of the Line (Major General Druetti)
      • Brigade of the Line Cuneo
        • 7th Line Infantry Regiment
        • 8th Line Infantry Regiment
      • Brigade of the Line Palermo
        • 67th Line Infantry Regiment
        • 68th Line Infantry Regiment
      • 27th Territorial Field Artillery Regiment (5x batteries)
      • 10th Sapper Company / 2nd Engineer Regiment
      • Divisional Service units
    • 6th Division of the Line (Major General Roffi)
      • Brigade of the Line Sicilia
        • 61st Line Infantry Regiment
        • 62nd Line Infantry Regiment
      • Brigade of the Line Toscana
        • 77th Line Infantry Regiment
        • 78th Line Infantry Regiment
      • 16th Field Artillery Regiment (8x batteries)
      • 11th Sapper Company / 2nd Engineer Regiment
      • Divisional Service units
    • 35th Territorial Division (Major General De Chaurand de Saint Eustache)
      • Brigade of the Line Parma
        • 49th Line Infantry Regiment
        • 50th Line Infantry Regiment
      • Brigade of the Line Milano
        • 159th Line Infantry Regiment
        • 160th Line Infantry Regiment
      • 2x squadrons of the 27th Cavalleggeri di Aquila Cavalry Regiment
      • 42nd Territorial Field Artillery Regiment (8x batteries)
      • 15th Sapper Company / 2nd Engineer Regiment
      • Divisional Service units
    • 5th Alpini Regiment (Morbegno, Tirano, Edolo, Vestone, Val d'Intelvi, Valtellina, Val Camonica, Val Chiese Alpini battalions)
    • 7th Bersaglieri Regiment (VIII, X, XI, XLV Bersaglieri battalions)
    • 27th Cavalleggeri di Aquila Cavalry Regiment
    • III Guardia di Finanza Frontier Battalion
    • 6th Field Artillery Regiment (8x batteries)
    • II Group / 1st Heavy Field Artillery Regiment (2x batteries)
    • 1st Tunnelling Engineers Battalion
    • 18th Sapper Company / 2nd Engineer Regiment
    • 4th Telegraph Engineers Company
    • Army Corps Service units

After the initial advance had been brought to a halt by the Austro-Hungarian Army the corps dug in and, although fierce fighting continued - especially on the Adamello glaciers - the front in the corps' sector remained almost unchanged until the end of the war. The front became so static that the 35th Territorial Division was sent to participate in the Allied war effort in Macedonia.

After the Italian defeat in the Battle of Caporetto the III Corps was taken out of the front and became the Army's reserve corps, tasked with countering any enemy breakthrough on the Piave front during the winter of 1917/18. In spring of 1918 the corps returned to its original area of deployment. After Austria signed the Armistice of Villa Giusti the III corps finally advanced into Trentino.

World War II

After the war the III Army Corps returned to its garrison in Milan. After the drawdown of forces in the early 1920s the corps consisted of the 6th Infantry Division Legnano in Milan, the 7th Infantry Division Leonessa in Brescia and the 8th Infantry Division Po in Piacenza.

In spring of 1936 the corps was sent to Eritrea to reinforce the Italian troops that faced stiffer than expected resistance during the Italian invasion of Abyssinia. The corps commanded the 27th Infantry Division Sila, 2nd Blackshirt Division 28 Ottobre and a brigade sized formation with light tanks. The corps fought in the First Battle of Tembien, Battle of Amba Aradam and Second Battle of Tembien.

밀라노로 귀환한 후, 그 군단은 스위스-이탈리아 국경을 따라 이탈리아를 방어하는 임무를 부여받았다. 그 임무를 돕기 위해 그 군단은 작전 지역의 알파인 장벽 요새를 지휘하게 되었다. 1940년 6월 10일 이탈리아가 프랑스에 전쟁을 선포했을 때, 그 군단은 리몬 피에몬테에 있는 프랑스와 이탈리아 국경 근처에 있었다. 이탈리아 육군은 1940년 6월 20일 프랑스가 휴전을 요청한 이후까지 제한된 순찰을 수행했을 뿐 그 위치를 유지했다. 다음날 이탈리아 사단은 무력하게 국경을 넘었지만, 몇 킬로미터가 지나자 프랑스군의 완강한 저항이 전선을 따라 그들을 저지했다. 이 군단은 캠페인 기간 동안 3 산악 보병사단 라벤나, 6사단 쿠네오, 그리고 알피니 4개 대대, 산악포병 2개 대대로 구성된 혼합 부대를 지휘했다.

1940년 10월 이탈리아군의 그리스 침공 이후 그리스의 완강한 저항으로 진퇴양난에 빠진 3군단은 알바니아에 파견되어 마케도니아 전선을 따라 이탈리아군을 증강시켰다. 이 군단은 제19보병사단 베네치아, 제36 산악보병사단 포를루, 제48보병사단 타로, 제53보병사단 아레초, 제4보병사단 아레조 등을 예비군으로 지휘했다. 모든 이탈리아 공격은 독일군이 불가리아를 거쳐 그리스를 침공하고 알바니아 전선에서 그리스 군대를 차단할 때까지 그리스인에 의해 거부되었다. 그 후 3군단은 테베로 진격하여 1943년 9월까지 수비 임무를 수행하다가 이탈리아-알리데이 휴전 이후 독일군에 항복하였다.

냉전

사단급이 폐지되기 전인 1986년 3군단 구조(클릭해 확대)
냉전 말기인 1989년 3군단 구조(클릭해 확대)

1945년 6월 15일, 당시 베르가모에 있는 보병사단 레그나노만을 통제했던 밀라노에서 3국영토군사사령부가 활성화되었다. 레그나노이탈리아 코벨리지렌트군의 부대로 이탈리아 전역 당시 연합군 편에서 복무했었다. 레그나노미국 5군단과의 전투에 이어 영국 8군단 극좌에서 폴란드 2군단과 함께 복무했다.

When the corps regained its historic name on 1 July 1957 it included besides the Legnano the Armoured Division Centauro in Novara, the Infantry Division Cremona and Alpine Brigade Taurinense both in Turin. In 1972 the Taurinense was transferred to the IV Alpine Army Corps. The corps - along with the 4th Alpine Army Corps and 5th Army Corps was part of NATOs Allied Land Forces Southern Europe Command (LANDSOUTH) in Verona.

In 1975 the Italian Army undertook a major reorganisation: the regimental level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of brigades, which combined units from different combat arms. In the same year the spelling of the name of the corps was changed from III Army Corps to 3rd Army Corps. Furthermore, the Cremona and Legnano divisions were reduced to brigades and therefore the 3rd Army Corps' new structure on 21 October 1975 was as follows:

In 1986 the Italian Army abolished the divisional level and realigned its forces to counter a possible Warsaw Pact attack better. The 3rd Army Corps was to either act as last line of defence along the Adige and Po rivers or to counter-attack broken through enemy forces in the Venetian plains. The corps was augmented by two mechanized brigades and as the Centauro division carried a historically significant name, the division ceased to exist on 31 October in Novara, but the next day in the same location the Armoured Brigade Centauro was activated and took command of the units of the Curtatone:

Each brigade, with the exception of the Centauro, fielded about 4,700 men. The Centauro fielded about 3,400 men and together with the corps' support units the entire corps fielded over 40,000 men. In 1982 Bersaglieri of the Legnano brigade were deployed in Italys first operation outside its soil since World War II as part of the Multinational Force in Lebanon.

냉전 후

냉전의 종식과 함께 이탈리아 육군은 10년 동안 병력을 감축하기 시작했다. 가장 먼저 해산한 여단은 1991년 6월 1일 고이토, 그 뒤를 이어 1991년 7월 27일 브레시아가 이었다. 또한 1991년 6월 1일 트리에스테볼로냐에서 그 색깔을 멈추고 그 대신 기계화 여단 프리울리플로렌스에서 도착했다. 프리울리는 해체된 트리에스테의 일부 부대를 지휘하여 3군단의 대열에 진입했다. 1993년 9월 레그나노 여단은 유엔 통합 태스크포스 임무를 지원하기 위해 소말리아에 배치되었다. 1997년 봄, 군단은 알바니아 반란을 계기로 이탈리아가 주도한 최초의 다국적 임무인 알바 작전의 책임을 맡았다.

1997년에 그 군대는 다음 큰 개혁 과정을 시작했다. 3군단은 크레모나레그나노 여단이 해체되는 것을 보았다. 또한 센타우로5군단에 양도해야 했다. On 1 October 1997 the 3rd Army Corps changed its name and became the Projection Forces Command (Comando Forze di Proiezione or COMFOP) and gained the Parachute Brigade Folgore, the Bersaglieri Brigade Garibaldi and the amphibious Lagunari Regiment Serenissima, thus the corps commanded all rapidly deployable units of the Italian Army. 군단의 새로운 구조는 다음과 같았다.

그러나 이미 2000년 12월 1일, 마지막 여단을 1차 방위군사령부(COMFOD 1°)에 양도했다. 3군단 인력은 2001년 1월 나토 신속배치형 이탈리아 군단을 육성하기 위해 사용되었다.

외부 링크