Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" (7th)

The Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" (7th) (Italian: Reggimento "Lancieri di Milano" (7°) - "Lancers of Milan") is an inactive cavalry regiment of the Italian Army.

Regiment "Lancieri di Milano" (7th)
Reggimento "Lancieri di Milano" (7°)
Coat of arms of the squadrons group
Active16 September 1859 - 20 April 1920
14 March 1938 - 8 September 1943
1 September 1964 - 10 December 1989[1][2]
Country Italy
BranchItalian Army
Part ofArmored Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli"
Garrison/HQOrzano di Remanzacco
Motto(s)"Sic personat virtus"[1]
Anniversaries19 June 1918 - Battle of Monastier[1]
Decorations
2x Bronze Medals of Military Valour
1x Bronze Medal of Army Valour
1x War Cross of Military Valour[1]
Insignia
"Lancieri di Milano" gorget patches

History

The regiment was raised on 16 September 1859 after the Kingdom of Sardinia had annexed Lombardy after the successful conclusion of the Second Italian War of Independence. The regiment was instantly employed in the Italian campaigns in central and Southern Italy, earning a Bronze Medal of Military Valour for its conduct at Senigallia where it charged a column of papal troops.[3]

During World War I the regiment served on the Italian front, earning its second Bronze Medal of Military Valour for its conduct during the Battle of Monastier on 19 June 1918.[3][1]

After World War I the regiment was disbanded on 20 April 1920 and its squadrons transferred to the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Aosta" (6th). It was raised again on 14 March 1938 in preparation for World War II. During the war the regiment served in annexed Albania and participated in the Axis Invasion of Yugoslavia in spring 1941. For its conduct in the Yugoslav campaign the regiment was awarded a War Cross of Military Valour. Afterwards the regiment remained on the anti-partisan duty in occupied Yugoslavia until it dissolved around 8 September 1943 after Italy had changed sides with the Armistice of Cassibile.[3]

On 1 September 1964 the battalion-sized Squadrons Group "Lancieri di Milano" was raised in Monza in Lombardy, which served as reconnaissance unit of the Infantry Division "Legnano". During the 1975 army reform the squadrons group received the war flag of the "Lancieri di Milano" regiment and moved to Orzano di Remanzacco in Friuli Venezia Giulia, where it joined the Mechanized Division "Mantova" as the division's reconnaissance unit.[3]

For its conduct and work after the 1976 Friuli earthquake the squadrons group was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valour, which was affixed to the battalion's war flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms.[4]

When the Mantova was disbanded in 1986 the squadrons group became the reconnaissance unit of the Armored Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli". At this stage the Lancieri di Milano was equipped with a mix of Leopard 1A2 main battle tanks and VCC-1 armored personnel carriers. With the end of the Cold War the army began to draw down its forces and one of the first units to disband was the Lancieri di Milano on 10 December 1989.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Le Feste dei Reparti - Giugno". Italian Army. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  2. Fortunato, Luciano (1997). Cavalleria. Rome: Italian Army - Rivista Militare. p. 26. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  3. "Reggimento "Lancieri di Milano" (7°)". Museo Storico dell'Arma di Cavalleria. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  4. "7° Gruppo Squadroni "Lancieri di Milano"". Quirinale - Presidenza della Repubblica. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
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