232nd Signal Regiment (Italy)

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.[1][4][5]

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.[1][4]

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.[6] On 1 November 1975 the Signal Battalion "Ariete" was renamed 232nd Signal Battalion "Fadalto".[1][4] After the reform the battalion consisted of a command, a command and services platoon, two signal companies, and a repairs and recovery platoon.[7] On 12 November 1976 the battalion was granted a flag by decree 846 of the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone.[8]

For its conduct and work after the 1976 Friuli earthquake the battalion was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valour, which was affixed to the battalion's flag.[2][9]

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.[1][4]

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.[1][4]

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".[1]