32nd Tank Regiment (Italy)
| 32nd Tank Regiment | |
|---|---|
| 32° Reggimento Carri | |
Regimental coat of arms | |
| Active | 15 Sept. 1936 — 8 Jan. 1942 20 Sept. 1942 — 31 Aug. 1944 1 March 1964 — today |
| Country | Italy |
| Branch | Italian Army |
| Part of | 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete" |
| Garrison/HQ | Tauriano |
| Motto | "Ferrea mole ferreo cuore" |
| Anniversaries | 8 February 1941 |
| Decorations | 1x Gold Medal of Military Valor 1x Silver Medal of Army Valor 1x Bronze Medal of Army Valor 1x Italian Red Cross Bronze Medal of Merit |
| Insignia | |
| Tank units gorget patches | |
The 32nd Tank Regiment (Italian: 32° Reggimento Carri) is a tank regiment of the Italian Army based in Tauriano in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The regiment is equipped with Ariete C1 main battle tanks and assigned to the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete". On 15 September 1936, the Royal Italian Army formed the 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment, which on 1 December 1938, was renamed 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment and assigned to the II Armored Brigade. In January 1941, the regiment deployed to North Africa, where it fought in the Western Desert campaign in Libya and Egypt. In December 1941, the depleted regiment was taken out of the front and its place in the Ariete division taken by the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment.
In September 1942, the regiment was reformed in mainland Italy and then sent to the island of Sardinia. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943, the regiment joined the Italian Co-belligerent Army. In March 1944, the regiment was split to reform the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment. However, at the end of August 1944 both regiments were disbanded. In 1964, the Italian Army reformed the regiment and assigned it to the Armored Division "Ariete". In 1975, the regiment was disbanded and its flag and traditions were assigned to the 3rd Tank Battalion "M.O. Galas", which had become an autonomous unit on 1 October 1975. In 1992, the 3rd Tank Battalion "M.O. Galas" lost its autonomy and entered the reformed 32nd Tank Regiment.
Originally the unit, like all Italian tank units, was part of the army's infantry arm, but on 1 June 1999 the tankers specialty was transferred from the infantry arm to the cavalry arm. Consequently, on the same date the regiment replaced its flag with a cavalry standard. The regiment's anniversary falls on 8 February, the last day of the Battle of Beda Fomm, during which the remnants of the III Tank Battalion M13/40 fought until the battalion's total annihilation, for which the battalion was awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor.