The 8th Parachute Engineer Regiment 'Folgore' is the only paratrooper unit of the Italian Army.
It incorporates the special combat engineer, combat support and protection assets required to contribute to the airborne manoeuvre of the Parachute Brigade Folgore. It is therefore able to operate at very short notice, on all types of terrain, in both permissive and non-permissive environments.
At national level, it constantly works to support the population both in clearing the territory of war remnants and other explosive devices, also in cooperation with the police forces, and in public disaster relief.
On 1 June 2001 the 5th Bolsena Guastatori Battalion deployed at Legnago (Vr) is reconfigured and renamed 8th Engineer Battalion Folgore, while the 31 October 2004 the battalion is included in the reconstituted 8th Engineer Guastatori Regiment.
Recalling the unit of the same name that operated with the Folgore Division in North Africa, He was then placed under the Parachute Brigade.
The new unit inherits the flag and traditions of the 8th Engineer Regiment, which is in turn the heir of the Armed Forces units that operated with the Gruppo di Combattimento Folgore during the war of liberation.
Current operations and composition
It is a key support unit for the Parachute Brigade's combat support function.
It is able to perform all the tasks of the Corps of Engineers (mobility, countermobility, protection and deployment support) and is characterised by its ability to move and fight with manoeuvre forces and to react with immediacy to the operational needs of the supported unit with great flexibility of deployment that allows it to move from one mission to the next without warning, or at short notice (e.g. from support to mobility and countermobility).
Due to its special nature, the unit also trains to perform special tasks in an airborne operation or to take part in a special operation. Advanced support to airborne operations is one of the main missions that the regiment may be called upon to perform in the aforementioned context.
This takes the form of the construction, preparation and/or reactivation of landing strips, landing zones and re-embarkation zones, as well as the maintenance and repair of equipment and assets useful for the activities of fixed-wing and rotary-wing air forces, within the landing head conquered and defended by the Air Force. Another activity of pre-eminent interest to the regiment is the implementation of demolitions, which can be performed by decentralising combat modules down to platoon level.
For clearing mined areas/itineraries, the regiment has special assets (EOD team) that can also perform special actions, related to anti-sabotage actions, thanks to the availability of highly specialised personnel.
During the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, the role of the 8th Regiment was crucial for the three basic weapon regiments of the Folgore, the 183rd, 186th and 187th, as well as for the FOS (185th RAO) and FS (9th RGT Col Moschin) operators.
In Afghanistan loses the 1st Corporal Alessandro Di Lisio, during an operation to support a Brigade regiment.
This is the current composition of the regiment:
- Command and Logistics Support Company "ATLAS'
- 8th Parachute Engineer Battalion'Folgore' composed as follows:
- 21st Parachute Guerrilla Company "JAGUARS'
- 22nd Parachute Guerrilla Company "BLACK ANGELS
- 23rd Parachute Guerrilla Company "CHICKENS'
- 24th Parachute Guerrilla Company "TIGERS'
The motto of the regiment is "AHEAD IS LIFE".
History
The 8th Engineer Regiment was formed on 20 October 1926 by renaming the former 7th Army Corps Engineer Regiment based in Rome.
Variously rearranged in composition, it mobilised battalions of different specialities for East Africa and subsequently for all the fronts of World War II. It was disbanded on 8 September 1943 and reconstituted again on 11 September 1992 as the 8th Engineer Guards Regiment in Villa Vicentina (UD) by transformation of the 184th Engineer Guards Battalion 'Santerno'.
Assigned to the 5th Army Corps Genius Command, provides personnel for Operation Pelican.
On 30 November 1995, the 8th Parachute Engineer Battalion 'Folgore' was disbanded, while on 13 October 2004, the 8th Parachute Engineer Battalion 'Folgore' was reconstituted on 1 June 2001 due to a name change of the former 5th Parachute Engineer Battalion 'Bolsena', a unit into which the 'Folgore' Parachute Engineer Company, formerly an autonomous unit of the Brigade and subsequently part of the Command and Tactical Support Unit, was merged, was elevated to regimental rank.
Honours to the Flag of War
The regiment's War Flag is decorated with a Silver Military Valour Medal, a Bronze Military Valour Medal, a Bronze Army Valour Medal, a Silver Cross of Merit of the Army and a Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Italy.
Bronze Medal for Military Valour
In the clearing of roads and minefields, in the work of reinforcing positions, in maintaining connections in the hardest hours of the battle, Artillerymen, Telephonists and Marconists always shared, in noble competition, the risks of advanced posts and patrols pushed to open the breach in the deadly tangle of mines. Often involved in combat when the equipment could no longer help, infantrymen among infantrymen knew how to emulate their élan, valour and tenacity. On every occasion, in the lines and in the immediate rear, the Mixed Engineer Battalion "Folgore" always reaffirmed the noble tradition of industriousness and glory of the Corps.
Valli Santerno, Senio, Sillaro, March-April 1945 - C.Grizzano, 19 April 1945
Army Bronze Medal for Valour
He was involved in rescue operations for the people of Friuli, who had been severely hit by a serious earthquake. He worked with great courage and singular skill to remove the rubble, help the injured and assist survivors. The generous deployment of all available men and means made a valuable contribution to mitigating the consequences of the earthquake.
Friuli, 6 - 15 May 1976 - To the 184th Engineer Pioneer Battalion 'Santerno'
Silver Medal for Valour in the Army
During the violent earthquake that hit the centre of Italy hard, the 8th Engineer Regiment, worthy interpreter of the noblest military traditions, did its utmost, with generous zeal and deep commitment, in immediate interventions to support the hard-hit populations, providing yet another proof of sacrifice, self-sacrifice and unconditional dedication. The exceptional skill, professionalism and profound humanity of the paratroopers allowed the unit to distinguish itself for its effectiveness and courage, significantly increasing the prestige of the Army in the eyes of the entire national community.
Central Italy, August 2016 - April 2017 - at the 8th Parachute Guerrilla Regiment 'Folgore'
Silver Cross of Merit of the Army
By promptly intervening in the initial and most acute phase of a graceful epidemiological emergency, this prestigious regiment was able to guarantee decisive help to the population, working with a high sense of duty to support the commissarial structure and the civil authorities. A clear example of iron determination, extraordinary efficiency and sincere altruism, he saw to the creation, in a very short time, of control posts and mobile vaccination centres. Animated by an exceptional spirit of self-sacrifice, he transported the coffins of deceased citizens with solemn respect.
Northern Italy, February 2020 - November 2021
Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Italy
Glorious regiment, a combination of technical and military skills, protagonist of the heroic events of the Corps of Engineers, has worked in many risky theatres of operations. The 8th's sappers have worked with intrepid courage and indomitable valour in all circumstances, guaranteeing the protection, mobility and freedom of action of the forces on the ground, by restoring the viability and clearing areas and routes of mines and lethal improvised devices. The men and women of the unit, supported by noble ideals, wrote memorable pages of silent self-sacrifice in the department's history, contributing to increasing the lustre and prestige of Italy and its Armed Forces in the international arena.
Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq, Niger, Libya, Central African Republic, 2004 - 2022