The Hunters of the Alps ( it, Cacciatori delle Alpi) were a military corps created by

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, pa ...

Cuneo Cuneo (; pms, Coni ; oc, Coni/Couni ; french: Coni ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area. It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in ...

on 20 February 1859 to help the regular Sardinian army to free the northern part of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in the Second Italian War of Independence. As their name suggests, the corps' five regiments of volunteers operated in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

. Among their victories in the Second Italian War of Independence in 1859, were those over the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

ns at

Varese Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label=Varesino, Varés ; la, Baretium; archaic german: Väris) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 has reached 80,559. It is the ca ...

and

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps ...

. They also saw action during the

Third Italian War of Independence The Third Italian War of Independence ( it, Terza Guerra d'Indipendenza Italiana) was a war between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austrian Empire fought between June and August 1866. The conflict paralleled the Austro-Prussian War and resulted in ...

in 1866, fighting on the Prussian side against the Austrians. On this occasion, the 40,000 volunteers showed their value by achieving a decisive victory at the

Battle of Bezzecca The Battle of Bezzecca was fought on 21 July 1866 between Italy and Austria, during the Third Italian Independence War. The Italian force, the Hunters of the Alps, were led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, and had invaded Trentino as part of the gener ...

(21 July 1866), and thus nearly reaching the town of

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...

. The

22nd Infantry Division "Cacciatori delle Alpi" The 22nd Infantry Division "Cacciatori delle Alpi" ( it, 22ª Divisione di fanteria "Cacciatori delle Alpi" English: Hunters of the Alps) was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was based in Perugi ...

of World War II was named after ''Hunters of the Alps'' unit.

References

''A History of the Nations and Empires Involved and a Study of the Events Culminating in the Great Conflict''
by Logan Marshall, Project Gutenberg Etext - Chapter IX. "Garibaldi and Italian Unity"

Footnotes

{{Italy-mil-stub Military units and formations of the Wars of Italian Independence Military units and formations of Italy Military units and formations established in 1859 Military units and formations disestablished in 1866 1859 establishments in Italy Giuseppe Garibaldi 1866 disestablishments in Italy

See also

References

Footnotes