I Lupi

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The regiment was formed 1 August 1862 as the 78th Infantry Regiment, with companies ceded by the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Grenadiers Regiments, plus companies from the 19th, 20th, 22nd, 27th, and 34th Infantry Regiments. Initially based in Milan, it operated in 1864–65 near Naples and Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi to suppress the anti-Sardinian revolt. In 1866 it fought in the Third Italian War of Independence. On 1 April 1871 it was transferred from Grenadiers to line infantry, becoming the 78th Infantry Regiment. In World War I the regiment fought on the Italian front: in 1915 in the Giudicarie sector and Monte Melino; August 1916 in the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo on Monte Sabotino; October 1916 in the Eighth Battle of the Isonzo for Veliki Hribach; November 1916 in the Ninth Battle of the Isonzo on Fajtji hrib. On 28 December 1916 both regiments of the brigade were awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor for Monte Sabotino. In May 1917 the regiment fought in the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo in the Monfalcone sector; August 1917 in the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo along the Timavo river near Duino; December 1917 on the Sette Comuni plateau on Col d'Echele and Col de Rosso; June 1918 in the Adamello sector on Cornone di Blumone; October 1918 on the Piave river for the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, advancing to the Tagliamento river. After the war the regiment was awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valor and a second Silver Medal of Military Valor for Col d'Echele and Col de Rosso. The nickname "Lupi" (Wolves) had already been in use before World War II, and the Gold Medal was awarded for specific actions, not to officialize the nickname. In 1939 the regiment participated in the Italian invasion of Albania. In World War II the regiment was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division "Lupi di Toscana", which fought in the Italian invasion of France and the Greco-Italian War, defending Tepelenë and fighting in the Zagori valley. In 1942 the division participated in Case Anton, the Axis invasion of Vichy France. The division was moving from occupied France to Rome when informed of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943; units already in Rome resisted German forces until 12 September, but were overcome and disbanded. In 1947 the regiment was reformed and based in Tuscany. In 1975 it was reduced to a battalion-sized unit, reformed as regiment in 1992, disbanded in 1995, and fin

In Their Own Story

On 1 August 1862, in Milan, the 7th Grenadiers Regiment mustered for the first time. Its men came from a dozen other regiments—grenadiers of Sardinia, Lombardy, Naples, and infantry from Brescia, Cremona, Livorno, Pavia. They were a composite of a newly unified kingdom. In 1866, on the hills of the Third War of Independence, they learned to fight together. But it was on the Karst plateau in 1916 that the regiment earned its name. On Monte Sabotino, during the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo, the 78th Infantry Regiment stormed the slopes under Austro-Hungarian fire. The brigade's conduct earned a Silver Medal of Military Valor on 28 December 1916. Later, on the Sette Comuni plateau, at Col d'Echele and Col de Rosso in December 1917, the regiment held against winter and enemy, earning a second Silver Medal. After the war, the royal decree awarding the Gold Medal of Military Valor made official what the soldiers already called themselves: "Lupi"—Wolves. In 1940, those wolves crossed the Alps into France, then sailed to Albania, where at Tepelenë they dug in against the Greeks. In 1942 they marched into Vichy France as part of Case Anton. On 8 September 1943, near Rome, the Armistice of Cassibile caught them mid-move. Those already in the capital fought German forces until 12 September, then were overcome and disbanded. The regiment reformed in 1947 in Tuscany, reduced to a battalion in 1975, reformed as regiment in 1992, disbanded in 1995. On 1 October 2022, the name, flag, and traditions of the 78th Infantry Regiment "Lupi di Toscana" were assigned to the Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Vittorio Veneto" of the Division "Vittorio Veneto".

Reader's Guide

The 78th Infantry Regiment "Lupi di Toscana" is based in Florence, Tuscany, as part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. As of 1 October 2022, its name, flag, and traditions are carried by the Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Vittorio Veneto" of the Division "Vittorio Veneto". The regiment's history spans from its formation in 1862 as a grenadier regiment to its service in three wars of Italian unification, World War I (where it earned a Gold Medal of Military Valor and two Silver Medals), the interwar period (including the invasion of Albania in 1939), and World War II (fighting in France, Greece, and Vichy France before being disbanded in 1943 after resisting German forces in Rome). Reformed in 1947, it served through the Cold War as a battalion and later regiment before being disbanded in 1995 and revived in 2022. The regiment's nickname "Lupi di Toscana" (Wolves of Tuscany) was officialized by royal decree after World War I. Its battle honors include Monte Sabotino (1916), Veliki Hribach (1916), Fajtji hrib (1916), Monfalcone (1917), Duino (1917), Col d'Echele (1917), Col de Rosso (1917), Cornone di Blumone (1918), the Piave river and Vittorio Veneto (1918), Tepelenë (1940–41), and the Zagori valley (1941). The regiment's flag bears the Gold Medal of Military Valor, Italy's highest military honor.

Did You Know?

• The regiment was formed on 1 August 1862 from companies ceded by eight different regiments: the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Grenadiers, plus the 19th, 20th, 22nd, 27th, and 34th Infantry.
• On 28 December 1916 both regiments of the Brigade "Toscana" were awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor for their conduct during the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo on Monte Sabotino.
• The regiment's nickname "Lupi" (Wolves) was already in use before World War II, and the Gold Medal of Military Valor awarded after World War I was for specific actions, not to officialize the nickname.