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31st Tank Regiment (Italy)
Italian Army tank unit / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 31st Tank Regiment (Italian: 31° Reggimento Carri) is an inactive tank regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Lecce in Apulia and last operationally assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo". The regiment was formed in July 1937 by the Royal Italian Army and assigned to the I Armored Brigade. In April 1939, the regiment moved from Siena to Tirana in occupied Albania. In winter 1940-41 the regiment fought in the Greco-Italian War and in 1941 it participated in the Invasion of Yugoslavia. In November 1942, the regiment was sent to Libya, where it fought in the Western Desert campaign and then in the Tunisian campaign. In April 1943 the regiment was disbanded due to the heavy losses it had suffered in the Battle of El Guettar. The regiment was immediately reformed in Italy, but it saw no further action, until German forces disbanded it after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943.[2]
31st Tank Regiment | |
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31° Reggimento Carri | |
![]() Regimental coat of arms | |
Active | 15 July 1937 — 8 Sept. 1943 15 Sept. 1951 — 10 Jan. 2020 |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | Italian Army |
Part of | Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo" |
Garrison/HQ | Lecce |
Motto(s) | "Ferro et corde frangit hostes" |
Anniversaries | 15 April 1941 |
Decorations | ![]() ![]() 1x Silver Medal of Military Valor 1x Bronze Medal of Civil Merit[1] |
Insignia | |
Tank units gorget patches |
The regiment was reformed in 1951 and assigned to the Armored Division "Centauro". In 1976 the regiment's flag and traditions were assigned to the 1st Tank Battalion "M.O. Cracco", which had become an autonomous unit on 21 October 1975. From 1975 to 1986 the battalion was assigned to the 31st Armored Brigade "Curtatone" and then to the 31st Armored Brigade "Centauro". In 1993 the 1st Tank Battalion "M.O. Cracco" lost its autonomy and on 1 September 1993 entered the reformed 31st Tank Regiment. In 1995 the flag of the 31st Tank Regiment was transferred to Altamura, where it took over the base, personnel, and materiel of the 133rd Tank Regiment. The 31st Tank regiment was now assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo" In 2012 the regiment moved from Altamura to Lecce. On 10 January 2020, the 31st Tank Regiment was disbanded and its flag transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome, while on the same date the personnel of the disbanded regiment was used to reform the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Lodi" (15th).[3] 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 regiment's anniversary falls on 15 April 1941, the day the regiment defeat an attack by Royal Yugoslav Army forces near Koplik.[2]