The 6th Pioneer 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 the

Cecchignola 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, ...

quarter of

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 regiment is assigned to the army's Engineer Command and the army's sole

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a person who is among the first at something that is new to a community. A pioneer as a settler is among the first settling at a place that is new to the settler community. A historic example are American pioneers, perso ...

unit, whose focus, unlike the army's other engineer units, is on rear area construction tasks. In 1926, 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 6th Engineer Regiment in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

. During

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 1952, the Italian Army formed the Engineer Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna" in Rome, which was assigned to the Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna". In 1976, the battalion was renamed 6th Engineer Battalion "

Trasimeno Lake Trasimeno ( , also ; ; ; ), also referred to as Trasimene ( ), Trasimeno Lake, or Thrasimene in English, is a lake in the province of Perugia, in the Umbria region of Italy on the border with Tuscany. The lake has a surface area of , m ...

" and assigned the flag and traditions of the 6th Engineer Regiment. During the same year the Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" was disbanded and the battalion was transferred to the Central Military Region. In 1993, the battalion lost its autonomy and entered the reformed 6th Pioneer Regiment. In 1997, the regiment was transferred to the army's Engineer Grouping, which in 2010, was reorganized as Engineer Command. 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

In October 1910, the

formed the 6th Engineer Regiment (Ferrovieri). After the end of

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 Royal Italian Army reorganized its forces and on 21 November 1919, the 6th Engineer Regiment (Ferrovieri) was renamed Ferrovieri Engineer Regiment. Since then the traditions of the 6th Engineer Regiment (Ferrovieri) are perpetuated by the Ferrovieri Engineer Regiment.

Interwar years

On 1 October 1922, the

formed the 4th Army Corps Engineer Grouping in

. The grouping received a Sappers Battalion and a Telegraphers Battalion, which had been formed on 1 April 1920 for the VI Army Corps. On the same date, 1 October 1922, the VI Army Corps was renumbered as IV Army Corps. The grouping also received a miners company from the disbanded Miners Engineer Regiment. After its formation the grouping consisted of a command, a sappers-miners battalion, a telegraphers battalion, which included two

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

s located in Bologna and

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 ...

, a photo-electricians 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 1926, the IV Army Corps was renumbered as VI Army Corps and consequently, on 1 November 1926, the grouping was renamed 6th Engineer Regiment. During the same year the dovecote in Treviso was transferred to the 4th Engineer Regiment and replaced by a dovecote in

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

. In February 1928, the regiment ceded a sappers-miners company and a telegraphers company 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 ...

. On 28 October 1932, the regiment received the II Radio-Telegraphers Battalion of the disbanded 1st Radio-Telegraphers Regiment. At the end of 1936 the regiment consisted of a command, an engineer battalion, a telegraphers battalion, a radio-telegraphers battalion, two dovecotes, and a depot. 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 Bologna mobilized the following units: * Command of the 3rd Engineer Grouping * III Telegraphers Battalion * III

Marconisti A radio operator (also, formerly, a wireless operator in British and Commonwealth English) is a person who is responsible for the operations of a radio system and the technicalities in broadcasting. The profession of radio operator has become l ...

Battalion * IX Mixed Engineer Battalion (for the

Alpine Army Corps The Comando Truppe Alpine (Alpine Troops Command) or COMTA (formerly also COMALP) commands the Mountain Troops of the Italian Army, called ''Alpini'' (singular: ''Alpino'') and various support and training units. It is the successor to the ''4º ...

) * XI Engineer Battalion * XVII Mixed Engineer Battalion (for the 17th Infantry Division "Pavia") * XXIV Engineer Battalion * CXVI Mixed Engineer Battalion (for the 16th Infantry Division "Pistoia") * CLIII Mixed Engineer Battalion (for the 153rd Infantry Division "Macerata") * CLV Mixed Engineer Battalion (for the 155th Infantry Division "Emilia") * CCII Mixed Engineer Battalion (for the 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre") * 16th, 19th, and 30th mobile dovecotes * and many smaller units On 11 June 1940, the 3rd Engineer Grouping was formed. In April 1941, the grouping fought in the

invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a Nazi Germany, German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put fo ...

. After the surrender of Yugoslavia, the grouping was assigned to the 2nd Army and moved to Sušak on occupation duty. The XVII Mixed Engineer Battalion, CXVI Mixed Engineer Battalion, and CCII Mixed Engineer 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 IX Mixed Engineer Battalion fought on the Eastern Front. 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 3rd Engineer Grouping and 6th Engineer Regiment were disbanded soon thereafter by German forces. The 54th Engineer Company, which had been formed in 1940 by the 6th Engineer Regiment for the 21st Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna", was based in Rome when the Armistice of Cassibile was announced. The company fought, together with the grenadiers of the 21st Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" and the lancers of the Regiment "Lancieri di Montebello", against the Germans, who tried to occupy Rome. In the evening of 10 September 1943, the Italian units defending Rome surrendered to the Germans.

Cold War

On 1 July 1949, the Italian Army formed an Engineer Company in Rome by reorganizing the existing 8th Territorial Engineer Company. The company was assigned to the Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" and consequently, on 1 March 1950, the company was renamed Engineer Company "Granatieri di Sardegna". In 1951, the company moved from Rome to

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 ...

. On 1 May 1952, the company joined the newly formed Engineer Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna". The battalion consisted of a command, a command platoon, three engineer companies, and a field park company. In 1955, the battalion moved from Civitavecchia to Rome. 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 August 1975, the Engineer Battalion "Centauro" transferred its 4th Engineer Company in Civitavecchia to the Engineer Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna". On 30 September 1975, the 1st Engineer Company of the Engineer Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna" moved to Sora, where the next day, the company was assigned to the newly formed Motorized Brigade "Acqui". On 1 January 1976, the Engineer Battalion "Granatieri di Sardegna" was renamed 6th Engineer Battalion "Trasimeno". The battalion was named for

Lake Trasimeno Lake Trasimeno ( , also ; ; ; ), also referred to as Trasimene ( ), Trasimeno Lake, or Thrasimene in English, is a lake in the province of Perugia, in the Umbria region of Italy on the border with Tuscany. The lake has a surface area of , m ...

, which is located in

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

. After the reform the 6th Engineer Battalion "Trasimeno" consisted of a command, a command and park company, three engineer companies, and the Engineer Company "Granatieri di Sardegna". On 31 October 1976, the Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" was disbanded, and the next day, on 1 November 1976, the Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna" was formed and received the units of the disbanded division. On the same day, 1 November 1976, the 6th Engineer Battalion "Trasimeno" was assigned to the Central Military Region, and the Engineer Company "Granatieri di Sardegna" left the battalion and was assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna". After these changes the 6th Engineer Battalion "Trasimeno" 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 6th Engineer Regiment to the battalion. The battalion also received the traditions of all engineer units, which had served with the "Granatieri di Sardegna" division and the traditions of the 54th Engineer Company. In 1988, the battalion's 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 06

6th Engineer Battalion "Trasimeno", in

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

Recent times

On 3 September 1993, the 6th Engineer Battalion "Trasimeno" lost its autonomy and the next day the battalion entered the reformed 6th Pioneer Regiment. On the same day, the flag and traditions of the 6th Engineer Regiment were transferred from the battalion to the 6th Pioneer Regiment. On 1 December 1997, the regiment was transferred from the Central Military Region to the army's Engineer Grouping. After the

1997 Umbria and Marche earthquake The 1997 Umbria and Marche earthquakes occurred in the regions of Umbria and Marche, central Italy over a period of several months from September 1997 to April 1998. It consisted of eight earthquakes with magnitudes greater than . The first of ...

the regiment was deployed to the affected areas, where it remained until May 1998. For its service the regiment was awarded a Bronze Medal of Civil Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and is depicted on the regiment's coat of arms. On 24 January 2005, the regiment formed the Pioneer Battalion "Nemi". The new 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 Nemi Lake Nemi (, , also called Diana's Mirror, ) is a small circular volcanic lake in the Alban Hills south of Rome in the Lazio region of Italy. It takes its name from Nemi, the largest town in the area, which overlooks it from a height. It was ...

near Rome. After the August 2016 earthquake in

Central Italy Central Italy ( or ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first-level NUTS region with code ITI, and a European Parliament constituency. It has 11,704,312 inhabita ...

the regiment's companies deployed to the area to assist in the recovery efforts and to provide engineering services to the affected communities. For its service after the earthquake the regiment was awarded a Gold Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag and is depicted on the regiment's coat of arms.

Organization

As of 2024 the 6th Pioneer Regiment is organized as follows: * 6th Pioneer Regiment, in Cecchignola ** Command and Logistic Support Company ** Pioneer Battalion "Trasimeno" *** Pioneer Company "Trasimeno" *** Road Construction and Earthworks Company "Trasimeno" *** Buildings and Installations Construction Company "Trasimeno" ** Pioneer Battalion "Nemi" *** Pioneer Company "Nemi" *** Road Construction and Earthworks Company "Nemi" *** Buildings and Installations Construction Company "Nemi"

External links

Italian Army Website: 6° Reggimento Genio Pionieri

References

{{Italian Army Engineer Regiments Engineer Regiments of Italy