15th Alpini Regiment

15th Alpini Regiment
15° Reggimento Alpini
Regimental coat of arms
Active	1 Oct. 1975 — 9 Oct. 1995
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Type	Mountain Infantry
Part of	Alpine Brigade "Julia"
Garrison/HQ	Chiusaforte
Motto(s)	"Fuarce Cividat"
Anniversaries	5 January 1943
Decorations	1x Military Order of Italy 2x Gold Medals of Military Valor[1][2] 1x Bronze Medal of Military Valor 1x Silver Medal of Army Valor[3] 1x Gold Cross of Army Merit[4]
Insignia
Alpini gorget patches

The 15th Alpini Regiment (Italian: 15° Reggimento Alpini) is an inactive mountain warfare regiment of the Italian Army last based in Chiusaforte in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The regiment belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and was assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Julia". The regiment was formed in 1992 and consisted of the Alpini Battalion "Cividale", whose flag and traditions it inherited. The regiment's anniversary falls on 5 January 1943, the day of the Battle of Novaya Kalitva in the Soviet Union.^[5][6]

The regiment was created 10 October 1992 by elevating the existing Alpini Battalion "Cividale" to regiment. Between 1 October 1909 and 30 September 1975 the battalion was one of the battalions of the 8th Alpini Regiment. After the 8th Alpini Regiment was disbanded during the 1975 Italian Army reform the "Cividale" battalion, based in Chiusaforte, became one of the battalions of the Alpine Brigade "Julia". As the traditions and flag of the 8th Alpini Regiment were assigned to the "Gemona" battalion, the Cividale battalion was granted a new war flag on 12 November 1976 by decree 846 of the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone.^[7] The two Gold Medals of Military Valor awarded to the 8th Alpini Regiment, were duplicated for the new flag of the Cividale, and the Bronze Medal of Military Valor awarded to the Cividale for its conduct during the battle for Monte Cimone di Tonezza on 23-26 May 1916 was transferred from the flag of the 8th Alpini to the Cividale's flag.^[8]

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 war flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms.^[9]

In 1993 the regiment participated in the United Nations Operation in Mozambique for which it was awarded a Gold Cross of Army Merit, but with the downsizing of the Italian Army after the end of the Cold War the regiment was disbanded on 11 November 1995.

When the regiment was disbanded it had the following structure:

• Alpine Brigade "Julia"