2nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment (Italy)

The 2nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment (2° Reggimento Artiglieria Controaerei) is an inactive air defence regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna. Originally an air defence regiment of the Royal Italian Army, the unit was last active from 1992 to 1996. The regimental anniversary falls, as for all Italian Army artillery regiments, on June 15, the beginning of the Second Battle of the Piave River in 1918.

History
On 30 October 1926 the 10th Anti-aircraft Artillery Center was formed in Naples, which incorporated the existing 8th Anti-aircraft Group. On 1 January 1927 the center consisted of a command, a mixed group with two training batteries equipped with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns and one training battery equipped with 76/45 anti-aircraft guns, a photo-electricians unit, and a depot. The center's photo-electricians operated searchlights.

On 1 April 1930 the center received from the 5th Anti-aircraft Artillery Center a trucked group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns and a photo-electricians unit. On 1 June of the same year the center changed its name to 2nd Trucked Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment. In April 1931 the two photo-electricians units were disbanded and in each of the two groups a photo-electricians section and a acoustic locator squad were formed. In June of the same year the regiment received a trucked group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns in Palermo from the disbanded 12th Anti-aircraft Artillery Center.

On 1 January 1934 the regiment changed its name to 2nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment and on the 31st of the same month the regiment transferred the trucked group in Palermo to the 12th Heavy Artillery Regiment. On 15 September 1935 the regiment was mobilized for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. After mobilitzation the regiment formed the IV Trucked Group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns and on 23 March 1936 the 252nd and 253rd positional batteries with 76/45 anti-aircraft guns. The two batteries and the regiment's II Trucked Group, which was redesignated VII Trucked Group, were deployed to Cyrenaica in Italian Libya. The regiment was demobilized on 9 July 1936, with the exception of the VII Trucked Group, which was based in Tobruk since 16 April 1936 and returned to Italy on 7 October, where the group was disbanded.

In 1937 the regiment formed two trucked groups with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns: on 13 May the XX Group and on 1 October the XXI Group, both of which were transferred to Libya, where they were assigned to the XX Army Corps, respectively the XXI Army Corps.

World War II


On 2 September 1939 the regiment was mobilized for service in World War II. At the time the regiment consisted of a command, a command unit, the III Group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns, and the XXIV Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns. The XXIV Group was sent to Italian East Africa, while the III Group was assigned to the Territorial Defense Command of Rome.

During the war the regiment's depot in Naples mobilized the following units:


 * III Trucked Group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns
 * XVI Trucked Group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns
 * XLVI Trucked Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns
 * XLVII Trucked Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns
 * XC Trucked Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns
 * XCI Trucked Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns
 * DV Trucked Group with 90/53 anti-aircraft guns on Breda 52 trucks
 * DVII Trucked Group with 90/53 anti-aircraft guns on Breda 52 trucks
 * XLII Positional Group with 7.5cm PL vz.37 anti-aircraft guns
 * LXX Positional Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns
 * LXXI Positional Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns
 * LXXII Positional Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns
 * LXXIII Positional Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns
 * XX Positional Group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns
 * LX Positional Group with 75/27 A.V. anti-aircraft guns
 * XXVII Positional Group with 7.5 cm Flak M35 (d) anti-aircraft guns
 * XXX Positional Group with 8.8cm Flak anti-aircraft guns
 * LIII Positional Group with 20/70 autocannons
 * LXXVI Positional Group with 20/70 autocannons
 * D Positional Group with 20/70 autocannons, the group was used to protect naval transports
 * DL Positional Group with 20/70 autocannons
 * DLI Positional Group with 20/70 autocannons
 * DLII Positional Group with 20/70 autocannons
 * CII Positional Group with 20/70 autocannons
 * CIII Positional Group with 20/70 autocannons
 * CIV Positional Group with 20/70 autocannons
 * CV Positional Group with 20/70 autocannons
 * CVI Positional Group with 20/70 autocannons

On 23 July 1940 the regimental command was sent to North Africa, where it incorporated the following groups:


 * VI Group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns, in Derna (from the 5th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment)
 * VII Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns, in Benghazi (from the 1st Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment)
 * XV Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns, in Cyrene (from the 1st Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment)
 * XVII Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns, Bardia (from the 4th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment)
 * XX Group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns, in Tobruk
 * XXI Group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns, in Bardia (from the 1st Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment)
 * XXII Group with 75/46 mod. 34 anti-aircraft guns, in Bardia (from the 4th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment)

The regiment's groups were wiped out during the British Operation Compass and the regiment had to be rebuilt with the following units:


 * XIV Group with 75/27 C.K. anti-aircraft guns (from the 5th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment)
 * XLII Group with 7.5cm PL vz.37 anti-aircraft guns
 * XLIII Group with 7.5cm PL vz.37 anti-aircraft guns (from the 4th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment)
 * XVIII Group with 8.8cm Flak anti-aircraft guns (from the 3rd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment)
 * XXIX Group with 8.8cm Flak anti-aircraft guns (from the 3rd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment)

The 2nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment and its groups participated in the Western Desert campaign and the Tunisian campaign. The remnants of the regiment surrendered to the Allies on 13 May 1943 in Tunis.

The depot also mobilized the command of the 31st Positional Anti-aircraft Artillery Grouping for service in Tripoli and the command of the 40th Positional Anti-aircraft Artillery Grouping. The regiment itself participated in the Western Desert campaign and then the Tunisian campaign. The regiment was declared lost after Axis forces in Tunisia surrendered on 12 May 1943.

Cold War
On 1 June 1947 the regiment was reformed as 2nd Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment in Mantua with the personnel and materiel of the VI Anti-aircraft Group of the 11th Field Artillery Regiment. The regiment was assigned to the Infantry Division "Legnano" and consisted of a command, a command unit, the I Group with 40/56 autocannons, and the II Group with 40/56 autocannons. The following August the regiment moved from Chieri to Albenga.

On 1 January 1951 the Infantry Division "Legnano" included the following artillery regiments:


 * Infantry Division "Legnano", in Bergamo
 * Horse Artillery Regiment, in Milan
 * 11th Field Artillery Regiment, in Cremona
 * 27th Anti-tank Field Artillery Regiment, in Milan
 * 2nd Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, in Mantua

On 1 July 1951 the regiment was reorganized as 2nd Heavy Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment and transferred the I Light Anti-aircraft Group to the Horse Artillery Regiment and the II Light Anti-aircraft Group to the 11th Field Artillery Regiment. The regiment received in turn the CIII Group with 90/53 anti-aircraft guns from the Anti-aircraft Artillery School.

In April 1952 the regiment added a second group with 90/53 anti-aircraft guns. In March 1954 the regiment added a third group with 90/53 anti-aircraft guns and the V Light Anti-aircraft Group with 40/56 autocannons. On 1 January 1956 the regiment received the VI Light Anti-aircraft Group with 40/56 autocannons from the 6th Mountain Artillery Regiment of the Alpine Brigade "Cadore". The next month the V and VI groups were renumbered and as IV and V groups. Also in 1956 the 90/53 anti-aircraft guns were replaced by American 90/50 M1 anti-aircraft guns. On 10 October 1957 the regiment also received the VI Light Anti-aircraft Group with 40/56 autocannons from the 5th Mountain Artillery Regiment of the Alpine Brigade "Orobica".

At the end of 1957 the regiment consisted of the following units:


 * CoA mil ITA rgt artiglieria c a 002.png 2nd Heavy Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, in Mantua
 * Command Unit
 * I Heavy Anti-aircraft Group with 90/50 M1 anti-aircraft guns
 * II Heavy Anti-aircraft Group with 90/50 M1 anti-aircraft guns
 * III Heavy Anti-aircraft Group with 90/50 M1 anti-aircraft guns
 * IV Light Anti-aircraft Group with 40/56 autocannons
 * V Light Anti-aircraft Group with 40/56 autocannons
 * VI Light Anti-aircraft Group with 40/56 autocannons

On 30 March 1960 the V and VI light anti-aircraft groups were disbanded, followed by the III Heavy Anti-aircraft Group 1 October 1961. On 1 September 1963 the IV Light Anti-aircraft Group was disbanded, but on the same date the regiment reformed the III Heavy Anti-aircraft Group. On 31 August 1964 the regiment and its groups were disbanded and the regiment's flag was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome.

Recent times
On 1 October 1992 the 2nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment was reformed in Ravenna and the same day the regiment incorporated the 1st Group of the disbanded 4th Anti-aircraft Missiles Artillery Regiment. The regiment now operated MIM-23 Hawk air-defence missile systems. On 30 October 1996 the 2nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment was again disbanded and the next day the regiment's flag was once more transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome