183rd Paratroopers Regiment Nembo

The 183rd Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo" is an airborne unit of the Italian Army, part of the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore".

History

Part of the 184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo", it was transferred to Sardinia in May 1943 and remained there until the following May.

Following the signing of the armistice on September 3, 1943, the 185th Regiment of the Paratroopers Division “Nembo”, sent to Calabria to halt the advance of the Allied troops, found itself in Aspromonte, at the Zillastro plains.

They were exhausted from long marches, losses inflicted by enemy aviation, and had few food supplies. However, they were determined to oppose the Allies, who were no longer enemies. But the paratroopers did not know this. Chaos reigned: the Germans retreated, other Italian troops surrendered to the enemy or deserted. Exhausted, as night fell, they camped in the woods but did not realize they were surrounded by the Canadian regiment “Nova Scotia.”

At dawn, the bitter discovery: 400 paratroopers against five thousand Canadian soldiers. Despite the overwhelming disparity, they attempted to break the encirclement. Being short of ammunition, they even used melee weapons, engaging in violent hand-to-hand combat. Inevitably, they were overwhelmed, leaving dozens of dead and wounded on the battlefield. The admiration of the Canadian regiment commander was such that, after ordering a ceasefire, he expressed his appreciation to the survivors who were taken prisoner and released after the armistice was communicated.

After September 8, 1943, it remained with the Kingdom of the South, under the Italian Liberation Corps, and later took part in the war actions of Abbadia di Fiastra (June 1944) and the battles of Filottrano and Montecarotto (July 1944) in the Marche region.

After the dissolution of the "Nembo" Division, on September 24, 1944, the Folgore Combat Group was formed, which included the 183rd Paratroopers Regiment that fought valiantly at Tossignano and in the battle of Case Grizzano. In March 1945, a hundred officers, non-commissioned officers, and paratroopers (all volunteers) were drawn from the Regiment, who, framed in the "Centuria Nembo", participated in Operation Herring, parachuting from American planes on the night of April 20, 1945, over the retreating German forces in the Poggio Rusco area.

Post-war

After the Second World War, on October 1, 1948, in compliance with the peace treaty that prevented Italy from having airborne troops within its army, the Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo" was transformed into the 183rd Infantry Regiment "Nembo" and framed in the Motorized Infantry Division "Folgore", remaining so until the restructuring of the Italian Army in 1975, when it was reduced to battalion level and framed in the Mechanized Brigade "Gorizia", where on the black beret it still maintained the emblem with wings and the gladius typical of airborne troops, parading with a representative unit at the national gatherings of the Paratroopers of Italy.

In 1991, the 183rd Infantry Battalion "Nembo" was disbanded and the war flag assigned to the reconstituted 183rd Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo", which, transferred from Gradisca d'Isonzo to Pistoia, was organically framed in the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore".

On April 23, 1993, the battalion was elevated to regiment rank, assuming its current name.

In the same year, it was deployed in Somalia and was involved in the battle of Check Point Pasta: on July 2, 1993, it counted several wounded, including Sergeant Major Giampiero Monti, awarded the Silver Medal for Valor, and Paratrooper Massimiliano Zaniolo, Bronze Medal for Valor.

In recent years, it has been deployed, directly or with detachments, in the Balkans, Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Afghanistan.

In this latest mission, he plays a crucial role in the Bala Murghab area, establishing Base Tobruk with his paratrooper battalion (the 1st Grizzano).

He is involved in several firefights but always reacts with composure and determination, thwarting any ambitions of the Taliban. However, he loses 1st Corporal Major Par. Massimiliano Randino in the terrorist attack in Kabul on September 17, 2009, while on July 25, 2011, he loses Corporal Major Chosen Par. David Tobini in combat at Bala Morghab, who was awarded the Silver Medal for Military Valor and the Gold Medal for Victims of Terrorism.

This is the current composition of the regiment:

• Command & Logistic Support Company "ORSI"
• 1st Paratrooper Battalion "Grizzano" 
  • 18th Paratrooper Company "LEONI"
  • 19th Paratrooper Company "LINCI"
  • 20th Paratrooper Company "PUMA"
  • 12th Maneuver Support Company "LEOPARDI"

The regiment's motto is "…AND FOR REINFORCEMENT THE HEART"

Honors to the War Flag

War Cross for Military Valor

Decree November 9, 1945. Competed with determination and tenacity with the other regiment of the division, engaged in a hard decisive attack, supporting it with a reinforcement battalion and another battalion intended to flank the enemy from behind. Participated with the first in an alternating, fierce series of attacks and counterattacks, developed the action of the second with bold momentum, knowing it could not rely on any reinforcement of effort and trusting only in the motto of the Italian paratrooper: "the heart of reinforcement." In this way, it disoriented the enemy. Its vigilant patrols were the first to plant the tricolor on the contested objective when the adversary, to escape an increasingly hopeless situation, decided, under the cover of night, to break contact and abandon the fight. Thus, it consecrated with a brilliant tangible success a glorious day for the Arms and for the Italian Paratroopers.

Filottrano, July 8-9, 1944 - To the 184th Paratrooper Regiment "Nembo"

Bronze Medal for Military Valor

Decree November 9, 1945. Participated with valor and marked aggressiveness in an operational cycle with allied troops against the German enemy. With overwhelming momentum, it tore from the tenacious adversary a long ridge organized in depth along the axis and battered by intense concentric artillery and mortar fire. Then it set foot and gained ground at the cost of heavy losses within a robust settlement defended house by house. Counterattacked by infantry and tanks, it valiantly contained them by barricading in marginal buildings; then, with renewed momentum, it managed to penetrate a second time into the interior of the town and disengage its encircled fractions. Finally maintaining close pressure on the adversary, it induced them to break contact during the night to escape a now hopeless fight, thus consecrating with brilliant tangible success a glorious day for the Arms and for the Italian Paratroopers.

Filottrano, July 9, 1944 - To the 183rd Paratrooper Regiment "Nembo"

Silver Medal for Military Valor

Decree July 24, 1947. In a tough campaign, it held its ground against an enemy whose ancestral warrior qualities and sense of desperation for the inevitable end gave particular ferocity and tenacity. Multiple patrol actions and raids conducted with unparalleled audacity in the heart of heavily fortified positions were marked by the generous overwhelming momentum of its men. In a very tough offensive action against enemy paratrooper troops, it conquered, in violent hand-to-hand and grenade combat, a settlement strongly organized for defense, contested to the last by a determined adversary, which only the irresistible valor of its soldiers managed to bend. In a brilliant yet risky action conducted by a unit of brave paratroopers, launched from planes behind enemy lines, it sowed panic and terror, capturing over 1,300 prisoners and significant war material. A synthesis of the finest virtues of the Italian Paratroopers, it linked its name to the most splendid glories of the Specialty.

Tossignano, March-April 1945; Case Grizzano. April 19, 1945: Poggio Rusco area, April 23, 1945

Bronze Medal for Military Valor

Decree January 4, 1978. Upon the occurrence of the violent earthquake that struck Friuli, it promptly rushed to the devastated areas and, with courage and fraternal solidarity, made a valuable contribution to the rescue of the wounded and survivors and the removal of debris, limiting the damage of the grave disaster. The work carried out received the appreciation of the Authorities and the unconditional gratitude of the affected populations, strengthening the prestige of the Army

Friuli, May 6 - 15, 1976

Silver Medal for Army Valor

Decree October 5, 1994. The 183rd Paratrooper Regiment "Nembo", part of the Italian forces in Somalia, participated in relief operations for the Somali population, dedicating itself with total commitment and high professionalism in the dangerous mission and confirming, in numerous search operations for weapons and in operations against guerrillas and anti-banditry, the highest level of efficiency, great courage, and generosity of its personnel. Involved in numerous firefights, it always reacted effectively and decisively, highlighting the military valor, operational capability, and strong motivation of its men. Despite the severe losses suffered in combat, it continued to fulfill the assigned tasks without hesitation, with the pride and determination to restore security and humanitarian aid to the tormented Somali people and in the determination to honor the distant Homeland.

Somalia, May 21, 1993 - September 7, 1993