16th Infantry Regiment "Savona"

16th Infantry Regiment "Savona"
16° Reggimento Fanteria "Savona"
Regimental coat of arms
Active	1 April 1815 — 31 May 1821 19 Dec. 1821 — 17 Jan. 1942 15 Nov. 1975 — 31 May 1991
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Part of	Northwestern Military Region
Garrison/HQ	Savona
Motto(s)	"Pronti ad ogni battaglia"
Anniversaries	30 May 1859 - Battle of Palestro
Decorations	2x Military Order of Italy 4x Silver Medals of Military Valor 1x Bronze Medal of Military Valor 1x Bronze Medal of Merit
Insignia
Regimental gorget patches

The 16th Infantry Regiment "Savona" (Italian: 16° Reggimento Fanteria "Savona") is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Savona in Liguria. The regiment is named for the city of Savona and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. The regiment was formed on 19 December 1821 by the Royal Sardinian Army as Brigade of "Savona", with the troops of the Brigade of "Genova", who had remained loyal during the revolt in Piedmont in spring 1821 and were retained in service after the Brigade of "Genova" was disbanded on 31 May 1821. Later the Royal Italian Army allowed the two regiments of the Brigade "Savona" to claim the traditions and honors of the Brigade of "Genova", for which reason the regiment's founding is today considered to be 1 April 1815.^[1][2]

After Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat in the War of the Sixth Coalition the King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia returned from exile in Sardinia to Turin in Piedmont. In fall 1814, the European powers at the Congress of Vienna decided that the Republic of Genoa would not be reestablished and its territory given to the Kingdom of Sardinia. On 7 January 1815, the British occupation forces in Genoa handed control of the city to the Piedmontese General Ignazio Thaon di Revel. On 1 April 1815, the existing line infantry units of the Republic of Genoa were used to form the Regiment "Sarzana", which within a few weeks was renamed Regiment of "Genova". In fall of the same year the 15 militia regiments of the Kingdom of Sardinia were disbanded and their battalions assigned as reserve units to the army's regular regiments. Consequently, on 1 November 1815 the Regiment of "Genova" was renamed Brigade of "Genova".^[1]

In March 1821 most of the brigade's personnel participated, with the troops of three other infantry brigades and three cavalry regiments, in a revolt against King Victor Emmanuel I, who abdicated in favor of his brother Charles Felix. After the revolt Charles Felix had the four infantry brigades and three cavalry regiments disbanded. The troops of the Brigade of "Genova", who had remained loyal during the revolt, were used to form the new Brigade of "Savona" on 19 December 1821. On the same date, the personnel of the other three brigades, which had remained loyal, was used to form the new brigades "Casale", "Pinerolo", and "Acqui". The seniority of the four new brigades was determined by drawing lots.^[1][3][4][5]

In 1831, the brigade was renamed Brigade "Savona" and split into two regiments, which in 1839 were designated 15th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Savona") and 16th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Savona"). In 1848–49, the regiment participated in the First Italian War of Independence, and in 1855-56 four of the regiment's companies fought in the Crimean War. In 1859, the regiment participated in the Second Italian War of Independence and the following year in the Sardinian campaign in central and southern Italy. In 1866, the regiment fought in the Third Italian War of Independence and in 1870 it participated in the capture of Rome. During World War I, the regiment fought on the Italian front. In 1934, the regiment was assigned to the 27th Infantry Division "Sila", with which it fought in 1935–36 in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. During World War II, the regiment was assigned to the 55th Infantry Division "Savona", with which it was deployed to Libya for the Western Desert Campaign. In January 1942, the "Savona" division and its regiments were destroyed during the British Operation Crusader and declared lost due to wartime events on 17 January 1942.^[1]

In 1975, the regiment's flag and traditions were assigned to the 16th Infantry Battalion "Savona", which trained recruits destined for the Armored Division "Ariete". In 1991, the battalion was disbanded and the flag of the 13th Infantry Regiment "Pinerolo" transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome. The regiment's anniversary falls on 30 May 1859, the day of the Battle of Palestro, during which the Brigade "Savona" distinguished itself, for which the brigade's two regiments were both awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor.^[1][2]