132nd Field Artillery Regiment "Ariete"

132nd Field Artillery Regiment "Ariete"
132° Reggimento Artiglieria Terrestre "Ariete"
Regimental coat of arms
Active	1 February 1939 - today[1]
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Type	Artillery
Role	Field artillery
Part of	132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete"
Garrison/HQ	Maniago
Motto(s)	"Fulmineo e Possente"
Anniversaries	15 June 1918 - Second Battle of the Piave River
Decorations	1x Gold Medal of Military Valour[2]
Insignia
Regimental gorget patches

The 132nd Field Artillery Regiment "Ariete" (Italian: 132° Reggimento Artiglieria Terrestre "Ariete") is a field artillery regiment of the Italian Army, specializing in armored combat. Today the regiment is based in Maniago in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and operationally assigned to the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete".^[3]

History[]

The 132nd Armoured Artillery Regiment "Ariete" was established for the 132nd Armoured Division Ariete on 1 February 1939.^[1][4]

On 10 February 1939 the 132nd Artillery Regiment for armoured division was established in Rovereto (TN), by the deposit of the 4th Army Corps Artillery Regiment, with:

• Command;
• Command unit;
• I and II Groups, with 75/27 Mod. 1906 field guns (one given by the 4th Army Corps Artillery Regiment and the other by the 5th Army Corps Artillery Regiment);
• two 20mm AA batteries;
• a Depot.

The newly constituted regiment, under the leadership of Colonel Domenico Chieli Menotti, began to complete its staff by incorporating recalled personnel from the 1910-1917 classes and conscript personnel from the 1918 and 1919 classes. The regiment was then engaged in a gradual training of personnel employee and participated in various shooting schools, together with the great maneuvers carried out by the 6th Field Army with the 132nd Armoured Division "Ariete".

Second World War[]

Sent in North Africa, the Regiment took part in the Second World War and was dissolved on 21 November 1942, after the Second Battle of El Alamein, during which its gunners deserved the Gold Medal of Military Valour at the Flag.^[1]

Cold War[]

The unit was reconstituted on May 15, 1949 as 132nd Armored Artillery Regiment and assigned to the reconstituted "Ariete" Armored Division. It was suppressed on December 31, 1975 with the restructuring of the Army.^[1]

Only the IV group remained alive. It became the 132nd Heavy Field Self-Propelled Artillery Group "Rovereto" and was made the depositary of regimental traditions and, by decree of 12 November 1976, received the War Flag of the 132nd Regiment.^[1]

In March 1981, it became the 132nd Heavy Field Artillery Group "Rovereto", supporting the "Ariete" Armoured Division, being equipped with the FH70 field howitzers. After the division command was dissolved, the 132nd Group was assigned to the Artillery Command of the 5th Army Corps in 1986.^[1]

Present day[]

In 1991, the 132nd Group passed under the command of the 5th Artillery Regiment, a regiment that was dissolved on March 31st 1993 and with it the 132nd Group.

On 9 October 1993, the 132nd "Ariete" Self-Propelled Field Artillery Regiment was reconstituted with the personnel and the M109L self-propelled howitzer of the suppressed 19th Self-Propelled Field Artillery Group "Rialto" and assigned to the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete".

Since 2000 it has assumed its current name.^[1]

Current Structure[]

132nd Field Artillery Regiment "Ariete" PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers during an exercise in 2020

As of 2019 the 132nd Field Artillery Regiment "Ariete" consists of:

• Regimental Command, in Maniago
  • Command and Logistic Support Battery "Tobruk"
  • Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Tactical Liaison Battery "Ain el Gazala"
  • 1st Self-propelled Group "El Alamein"
    • 1st Howitzer Battery "Rughet el Atasc"
    • 2nd Howitzer Battery "Bir Hacheim"
    • 3rd Howitzer Battery "El Mechili"
    • Fire and Technical Support Battery

The Command and Logistic Support Battery fields the following sections: C3 Section, Transport and Materiel Section, Medical Section, and Commissariat Section. The regiment is equipped with PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers. The Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Tactical Liaison Battery is equipped with RQ-11B Raven unmanned aerial vehicles and ARTHUR counter-battery radars.

See also[]

• 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete"

External links[]

• Italian Army Website: 132° Reggimento Artiglieria Terrestre "Ariete"

References[]