Carabinieri Mobile Units Division


The Carabinieri Mobile Units Division is the Carabinieri formation, established in 2001, dedicated to the performance of military duties abroad, the military police tasks when abroad, the support to Territorial Organization, the participation in civil protection operations and to ensure the emergency reserve for the General Command.

History

Carabinieri units devoted to the riot control and to tactical tasks experienced several organizational phases, from late 1910s to the present day. While from 1919 until 1963 Carabinieri riot units were under the exclusive control of Carabinieri Legions, since 1963 they have been under an unified command: from 1963 to 2000 the Command was set at the Brigade level, while the present-day Division was established in 2001.

1919-1923

The history of the branch of the Carabinieri specifically dedicated to quell massive civil disturbances dates back in 1919, when 18 Carabinieri Autonomous Mobile Battalions were established in order to deal with the Biennio Rosso.
Before 1919, the operational approach to riot control consisted in drawing Carabinieri from the territorial stations near the event, replacing them with Carabinieri drawn in turn from other Stations. Since 1908 several proposes had been made by Carabinieri officers to form organic Carabinieri units in order to not to divert Carabinieri from the territorial police service and to improve the harmony within the ranks of Carabinieri assigned to public order services.pp. 271–273 the proposal was suspended due to the outbreak of the World War One.p. 14
At the end of the World War One, the Royal Italian Army was reduced in size and both the Royal Carabinieri and the Royal Guard of Public Security were augmented.p. 268 Following the end of the War, participants to rallies increased in numbers and Army units deployed in internal order services significantly decreased. The Arm of Carabinieri, in order to sustain the increasingly heavy duty, established for the first time outside war several Army-style Battalions.pp. 269–270
On 7 December 1918, the Carabinieri General Command elaborated a proposal for War Minister Alberico Albricci, assuming the establishment of 15p. 282 to 16p. 16 Mobile Battalions under the relevant Carabinieri Legion. The total strength of the Mobile Battalions was envisioned in 5,000 Carabinieri. According to the proposal, each Battalion should have had 5 trucks with attached drivers and mechanics, two motorcycles for commanders of the detachments and a light car for the commanding Colonel.pp. 280–282
Under the 1918 proposal, Legions with two Mobile Battalions assigned were to be led by a Brigadier General, with two Colonels, one of which assigned to the task of commanding the Battalioni Group.p. 16
On 13 March 1919, the War Ministry ordered the provisional establishment of 16 Carabinieri Mobile Battalions, whose organization was to be dealt with by the General Command.p. 16 On 30 March 1919, Commandant General Luigi Cauvin issued executive orders for the establishment of the Mobile Battalions of the Royal Carabinieri. According to Article 3 of the executive orders, the Carabinieri Mobile Battalion was organized into:p. 17
Each Mobile Battalion was to be led by a Lieutenant Colonel p. 19 or by a Major,p. 19 assisted by an Aide ranking Lieutenant, each Company was to be led by a Captain, while Platoons could be led by a Lieutenant, a Second Lieutenant or by a senior Sub-Officer.p. 17 The strength of each Mobile Battalions was to be 782 officers and troops. According to Article 7, Carabinieri of the Mobile Battalions were to be deployed in organic units always under their own subofficers and officers. The training was specifically designed for public order and riot control services.pp. 284–286 One quarter of the strength of each battalion was to be assigned to the territorial support of the relevant Legion.p. 17 Battalions were to be housed in separate barracks from other Royal Carabinieri and, in case of more than one Battalion assigned to the same city, on the opposite side of the urban centre; at least one officer had to be housed in the barracks.p. 18
After the widespread civil unrest of Spring-Summer 1919,p.105 the Carabinieri accelerated on the establishment of the Mobile Battalions, despite personnel shortages.p.106 On 25 August 1919, another study elaborated by the General Command proposed the establishment of Mobile Battalions as a quick reaction force, also in response to insurrections to be dealt with by the Army; the following day, a memorandum by the General Command advised against the establishment of the military Royal Guard of Public Security, a standing corps with military status dealing exclusively with civil disturbances.p.107 The 1919 proposal envisioned therefore a mechanized unit consisting of Cyclist Companies, special trains, and fast trucks; the training for personnel assigned to the Battalions was designed in order to improve the cohesion and decision.pp. 283–284
The Royal Decree of 2 October 1919, no. 1802 sanctioned the existing situation, authorizing the establishment of the Carabinieri Mobile Battalions.p. 21
By force of the Royal Decree of 20 April 1920, no. 451, eighteen Autonomous Mobile Battalions were established for a total strength of 12,282 troops.pp. 279–280 The autonomous mobile Battalions took the name of their seat and were marked with serial number if more than one Battalion were assigned in the same city: Turin, Alessandria, Genoa, Milan, Verona, Florence, Bologna, Ancona, Rome, Naples, Bari, Palermo, Catania. The 1920 Battalions were organized on:
Each Battalion had a total force of 750 men under the command of a lieutenant colonel.pp. 279–280 Mobile Battalions in Alessandria, Treviso, Cagliari, Catanzaro and Messina were established outside the 1918 plan, due to evolving needs.pp. 280–282
Two years later, in 1922, six Battalions were disestablished and at the next year the remaining Battalions followed. However, three Battalions subordinated to the local Legion remained in existence: two in Rome and one in Palermo. In December 1922, the Royal Guard of Public Security was merged into the Carabinieri.p. 407

Operations

The first period of existence of Mobile Battalions was short but intense. In 1919 the most serious disturbances occurred in Novara, Milan, Brescia, Rome, Piombino, Viareggio, Corenza and Venice, Apulia and Piedmont. The 1st Bersaglieri Regiment mutinied in Ancona in June 1920, but it was brought down by a Carabinieri Battalion. In 1921 serious disturbances erupted in several municipalities of Campania, including Castellamare di Stabia, in the major towns and cities of Tuscany, in Apulia, including Bari, and in Rome. In the same years, the Blackshirts movement clashed with leftist formations and strikes increased.
Between 1919 and 1920, the Carabinieri performed 233 public order and riot control operations and suffered 517 casualties. Facing increasingly combative demonstrations, the government authorities left loose rules of engagement to the police forces, with the result of bloody clashes.
According to Arnaldo Grilli and Antonio Picci, between 1919 and 1922, Carabinieri Mobile Battalions were awarded with 2 Gold Medals of Military Valour, 55 Silver Medals of Military Valour, 62 Bronze Medals of Military Valour, as well as hundreds of Solemn commendations.

1940-1963

In 1940 the new Army organization foresaw four Carabinieri Battalions, while in 1945 12 Battalions were re-established, in order to deal with the civil unrest following the end of the civil war, alongside with four Mobile Battalions Groups. The 1945-established Mobile Battalions were equipped, supplied and maintained by the relevant Carabinieri Legion. The Mobile Battalions Groups were:
The Mobile Battalions were provided of new vehicles in order to enable them to deploy rapidly.
In the immediate aftermaths of World War Two, both police and Carabinieri were strictly prohibited by armistice clauses to have hand grenades, machine guns, rifles and even handguns.pp. 63–64 Ferruccio Parri, Prime Minister in 1945, supported the reinforcement of the Carabinieri in order to enable them to counter threats to public order.p. 64,85 In 1945 Carabinieri sustained 29 casualties during public order services.p. 67
In 1949 Minister of Interior Mario Scelba asked the General Command of the Carabinieri and Minister of Defence Randolfo Pacciardi to provide Carabinieri of batons and other riot-specific equipment. Both the General Command and the Defence Minister refused.pp. 144–146 According to Virgilio Ilari, as of 1949 the Carabinieri mobile forces consisted of 13 Battalions and 34 Trucked Units, with an updated equipment. On 6 August 1956, the blue beret was assigned to mobile units.
On 26 August 1949, the Banditry Repression Forces Command was established under Colonel Ugo Luca.p. 170 Between 1951 and 1963, a new Parachute Carabinieri Battalion was established.p. 183
After the end of the Second World War, in Italy occurred several security crisis: banditism in Sicily and in Sardinia, and civil disturbances across the country.pp. 168–169 Such disturbances were politically motivated and, as such, differently reported.pp. 61–63
In the aftermaths of World War Two, Carabinieri managed to evade the majority of the riot control operations;p. 89,135 nonetheless, during riot control operations carried out from the end of the war to 1948, 101 Carabinieri died, while 757 others were wounded. According to Antonio Sannino, the fact that the Carabinieri remained hostile to Communists' political approaches caused the British support to them.p. 86
Between 1945 and 1948, Carabinieri underwent a massive rearmament in order to deal with institutional duties. In 1945 they had only 5 armoured vehicles and 79 trucks; in 1948 Carabinieri deployed 264 armoured vehicles and 1358 trucks.p. 521

1963-2000

Following the 1960 Genoa clashes, a reform project for the Mobile Battalions was envisioned, but later abandoned. Both the organization and the equipment were found to be obsolete either inadequate to emergency tasks.p. 48
On 27 January 1963, Lieutenant General Giovanni De Lorenzo formulated a proposal to reorganize riot units. In this proposal, Mobile Battalions were to be available for both wartime and peacetime tasks, with a wartime organization and a reduced peacetime one;pp. 497–498 the proposal also suggested that mounted Carabinieri were to be concentrated in robust cavalry units.p. 498
On 1 April 1963, with the 1960s Army and Carabinieri reorganization, the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade was established directly under the General Command led by Giovanni De Lorenzo, in order to cope with the internal territorial defence needs. The first commander of the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade was Brigadier General Franco Picchiotti.p. 514
The establishment of the new brigade was in order to adjust the organization of the Battalions and of cavalry units both for strictly military tasks, and those related to the protection of public order and riot control. The aim was to ensure Carabinieri Battalions the availability of all elements necessary to be in a position to act in isolation and overcome considerable resistance without having to rely on the competition of other Army Corps or other Armed Forces, to ensure Battalions' speed of movement and concentration in large sectors of foreseeable use and a constant high training level. On the other hand, the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade had only support tasks, the Interior Ministry retained the power of deployment of Carabinieri Battalions through the General Command and the Brigade Command.p. 521
The establishment of the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade was controversial: some senior officers criticized the decision, deeming that the essential features of the Carabinieri were capillarity and focus on criminal police activity.p. 48 Ferruccio Parri deemed that the establishment of the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade was purported to form an "Army within an Army", ready to intervene in the political balance.p. 492
Overall, the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade consisted of about 5,000 men with 80 tracked vehicles, 200 other military vehicles, 130 M47 tanks and a paratroopers battalion. However, the brigade never had responsibility for actual unitary operational command, lacking supports due to a political choice, but exercised the tasks of instruction and preparation for the riot control activities.
In the 1963 reorganization, Mobile Battalions were renamed simply Battalions and were marked with a sequential number, while remaining administratively dependent on the relevant Legion; the Battalions Groups were renamed Carabinieri Regiments, and were given the conceptual role of a resolution unit in both riot and tactical tasks; According original resolutions, Regiments were to have only disciplinary, training and deployment functions, while general management rested within the relevant Legion. The newly formed Mechanized Brigade exercised its operational and training authority on:
The command structure of the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade consisted of:
Each Carabinieri Battalion was led by a lieutenant colonel or a major and consisted of:
It was therefore a robust tactical complex. The Carabinieri Battalions had to be used only when the police and the local organization of the Carabinieri they had found insufficient, in order not to deprive the General Command of a valuable combat tool. Within the VII Battalion, based in Laives, the Counter-terrorism Special Company was established in 1960s to counter South Tyrolean terrorism;p. 187 the security operations were also supported by several Trucked Units. Both VII and XIII Battalions were to be always maintained at their full wartime force.
The 1963 reorganization did not mark the end of the organizational shifts. In 1964, 1st Carabinieri Helicopter Section was established.
The XI Brigade was subordinated, on 7 March 1965, to the Inspectorate of Mechanized and Special Units, which included not only the XI Mechanized Brigade, but also all other tactical Carabinieri units: the Carabinieri Paratroopers Battalion, the Territorial Squadrons Groups of Milan, Cagliari and Palermo, the Trucked Units, as well as the naval service. Two years later, on 10 March 1967, the post was modified in "Inspectorate of Mechanized Units", being disbanded in May 1967. In 1968 the blue beret was modified, making it identical in shape to the maroon beret used by paratroopers. Between 1967 and 1968 it was set up the Inspectorate of Mechanized and Training Units, with responsibility on the X Carabinieri Brigade and XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade. In 1971 it was established the Inspectorate Schools and Special Carabinieri Units; it controlled the X Brigade and XI Brigade.
In 1969, under the command of former partisan Brigadier General Pietro Loretelli,p. 532 Battalions framed within Carabinieri Regiments were reorganized. The new structure consisted of Battalion Command Unit, Command and Services Company, 2 Mechanized Rifle Companies. According General Adamo Markert, as of 1969, the most prepared Carabinieri Battalions were headquartered in Gorizia, Bolzano, and Padua, ready for engagement in war.p. 519
Between 1973 and 1976, the 5th Carabinieri Regiment also existed, including IV, VII and XIII Battalions. On 1 September 1977, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Carabinieri Regiments were disestablished and their Battalions were transferred under the direct operational and training authority of the 11th Mechanized Brigade; the 4th Mounted Carabinieri Regiment was renamed Mounted Carabinieri Regiment. In 1975 the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade changed its name in 11th Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade and in 1976 the formation was renamed 11th Carabinieri Brigade; at the same time, the Brigade Command was tasked to exercise only training and logistical authority.
In 1977, the three Carabinieri Regiments were disestablished and 4th Carabinieri Cavalry Regiment changed its name in Carabinieri Cavalry Regiment, with the Battalions being directly under the Brigade Command. The following year an Inspecting Colonel was appointed, while in 1979 two additional Colonels followed.
In 1980, the Inspectorate changed its name to Carabinieri Schools and Special Carabinieri Units Division "Palidoro". In 1985, the Command was deprived of training component and was reorganized on the XI Brigade and the XII Brigade ; the brigade was therefore placed under a command called Carabinieri Mobile and Special Units Division "Palidoro".
Overall, Carabinieri Battalions were divided into two groups, according to the main type of unit the unit deployed.

Operations

During the Years of Lead and the subsequent period, however, most of the Battalions reduced their military training in order to deal with riot control activities. 7th and 13th Battalions maintained instead their military capabilities and were transferred under direct Army operational control. Each infantry company of each Battalion established, in this period, an "Intervention Platoon", in order to upgrade the responsiveness to serious riots.p. 191
In the 1976 Friuli earthquake, the XIII Carabinieri Battalion "Friuli Venezia Giulia", IV Carabinieri Battalion "Veneto" and VII Carabinieri Battalion "Trentino Alto Adige" intervened paying rescue and providing police and utility services. In the 1980 Irpinia earthquake Carabinieri Battalions from Bari, Naples and Rome also intervened.pp. 203–204
During the Years of Lead and the subsequent period, however, most of the Battalions reduced their military training in order to deal with riot control activities. 7th and 13th Battalions maintained instead their military capabilities and were transferred under direct Army operational control. Each infantry company of each Battalion established, in this period, an "Intervention Platoon", in order to upgrade the responsiveness to serious riots.p. 191
In the 1976 Friuli earthquake, the XIII Carabinieri Battalion "Friuli Venezia Giulia", IV Carabinieri Battalion "Veneto" and VII Carabinieri Battalion "Trentino Alto Adige" intervened paying rescue and providing police and utility services. In the 1980 Irpinia earthquake Carabinieri Battalions from Bari, Naples and Rome also intervened.pp. 203–204
With the end of the Cold War, the mobile organization lost its combat-oriented connotation, taking over the role of force mainly devoted to the performance of riot control. The 1st Carabinieri Group in Milan and the 2nd Carabinieri in Rome were established in the 1990s within the 11th Brigade; these units were renamed, in 1995, respectively Carabinieri Regiment in Milan and Carabinieri Regiment in Rome. In 1996, the 1st Carabinieri Battalion was transformed in the 1st Parachute Carabinieri Regiment "Tuscania", although it remained within Paratroopers Brigade Folgore until 2002.

2001-present day

In 2001, when the Carabinieri were elevated to the rank of autonomous Armed Force, the 11th Mechanized Brigade was reorganized into the present-day Carabinieri Mobile Units Division. From 2002 to 2013, the headquarters have been based in Treviso; in 2013 they were transferred in Rome.
During the first years of existence as Division, the strength was over 6,000 units: 6,712 troops as of 2002, 6,500 troops in 2004.

Operations

The first major engagement of the newly formed Brigade was the 27th G8 summit, a major protest, drawing an estimated 200,000 demonstrators. Clashed erupted heavily; 329 people were arrested and over 400 protesters and about 100 among security forces were injured during the clashes.
On the occasion, Carabinieri formed the shortly-existed Compagnie di contenimento e intervento risolutivo, units formed with personnel drawn from existing Battalions of the 1st Carabinieri Mobile Brigade, integrated with personnel drawn from the more military-oriented 2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade. Critics of the CCIR frequently point out the militarization of police brought by the establishment of such units.
On July 20, 23-year-old activist Carlo Giuliani of Genoa, was shot dead by Mario Placanica, a Carabiniere, during clashes with police. On 14 July 2007, 13 Italian Carabineri, GOMPI Mobile and prison police were convicted for abuse of authority, abuse of office and uniform. Other charges included abuse and negligence.

Division commanders

Since its establishment, the Carabinieri Mobile Units Division has been led by eight Major Generals:
The Carabinieri Mobile Units Division, through its Brigades, is tasked with:
Abroad, Carabinieri guarantee, exclusively, the Military Police in support of Italian contingents and provide MSU and IPU Regiments. The Division provide resources and personnel for several missions abroad. Current missions are carried out on behalf of the United Nations, NATO, European Union and on behalf of other international agreements.
UN missions
NATO missions
EU missions
Within the European Union, Carabinieri participate in:
Other missions:
The Division is placed under the Carabinieri Specialists and Mobile Units Command "Palidoro"; in turn, the Division is divided into two brigades.

1st Mobile Brigade

The 1st Mobile Brigade, located in Rome, successor of the 11th Brigade; it employs the 1st Regiment "Piemonte", the 4th Mounted Carabinieri Regiment, the 5th Regiment "Emilia Romagna", the 8th Carabinieri Regiment "Lazio", the 10th Carabinieri Regiment "Campania" and 5 Carabinieri Battalions located in Milan, Mestre, Bari, Palermo and Vibo Valentia. The Brigade employs a total of 12 Carabinieri Battalions.
At the 8th Regiment Carabinieri "Lazio" in Rome and the Carabinieri Battalions in Milan, Florence, Naples, Bari, Palermo and Mestre it is constituted a "Operational Intervention Company" which, thanks to the special training of personnel and the allocation of substantial means and materials, allows to cope with the appropriate urgency in sudden danger to public security.
In addition, in order to deal with emergencies in case of public calamity, at the Battalions are set up, when needed, special Rescue Units previously trained and provided with equipment and materials which allow them to provide initial assistance to people affected while awaiting the intervention of civil protection.
The Carabinieri Cavalry Regiment contributes to the control of inaccessible rural areas of the country, supporting the territorial organization.

2nd Mobile Brigade

The 2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade, based in Livorno, is dedicated to the military missions abroad, including the military police tasks. It employs the 7th Carabinieri Regiment "Trentino - Alto Adige", the 13th Carabinieri Regiment "Friuli Venezia Giulia", and the 1st Paratroopers Carabinieri Regiment "Tuscania" and the Special Intervention Group.

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