View source for 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore"

{{short description|Active Italian Army special forces unit}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore"
| native_name = 185° Reggimento Paracadutisti Ricognizione Acquisizione Obiettivi "Folgore"
| image = CoA mil ITA rgt paracadutisti 185.png
| image_size = 160px
| caption = Regimental coat of arms
| dates = 1 April 1941 — 9 Jan. 1944<br>1 Jan. 1963 — 30 June 1998<br>21 June 2013 — today
| disbanded =
| country = {{ITA}}
| countries =
| allegiance =
| branch = [[Italian Army]]
| type =
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| command_structure = [[Army Special Forces Command (Italy)|Army Special Forces Command]]
| garrison = [[Livorno]]
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| nickname =
| patron =
| motto = "Videre nec videri"
| colours =
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| march =
| mascot =
| anniversaries = 20 April 1945 - [[Operation Herring]]
| equipment =
| equipment_label =
| battles =
| decorations = [[File:Cavaliere BAR.svg|50px]]<br>1x [[Military Order of Italy]]<ref name="158° Anniversario">{{cite web |title=158° Anniversario della Costituzione dell'Esercito |url=https://www.esercito.difesa.it/comunicazione/Pagine/Anniversario-della-Costituzione-dell-Esercito-Italiano190508.aspx |publisher=Italian Army |access-date=7 November 2024}}</ref>
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| identification_symbol = {{Inline block|[[File:Mostrina - 185° Reggimento RAO "Folgore".png|32px]]|div}} {{Inline block|style=transform: scaleX(-1);|[[File:Mostrina - 185° Reggimento RAO "Folgore".png|32px]]|div}}
| identification_symbol_label = Regimental [[Italian Army gorget patches|gorget patches]]
}}
The '''185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore"''' ({{langx|it|185° Reggimento Paracadutisti Ricognizione Acquisizione Obiettivi "Folgore"}}, abbreviated as: 185° RAO) is an [[Italian Army]] [[Italian special forces|special forces unit]]. The regiment is part of the Italian Army's infantry arm's [[Paracadutisti]] speciality and assigned to the [[Army Special Forces Command (Italy)|Army Special Forces Command]].<ref name="La Storia">{{cite web |title=La Storia - Esercito Italiano |url=https://www.esercito.difesa.it/organizzazione/capo-di-sme/COMFOTER/Comando-delle-Forze-Speciali-dell-Esercito/185-Reggimento-Paracadutisti-RAO-Folgore/Pagine/La-Storia.aspx |publisher=Italian Army |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref><ref name="185° Paracadutisti">{{cite book |last1=F. dell'Uomo, R. Puletti |title=L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo I |year=1998 |publisher=SME - Ufficio Storico |location=Rome |page=561}}</ref><ref name="185°">{{cite web |title=185° Reggimento Paracadutisti Ricognizione Acquisizione Obiettivi "Folgore" |url=https://www.esercito.difesa.it/organizzazione/capo-di-sme/COMFOTER/Comando-delle-Forze-Speciali-dell-Esercito/185-Reggimento-Paracadutisti-RAO-Folgore |publisher=Italian Army |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref> The regiment was formed in 1941 as 1st Paratroopers Regiment and assigned, in September 1941, to the [[185th Infantry Division "Folgore"|Paratroopers Division]]. The division was intended to parachute onto [[Malta]] during the planned [[Operation Herkules|invasion of Malta]]. In July 1942, the invasion of Malta was postponed indefinitely and the Paratroopers Division was ordered to deploy to North Africa as reinforcement for the German-Italian [[Panzer Army Africa]]. Consequently, the division, which would operate as an infantry formation in North Africa, was renamed on 27 July 1942 [[185th Infantry Division "Folgore"]]. On the same day, the 1st Paratroopers Regiment was renamed 185th Infantry Regiment "Folgore". When the division moved to North Africa the regiment remained in Italy and in September 1942, the regiment left the division. On 1 November 1942, the regiment joined the [[184th Infantry Division "Nembo"]] and was renamed 185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo". In May 1943, the 184th Infantry Division "Nembo" was ordered to deploy to the island [[Sardinia]] and once again the regiment did not accompany the division, but was instead sent to [[Apulia]] and then to [[Sicily]].<ref name="La Storia"/><ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/>
In July 1943, the regiment fought against the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]]. After the announcement of the [[Armistice of Cassibile]] on 8 September 1943 the regiment split, with the III Paratroopers Battalion joining the German side and the XI Paratroopers Battalion and 9th Company of the III Paratroopers Battalion joining the allied side. In January 1944, the regiment was disbanded and its personnel used to form to the CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo", while the 9th Company, which had operated as an autonomous unit on the allied side since September 1943, was renamed 1st Reconnaissance Squadron "Folgore". Both units fought on the allied side in the [[Italian campaign (World War II)|Italian campaign]]. In September 1944, the CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo" was disbanded and its personnel assigned to the [[Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo"]] of the [[Combat Group "Folgore"]]. In July 1945, the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron "Folgore" was disbanded.<ref name="La Storia"/><ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/>
In 1963, regiment was reformed as 1st Paratroopers Regiment and consisted of two battalions. In 1975, the regiment was disbanded and its two battalions became autonomous units. As part of the same reform the Paratroopers Recruits Training Battalion was renamed 3rd Paratroopers Battalion "Poggio Rusco" and assigned the flag and traditions of the 185th Infantry Regiment "Folgore". In 1998, the battalion was disbanded and the flag of the 185th Infantry Regiment "Folgore" transferred to the [[Shrine of the Flags]] in the [[Vittoriano]] in Rome for safekeeping. In 2013, the regiment's flag and traditions were assigned to the 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore", which until then had been assigned the flag and traditions of the [[185th Artillery Regiment "Folgore"]].<ref name="La Storia"/><ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/> The regiment's anniversary falls on 20 April 1945, the day the paratroopers of the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron "Folgore", departed the [[United States Army Air Forces]] airfield at [[Rosignano Airfield|Rosignano]] for [[Operation Herring]].<ref name="La Storia"/><ref name="185°"/>
== History ==
=== Formation ===
On 1 July 1940, the [[Royal Italian Air Force]]'s Paratroopers School in [[Tarquinia]] formed the I Paratroopers Battalion for the [[Royal Italian Army]]. In the following days, the Paratroopers School formed the II Paratroopers Battalion, and then the III Paratroopers Battalion, which consisted of personnel drawn from the [[Carabinieri]] troops. After their formation the three battalions began with their parachute training. On 15 July 1940, the I Paratroopers Battalion ceded its number for reason of precedence to the III Paratroopers Battalion, which on the same day was redesignated [[I Carabinieri Paratroopers Battalion]]. On the same day the I Paratroopers Battalion was renumbered as II Paratroopers Battalion, while the II Paratroopers Battalion was renumbered as III Paratroopers Battalion.<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref name="La Storia"/><ref name="Arena">{{cite book |last1=Arena |first1=Nino |title=Folgore - Storia del paracadutismo militare italiano |date=1967 |publisher=Centro Editoriale Nazionale |pages=82,131–132,134,356,361–364|language=Italian|location=Rome}}</ref><ref name="Associazione - Reparti">{{cite web |title=I Reparti Paracadutisti Italiani (1939 - 1943) |url=http://www.nembo.info/Paracadutismo/i_reparti.htm |publisher=Associazione Nazionale "Nembo" |access-date=7 November 2024}}</ref>
On 1 April 1941, the Royal Italian Army formed the 1st Paratroopers Regiment in [[Viterbo]]. The new regiment consisted of a command, the I Carabinieri Paratroopers Battalion, the II Paratroopers Battalion, the III Paratroopers Battalion, a support weapons company, and a depot. In June 1941, the I Carabinieri Paratroopers Battalion left the regiment and moved to [[Italian Libya|Libya]]. As a replacement, the regiment received the newly formed IV Paratroopers Battalion. On 1 July 1941, the regiment replaced the Support Weapons Company with the 1st Cannons Company, which was equipped with [[Cannone da 47/32|47/32 mod. 35]] [[anti-tank gun]]s.<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref name="La Storia"/><ref name="Arena"/><ref name="Associazione - Reparti"/>
=== World War II ===
==== Battle of Greece ====
On 30 April 1941, the last day of the [[German invasion of Greece|Battle of Greece]], three [[Savoia-Marchetti SM.82]] transport planes left [[Galatina Air Base]] with 75 paratroopers of the II Paratroopers Battalion. In the early hours of the afternoon, the paratroopers conducted the first Italian [[airborne assault]] near [[Argostoli]] on the Greek island of [[Cephalonia]]. The Greek troops on the island surrendered without bloodshed on the same day. The next day the paratroopers commandeered some boats and proceeded to occupy the islands of [[Zakynthos]] and [[Ithaca (island)|Ithaca]].<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref>{{cite web |title=30 April 1941- La Folgore si lancia a Cefalonia |url=https://www.congedatifolgore.com/it/galleries/30-aprile-1941-la-folgore-si-lancia-a-cefalonia/ |publisher=Congedati Folgore |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref>
On 1 September 1941, the [[186th Paratroopers Regiment "Folgore"|2nd Paratroopers Regiment]] was formed in Viterbo with the V, VI, and VII paratroopers battalions. On the same day, the new regiment joined, together with the 1st Paratroopers Regiment, the newly formed [[185th Infantry Division "Folgore"|Paratroopers Division]] in [[Tarquinia]]. The division was one of the Royal Italian Army units assigned to the planned [[Operation Herkules|invasion of Malta]] and after its formation the division began with the training for the invasion. At the time the 1st Paratroopers regiment consisted of the following units:<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref name="Associazione - Reparti"/>
{{tree list}}
* '''1st Paratroopers Regiment'''<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/>
** Command Company
** II Paratroopers Battalion
*** 4th, 5th, and 6th Company
** III Paratroopers Battalion
*** 7th, 8th, and 9th Company
** IV Paratroopers Battalion
*** 10th, 11th, and 12th Company
** 1st Cannons Company ([[Cannone da 47/32|47/32 mod. 35]] anti-tank guns)
{{tree list/end}}
On 10 March 1942, the [[Artillery Regiment for Paratroopers Division]] was formed and assigned to the Paratroopers Division, and five days later, on 15 March 1942, the [[187th Paratroopers Regiment "Folgore"|3rd Paratroopers Regiment]] was formed and assigned to the division. In July 1942, after the [[First Battle of El Alamein]], the invasion of Malta was postponed indefinitely and the Royal Italian Army's General Staff decided to send the Paratroopers Division to North Africa to reinforce the depleted German-Italian [[Panzer Army Africa]] at [[El Alamein]] in [[Egypt]]. As the Paratroopers Division would operate in North Africa as an infantry formation, the division was renamed on 27 July 1942 [[185th Infantry Division "Folgore"]]. On the same day, the 1st Paratroopers Regiment was renamed 185th Infantry Regiment "Folgore", while the 2nd Paratroopers Regiment was renamed [[186th Infantry Regiment "Folgore"]], the 3rd Paratroopers Regiment [[187th Infantry Regiment "Folgore"]], and the Artillery Regiment for Paratroopers Division [[185th Artillery Regiment "Folgore"]]. However, when the division deployed to North Africa, the 185th Infantry Regiment "Folgore" remained in Italy. On 15 September 1942, the 185th Infantry Regiment "Folgore" left the "Folgore" division and, on the same day, ceded its II and IV paratroopers battalions to the 187th Infantry Regiment "Folgore". As replacement the regiment received the XI Paratroopers Battalion, which was still in the process of being formed.<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref name="Associazione - Reparti"/>
On 1 November 1942, the regiment was renamed 185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo" and assigned, together with the [[184th Infantry Regiment "Nembo"]], to the newly formed [[184th Infantry Division "Nembo"]]. At this time the regiment also included the X/bis Paratroopers Battalion, which had been formed after the X Paratroopers Battalion had to be disbanded due to the losses the battalion had suffered in [[Operation Braganza]] at El Alamein. After joining the "Nembo" division the 185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo" consisted of the following units:<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref name="Ufficio Storico">{{cite book |title=Bollettino dell'Archivio dell'Ufficio Storico N.II-3 e 4 2002 |date=2002 |publisher=Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico |location=Rome |page=349 |url=https://issuu.com/rivista.militare1/docs/bollettino-ii-n.3-4-2002-testo |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref>
{{tree list}}
* '''185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo"'''<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref name="Ufficio Storico"/>
** Command Company
** III Paratroopers Battalion
*** 7th, 8th, and 9th Company
** X/bis Paratroopers Battalion
*** 28th, 29th, and 30th Company
** XI Paratroopers Battalion
*** 31st, 32nd, and 33rd Company
** 185th Cannons Company ([[Cannone da 47/32|47/32 mod. 35]] anti-tank guns)
{{tree list/end}}
On 1 February 1943, the [[183rd Infantry Regiment "Nembo"]] was formed. The new regiment consisted of the VIII/bis, XV, and XVI paratroopers battalions. The VIII/bis Paratroopers Battalion had been formed as a replacement for the VIII Paratroopers Battalion, which, in May 1942, had been redesignated as [[VIII Paratroopers Sappers Battalion]] and, in November 1942, been destroyed in the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]]. In March 1943, the regiment's III Paratroopers Battalion was deployed to the [[Julian March]] to fight [[Yugoslav partisan]] formations. In April 1943, the III Paratroopers Battalion was joined by the XI Paratroopers Battalion and the two battalions formed a Grouping under the command of the regiment's deputy commander. The grouping operated in the area of [[Črni Vrh, Idrija|Črni Vrh]], [[Vipava, Vipava|Vipava]], [[Zadlog]], [[Postojna]] and [[Ajdovščina]] until June 1943. In May 1943, the 184th Infantry Division "Nembo" was ordered to deploy to [[Sardinia]] and the 183rd Infantry Regiment "Nembo" exchanged its not yet fully trained VIII/bis Paratroopers Battalion with the X/bis Paratroopers Battalion of the 185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo".<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref name="Associazione - Sicilia">{{cite web |title=184a Divisione di Fanteria "Nembo" - Operazioni Venezia Giulia ed in Calabria |url=http://www.nembo.info/Nembo/Guerra/185.htm |publisher=Associazione Nazionale "Nembo" |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref>
==== Invasion of Sicily ====
In July, the 185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo", which at the time consisted of the III, VIII/bis, and XI paratroopers battalions, and III Paratroopers Artillery Group of the [[184th Artillery Regiment "Nembo"]] were sent to [[Apulia]] in southern Italy to guard Royal Italian Air Force airfields on the [[Salento]] peninsula. On 10 July 1943, [[Allied invasion of Sicily|Allied forces landed in Sicily]] and the regiment and artillery group were shipped to [[Sicily]] to reinforce the Axis's line of defence in the island's northeastern corner. On 3 August 1943, the regiment took up its positions on the northern slopes of the [[Peloritani]] mountains between [[Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto]] and [[Castroreale]]. However, the American [[Seventh United States Army|Seventh Army]]'s advance was unstoppable and the regiment was forced to fall back to [[Messina]]. Allied airpower forced the regiment to abandon all its vehicles and materiel and retreat by foot over the mountains. After reaching Messian the regiment was evacuated on 16 August 1943 to [[Reggio Calabria]].<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref name="Associazione - Sicilia"/>
==== Invasion of Italy ====
In [[Calabria]] the 185th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the [[211th Coastal Division (Italy)|211th Coastal Division]], which was tasked with the coastal defense of the southernmost tip of Calabria. The regiment, which formed the division's reserve, had its headquarters and the III Paratroopers Artillery Group in [[Cittanova]], while the XI Paratroopers Battalion was at [[Santa Cristina d'Aspromonte]], the III Paratroopers Battalion at [[Scilla|Melia]], and VIII/bis Paratroopers Battalion at [[Melito di Porto Salvo]].<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref name="Associazione - Sicilia"/>
On 3 September 1943, British and Canadian forces landed on the Calabrian coast: the [[5th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|5th British Infantry Division]] between [[Bagnara Calabra]] and [[Villa San Giovanni]], and the [[1st Canadian Infantry Division]] between [[Reggio Calabria]] and [[Melito di Porto Salvo]]. While the coastal units of the 211th Coastal Division quickly surrendered, the 185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo" and German units moved into the mountainous interior of Calabria. On 4 September, the XI Paratroopers Battalion clashed with British forces in [[Gambarie]], while patrols of the VIII/bis Paratroopers Battalion fought Canadian forces between [[Bagaladi]] and [[San Lorenzo, Calabria|San Lorenzo]], after which the battalion retreated over the [[Aspromonte]] mountains towards [[Platì]]. On 7 September, the VIII/bis Paratroopers Battalion reached the road passing from Platì to [[Santa Cristina d'Aspromonte]] and found it occupied by Canadian forces moving towards [[Delianuova]]. Unaware of the presence of the Italian paratroopers the Canadian 1st Battalion, [[The Loyal Edmonton Regiment]] and 1st Battalion, [[The West Nova Scotia Regiment]] bivouacked on the road and thus blocked the paratroopers' route of escape. Early in the morning of 8 September the remaining 400 Italian paratroopers attacked and tried to break through the Canadian lines, however, the Canadians prevailed and the VIII/bis Paratroopers Battalion was annihilated.<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref name="Associazione - Sicilia"/><ref name="185° Reparto Autonomo">{{cite web |title=185° Reparto Autonomo Paracadutisti "Nembo" |url=http://www.esercito.difesa.it/storia/Pagine/185-Reparto-Autonomo-Paracadutisti-Nembo.aspx |publisher=Italian Army |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref>
==== Armistice of Cassibile ====
In the evening of 8 September 1943, the same day the VIII/bis Paratroopers Battalion was annihilated, the [[Armistice of Cassibile]], which ended hostilities between the [[Kingdom of Italy]] and the [[Allies of World War II|Anglo-American Allies]], was announced by General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] on Radio Algiers and by Marshal [[Pietro Badoglio]] on [[Ente Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche|Italian radio]]. The news of the armistice reached the remnants of the 185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo" during the evening of 8 September 1943. At the time the regimental command and XI Paratroopers Battalion were in [[Cardinale, Calabria|Cardinale]], while the III Paratroopers Battalion was further East in [[Soveria Mannelli]]. Without clear orders or news from Rome, the regiment split: the units in Cardinale decided to remain there and wait for the arrival of allied forces, while the III Paratroopers Battalion decided to continue retreating with the German [[29th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|29th Panzergrenadier Division]]. On 10 September 1943, the news that King [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]], the royal family, and the [[Badoglio I Cabinet|Badoglio government]] had fled Rome and taken refuge with British forces in [[Brindisi]] reached III Paratroopers Battalion. Once the news spread among the battalion's troops the 9th Company and some personnel of the 7th Company decided to join the allied side and abandoned the retreating German column.<ref name="Associazione - Sicilia"/>
==== Italian Co-belligerent Army ====
===== CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo" =====
The 185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo", which consisted of the XI Paratroopers Battalion, joined the [[Italian Co-belligerent Army]], which was formed in southern Italy with the forces that had remained loyal to King Victor Emmanuel III. The 185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo" moved from Calabria to [[Apulia]], where, on 9 January 1944, the regiment and XI Paratroopers Battalion were disbanded and their personnel used to form the CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo".<ref name="L'Esercito corpi">{{cite web |title=L'Esercito e i suoi corpi - Volume Terzo - Tomo I |url=https://issuu.com/rivista.militare1/docs/l_esercito-e-i-suoi-corpi-vol-iii-tomo1-testo |publisher=Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico |access-date=5 November 2024 |location=Rome |page=90 |date=1979}}</ref> The battalion was equipped with Italian materiel and consisted of a command, a command platoon, the 31st, 32nd, and 33rd paratroopers companies, the 34th Mortar Company, which was equipped with [[81/14 Model 35 Mortar|81mm Mod. 35]] [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, and the 35th Cannons Company, which was equipped with [[Cannone da 47/32|47/32 mod. 35]] anti-tank guns. The battalion was assigned to the brigade-sized [[I Motorized Grouping]], which was attached to the American [[United States Fifth Army|Fifth Army]] and fought in the [[Battle of Monte Cassino]]. By March 1944, the I Motorized Grouping had grown to a division-sized unit and was therefore split on 22 March 1944 in two brigades and renamed [[Italian Liberation Corps]]. The CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo" was assigned to the corps' I Brigade.<ref name="185° Reparto Autonomo"/><ref name="L'Esercito corpi"/>
In May 1944, the [[184th Infantry Division "Nembo"]] was transferred from Sardinia to mainland Italy, where the division joined the Italian Liberation Corps.<ref name="L'Esercito corpi"/> In June 1944, the CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo" was sent to Brindisi to train for an air assault near [[Florence]]. However the air assault was cancelled and, in September 1944, when the Italian Liberation Corps was disbanded and its personnel used to create two division-sized combat groups, the CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo" was disbanded and its personnel assigned to the [[Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo"]] of the [[Combat Group "Folgore"]]. The Combat Group "Folgore", whose personnel had been drawn from the disbanded 184th Infantry Division "Nembo", was dressed in British uniforms and equipped with British materiel. The combat group was assigned to the British [[XIII Corps (United Kingdom)|XIII Corps]], with which it fought it in the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]].<ref name="185° Reparto Autonomo"/><ref name="L'Esercito corpi"/>
===== 1st Reconnaissance Squadron "Folgore" =====
[[File:Paracadutisti italiani salgono a bordo di un C-47 all'aeroporto di Rosignano (20 aprile 1945).jpg|thumb|right|1st Reconnaissance Squadron "Folgore" troops entering a [[USAAF]] [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|Douglas C-47]] for [[Operation Herring]]]]
The 9th Company of the regiment's III Paratroopers Battalion was the first Italian unit to directly support Allied forces in the war against German forces.<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/> Already in September 1943, the company's officers met with officers of the [[1st Canadian Infantry Division]] and offered to carry out reconnaissance and sabotage missions behind German lines. The company won the Allies' trust by undertaking patrols beyond the [[Biferno]] river, towards [[Agnone]] and [[Isernia]], behind the German [[Volturno Line]], followed later by patrols in the upper [[Sangro]] valley behind the German's [[Barbara Line]]. The company was then transferred to the British [[XIII Corps (United Kingdom)|XIII Corps]] Corps and received about a hundred reinforcements from the CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo".<ref name="Associazione - Squadrone F">{{cite web |title=Lo Squadrone da Ricognizione "F" |url=http://www.nembo.info/Nembo/Guerra/Squadrone.htm |publisher=Associazione Nazionale "Nembo" |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref> On 15 January 1944, the company assumed the name of 1st Reconnaissance Squadron "Folgore" (Squadron "F") and continued to operate behind German lines until the middle of March 1944, when it was transferred to [[Sesto Campano]] in Apulia for a training cycle with the British [[Special Air Service]] that ended in early May.<ref name="La Storia"/><ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/>
Afterwards, the squadron conducted reconnaissance missions, patrols, infiltration and sabotage actions behind the German lines. In October 1944, the squadron received additional reinforcements from the disbanded CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo". At the end of March 1945, the squadron came under the direct command of the allied [[15th Army Group]] and around a hundred of its paratroopers began to train for an airborne operation behind German lines.<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/> On 20 April 1945, the paratroopers of the Squadron "F" jumped in [[Operation Herring]], the war's final airborne combat drop, into the area of [[Poggio Rusco]].<ref name="La Storia"/><ref name="Associazione - Squadrone F"/> After the war the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron "Folgore" was disbanded on 15 July 1945 in [[Fiesole]].<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/>
=== Cold War ===
{{See also|Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore"}}
In 1952, the Italian Army's Military Parachuting Center in [[Pisa]] formed a paratroopers battalion, which in 1957 was reorganized as 1st Paratroopers Tactical Group. The group, which was based in [[Livorno]], consisted of the II Paratroopers Battalion and V Paratroopers Battalion. On 1 January 1963, the Military Parachuting Center was reorganized as Paratroopers Brigade. On the same day, the 1st Paratroopers Tactical Group was renamed 1st Paratroopers Regiment and assigned to the brigade. The reformed regiment consisted of a command, a command company, the II Paratroopers Battalion, the V Paratroopers Battalion, and a mortar company. During the [[Western Desert campaign]] the II Paratroopers Battalion and V Paratroopers Battalion had been assigned to the [[187th Infantry Regiment "Folgore"]] respectively the [[186th Infantry Regiment "Folgore"]]. Both battalions were destroyed during the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]] and declared lost due to wartime events on 25 November 1942. On 10 June 1967, the Paratroopers Brigade was renamed [[Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore"]].<ref name="La Storia"/><ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/>
During the [[Italian Army 1975 reform|1975 army reform]] the Italian Army disbanded the regimental level and newly independent battalions were granted for the first time their own flags. On 30 September 1975, the 1st Paratroopers Regiment and the regiment's command company were disbanded. The next day, on 1 October 1975, the regiment's two battalions became autonomous units and were renamed [[2nd Paratroopers Battalion "Tarquinia"]] and [[5th Paratroopers Battalion "El Alamein"]], while the regiment's mortar company was split to form two new mortar companies, which were assigned to the two paratroopers battalions. On the same day, the Paratroopers Recruits Training Battalion of the Parachuting Military School in [[Pisa]] was renamed 3rd Paratroopers Battalion "Poggio Rusco".<ref name="La Storia"/><ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/> On 12 November 1976, the [[President of the Italian Republic]] [[Giovanni Leone]] assigned with decree 846 the [[Military colours, standards and guidons#Italy|flag]] and traditions of the 185th Infantry Regiment "Folgore" to the 3rd Paratroopers Battalion "Poggio Rusco".<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Decreto del Presidente della Repubblica 12 novembre 1976, n. 846 |url=https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/atto/serie_generale/caricaDettaglioAtto/originario?atto.dataPubblicazioneGazzetta=1976-12-22&atto.codiceRedazionale=076U0846 |publisher=Quirinale - Presidenza della Repubblica |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref> The battalion was assigned to the [[Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore"]] as the brigade's recruits training battalion and consisted of a command, a command and services platoon, and the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th paratroopers recruit companies.<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/>
In 1981, the battalion's 10th Paratroopers Recruits Company was renamed 16th Paratroopers Recruits Company, as the [[2nd Paratroopers Battalion "Tarquinia"]] formed a fourth paratroopers company, which was designated 10th Paratroopers Company. In 1986, the 3rd Paratroopers Battalion "Poggio Rusco" was renamed 3rd Airdrop Training Battalion "Poggio Rusco".<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/>
=== Recent times ===
[[File:Italian Army - 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore" operators during the Blizzard I exercise 2018 - 02.jpg|thumb|right|185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore" operators during the Blizzard I exercise 2018]]
In 1996, the battalion moved from Pisa to [[Scandicci]]. On 30 June 1998, the 3rd Airdrop Training Battalion "Poggio Rusco" was disbanded and the flag of the 185th Infantry Regiment "Folgore" was transferred to the [[Shrine of the Flags]] in the [[Vittoriano]] in Rome for safekeeping.<ref name="185° Paracadutisti"/>
On 3 April 2000, the [[185th Artillery Regiment "Folgore"]] was reorganized as [[target acquisition]] unit and renamed 185th Field Artillery Regiment (Target Acquisition Paratroopers) "Folgore". In 2002, the regiment became a [[Italian special forces|special operations forces]] unit and in 2004 it was renamed 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore".<ref name="La Storia"/>
In 2013, the Italian Army decided to reform an artillery regiment for the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore", which had been without an artillery unit since the 185th Artillery Regiment "Folgore" had become a target acquisition unit in 2000. On 21 June 2013, the 185th Artillery Regiment "Folgore" was reformed in [[Bracciano]]. On the same day, the reformed regiment received its flag from the 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore", which in turn was assigned on the same day the flag and traditions of the 185th Infantry Regiment "Folgore".<ref name="La Storia"/>
On 19 September 2014, the Italian Army's [[Army Special Forces Command (Italy)|Army Special Forces Command]] was formed in Pisa and the 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore" was transferred from the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" to the newly formed command.<ref name="La Storia"/> On 15 June 2015, the regiment exchanged the paratroopers' beret flash with the beret flash of the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron "Folgore" (Squadron "F").<ref>{{cite news |title=Cambio del fregio del 185° RRAO - Esercito Italiano |url=http://www.esercito.difesa.it/comunicazione/Pagine/Cambio-del-fregio-del-185-RRAO-150619.aspx |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=www.esercito.difesa.it |date=19 June 2015 |language=Italian}}</ref> In 2017, the regiment became a [[special forces]] unit.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ciocchetti |first1=Tiziano |title=La situazione delle forze armate italiane: armamento ed equipaggiamento del 185° RRAO |url=http://www.difesaonline.it/mondo-militare/la-situazione-delle-forze-armate-italiane-armamento-ed-equipaggiamento-del-185%C2%B0-rrao |website=Difesa OnLine |access-date=5 November 2024 |language=Italian |date=5 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Pierini |first1=Ebe |title=Il 185° reggimento RAO e il 4° reggimento alpini paracadutisti Ranger diventano forze speciali |url=https://www.ilmattino.it/primopiano/cronaca/il_185_reggimento_rao_4_reggimento_alpini_paracadutisti_ranger_diventano_forze_speciali-3213712.html |access-date=5 November 2024 |work=www.ilmattino.it |date=1 September 2017 |language=Italian}}</ref> On 3 November 2018, the regiment was awarded a [[Military Order of Italy]] for its conduct and service during international missions. The order was affixed to the regiment's flag on 4 May 2019, the 158th anniversary of the Italian Army's founding, and added to the regiment's coat of arms.<ref name="158° Anniversario"/>
== Organization ==
[[File:Italian Army - 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore" operators during the Stella Alpina exercise 2024.png|thumb|right|185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore" operators during the Stella Alpina exercise 2024]]
As of 2024 the 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore" is organized as follows:<ref name="Scarpitta">{{cite web |last1=Scarpitta |first1=Alberto |title=Il potenziamento del Comando Forze Speciali dell’Esercito |url=https://www.analisidifesa.it/2020/07/il-potenziamento-del-comando-forze-speciali-dellesercito/ |publisher=Analisi Difesa |access-date=5 November 2024}}</ref>
{{tree list}}
* [[File:CoA mil ITA rgt paracadutisti 185.png|30px]] '''185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore"''', in [[Livorno]]<ref name="Scarpitta"/>
** Regimental Command
*** Staff and Personnel Office
*** Operations, Training and Information Office
*** Logistic and Administrative Office
*** Command and Logistic Support Company
** '''3rd Target Acquirers Battalion "Poggio Rusco"'''
*** 7th Target Acquirers Company
*** 8th Target Acquirers Company
*** 9th Target Acquirers Company
** '''Operational Support Battalion'''
*** Operational Support Company
*** Advanced Training Company
*** Target Acquirers Specialization Company
{{tree list/end}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.esercito.difesa.it/organizzazione/capo-di-sme/COMFOTER/Comando-delle-Forze-Speciali-dell-Esercito/185-Reggimento-Paracadutisti-RAO-Folgore Italian Army Website: 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore"]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{Italian Army}}
{{Italian Army Paracadutisti Regiments}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:185th Paratroopers Regiment 'Folgore'}}
[[Category:Special forces of Italy]]
[[Category:Paracadutisti Regiments of Italy]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1941]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1944]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1963]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1998]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 2013]]