THE bersaglieri they are a specialized unit of the infantry of the Italian armyknown for the speed of movement. The name is due to the fact that originally these soldiers were specialized in target shooting; are distinguished by the feather hat and for the fanfare who plays the march of the body (known as Flik Flok) at a running pace. The military body exists from 1836when it was established on the initiative of the captain Alessandro La Marmora as part of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Active in the Risorgimento, the Bersaglieri were the protagonists of the Taken of Rome in 1870taking part in the two world wars and other conflicts. Currently, their main tasks are participation in missions in Italy and abroad.
Origins and Bersaglieri missions
The bersaglieri are one Italian army specialties: they form anlight infantry unit which is distinguished by promptness and speed; are currently grouped in 6 regiments and gathered in oneNational Associationwhich welcomes both the soldiers in service and those on leave, and organizes a national gathering every year, with the participation of tens of thousands of people.
The body of the bersaglieri was founded in the field of the Sardinian army, the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the June 18, 1836 On the proposal of the captain (and general future) Alessandro La Marmora. The officer submitted to the sovereign, Carlo Alberto, a report, explaining that it was necessary to equip the army with a light infantry unit, capable of move and operate quicklyto support the line infantry units. The body had its baptism of fire in 1848, participating in several battles of the First War of Independence, including that of the Goito bridge.
After the foundation of the Kingdom of Italy, the body became part of the Royal Army. He highlighted in 1870, when he was the protagonist of the conquest of Rome, still today a Porta piawhere the breach was opened that on 20 September allowed the entrance to the city, the monument to the target, erected in 1936 on the occasion of the centenary of the body stands.
After the Risorgimento, the body took part in the First World War, also constituting a battalion of Soldiers by bicycleand the rapidity of the actions distinguished itself. The Bersaglieri were also involved in a significant episode during the Red two -year period: In June 1920, in the Bersaglieri barracks of Ancona, a revolt began from the refusal of the soldiers to embark on Valona, Albania, to participate in a military operation. The protest quickly extended to the population of the city, transforming itself into a vast popular riot.
In the following years, the body took part in the Second World War and, after the armistice of 8 September, participated in the war of liberation in the context ofItalian cobelligger army (founded to support the allies in the war against Nazi -fascists). Some bersaglieri units, however, were also constituted in the Italian Social Republic.
In 1946, with the birth of the Republic, the Bersaglieri became part of the new Italian army. The first departments were established already in 1946. In recent decades, the Bersaglieri have taken part in Numerous missions abroadproviding service in Lebanon, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Somalia, Iraq, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Latvia and Libya.
Symbols and traditions: the feathered hat and the hymn
The main symbol of the bersaglieri is the feather hatalso said Moretto or Vairain honor of Giuseppe Silvestro Vayrawhich in 1836 was the first to wear the uniform of the body. From the hat derives the nickname of the soldiers, called feathered infantrymen. Very famous is also the anthem of the bersaglieri, known as Flik Flok (because the version sounded was currently composed in 1862 for the Flik Flok ballet). There fanfare of the bersaglieri moves at a running pace, And it is the only musical orchestra that sounds running, for a tradition, which probably dates back to the time of the Breccia di Porta Pia, when the Bersaglieri entered Rome in Rome.
