Isonzo Mechanized Brigade

The Mechanized Brigade Isonzo was a short-lived brigade of the Italian Army created during the 1975 army reform and disbanded during the 1986 army reform. The name of the brigade was chosen to commemorate the twelve Battles of the Isonzo during World War I.

Activation
In 1975 the Italian Army undertook a major reorganization of its forces: the regimental level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of multi-arms brigades. As tensions with Yugoslavia over the city if Trieste were allayed by the Treaty of Osimo and because a reduction of the military service from 15 to 12 months for the army and air force and from 24 to 18 months for the navy, forced the army to reduce its forces by nearly 45,000 troops it was decided that the Infantry Division Mantova would contract to brigade. Therefore most units of the Mantova division were either disbanded or reorganized during 1975 and on 21 October 1975 the remaining units of the division were used to raise the Mechanized Brigade Isonzo in Cividale del Friuli. The brigade's command was created by elevating and renaming the command of the 76th Infantry Regiment Napoli in Cividale del Friuli. After the activation the Isonzo brigade entered the Mechanized Division Mantova and consisted of the following units.


 * CoA mil ITA mec bde Isonzo 1975-1986.png Mechanized Brigade Isonzo, in Cividale del Friuli
 * Isonzo Command and Signal Battalion, in Cividale del Friuli
 * CoA mil ITA rgt carri 063.png 63rd Tank Battalion M.O. Fioritto, in Cordenons, with Leopard 1A2 main battle tanks
 * CoA mil ITA btg fanteria 059.png 59th Mechanized Infantry Battalion Calabria, in Cividale del Friuli (former II Battalion, 76th Infantry Regiment Napoli)
 * CoA mil ITA rgt fanteria 076.png 76th Mechanized Infantry Battalion Napoli, in Cividale del Friuli (former I Battalion, 76th Infantry Regiment Napoli)
 * CoA mil ITA rgt fanteria 114.png 114th Mechanized Infantry Battalion Moriago, in Tricesimo (former IV Battalion, 114th Infantry Regiment Mantova)
 * CoA mil ITA rgt fanteria 120.png 120th Position Infantry Battalion Fornovo, in Ipplis (former III Battalion, 52nd Infantry Regiment Alpi)
 * CoA mil ITA rgt artiglieria 028.png 28th Self-propelled Field Artillery Group Livorno, in Tarcento, with M114 155mm towed howitzers (former IV Heavy Field Artillery Group, 5th Field Artillery Regiment)
 * CoA mil ITA btg logistico mantova.png Isonzo Logistic Battalion, in Tricesimo
 * Isonzo Anti-tank Company, in Tarcento
 * Isonzo Engineer Company, in Tarcento

The brigade was tasked with defending the central part of the Yugoslav-Italian border against a possible Warsaw Pact invasion with the Alpine Brigade Julia on its left flank and the Mechanized Brigade Gorizia on its right flank.

Deactivation
During 1986 the Italian Army abolished the divisional level and brigades, that until then had been under one of the Army's four divisions, came forthwith under direct command of the Army's 3rd or 5th Army Corps. As the Mechanized Division Mantova carried a historically significant name, the division ceased to exist on 1 October 1986 in Udine, but the next day in the same location the Mechanized Brigade Mantova was activated. The new brigade took command of the units of the Mechanized Brigade Isonzo]], whose name was stricken from the roll of active units of the Italian Army.