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28th Regiment Pavia (Operational Communication)
Shoulder sleeve insignia, worn on the right sleeve of the Combat & Service Uniform.
Active	1860 – 1942 1958 – present
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Type	Psychological operations unit
Role	Psychological warfare and civil affairs
Size	One regiment (battalion sized)
Part of	Army Special Forces Command
Headquarters	Pesaro, Marche
Nickname(s)	I verdi di Gorizia "The greens of Gorizia" (28th Infantry Regiment Pavia)
Motto(s)	Ardeam dum luceam "May it dare, as long as it shines" (coat of arms) Dixi, suasi, vici "I said, I persuaded, I won" (shoulder sleeve insignia)
Colors	Green and red (collar insignia)
Anniversaries	23 July
Engagements	Third Italian War of Independence Eritrean War First Italo-Ethiopian War World War I World War II War in Afghanistan
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Giovanni Gagliano
Insignia
Coat of arms
Beret insignia

The 28th Regiment Pavia (28º Reggimento "Pavia") is a psychological operations regiment (referred to as "operational communications" in Italy) of the Italian Army. Since 2013, it's subordinate to the newly-constituted Army Special Forces Command (Comando Forze Speciali dell'Esercito – CoFoSE). The regiment is headquartered at "Del Monte" and "Cialdini" Barracks in Pesaro, Marche. Since 27 June 2012 the commander of the regiment is Colonel Giovanni Gagliano.

History and operations

The early years

The regiment war formed on 1 March 1860 as the 28th Infantry Regiment (Pavia Brigade). It became part, in conjunction with the 27th Infantry Regiment (Pavia Brigade), of the Pavia Brigade of the Royal Sardinian Army. The first operational deployment of the regiment was against the brigandage in Southern Italy in 1862. In 1866 the 28th Infantry Regiment took part in the Third Italian War of Independence under the Pavia Brigade of the 15th Division of Lieutenant General Giacomo Medici. On 21 July 1866 the regiment was commanded by Colonel Federico Nedbal and had a strength of 69 officers, 1,856 other ranks and 43 horses. Two days later, 23 July 1866, its soldiers assaulted and seized the villages of Borgo Valsugana and Levico, thus earning the Gold Medal of Military Valor.

In 1870 portions of the 28th Infantry took part in the Capture of Rome. In 1871 it was renamed as 28th Infantry Regiment Pavia and in 1881 it was renamed one more time as 28th Infantry Regiment (Pavia Brigade). Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, soldiers of the regiment participated in the Battle of Adwa and in the Italo-Turkish War.

World War I

With the declaration of war of Italy against the Central Powers on 23 May 1915, the 28th Infantry Regiment was then part of the Pavia Brigade of the 12th Division and made up by three infantry battalions (I, II, and III), each one subsequently composed of four rifle companies (1st – 4th in I Bn., 5th – 8th in II Bn. and 9th – 12th in III Bn.) and a machine-gun section.

From June to August 1915 the 28th Infantry was involved in the unsuccessfully First and Second Battles of the Isonzo. These engagements were followed in mid-October by the Sabotino campaign, which led to the conquest of the city of Gorizia and caused over 1,400 casualties among the ranks of the 28th. After a 10-day period of rest and recuperation, the unit was dispatched to the Lucinico sector in November.

On 12 August 1916 the regiment took part in a major offensive to reconquer the city of Gorizia, losing over 1,560 men.

– – – TO BE COMPLETED – – –

Postwar and World War II

In 1926 a major reorganization of the Royal Italian Army, known as Ordinamento Mussolini, occurred. On 11 March the unit was reconstituted as the 28th Infantry Regiment Pavia, which together with the 27th Infantry Pavia and the 11th Infantry Casale made up the XVII Infantry Brigade of the 17th Ravenna's Territorial Military Division (which later became the 17th Rubicon's Infantry Division and then 17th Infantry Division Pavia (Truck-Movable Northern Africa)).

In August 1939, the 28th Infantry Pavia was sent to Tripolitania, Lybia, where it stayed until the declaration of war of Italy on Great Britain and France on 10 June 1940. At this time the regiment comprised a headquarters, headquarters company, mortar company (6x 81mm Mod. 35 mortars), infantry weapons company (4x 65mm Mod. 13 guns) and three infantry battalions of headquarters, headquarters company, three rifle companies and infantry weapons company (18x 45mm Mod. 35 mortars).

Between 1940 and 1942 the regiment took part, along with the 27th Infantry Regiment Pavia and the 26th Artillery Regiment Rubicone, in the Siege of Tobruk, Operation Crusader, Battle of Gazala, First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa. During the Second Battle of El Alamein (October – November 1942) the regiment was deployed in the southern edge of the Axis line of defense, near the Qattara Depression, in support of elements of the 185th Airborne Division Folgore. Outnumbered and outgunned by the British forces, and after suffering heavy casualties, the regiment was disbanded in late November 1942.

Cold War and recent years

On 1 July 1958 the regiment was reconstituted as the 28th Infantry Regiment Pavia (CAR), replacing the 6th Recruit Training Center (Centro Addestramento Reclute – CAR) as a training unit for the army. It was made up by three battalions: one at Pesaro, one at Fano and one at Falconara Marittima. With the 1975 reform of the Italian Army, the 28th Infantry Regiment (just like every other regiment) was disbanded and its traditions and colours were handed over to the newly-constituted 28th Infantry Battalion Pavia on 15 November 1975. This new battalion served as the training battalion of the Folgore Mechanized Division until 1986, when the division was disbanded.

With the 1991 reform of the Italian Army the battalions were converted again into regiments. So was the 28th Infantry Pavia, who became the 28th Infantry Regiment Pavia on 17 September 1991. Reduced in strength (its 2nd Battalion was detached from the unit to become the new 121st Regiment Macerata) and renamed 28th Regiment Pavia on 7 January 1993, in April 2003 the regiment started its transformation from training to psychological warfare regiment. From 2004 to 2006 it was involved in small numbers in Operation Ancient Babylon (Iraq), International Security Assistance Force (Afghanistan) and KFOR (Kosovo). In February 2012 the regiment provided support during the snow emergency in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino. Since 2013 the 28th Regiment Pavia is subordinate to the new Army Special Forces Command. Before that year it depended from the Artillery Command.

Lineage

• Constituted as 28th Infantry Regiment (Pavia Brigade) on 1 March 1860
• Redesignated as 28th Infantry Regiment Pavia in 1871
• Redesignated as 28th Infantry Regiment (Pavia Brigade) in 1881
• Redesignated as 28th Infantry Regiment Pavia in 1926

Disbanded in 1942

• Reconstituted as 28th Infantry Regiment Pavia (CAR) on 1 July 1958

Disbanded on 15 November 1975

• Reorganized and redesignated as 28th Infantry Battalion Pavia in 1975
• Reorganized and redesignated as 28th Infantry Regiment Pavia on 17 September 1991
• Reorganized and redesignated as 28th Regiment Pavia on 7 January 1993

Organizational structure

The 28th Regiment Pavia, commanded by a Colonel, is made up by a Headquarters, a Headquarters Company, a Planning & Development Center for Operational Communications and the 1st Battalion. The battalion, its main tactical unit and commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel, comprises the following units and companies:

• Headquarters
• 1st Internet & Press Materials Company
• 2nd Television & Radio Materials Company
• 3rd Materials Dissemination Company

Each company is led by a Captain.

Honors

Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare	Awarded on 6 December 1866 Awarded for taking part in the liberation of the villages of Borgo and Levico during the Third Italian War of Independence, 23 July 1866. Then part of the Pavia Brigade.
Medaglia d'Argento al Valor Militare	Awarded on 28 December 1916 Awarded for taking part in the Sabotino and Podgora campaigns and the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo (also known as Battle of Gorizia), July 1915 – August 1916. Then part of the Pavia Brigade.
Ordine Militare d'Italia	Awarded on 5 June 1920 Awarded for its service during the First World War, 1915 – 1918. Then part of the Pavia Brigade.
Medaglia d'Argento al Valor Militare	Awarded on 31 December 1947 Awarded for its service during the Siege of Tobruk and the North African Campaign, 30 May 1941 – 20 March 1942. Then part of the 17th Infantry Division Pavia.

In popular culture

The 28th Infantry Regiment Pavia was depicted in the 2002 war movie El Alamein - La linea del fuoco.

See also

• Psychological warfare

Similar units:

• 15 (United Kingdom) Psychological Operations Group
• 4th Military Information Support Group
• 8th Military Information Support Group

References

Bibliography

• Tabachi, Tito (1867). La divisione Medici nel Trentino. Tipografia Eredi Botta.
• Unknown author(s) (1925). Riassunti storici dei Corpi e Comandi nella guerra 1915 – 1918. Brigate di fanteria – Vol. II. Libreria dello Stato.

External links

• Italian Army's Official Page

Category:Regiments of Italy in World War I Category:Regiments of Italy in World War II