232nd Signal Regiment (Italy)

The 232nd Signal Regiment (232° Reggimento Trasmissioni) is a deployable signals regiment of the Italian Army based in Avellino in Campania. The unit was formed in 1958 as a battalion and assigned to the Armored Division "Ariete". In 1975 the battalion was named for the Fadalto Pass and received the number 232nd, which had been used by the 232nd Connections Company that served with the 132nd Armored Division "Ariete" during the Western Desert Campaign of World War II. With the name and number the battalion also received its own flag. In 1991 the battalion was disbanded and in 2004 reformed as 232nd Signal Regiment, which initially consisted only of the Battalion "Legnano". In 2015 the regiment reformed the Battalion "Fadalto" as its second signal battalion. The regiment is assigned to the army's Signal Command and affiliated with the Division "Acqui". The regimental anniversary falls, as for all signal units, on June 20, the height of the Second Battle of the Piave River in 1918.

World War II
In February 1939 the 132nd Mixed Engineer Company was formed by 4th Engineer Regiment in Verona for the 132nd Armored Division "Ariete". On 11 August 1941 132nd Mixed Engineer Company was split to form the 132nd Engineer Company and the 232nd Connections Company, which both entered the newly formed XXXII Mixed Engineer Battalion. The division participated in the Western Desert Campaign. The division and battalion were destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein in November 1942 and declared lost due to wartime events on 8 December 1942.

Cold War
On 23 May 1948 the Italian Army formed the Armored Brigade "Ariete" in Rome. The brigade included a connections platoon that grew over the next years into a company. The brigade had been transferred in 1948 to the city of Pordenone in the Friuli region in Northern Italy. On 1 October 1952 the brigade was expanded to Armored Division "Ariete". On 1 October 1958 the company was expanded to Signal Battalion "Ariete" and based in the city of Casarsa. The battalion consisted of a command, a command platoon, and two signal companies.

During the 1975 army reform the army disbanded the regimental level and newly independent battalions were granted for the first time their own flags. During the reform signal battalions were renamed for mountain passes. On 1 November 1975 the Signal Battalion "Ariete" was renamed 232nd Signal Battalion "Fadalto". After the reform the battalion consisted of a command, a command and services platoon, two signal companies, and a repairs and recovery platoon and fielded 572 men (19 officers, 99 non-commissioned officers, and 454 soldiers). On 12 November 1976 the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone issued decree 846, which granted the battalion a new flag.

For its conduct and work after the 1976 Friuli earthquake the battalion was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the battalion's flag.

In 1986 the Armored Division "Ariete was disbanded and therefore on 1 August 1986 the battalion was transferred to the 5th Army Corps' Signal Command. On 1 June 1989 the battalion was reorganized and now consisted of a command, a command and services company, the 1st and 2nd signal center companies, and the 3rd Radio Relay Company.

With the end of the Cold War the Italian Army began to draw down its forces and on 30 April 1991 the battalion was disbanded. On 13 May 1991 the flag of the 232nd Signal Battalion "Fadalto" was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome.

Recent times
On 29 September 2004 the 232nd Signal Regiment was formed in Avellino as a projection signal regiment capable to deploy and operate outside Italy. The regiment consisted of a command, a command and services company, and the Battalion "Legnano" with three signal companies. The regiment received the flag and traditions of the 232nd Signal Battalion "Fadalto", as well as the traditions of the Signal Battalion "Legnano", which had been part of the Infantry Division "Legnano" and was disbanded on 29 November 1975. On 1 October 2015 the regiment formed the Battalion "Fadalto".

Organization
As of 2023 the 232nd Signal Regiment consists of:


 * CoA mil ITA rgt trasmissioni 232.png Regimental Command, in Avellino
 * Command and Logistic Support Company
 * Battalion "Legnano"
 * 1st Signal Company
 * 2nd Signal Company
 * 3rd Signal Company
 * CoA mil ITA rgt trasmissioni 232.png Battalion "Fadalto"
 * 4th Signal Company
 * 5th Signal Company
 * 6th Signal Company