On 7 April 1859 the Royal Sardinian Army raised its first Squadron of Guides, tasked with relaying messages between the army's headquarters and the divisions. Only weeks after its founding the squadron was employed in the Second Italian War of Independence. On 23 February 1860 the Regiment of Guides was formed with the Sardinian Squadron of Guides, the Squadron of Guides of the Emilian Army, Lombardian troops, who had served in the Austrian Cavalry, and troops and officers drawn from existing Sardinian cavalry regiments. During the Third Italian War of Independence the regiment's four squadrons participated in the Battle of Custoza, for which the regiment was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valour. In the following years the regiment changed name repeatedly, becoming the 19th Cavalry Regiment in 1871, the Guides Cavalry Regiment in 1876, and the Regiment Cavalleggeri Guide on 16 December 1897. In 1911-12 the regiment's 2nd and 4th Squadron participated in the Italo-Turkish War.
At the outbreak of World War I the regiment formed the 737th and 738th machine gun companies, which together with the four regular squadrons of the regiment fought on the Italian front: first in 1915 on the Karst Plateau, then in 1916 in Monfalcone. In 1917, during the Italian retreat after the Battle of Caporetto, the regiment's cavalry squadrons delayed the enemy around San Vito al Tagliamento, while the two machine gun companies defended the bridge at Lucinico over the Isonzo, and then the bridge at Casarsa della Delizia over the Tagliamento; actions which aided the escape of the 3rd Army to the new Piave river front. After the Battle of Vittorio Veneto the regiment advanced through the breach in the Austrian lines liberating Sacile and Cordenons, before stopping in Pozzuolo del Friuli, when the Armistice of Villa Giusti came into effect. For the regiment's conduct at Monfalcone and for the liberation of Sacile the regiment was awarded a Bronze Medal of Military Valour. After the war the Italian cavalry was reduced in size and the regiment was disbanded in 1919 with its squadrons forming the II Squadrons Group of the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Foggia". Already one year later the Foggia regiment was disbanded and the Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" reformed. To bring the regiment back to full strength it received the two squadrons of the disbanded Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Vicenza", which had joined the Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" a year earlier.
In 1934 the regiment became the army's Fast Tanks School Regiment and began to raise groups equipped L3/33 tankettes:
I Fast Tanks Group "San Marco"
II Fast Tanks Group "San Giusto"
III Fast Tanks Group "San Martino"
The regiment also retained the Mounted Squadrons Group "San Giorgio" with two squadrons of cavalry, which was officially activated on formed 5 January 1934. In 1935 the three fast tank groups were ceded to the army's three fast divisions: 1st "Eugenio di Savoia", 2nd "Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro", and 3rd "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta". Each of the three fast divisions fielded two cavalry regiments and the Fast Tanks School Regiment raised six fast tank squadrons, one for each of the remaining six cavalry regiments: "Nizza Cavalleria", "Piemonte Reale Cavalleria", "Genova Cavalleria", "Lancieri di Aosta, "Cavalleggeri di Monferrato", and one for the Fast Tanks School Regiment itself. However with the Second Italo-Ethiopian War looming the six squadrons were used to form the IV Fast Tanks Group "Duca degli Abruzzi" and the V Fast Tanks Group "Baldissera", which both saw combat in Ethiopia. At the outbreak of the World War II the regiment was sent to Albania, where it participated in the disastrous Greco-Italian War. For its conduct during the initial Italian offensive and the following Greek counter-offensive the regiment was awarded its second Bronze Medal of Military Valour. The regiment remained in Albania for the remainder of the war and dissolved after Italy had switched sides with the Armistice of Cassibile. On 30 November 1940 the XIV Group on foot "Cavalleggeri Guide" was raised from reserve personnel and assigned to the 210th Coastal Division in Salento. After the Armistice of Cassibile the unit was reorganized as 14th Combat Supply Unit "Guide" by the Italian Co-belligerent Army and served in the Italian liberation campaign.
Cold War
On 1 April 1949 in Tor di Quinto the unit was reformed as Armored Cavalry Squadron "Guide", which within the same year moved to Casarsa della Delizia, where it joined the Armored Brigade "Ariete". In December 1953 the unit was renamed Squadrons Group "Cavalleggeri Guide" and in 1958 Squadrons Group "Cavalleggeri Guide". In 1963 the squadrons group was sent to Longarone to help rescue efforts after the Vajont dam disaster. For its conduct in Longarone the squadrons group was awarded a Silver Medal of Civil Valor. During the Italian Army 1975 reform the unit's name was changed to 19th Squadrons Group "Cavalleggeri Guide" and it received the flag of the Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide", which until then had been stored at the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome. For its conduct and work after the 1976 Friuli earthquake the battalion was awarded a Silver Medal of Army Valour, which was affixed to the battalion's war flag and added to the battalion's coat of arms. In 1986 the Armored Division "Ariete" was disbanded and the squadrons group passed to the 32nd Armored Brigade "Mameli".
Recent times
On 1 April 1991 the Mameli brigade was disbanded and the squadrons group moved from Casarsa della Delizia to Salerno in the South of Italy, where it joined the Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi". On 5 August of the same year the squadrons group was renamed 19th Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" without changing size or composition. On 2 August 1992 the regiment returned to its traditional name Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" and became one of the first units to fully professionalize. In 1992 the regiment participated in the internationalUnified Task Force and UNOSOM II missions in Somalia. In December 1998 the regiment was deployed to North Macedonia for a possible NATO-led ground invasion of Kosovo during the Kosovo War. After the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement between Yugoslavia and the Kosovo Force the regiment entered Kosovo as part of the Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi". The regiment remained in Kosovo until 7 September 1999 and for its conduct there was awarded a Gold Medal of Army Valour, which was affixed to the regiment's war flag and added to the regiment's coat of arms.
Current structure
As of 2019 the Regiment "Cavalleggeri Guide" consists of:
The Command and Logistic Support Squadron fields the following platoons: C3 Platoon, Transport and Materiel Platoon, Medical Platoon, and Commissariat Platoon. The three reconnaissance squadrons are equipped with VTLM Lince vehicles and Centauro tank destroyers, the latter of which are scheduled to be replaced by Freccia reconnaissance vehicles. The Heavy Armor Squadron is equipped with Centauro tank destroyers, which are being replaced by Centauro II tank destroyers. With the introduction of the Freccia reconnaissance vehicles the reconnaissance squadrons will be reduced from three to two.
