The Bersaglieri

In memory of Nonno who loved to tell us about these guys. A wonderful man who used to laugh heartily about his comical National Service in Trieste but reserved high adulation for the Bersaglieri.

The Bersaglieri - standing for sharpshooters in Italian - are one of Italy’s most distinctive and celebrated military units. They are best known for their unique traditions, wide-brimmed feathered headdress (using feathers of the Western Capercaillie - a type of Grouse) and 'running-at-the-double' marching pace (reflective of their high mobility light infantry designation) but have played a significant role in Italian military history since the early 19th century.

They were established by General Allesandro Ferrero La Marmora on the 18th June 1836 as part of the Royal Sardinian Army, which later became the Royal Italian Army. As with other Light Infantry traditions in other armies their role was originally one of skirmishers who moved around the battlefield to the tune of different bugle calls, allowing them to be deployed rapidly and easily, and this is represented by their running, rather than traditional marching, on formal parades today; something much loved by the observing Italian crowds who are quite vocal in their support!

Origins, Early History And World War 1

The Kingdom of Sardinia, which was relatively poor, could not afford large numbers of cavalry troops hence resorted to the advantages of an abundance of sharpshooters at their disposal. They were trained to act with agility and with a high degree of independence and allowed to show more initiative than in other infantry formations. They also carried more rounds than other infanteers, allowing them to bring the advantage of their superlative shooting skills to the battlefield to great effect.

Throughout the 19th century the Bersaglieri continued to impress in their light role. King Charles Albert was so impressed he incorporated them into the Piedmontese regular army and by 1872 they had 10 Battalions each consisting of four companies. They also acted as skilled mountain troops and a great rivalry began between them and the Alpini Corps.

In the first War of Italian Independence in 1848-1849 the Bersaglieri were notable in La Battaglia Del Ponte di Goito - The Battle of Goito Bridge and in 1855 provided 5 Battalions to engage in the Crimean war - notably in the siege of Sevastopol - where they were aligned with France, Britain and the Ottoman Empire against Russia.

They played a pivotal role in the unification of Italy in the capture of Rome on 20th September 1870 which saw an end to the hold on power by the Pope.

In WW1, 12 Bersaglieri regiments fought with distinction on the Italian Front. 32,000 men were killed and a further 50,000 were wounded. A notable wounded soldier being one Benito Mussolini. They also fought in the Sinai and Palestine campaign in 1917 under the command of General Allenby in a largely 'political' role and a focus on maintaining the Christian traditions of churches in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. They were additionally variously involved from 1914-1918 in Rhodes, Libya, Albania and the Aegean islands and further innovated and adapted to incorporate machine guns and bicycles in their orders of battle.

World War 2 onwards

The Bersaglieri participated in the Italian invasion of France (Battle of the Alps) and in 1940-1941 in the battle of Greece. They also participated in the Eastern Front battles against Russia and in the East and North Africa campaigns where they suffered heavy losses.

Following the Italian armistice in September 1943 Italy was divided into two groups, one of which continued to support Nazi Germany - the Republic of Salo - and the other became part of the pro-Western Allied 'co-belligerent army' in the famous Legnano Brigade. The Bersaglieri had battalions on each side reflecting what must have been an incredibly existential period of time, not to mention incredibly confusing. The post-1943 Italian campaign is very interesting to research and worthy of an entirely separate blog altogether.

Following the end of World War 2, from roughly the 1960s onwards, the Bersaglieri were re-roled as mechanized infantry who used M113 Armoured personnel carriers. These today have become the more modern Dardo or Freccia infantry fighting vehicles, thus allowing them to still be deployed rapidly as shock troops.

In more modern times Bersaglieri regiments have been involved in multinational peacekeeping roles in Lebanon, in the Yugoslav conflicts, the Somali conflicts and in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the war in Afghanistan.

We hope you've enjoyed this quick run down of a much loved Italian Regiment steeped in history. If you want to experience the Bersaglieri culture first hand, consider visiting Museo Storico dei Bersaglieri in Rome, which showcases uniforms, weapons, and historical documents.