The 1st Engineer Regiment () is an inactive

military engineering Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics b ...

unit of the

Italian Army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...

, which was last based in

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin language, Ladin and ; ; ; ; ; ), also known in English as Trent, is a city on the Adige, Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the Trentino, autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th ...

Trentino Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...

. The regiment is the oldest engineer regiment of the Italian Army. In 1848, the

Royal Sardinian Army The Royal Sardinian Army (also the Sardinian Army, the Royal Sardo-Piedmontese Army, the Savoyard Army, or the Piedmontese Army) was the army of the Duchy of Savoy and then of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was active from 1416 until it became t ...

formed the Sappers Regiment, which in 1860 was split into the 1st Sappers Regiment and 2nd Sappers Regiment. Between its formation and 1866, the regiment's companies fought in the

First Italian War of Independence The First Italian War of Independence (), part of the ''Risorgimento'' or unification of Italy, was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other conse ...

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Sardinian War, the Austro-Sardinian War, the Franco-Austrian War, or the Italian War of 1859 (Italian: ''Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana''; German: ''Sardinischer Krieg''; French: ...

, Sardinian campaign in central and southern Italy, and the

Third Italian War of Independence The Third Italian War of Independence () 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 Austria giving the region of Venetia (p ...

. In 1867, the two sappers regiments were merged into the Sappers Corps, which, in 1874, was disbanded so the two regiments could be reformed. The 1st Engineer Regiment provided personnel for

First Italo-Ethiopian War The First Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the First Italo-Abyssinian War, or simply known as the Abyssinian War in Italy (), was a military confrontation fought between Kingdom of Italy, Italy and Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia from 1895 to ...

and two sappers battalions for the

Italo-Turkish War The Italo-Turkish (, "Tripolitanian War", , "War of Libya"), also known as the Turco-Italian War, was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911 to 18 October 1912. As a result of this conflict, Italy captur ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the regiment's battalions and companies fought in all sectors of the Italian Front, and on the

Macedonian Front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germa ...

, Albanian Front, and Western Front. In 1920, the regiment was disbanded. In November 1926, the regiment was reformed and assigned to the I Army Corps. During the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression waged by Fascist Italy, Italy against Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is oft ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the regiment's depot formed engineer battalions and smaller units, which deployed with divisions and corps to the fronts of the war. After the announcement of the

Armistice of Cassibile The Armistice of Cassibile ( Italian: ''Armistizio di Cassibile'') was an armistice that was signed on 3 September 1943 by Italy and the Allies, marking the end of hostilities between Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was made public ...

on 8 September 1943 the regiment was disbanded by invading German forces. In 1950, the Italian Army reformed the 1st Engineer Regiment, which in 1954 was assigned to the IV Army Corps. In 1964, the regiment was disbanded. During the 1975 army reform the 5th Engineer Regiment was disbanded and the regiment's I Miners Battalion became autonomous unit. The battalion was renamed 1st Miners Battalion " Garda" and assigned the flag and traditions of the 1st Engineer Regiment and the traditions of the 1st Miners Regiment. The battalion was based in

Udine Udine ( ; ; ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Carnic Alps. It is the capital of the Province of Udine, Regional decentralization entity ...

and assigned to the 5th Army Corps's Engineer Command. In 1991, the battalion was disbanded and the flag of the 1st Engineer Regiment transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the

Vittoriano The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (), also known as the Vittoriano or for synecdoche Altare della Patria ("Altar of the Fatherland"), is a large national monument built between 1885 and 1935 to honour Victor Emmanuel II, the first king ...

in Rome. In 1993, the regiment was reformed as 1st Pioneer Regiment in Trento. In 1995, the regiment was once more disbanded. The regiment's anniversary falls, as for all engineer units, on 24 June 1918, the last day of the Second Battle of the Piave River.

History

Italian Wars of Independence

On 29 September 1848, during the

, the

formed a Sappers Regiment in

Alessandria Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, ...

, which consisted of a staff and two battalions, each of which fielded four sappers companies and one miners company. In March 1849, the regiment's companies fought in the second campaign of the First Italian War of Independence. In 1853, the regiment moved from Alessandria to

Casale Monferrato Casale Monferrato () is a town in the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy, northwestern Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is situated about east of Turin on the right bank of the Po River, Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montfe ...

. In 1855, the regiment's 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th companies were grouped together in a Provisional Sappers Battalion, which deployed with the Sardinian expeditionary corps to

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

for the

. In May 1859, during the

, Sardinian forces occupied the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

, the

Duchy of Parma and Piacenza The Duchy of Parma and Piacenza (, ) was an Italian state created in 1545 and located in northern Italy, in the current region of Emilia-Romagna. Originally a realm of the Farnese family after Pope Paul III made it a hereditary duchy for his so ...

, the

Duchy of Modena and Reggio The Duchy of Modena and Reggio (; ; ) was an Italian state created in 1452 located in Northern Italy, Northwestern Italy, in the present day region of Emilia-Romagna. It was ruled since its establishment by the noble House of Este, and from 1814 ...

, and the Papal Legations of the Romagne. On 12 July 1859, the war ended with the

Armistice of Villafranca The Armistice of Villafranca, concluded by Napoleon III of France and Franz Joseph I of Austria on July 11, 1859, set the stage for the end of the Second Italian War of Independence. It was the consequence of a unilateral decision by Second Fren ...

, which called for the rulers of the occupied territories to be restored to their thrones. However, neither the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia, also referred to as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica among other names, was a State (polity), country in Southern Europe from the late 13th until the mid-19th century, and from 1297 to 1768 for the Corsican part of ...

nor the Sardinian installed governments in the occupied territories wished for a return of the rulers. In September of the same year, the Sappers Regiment formed three additional battalions. On 30 November 1859, the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, and the Papal Legations of the Romagne were united under the Royal Government of Emilia, which, on 1 January 1860, was redesignated as the Royal Provinces of Emilia. On 11 and 12 March 1860, the Royal Provinces of Emilia and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany voted in a

plebiscite A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or adv ...

for annexation by the

. On 18 March 1860, the annexation act was presented to Victor Emmanuel II and the annexation completed. On 2 May 1860, the Royal Sardinian Army incorporated two Tuscan and eight Emilian sappers companies and, on the same day, the Sappers Regiment ceded some of its battalions to help from the 2nd Sappers Regiment in

Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...

. Consequently, the Sappers Regiment was renamed 1st Sappers Regiment. The 1st Sappers Regiment consisted of a staff, three battalions of four sappers companies per battalion, and a depot. Immediately after its formation, Garibaldi's

Expedition of the Thousand The Expedition of the Thousand () was an event of the unification of Italy that took place in 1860. A corps of volunteers led by Giuseppe Garibaldi sailed from Quarto al Mare near Genoa and landed in Marsala, Sicily, in order to conquer the Ki ...

triggered the Sardinian campaign in central and southern Italy, during which the regiment's companies fought in the Siege of Civitella del Tronto, the Siege to Gaeta, and the Siege of Messina. After the surrender of

Gaeta Gaeta (; ; Southern Latian dialect, Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a seaside resort in the province of Latina in Lazio, Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The city has played ...

, the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

and most of the remaining

Papal Legations The delegations as they existed in 1859 Between the Congress of Vienna (1815) and the capture of Rome (1870), the Papal State was subdivided geographically into 17 apostolic delegations (''delegazioni apostoliche'') for a ...

. On 17 March 1861, King

Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II (; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia (also informally known as Piedmont–Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 until 17 March ...

proclaimed himself

King of Italy King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by ...

. After the annexation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies the 1st Sappers Regiment provided troops for the suppression of the anti-Sardinian revolt in Southern Italy. In 1866, during the

, the regiment's companies fought at Borgoforte and in the Battle of Custoza. On 25 August 1867, the 1st and 2nd sappers regiments merged to form the Sappers Corps, which had its headquarters in

and consisted of a staff and 28 sappers companies. In 1870, the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 10th, and 25th companies participated in the

capture of Rome The Capture of Rome () occurred on 20 September 1870, as forces of the Kingdom of Italy took control of the city and of the Papal States. After a plebiscite held on 2 October 1870, Rome was officially made capital of Italy on 3 February 1871, c ...

. On 31 December 1873, the Sappers Corps and the 1st Artillery Regiment ( Pontieri) were disbanded. The next day, the staff of the 1st Artillery Regiment (Pontieri) in

Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...

was used to form the 1st Engineer Regiment, while the Sappers Corps' staff in Casale Monferrato was used to form the 2nd Engineer Regiment. The 1st Engineer Regiment retained four Pontieri companies, two

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

companies, and the depot of the disbanded 1st Artillery Regiment (Pontieri), while transferring four Pontieri companies to the 2nd Engineer Regiment. In turn the 1st Engineer Regiment received 14 sappers companies and one Ferrovieri company from the 2nd Engineer Regiment. On 1 January 1876, the regiment formed a third train company and, on 1 November 1877, a second Ferrovieri company. On 1 January 1883, the regiment formed two sappers companies, three telegraphers companies, and one train company. On the same day, the regiment ceded its four Pontieri companies and a train company to help form the 4th Engineer Regiment. On 1 November of the same year, the regiment ceded three telegraphers companies, two Ferrovieri companies, two sappers companies, and a train company to help form the 3rd Engineer Regiment. On 1 November 1887, the regiment formed four new sappers companies. On 1 November 1895, the regiment ceded six sappers companies to help form the 5th Engineer Regiment (Miners). On the same day, the regiment was renamed 1st Engineer Regiment (Sappers). At the time the regiment consisted of a staff, four sappers brigades of three sappers companies each, two train companies, and a depot. During the same year the regiment provided seven officers and 298 enlisted for units deployed to

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

for the

. In 1910, the brigades were renamed battalions. In 1911-12, the regiment's I Battalion, III Battalion and two army corps engineer parks were deployed to

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

for the

. In July 1912, the regiment formed a fifth sappers battalion.

World War I

During

, the regiment's depot mobilized 37 sappers battalion commands, 114 sappers companies, nine flamethrowers companies, one firefighters company, 40 bridge sections, 35 divisional telephone sections, four telephone sections for alpine groups, three gas launcher sections, a disk launcher section, four territorial militia battalion commands and 19 territorial militia companies, and 15 army corps engineer parks. The Disk Launcher Section was equipped with Cantono disk launchers, which were designed to launch disks that could cut through barbed wire obstacles. The battalions and companies formed by the regiment fought in all sectors of the Italian Front, and on the

, Albanian Front, and Western Front.

Interwar years

On 31 March 1920, the 1st Engineer Regiment (Sappers) and 2nd Engineer Regiment (Sappers) were disbanded and the next day, on 1 April 1920, the two regiments' companies were used to form an Army Corps Sappers Battalion for each of the

Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army () (RE) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfredo Fanti signed a decree c ...

army corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

. On 1 October 1922, the

formed the 1st Army Corps Engineer Grouping in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, which was assigned to the I Army Corps. In 1924, the grouping moved from Turin to

. In 1926, the Royal Italian Army formed an army corps command in

, which was designated II Army Corps. Subsequently, the 1st Army Corps Engineer Grouping was transferred from the I Army Corps to the II Army Corps, and consequently, on 11 October 1926, the grouping was renamed 2nd Engineer Regiment. On 15 November 1926, the Royal Italian Army reformed the 1st Engineer Regiment in

Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...

as the I Army Corps's engineer regiment. The reformed regiment consisted of a command, a sappers-miners battalion, a cableway battalion, a telegraphers battalion, a depot, and five dovecotes located in

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

Fenestrelle Fenestrelle (, ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about west of Turin. It is the location of the Fenestrelle Fort, an alpine fortification which guarded the route between t ...

Susa Susa ( ) was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh River, Karkheh and Dez River, Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital o ...

, and

Aosta Aosta ( , , ; ; , or ; or ) is the principal city of the Aosta Valley, a bilingual Regions of Italy, region in the Italy, Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel and the G ...

. On 1 February 1931, the regiment reorganized its Cableway Battalion as Miners-Cableway Battalion, which was transferred on 28 October 1932 to the newly formed 1st Miners Regiment in

Novi Ligure Novi Ligure (; , ; , ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) north of Genoa, in the province of Alessandria, in the Italian region of Piedmont. The town produces food, iron, steel, and textiles. It is an important junction for both road and railroad ...

. On the same date, the regiment received the III Radio-Telegraphers Battalion of the disbanded 2nd Radio-Telegraphers Regiment In 1935, the regiment mobilized the 64th Engineer Company, 26th Signal Company, 26th Water Platoon, 9th Photo-Electricians Section, and 11th Photo-Electricians Section for the

. In 1936, the regiment moved from Vercelli to

. In January 1937, the telegraphers and radio-telegraphers battalions were renamed connections battalions.

World War II

During World War II the regiment's depot in Turin mobilized the following units: * Command of the 1st Engineer Grouping * I Telegraphers Battalion * I Mixed Engineer Battalion (for the 1st Alpine Division "Taurinense") * VI Engineer Battalion * IX Engineer Battalion * XI Mixed Engineer Battalion (for the 6th Alpine Division "Alpi Graie") * CI Mixed Engineer Battalion (for the 1st Infantry Division "Superga") * and many smaller units On 30 December 1940, 1st Engineer Grouping was sent to

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. Upon arrival the grouping was renamed Armed Forces Albania Engineer Grouping. After its arrival in Albania, the grouping, which consisted of the I Marconisti Battalion, V Telegraphers Battalion, and XXVI Engineer Battalion, participated in the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian campaign in Greece, Italian invasion of Greece, and War of '40 in Greece, took place between Italy and Greece from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. This conflict began the Balk ...

. On 19 February 1941, the grouping was renamed 1st Engineer Grouping. In 1941, the grouping also received the XVII Pontieri Battalion, the XXX Sappers Battalion, and the III Workers Group. On 30 April 1942, the grouping was disbanded and its units transferred to the 4th Engineer Grouping, which had been formed by the 10th Engineer Regiment. In June 1940, the I Mixed Engineer Battalion fought in the

Italian invasion of France The Italian invasion of France (10–25 June 1940), also called the Battle of the Alps, was the first major Fascist Italy, Italian engagement of World War II and the last major engagement of the Battle of France. The Italian entry into the war ...

, while the CI Mixed Engineer Battalion fought in the Italian invasion of France and in the

Tunisian campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. Th ...

. The I Telegraphers Battalion was assigned to the 8th Army, which deployed in summer 1942 to the Eastern Front, where the army was destroyed during the Soviet

Operation Little Saturn Operation Little Saturn () was a Red Army offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II that led to battles in Don and Chir rivers region in German-occupied Soviet Union territory in 16–30 December 1942. The success of Operation Uranus, lau ...

. In the evening of 8 September 1943, the

, which ended hostilities between the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

and the Anglo-American Allies, was announced by General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

on Radio Algiers and by Marshal

Pietro Badoglio Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino ( , ; 28 September 1871 – 1 November 1956), was an Italian general during both World Wars and the first viceroy of Italian East Africa. With the fall of the Fascist regim ...

on Italian radio. Germany reacted by invading Italy and the 1st Engineer Regiment was disbanded soon thereafter by German forces. After the announcement of the armistice, the I Mixed Engineer Battalion, which was deployed with the 1st Alpine Division "Taurinense" in

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

, fought against Wehrmacht units attempting to disarm and disbanded the Italian units in Montenegro. On 2 December 1943, the remnants of the 1st Alpine Division "Taurinense", 19th Infantry Division "Venezia", and 155th Infantry Division "Emilia", were grouped together in the Division "Garibaldi", which continued the fight against the Germans on the side of Tito's National Liberation Army until the end of the war.

1st Miners Regiment

On 28 October 1932, the Royal Italian Army disbanded the 2nd Radio-Telegraphers Regiment in

. On the same day, the personnel of the disbanded regiment's command and depot was used to form the command and depot of the newly formed 2nd Miners Regiment. The new regiment consisted of a command and three miners battalions, which were ceded by the 1st Engineer Regiment, 2nd Engineer Regiment, and 3rd Engineer Regiment. In 1935-36, the regiment provided 46 officers and 912 enlisted to units deployed for the

. During

, the depot of the 1st Miners Regiment in

mobilized the I, II, III, IV, IX, XI, and CIII miners battalions, and the XV and XVI engineer battalions. The 1st Miners Regiment was disbanded by invading German forces after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943.

Cold War

On 1 March 1950, the Italian Army reformed the 1st Engineer Regiment in

Civitavecchia Civitavecchia (, meaning "ancient town") is a city and major Port, sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea west-northwest of Rome. Its legal status is a ''comune'' (municipality) of Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Rome, Lazio. The harbour is formed by ...

. The regiment consisted of a command and two training battalions. In June 1951 one of the two training battalions was disbanded. The remaining training battalion trained the personnel destined to serve with the Engineer Battalion "Friuli" and Engineer Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna". On 1 April 1954, the 1st Engineer Regiment was renamed 1st Engineer Grouping and moved from Civitavecchia to

, where it was assigned to the IV Army Corps. The grouping consisted of the IV, VII, and XX engineer battalions, the 1st and 2nd cableway companies, and a depot. On 1 April 1955, the 1st Engineer Grouping was renamed 1st Engineer Regiment. On 7 May 1955, the regiment received the 1st Photo-Electricians Company from the 5th Engineer Regiment. On 1 July 1955, the IV Engineer Battalion was transferred to the 2nd Engineer Regiment. At the end of 1955, the regiment consisted of the following units: * 1st Engineer Regiment, in

** Command Platoon, in Trento ** VII Engineer Battalion, in

Riva del Garda Riva del Garda (''Rìva'' in local dialect) is a town and ''comune'' in the northern Italian province of Trento of the Trentino Alto Adige region. It is also known simply as ''Riva'' and is located at the northern tip of Lake Garda. History ...

** XX Engineer Battalion, in Trento ** 1st Cableway Company, in Trento ** 2nd Cableway Company, in Trento ** 1st Mechanics-Electricians Company, in Trento ** 1st Photo-Electricians Company On 1 January 1964, the XX Engineer Battalion was renamed XIV Army Corps Engineer Battalion, and on 16 January of the same year, the 2nd Cableway Company was merged into the 1st Cableway Company. On the same day, the 1st Mechanics-Electricians Company, 1st Photo-Electricians Company and the 2nd Engineer Regiment's 1st Camouflage Company were merged and formed the Mixed Photo-Electricians-Camouflage Company. On 29 February 1964, the 1st Engineer Regiment was disbanded and the next day the regiment's remaining units joined the 2nd Engineer Regiment. During the 1975 army reform the Italian Army disbanded the regimental level and newly independent battalions were granted for the first time their own flags. During the reform engineer battalions were named for a lake, if they supported an corps-level command, or a river, if they supported a division or brigade. On 31 December 1975, the 5th Engineer Regiment in

was disbanded. The next day, on 1 January 1976, the disbanded regiment's I Miners Battalion and V Army Corps Engineer Battalion became autonomous units. On the same day, the V Army Corps Engineer Battalion was renamed 5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena", while the I Miners Battalion was renamed 1st Miners Battalion "Garda". The battalion was named for the great pre-alpine

Lake Garda Lake Garda (, , or , ; ; ) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, between Brescia and Milan to the west, and Verona and Venice to the east. The lake cuts into the edge of the Eastern Alps, Italian Alp ...

, which lies between

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

and Trentin. The battalion was assigned, together with the 3rd Sappers Battalion "Verbano" and the 5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena", to the 5th Army Corps' Engineer Command. After the reform the 1st Miners Battalion "Garda" consisted of a command, a command and park company, and three miners companies. At the time the 1st Miners Engineer Battalion "Garda" fielded 753 men (38 officers, 95 non-commissioned officers, and 620 soldiers). On 12 November 1976, the

President of the Italian Republic The president of Italy, officially titled President of the Italian Republic (), is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The presid ...

Giovanni Leone Giovanni Leone (; 3 November 1908 – 9 November 2001) was an Italian politician, jurist and university professor who was President of Italy from 1971 to 1978. A founding member of Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC), Leone br ...

assigned with decree 846 the

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

and traditions of the 1st Engineer Regiment and the traditions of the 1st Miners Regiment to the battalion. For its conduct and work after the 1976 Friuli earthquake the battalion was awarded a Silver Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the battalion's flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms. In 1986, the Command and Park Company split into the Command and Services Company and the Special Equipment Company. Afterwards the battalion consisted of the following units: * CoA mil ITA rgt genio 01

1st Miners Battalion "Garda", in

** Command and Services Company ** 1st Miners Company ** 2nd Miners Company ** 3rd Miners Company ** Special Equipment Company

Recent times

On 31 March 1991, the 1st Miners Battalion "Garda" was disbanded and the following 8 May the flag of the 1st Engineer Regiment was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the

in Rome for safekeeping. On 3 October 1993, 4th Engineer Battalion "Orta" in

lost its autonomy and the next day the battalion entered the reformed 1st Pioneer Regiment as Pioneer Battalion "Orta". As the flag of the 1st Engineer Regiment was still in the Shrine of the Flags in the

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, the 1st Pioneer Regiment continued to use temporarily the flag of the 4th Engineer Regiment. On 13 October 1995, the 2nd Sappers Battalion "Iseo" in Bolzano was disbanded. On the same day, the flag of the 2nd Engineer Regiment, which had been assigned in 1975 to the 2nd Miners Battalion "Iseo", was transferred from Bolzano to Trento, where, upon the arrival of the flag, the 1st Pioneer Regiment was renamed 2nd Engineer Regiment, while the regiment's Pioneer Battalion "Orta" was renamed Sappers Battalion "Iseo". Afterwards, the flag of the 4th Engineer Regiment was transferred from Trento to Palermo, where it arrived and was assigned to the 4th Pioneer Regiment on 24 October 1995.

References

{{Italian Army Engineer Regiments Regiments of Italy in World War I Regiments of Italy in World War II Engineer Regiments of Italy Military units and formations established in 1848