| Brigata Meccanizzata "Sassari" | |
|---|---|
Coat of Arms Sassari Mechanized Brigade |
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| Active | March 1, 1915 – March 11, 1926 Sassari Brigade March 11, 1926 - 1934 12th Infantry Brigade 1934 - 1939 Timavo Infantry Brigade 1939 - September 10, 1943 Sassari Infantry Division December 1, 1988 - January 1, 1991 Sassari Motorized Brigade January 1, 1991 – today Sassari Mechanized Brigade |
| Allegiance | Italian Army |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Brigade |
| Role | Infantry |
| Part of | COMFOD 2° |
| Garrison/HQ | Sassari |
| Motto | "Sa vida pro sa Patria" (life for homeland) |
| Colors | red and white |
| Anniversaries | 28 January 1918 |
| Engagements | World War I World War II Bosnia SFOR Kosovo KFOR Afghanistan ISAF Iraq Multinational force in Iraq |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Brigadier Luciano Portolano |
The Sassari Mechanized Brigade is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Italian Army, based on the island of Sardinia. Its core is two infantry regiments which distinguished themselves in combat during World War I.
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The Sassari Brigade was formed on March 1, 1915, at Tempio Pausania and Sinnai from two infantry regiments made up almost entirely of Sardinians. The Brigade distinguished itself during operations in World War I fighting against Austro-Hungarian troops in northern Italy. The war cost the Sassari 2,164 dead, and 12,858 wounded and missing in action; the death rate of 13.8% was the highest of all Italian brigades in the war. The Sassari Brigade became the highest decorated Italian unit of World War I, and individual soldiers of the Brigade earned:
Additionally, both regiments of the brigade were decorated with two Gold Medals of Military Valor, the only regiments of the Italian Army in World War I to receive this honour twice.
The Sassari Brigade was recreated in Sardinia on December 1, 1988, and was one of the first Italian brigades to become fully professionalized. Since then the Brigade has been heavily involved in peace keeping operations abroad and served in Kosovo, Afghanistan and in Iraq, where it lost 7 of its soldiers in various engagements with Iraqi insurgents.
Each constituent regiment is battalion-sized. It is planned to further augment the Brigade by transferring the 1st Nizza Cavalleria Cavalry Regiment of the Alpine Brigade Taurinense to Sardinia.
Each infantry regiment of the Brigade is currently equipped with 59 tracked VCC-2 armored personnel carriers (heavily modified versions of the M113 APC). The Italian Army plans to replace the VCC-2 in the two infantry regiments with the wheeled Freccia IFV in the near future.
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