3rd Field Artillery Regiment (Mountain)



The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (Mountain) 3° Reggimento Artiglieria Terrestre (montagna)) is a field artillery regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain combat. Originally raised as Mountain Artillery Regiment the unit has served alongside the Alpini, a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The Alpini and Mountain Artillery regiments share, besides their close history, the distinctive Cappello Alpino.

History
The unit was raised in the city of Conegliano on 21 August 1902 as Mountain Artillery Brigade of the Veneto with three batteries. On 5 July 1909 the brigade was disbanded and its batteries, along with six newly formed ones, entered the newly raised 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment based in Vicenza. The regiment consisted of three brigades named Conegliano, Bergamo, and Vicenza, which were joined on 1 October 1909 by the newly raised Belluno Brigade. On 17 July 1910 the brigades were renamed as groups.

The regiment was tasked to provide artillery support to the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Alpini regiments and recruited in Veneto and Lombardy.

World War 1
With tensions rising the army expanded the mountain artillery and on 1 February 1915 the regiment transferred the depot in Bergamo with the Mountain Artillery Group Bergamo to the newly formed 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment. Along with the depot and group, recruitment in Lombardy and the task to support the 5th Alpini Regiment passed to the new regiment. To compensate for the loss of the Bergamo Group on the same date the Mountain Artillery Group Udine was raised.

During the war the regiment's depots raised and trained the commands of two mountain artillery groupings (Raggruppamento Artiglieria Montagna), the commands of 13 mountain artillery groups (Gruppo Artiglieria Montagna), and 35 mountain artillery batteries, which were each equipped with four 65/17 mod. 13 cannons. Furthermore, five commands of siege groups (Gruppo d'Assedio), and 21 siege batteries were raised and trained by the regiment.


 * The regiment raised the following mountain artillery groupings: 6° and 8°.
 * The regiment raised the following mountain artillery groups: XVI (69th, 70th, 71st bty.), XXI (78th, 79th, 80th, 81st bty), XXIII (50th, 53rd bty.), XXVI (85th, 86th, 87th bty.), XXVIII, XXX (94th, 95th, 96th bty.), XLIX, LIII, LIV, LXI, LXIII, LXIV, and LXVII.

Note 2: The group's 56th Mountain Artillery Battery was not raised until November 1916 for lack of available 65/17 mod. 13 cannons.

Interwar Years - New Numbering
Traditionally Alpini units had been numbered from West to East with the 1st Alpini Regiment being the most westward and the 8th Alpini Regiment being the most eastward. However as the 3rd Mountain Artillery Regiment had been raised last it found itself now in the middle between the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment in the West and the 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment in the East. To rectify this on 11 March 1926 the 2nd and 3rd mountain artillery regiments swapped numbers.

Current Structure


The regiment is part of the Alpine Brigade Julia and is equipped with FH-70 towed howitzers.


 * Nappina artiglieria.png 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (Mountain) - Regimental Command, in Remanzacco
 * Nappina artiglieria CG.png Command and Logistic Support Battery "Maria Plozner Mentil"
 * Nappina artiglieria 24 btr.png 24th Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Tactical Liaison Battery "La Bella"
 * Nappina artiglieria.png Artillery Group "Conegliano"
 * Nappina artiglieria 13 btr.png 13th Howitzer Battery "La Lavine"
 * Nappina artiglieria 14 btr.png 14th Howitzer Battery "La Montane"
 * Nappina artiglieria 14 btr.png 15th Howitzer Battery "L'Ercolat"
 * Nappina artiglieria 15 btr.png 17th Fire and Technical Support Battery "La Dura"