11th Infantry Regiment "Casale"

11th Infantry Regiment "Casale"
11° Reggimento Fanteria "Casale"
Regimental coat of arms
Active	1619 — 9 Dec. 1798 24 May 1814 — 31 May 1821 19 Dec. 1821 — 8 Sept. 1943 1 July 1958 — 31 Oct. 1974 15 Nov. 1975 — 22 Jan. 1999
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Part of	1st Defence Forces Command
Garrison/HQ	Casale Monferrato
Motto(s)	"Con il sacrificio la gloria"
Anniversaries	8 August 1916 - Battle of Gorizia
Decorations	1x Military Order of Italy 1x Gold Medal of Military Valor[1] 2x Silver Medals of Military Valor 1x War Cross of Military Valor
Insignia
Regimental gorget patches

The 11th Infantry Regiment "Casale" (Italian: 11° Reggimento Fanteria "Casale") is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Casale Monferrato in Piedmont. The regiment is named for the city of Casale Monferrato 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 "Casale", with the troops of the Brigade of "Monferrato", who had remained loyal during the revolt in Piedmont in spring 1821 and were retained in service after the Brigade of "Monferrato" was disbanded on 31 May 1821. Later the Royal Italian Army allowed the two regiments of the Brigade "Casale" to claim the traditions and honors of the Brigade of "Monferrato", for which reason the regiment's founding year is today considered to be 1619; making it the oldest infantry regiment of the Italian Army.^[2][3]

The Regiment du Cheynez was formed in 1619 with personnel recruited in the Duchy of Savoy. During the Thirty Years' War the regiment fought in the First Genoese–Savoyard War and then in the War of the Mantuan Succession. From 1635 to 1659, the regiment fought in the Franco-Spanish War. In 1664, the regiment was renamed Regiment of "Monferrato". The regiment then fought in the Second Genoese–Savoyard War, Nine Years' War, War of the Spanish Succession, War of the Quadruple Alliance, War of the Polish Succession, and War of the Austrian Succession. In 1792 the regiment fought in the War of the First Coalition against the French Republic. In December 1798, French troops occupied Piedmont, forced King Charles Emmanuel IV into exile, and formed the Piedmontese Republic, a French client-state. Part of the regiment's personnel was then assigned to the 2nd Line Brigade, which fought on the French side in the War of the Second Coalition against the Austrians. In May 1814 King Victor Emmanuel I returned from exile in Sardinia and the Regiment of "Monferrato" was reformed. One year later 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 "Monferrato" was renamed Brigade of "Monferrato".^[2]

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 "Monferrato", who had remained loyal during the revolt, were used to form the new Brigade of "Casale" 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 "Pinerolo", "Savona", and "Acqui". The seniority of the four new brigades was determined by drawing lots.^[2][4][5][6]

In 1831, the brigade was renamed Brigade "Casale" and split into two regiments, which in 1839 were designated 11th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Casale") and 12th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Casale"). 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 in 1866 in the Third Italian War of Independence. In 1911–12, the regiment fought in the Italo-Turkish War. During World War I, the regiment fought on the Italian front, where the regiment distinguished itself in the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo and was awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor. During World War II, the regiment was assigned to the 56th Infantry Division "Casale", with which it fought in the Greco-Italian War. Afterwards the "Casale" division was sent to Aitoliko in Greece on anti-partisan duty. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943, the "Casale" division and its regiments were disbanded by invading German forces.^[1][2]

In 1958, the regiment was reformed in Casale Monferrato as a training unit. In 1974, the regiment was disbanded and one year later the regiment's flag and traditions assigned to the 11th Infantry Battalion "Casale", which trained recruits destined for the Mechanized Division "Mantova". In 1986, the battalion was transferred to the 3rd Army Corps. In 1992, the battalion lost its autonomy and entered the reformed 11th Regiment "Casale". In 1997, the regiment was assigned to the 1st Defence Forces Command. In 1999, the regiment was disbanded and the flag of the 11th Infantry Regiment "Casale" transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome. The regiment's anniversary falls on 8 August 1916, the day during the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo the regiment crossed the Isonzo river and established a bridgehead near the city of Gorizia. For this feat the regiments was awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor.^[1][2]