y***@yahoo.com
2006-04-22 20:33:53 UTC
ITALIAN RANGERS LINK UP WITH U.S. COUNTERPARTS
Infantry ISSN:00199532.
Jan/Feb 2006. Vol. 95, Iss. 1, p. 48-49 (2 pp.)
The purpose of the visit was to collect information about the training
conducted at the U.S. Ranger School, establish a close link with the
U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, and to plan cross-training with this
Special Operations unit.
The 4th Italian Ranger Regiment was first born as "Monte Cervino"
Battalion (the italo-swiss Matterhorn mountain, named from the Italian
side) at the beginning of World War I during the winter of 1915. It
fought at Passo della Borcola, on the Pasubio, on Monte Vodice, and on
Monte Grappa.
Disbanded in 1919, it was brought back again in 1940 as a skiing
battalion and fought in Greece and Albania during World War II. In
November 1941, it fought on the Russian front, where it was heavily
involved in hard and long fighting.
The constitution of the Alpini Airborne Platoons occurred in 1952, and
the constitution of the Alpini Airborne Company occurred in 1964. In
1996 this company became the Ranger Battalion Monte Cervino. and it
finally became the 4th Ranger Regiment in September 2004.
In the last 20 years, the 4th Ranger Regiment has participated in many
worldwide operations including those in Mozambique, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Afghanistan, and Iraq.
The 4th Italian Ranger Regiment is prepared to plan and conduct direct
actions and carry out light infantry tasks at strategic and operational
levels.
Today, they are accomplishing missions in Nasiriya and Baghdad, Iraq,
and in Kabul and Herat. Afghanistan.
The headquarters of the Italian Ranger Regiment is located in Bolzano,
in northeast Italy near one the most beautiful mountain landscape of
the world: the Dolomite mountains. The Italian Rangers use this terrain
to train themselves to move, fight, and survive in the hardest
environment for soldiers: the mountains.
Gaining the Italian Ranger qualification is a long and hard process.
First, volunteers have to become military parachutists. After the
four-week school, Rangers next spend 17 weeks in Bolzano for basic
training.
During this phase, instructors focus their attention on the physical
and psychological attitude of the soldiers. Physical training, land
navigation, shooting and patrol procedures are the minimum capabilities
that they have to learn.
After this phase, candidates attend the Ranger course (six weeks),
which is the most important part of the training. They have to prepare
and eonduct at least tour missions (direct actions), and Ranger
instructors evaluate candidates as patrol leader, medic, RTO, and
weapons squad leader.
The amphibious course is the phase that follows the Ranger course. In
these two weeks, candidates learn how to move and survive in a water
environment.
The last 16 weeks of the course are focused on mountain training.
During the first eight weeks of this last phase. Rangers learn what it
means to move, survive, and fight in a mountain environment. The
purpose of this phase is to teach them the different techniques for
climbing with weapons, patrol equipment and in all weather conditions.
Many hours are spent teaching knots and rappelling methods. At the end
of the course, the best qualified candidates will be sent to Italian
Alpini Military School to become climbing instructors. Within the unit,
more than 50 Rangers are climbing instructors.
in a winter environment on skis carrying a lot of weight.
At the end of this long training period, candidates move to one of the
two Ranger companies. But soldiers' training is not finished; usually
in a year they will conduct at least four live-fire exercises by day
and night at platoon level, two live-fire exercises by day and night at
company level, one live-fire exercise by day and night at battalion
level as well as air assault exercises with army aviation.
Only few selected soldiers are gathered in the "Recon platoon" where
they specialize their training with the free fall jump course.
This platoon conducts tactical reconnaissance, surveillance and direct
action operations in support of the Ranger Regiment, pathfinder
operations, mark drop zones and conduct operations with other SOF.
Currently, the 4th Italian Ranger Regiment has two officers and two
NCOs who graduated from the U.S. Ranger School. One of this two NCOs,
Master Sergeant Luca Bertozzo is also qualified as an instructor for
the U.S. school and spent last year working as an instructor in the
school's mountain phase.
The 4th Italian Ranger Regiment commander hopes to continue sending
others officers or NCOs to the U.S. Ranger course and to improve
cross-training between the Italian Rangers and 75th Ranger Regiment.
Infantry ISSN:00199532.
Jan/Feb 2006. Vol. 95, Iss. 1, p. 48-49 (2 pp.)
The purpose of the visit was to collect information about the training
conducted at the U.S. Ranger School, establish a close link with the
U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, and to plan cross-training with this
Special Operations unit.
The 4th Italian Ranger Regiment was first born as "Monte Cervino"
Battalion (the italo-swiss Matterhorn mountain, named from the Italian
side) at the beginning of World War I during the winter of 1915. It
fought at Passo della Borcola, on the Pasubio, on Monte Vodice, and on
Monte Grappa.
Disbanded in 1919, it was brought back again in 1940 as a skiing
battalion and fought in Greece and Albania during World War II. In
November 1941, it fought on the Russian front, where it was heavily
involved in hard and long fighting.
The constitution of the Alpini Airborne Platoons occurred in 1952, and
the constitution of the Alpini Airborne Company occurred in 1964. In
1996 this company became the Ranger Battalion Monte Cervino. and it
finally became the 4th Ranger Regiment in September 2004.
In the last 20 years, the 4th Ranger Regiment has participated in many
worldwide operations including those in Mozambique, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Afghanistan, and Iraq.
The 4th Italian Ranger Regiment is prepared to plan and conduct direct
actions and carry out light infantry tasks at strategic and operational
levels.
Today, they are accomplishing missions in Nasiriya and Baghdad, Iraq,
and in Kabul and Herat. Afghanistan.
The headquarters of the Italian Ranger Regiment is located in Bolzano,
in northeast Italy near one the most beautiful mountain landscape of
the world: the Dolomite mountains. The Italian Rangers use this terrain
to train themselves to move, fight, and survive in the hardest
environment for soldiers: the mountains.
Gaining the Italian Ranger qualification is a long and hard process.
First, volunteers have to become military parachutists. After the
four-week school, Rangers next spend 17 weeks in Bolzano for basic
training.
During this phase, instructors focus their attention on the physical
and psychological attitude of the soldiers. Physical training, land
navigation, shooting and patrol procedures are the minimum capabilities
that they have to learn.
After this phase, candidates attend the Ranger course (six weeks),
which is the most important part of the training. They have to prepare
and eonduct at least tour missions (direct actions), and Ranger
instructors evaluate candidates as patrol leader, medic, RTO, and
weapons squad leader.
The amphibious course is the phase that follows the Ranger course. In
these two weeks, candidates learn how to move and survive in a water
environment.
The last 16 weeks of the course are focused on mountain training.
During the first eight weeks of this last phase. Rangers learn what it
means to move, survive, and fight in a mountain environment. The
purpose of this phase is to teach them the different techniques for
climbing with weapons, patrol equipment and in all weather conditions.
Many hours are spent teaching knots and rappelling methods. At the end
of the course, the best qualified candidates will be sent to Italian
Alpini Military School to become climbing instructors. Within the unit,
more than 50 Rangers are climbing instructors.
From January to March, Rangers attend the skiing phase. This is usually
the more dangerous part of the course because candidates have to patrolin a winter environment on skis carrying a lot of weight.
At the end of this long training period, candidates move to one of the
two Ranger companies. But soldiers' training is not finished; usually
in a year they will conduct at least four live-fire exercises by day
and night at platoon level, two live-fire exercises by day and night at
company level, one live-fire exercise by day and night at battalion
level as well as air assault exercises with army aviation.
Only few selected soldiers are gathered in the "Recon platoon" where
they specialize their training with the free fall jump course.
This platoon conducts tactical reconnaissance, surveillance and direct
action operations in support of the Ranger Regiment, pathfinder
operations, mark drop zones and conduct operations with other SOF.
Currently, the 4th Italian Ranger Regiment has two officers and two
NCOs who graduated from the U.S. Ranger School. One of this two NCOs,
Master Sergeant Luca Bertozzo is also qualified as an instructor for
the U.S. school and spent last year working as an instructor in the
school's mountain phase.
The 4th Italian Ranger Regiment commander hopes to continue sending
others officers or NCOs to the U.S. Ranger course and to improve
cross-training between the Italian Rangers and 75th Ranger Regiment.