The 5th Engineer Regiment () is a

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 ...

regiment 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 ...

based in

Macomer Macomer () is a town and ''comune'' of Sardinia (Italy) in the province of Nuoro. It is situated on the southern ascent to the central plateau (the Campeda) of this part of Sardinia, at the junction of narrow-gauge lines branching from the main ra ...

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

. The regiment is the engineer unit of the

Mechanized Brigade "Sassari" The Sassari Mechanized Brigade is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Italian Army, based on the island of Sardinia. Its core are three infantry regiments which distinguished themselves in combat during World War I. Carrying the name of the Sar ...

. In 1895, 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 ...

formed the 5th Engineer Regiment. 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 formed battalions and companies, which operated along the Italian Front. In 1919, the regiment was renamed Miners Engineer Regiment. In 1922, the regiment was disbanded and its companies distributed among the army's ten army corps engineer groupings. In November 1926, the regiment was reformed by renaming the 5th Army Corps Engineer Grouping in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

. 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 1951, the regiment was reformed and assigned to the V Army Corps. On 31 December 1975, the regiment was disbanded and its flag and traditions assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena". In December 2000, the battalion was reorganized as 5th Paratroopers Engineer Battalion "Bolsena" and assigned to the

Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" The Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" is an airborne brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units are three battalions of paratroopers (''paracadutisti''). The name "Folgore" is Italian for lightning. The Folgore is one of three light infantry briga ...

. In June 2001, the battalion was renamed to 8th Paratroopers Sappers Battalion and the flag of the 5th Engineer Regiment was transferred to the

Shrine of the Flags 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 o ...

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 for safekeeping. At the end of 2002, the

45th Infantry Regiment "Reggio" The 45th Infantry Regiment "Reggio" () is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Sassari in Sardinia. The unit is named for the city of Reggio Emilia and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. On 1 October 2022, the name, flag and traditio ...

was disbanded and the next day the disbanded regiment's personnel and materiel were used to reform the 5th Engineer Regiment. 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 The Second Battle of the Piave River (or Battle of the Solstice), fought between 15 and 23 June 1918, was a decisive victory for the Italian Army against the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I, as Italy was part of the Allied Forces, whi ...

History

On 1 November 1895, the

formed the 5th Engineer Regiment (Miners) in Rivoli. The new regiment received six sappers companies ceded by the

1st Engineer Regiment (Sappers) The 1st Engineer Regiment () is an inactive military engineering unit of the Italian Army, which was last based in Trento in Trentino. The regiment is the oldest engineer regiment of the Italian Army. In 1848, the Royal Sardinian Army formed the ...

, six sappers companies ceded by

2nd Engineer Regiment (Sappers) The 2nd Engineer Regiment () is a military engineering regiment of the Italian Army based in Trento in Trentino. The regiment was formed in 1860 and is currently the oldest active engineer regiment of the Italian Army. Since 1954, the unit has b ...

, and a

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 ...

company ceded by the

3rd Engineer Regiment (Telegraphers) The 3rd Signal Regiment () is a national support signals regiment of the Italian Army based in Rome in Lazio. The regiment is the army's oldest signal regiment and assigned to the army's Signal Command. The regiment's three battalions operate th ...

. The new regiment consisted of a staff, four brigades of three miners companies each, a train company, and a

depot Depot may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Glacier (disambiguation) * Depot Island (disambiguation) * Depot Nunatak * Depot Peak Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in Chicago, United States * Of ...

. In 1896 the regiment moved from Rivoli to

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 ...

. In 1895–96, the regiment provided nine officers and 266 enlisted to augment units deployed to

Italian Eritrea Italian Eritrea (, "Colony of Eritrea") was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy in the territory of present-day Eritrea. The first Italian establishment in the area was the purchase of Assab by the Società di Navigazione Rubattino, Rubattino Shippin ...

for the

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 ...

. In 1910, the brigades were renamed battalions. In 1911-12, the regiment's 7th, 8th, and 9th miners companies 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

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 ...

. The regiment also provided 29 troops to augment other engineer units, which were deployed for the war.

World War I

During

the regiment's depot in Turin formed battalions and companies, which fought in all sectors of the Italian Front. In total the regiment formed the commands of nine miners battalions and 53 miners companies. The regiment also formed autonomous cableway, motorists, and water companies and platoons, and two territorial militia companies.

Interwar years

On 21 November 1919, the regiment was renamed Miners Engineer Regiment. At the time the regiment consisted of a command, five battalions, and a depot. On 1 May 1920, the regiment moved from Turin to

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

. On 30 September 1922, the Miners Engineer Regiment was disbanded and the next day, on 1 October 1922, the regiment's companies were assigned to the ten newly formed army corps engineer groupings. On the same day, 1 October 1922, the 5th Army Corps Engineer Grouping was formed in

. The grouping received a Sappers Battalion and a Telegraphers Battalion, which had been formed on 1 April 1920 for the V Army Corps. The grouping also received the 8th Miners Company from the disbanded Miners Engineer Regiment. After its formation the grouping consisted of a command, a sappers-miners battalion based in

Pula Pula, also known as Pola, is the largest city in Istria County, west Croatia, and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istria, Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, wi ...

, a telegraphers battalion, which included four dovecotes located in

, Pula,

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

Gorizia Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...

, a photo-electricians company, and a depot. On 16 October 1926, the grouping was renamed 5th Engineer Regiment. The new regiment also included a newly formed Cableway Battalion and a dovecote in

Tolmin Tolmin (; ,trilingual name ''Tolmein, Tolmino, Tolmin'' inGemeindelexikon, der im Reichsrate Vertretenen Königreiche und Länder. Bearbeit auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Volkszählung vom 31. Dezember 1900. Herausgegeben von der K.K. Statistische ...

. In February 1928, the 5th Engineer Regiment ceded its cableway battalion, a sappers-miners company, a telegraphers company, and the dovecotes in Udine and Gorizia, to help form the

11th Engineer Regiment In music theory, an eleventh is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a fourth. A perfect eleventh spans 17 and the augmented eleventh 18 semitones, or 10 steps in a diatonic scale. Since there are only seven degrees in a diaton ...

Treviso Treviso ( ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 87.322 inhabitants (as of December 2024). Some 3,000 live within the Venetian wall ...

. On 7 March 1932, the regiment formed a Miners-Cableway Battalion, which was transferred on 28 October 1932 to the newly formed 2nd Miners Regiment in

. On the same date, the regiment received the 8th Company/ IV Battalion of the disbanded 2nd Radio-Telegraphers Regiment. On 29 September 1936, the regiment expanded its radio-telegraphers company to battalion. At the end of the same year, the regiment consisted of a command, an engineer battalion, a telegraphers battalion, a radio-telegraphers battalion, three dovecotes, and a depot. In 1935-36, the regiment provided nine officers and 380 enlisted to units deployed for the

. 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 Trieste mobilized the following units: * III Engineer Battalion * IV Mixed Connections Battalion * XXXII Sappers Battalion * LVII Mixed Engineer Battalion (for the 4th Infantry Division "Livorno") * and many smaller units The IV Mixed Connections Battalion and XXXII Sappers Battalion fought in the

Western Desert campaign The Western Desert campaign (Desert War) took place in the Sahara Desert, deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the main Theater (warfare), theatre in the North African campaign of the Second World War. Military operations began in June 1940 with ...

, while the LVII Mixed Engineer Battalion in the

Sicilian campaign The Sicilian Expedition was an Athenian military expedition to Sicily, which took place from 415–413 BC during the Peloponnesian War between Athens on one side and Sparta, Syracuse and Corinth on the other. The expedition ended in a devastat ...

. 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 5th Engineer Regiment was disbanded soon thereafter by German forces.

Cold War

On 5 January 1951, the Italian Army reformed the 5th Engineer Regiment in

Belluno Belluno (; ; ) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the Capital (political), capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region. W ...

. The regiment consisted of a command, a training battalion, and the V Engineer Battalion. The training battalion trained the personnel destined to serve with the Engineer Battalion "Folgore", Engineer Battalion "Mantova", Engineer Company "Ariete", and Engineer Company "Julia". During the same year the battalion moved from Belluno to

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...

and was assigned to the V Army Corps. On 1 March 1953, the regiment formed the 1st and 2nd photo-electricians companies, and the 1st and 2nd camouflage companies. On 1 April 1954, the regiment was renamed 5th Engineer Grouping. The grouping consisted of a command, the V Army Corps Engineer Battalion, the 1st and 2nd photo-electricians companies, the 1st and 2nd camouflage companies, and the I and IV miners battalions, which were both based in

. On 1 January 1955, the grouping moved from Vicenza to Udine and on 1 April of the same year, the grouping was renamed 5th Engineer Regiment. On 7 May 1955, the regiment transferred the 1st Photo-Electricians Company to the 1st Engineer Regiment and the 1st Camouflage Company to the 2nd Engineer Regiment. For its work after the

1966 Venice flood The 1966 Venice flood () was an unprecedented high water, known in Venice as an "''acqua alta"'', with waters reaching up to 194 cm. Overview On 4 November 1966, an abnormal occurrence of high tides, rain-swollen rivers and a severe siro ...

the regiment was awarded a Bronze Medal of Civil Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms. On 1 June 1974, the 2nd Photo-Electricians Company and 2nd Camouflage Company were disbanded, while the IV Miners Battalion was reduced to a reserve unit on 6 November of the same year. During the 1975 army reform the 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 1 June 1975, the IV Miners Battalion was disbanded, followed on 31 December 1975, by the 5th Engineer Regiment. 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 I Miners Battalion was renamed 1st Miners Battalion "Garda", while the V Army Corps Engineer Battalion was renamed 5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena". The battalion was named for the

volcanic crater A volcanic crater is an approximately circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a bowl-shaped feature containing one or more vents. During volcanic eruptions, molten magma and volcanic gases rise from an ...

Lake Bolsena Lake Bolsena () is a lake of volcano, volcanic origin in the northern part of the province of Viterbo called ''Alto Lazio'' ("Upper Latium") or ''Tuscia'' in central Italy. It is the largest volcanic lake in Europe. Roman historic records ind ...

, which is located in

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

. The battalion was assigned, together with the 1st Miners Battalion "Garda" and the 3rd Sappers Battalion "Verbano", to the 5th Army Corps' Engineer Command. After the reform the 5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena" consisted of a command, a command and park company, and three engineer companies. At the time the battalion fielded 756 men (38 officers, 98 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 5th Engineer Regiment to the battalion. For its conduct and work after the

1976 Friuli earthquake The 1976 Friuli earthquake, also known in Italy as Terremoto del Friuli (''Friulian earthquake''), occurred on 6 May 1976, at 21:00:13 (20:00:13 UTC) with a moment magnitude of 6.5 and a maximum EMS intensity of X (''very destructive''). The shoc ...

the battalion was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the battalion's flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms. After the

1980 Irpinia earthquake The 1980 Irpinia earthquake () took place in Italy on 23 November 1980, with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). It left at least 2,483 people dead, at least 7,700 injured, and 250,000 homeless. Eart ...

, the battalion was deployed to southern Italy for the rescue efforts. For its conduct and work in southern Italy the battalion was awarded a second Bronze Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the battalion's flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms. On 15 July 1987, 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 05

5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena", in

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

Recent times

On 31 March 1991, the 9th Heavy Field Artillery Group "Foggia" in

Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...

was disbanded and over the next weeks the companies of the 5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena" moved from Udine into the disbanded group's base in Foggia. On 1 May 1991, the 5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena" completed its move to the South of Italy and was assigned to the Southern Military Region. On 31 August 1995, 1st Pontieri Engineer Battalion in

Legnano Legnano (; or ''Lignàn'') is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan, province of Milan, about from central Milan. With 60,259, it is the thirteenth-most populous township in Lombardy. Legnano is located in the ...

and the 5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena" in Foggia were disbanded. The next day, on 1 September 1995, the 5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena" was reformed in Legnano with the personnel and materiel of the disbanded 1st Pontieri Engineer Battalion. The reformed battalion was assigned to the Northeastern Military Region. On 1 December 1997, the battalion was transferred from the Northeastern Military Region to the newly formed Engineer Grouping. On 1 December 2000, the 5th Engineer Battalion "Bolsena" was reorganized as an airborne unit and renamed 5th Paratroopers Engineer Battalion "Bolsena". On the same day, the battalion was transferred from the Engineer Grouping to the

. On 31 May 2001, the 5th Paratroopers Engineer Battalion "Bolsena" was disbanded and the next day the battalion's personnel and materiel were used to reform the 8th Paratroopers Sappers Battalion. The reformed battalion received the flag of the 8th Engineer Regiment, while the flag of the 5th Engineer Regiment was transferred to the

in the

in Rome for safekeeping. On 31 December 2002, the 45th Regiment "Reggio" in

was disbanded and the next day, on 1 January 2003, the 5th Engineer Regiment was reformed with the personnel and materiel of the disbanded regiment.

Organization

As of 2024 the 5th Engineer Regiment is organized as follows: * 5th Engineer Regiment, in

** Command and Logistic Support Company ** Sappers Battalion "Bolsena" *** 1st Sappers Company *** 2nd Sappers Company *** 3rd Sappers Company *** Deployment Support Company

External links

Italian Army Website: 5° Reggimento Genio Guastatori

References

{{Italian Army Engineer Regiments Engineer Regiments of Italy