The 157th Infantry Regiment "Liguria" () is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Albenga. The regiment is named for the region of Liguria and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm.
The regiment was formed in preparation for Italy's entry into World War I. During the war the regiment fought on the Italian front and was awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valour. In 1937 the regiment moved to Italian Libya, where it was assigned to the 63rd Infantry Division "Cirene". In September 1940 the Cirene division participated in the Italian invasion of Egypt, but the division and regiment were destroyed in January 1941 in the Battle of Bardia. For its conduct in Egypt and Libya the regiment's III Battalion was awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valour. Reformed in 1947 the regiment was reduced to a battalion sized motorized unit in 1975. In 1993 the regiment was reformed, disbanded in 1995, and reformed once more as training unit in 1999, which remained active until 2004.
History
Formation
The 157th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Liguria") was formed, together with its sister regiment the 158th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Liguria"), on 1 March 1915 in the city of Genoa, the capital of Liguria. The two regiments formed the Brigade "Liguria", which had been raised with reservists from Liguria and Southern Piedmont by the following pre-war regiments:
33rd Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Livorno") in Cuneo: 157th Infantry Regiment Command I Battalion / 157th Infantry Regiment 34th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Livorno") in Fossano: II Battalion / 157th Infantry Regiment 41st Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Modena") in Savona: III Battalion / 158th Infantry Regiment 44th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Forlì") in Novi Ligure: I Battalion / 158th Infantry Regiment (minus the 4th Company) 74th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Lombardia") in Bra: III Battalion / 157th Infantry Regiment 90th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Salerno") in Genoa: Brigade "Liguria" Command 158th Infantry Regiment Command II Battalion / 158th Infantry Regiment 4th Company / I Battalion / 158th Infantry Regiment
Each battalion consisted of four fusiliers companies and one machine gun section.
World War I
During World War I the Brigade "Liguria" fought on the Italian front, initially in 1915 along the Isonzo river in the East in the area of Monte Nero, however on 15 May 1916 Austro-Hungary commenced the Battle of Asiago and the brigade spent the rest of the war fighting on the Asiago plateau. In June 1916 the brigade fought on the slopes of Monte Zovetto, then defended the Coston di Lora, and in October conquered Austrian positions on Monte Pasubio. For their conduct in 1916 the brigade's two regiments were each awarded Italy's highest military honor, the Gold Medal of Military Valour.
In November and December 1917 the brigade aggressively defended the Meletta di Gallio and Monte Zomo, for which both regiments were awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valour. In June 1918 the brigade defended the Col del Rosso and Col d'Echelle during the Second Battle of the Piave River. During the final battle of the war on the Italian front, the Battle of Vittorio Veneto in October 1918, the brigade attacked Austrian positions on Monte Corno and Monte Spil and once the Austrian lines had been breached advanced into Trentino, where it reached Rovereto by 4 November 1918.
Interwar years
After World War I the Royal Italian Army disbanded the brigades and the regiments formed during the war, with the exception of brigades, whose regiments had both been awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valour. In 1921 the 157th Infantry Regiment moved to Zadar in the newly conquered Province of Zara and was reduced to two battalions. In 1926 the regiment merged its two battalions into a single battalion and on 30 September 157th Infantry Regiment, now renamed 157th Infantry Regiment "Liguria", was assigned to the XVIII Infantry Brigade, which was the infantry component of the 18th Territorial Division of Ancona. On 6 November the command of the Brigade "Liguria" and the command of the 158th Infantry Regiment were disbanded, and one of the battalions of the 158th joined the 157th in Zadar, while the 158th's other battalion was transferred to the 89th Infantry Regiment "Salerno".The