View source for 60th Tank Battalion "M.O. Locatelli"

{{short description|Inactive Italian Army tank unit}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = 60th Tank Battalion "M.O. Locatelli"
| native_name = 60° Battaglione Carri "M.O. Locatelli"
| image = CoA mil ITA btg carri 060.png
| image_size = 160px
| caption = Battalion coat of arms
| dates = 15 May 1940 - 8 Feb. 1941<br>1 May 1960 - 17 Oct. 1992
| disbanded =
| country = {{ITA}}
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| branch = [[Italian Army]]
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| command_structure = [[Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo"]]
| garrison = [[Altamura]]
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| motto = "Irruento aggredisco"
| colours =
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| mascot =
| anniversaries = 1 October 1927
| equipment =
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| identification_symbol = {{Inline block|[[File:Mostrina - Carristi.png|32px]]|div}} {{Inline block|style=transform: scaleX(-1);|[[File:Mostrina - Carristi.png|32px]]|div}}
| identification_symbol_label = Tank units [[Italian Army gorget patches|gorget patches]]
}}
The '''60th Tank Battalion "M.O. Locatelli"''' ({{langx|it|60° Battaglione Carri "M.O. Locatelli"}}) is an inactive [[Armoured warfare|tank]] battalion of the [[Italian Army]], which was based in [[Altamura]] in [[Apulia]] and last operationally assigned to the [[Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo"]]. The unit's lineage traces back to the [[World War II]] LX Tank Battalion L, which in 1940-41 fought in the [[Western Desert campaign]] and was destroyed during [[Operation Compass]] in the [[Battle of Beda Fomm]]. In 1960 the battalion was reformed and assigned to the [[Infantry Division "Avellino"]]. In 1965 the battalion was transferred to the [[Infantry Brigade "Pinerolo"]]. In 1975 the battalion was renamed 60th Armored Battalion "M.O. Locatelli" and in 1979 the battalion was renamed 60th Tank Battalion "M.O. Locatelli". In September 1992 the battalion entered the 60th Tank Regiment "M.O. Locatelli", but already one month later the regiment was renamed [[133rd Tank Regiment (Italy)|133rd Tank Regiment]] and the flag of the 60th Tank Regiment "M.O. Locatelli" was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the [[Vittoriano]] in [[Rome]].<ref name="60° Carri">{{cite book |last1=F. dell'Uomo, R. di Rosa |title=L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Secondo - Tomo I |date=2001 |publisher=SME - Ufficio Storico |location=Rome |page=531}}</ref><ref name="Pinerolo">{{cite web |title=Brigata Meccanizzata "Pinerolo" - La Storia |url=https://www.esercito.difesa.it/organizzazione/capo-di-sme/COMFOTER/Comando-Forze-Operative-Sud/Brigata-Meccanizzata-Pinerolo/Pagine/La-Storia.aspx |publisher=Italian Army |access-date=20 July 2024}}</ref>
Originally the unit, like all Italian tank units, was part of the army's infantry arm, but on 1 June 1999 the tankers specialty was transferred from the infantry arm to the cavalry arm. The battalion's anniversary falls, as for all tank units, which have not yet distinguished themselves on the battlefield, on 1 October 1927, the day the tankers speciality was founded.<ref name="60° Carri"/>
== History ==
=== World War II ===
{{See also|60th Infantry Division "Sabratha"}}
[[File:Captured L3 and L3 cc tankettes.jpg|thumb|right|Abandoned [[L3/35]] tankettes in [[Bardia]] after the Italian surrender]]
On 15 May 1940, the LX Tank Battalion L (with L standing for {{langx|it|"Leggero"}} or Light) was formed in [[Tripolitania]] [[Italian Libya|Libya]] and assigned to the [[60th Infantry Division "Sabratha"]]. The battalion was equipped with obsolete [[L3/35]] tankettes. On 20 July 1940, the battalion moved to the [[Cyrenaica]] and assigned to the 61st Infantry Division "Sirte". On 30 August 1940, the battalion transferred one of its companies to the Mixed Tank Battalion of the [[Maletti Group]], while the battalion itself was assigned to the [[XXI Army Corps (Italy)|XXI Corps]]. In early December 1940, the battalion was assigned to the [[Babini Group|Special Armored Brigade]], with which it fought during the British [[Operation Compass]]. After the Italian defeat in the [[Battle of Sidi Barrani]], the [[Battle of Bardia|fall of Bardia]] and the [[British capture of Tobruk]] the Special Armored Brigade, which tried to stop the British offensive on 24 January at [[Derna, Libya|Derna]] and [[Mechili]]. However in the night of 28/29 January Italian forces disengaged and with the Special Armored Brigade as rearguard retreated West to [[Benghazi]].<ref name="60° Carri"/>
On 5 February 1941, the Italian forces retreated from Benghazi and the LX Tank Battalion formed again the rearguard. On 6 February, the retreating Italian formations found their escape route blocked by the British [[Combeforce]] at [[Beda Fomm]] and in the ensuing [[Battle of Beda Fomm]] the last remnants of the Italian [[10th Army (Italy)|10th Army]], including the LX Tank Battalion L, were annihilated. On 8 February 1941, the LX Tank Battalion L was declared lost due to wartime events.<ref name="60° Carri"/>
=== Cold War ===
On 1 May 1960, the Armored Battalion "Avellino" was formed in [[Salerno]] and assigned to the [[Infantry Division "Avellino"]], which during the same year was reduced to Infantry Brigade "Avellino". The battalion consisted of a command company, two tank companies, which were equipped with a mix of [[M24 Chaffee]] light and [[M47 Patton]] medium tanks, and one mechanized fusiliers company. In 1961 the battalion received [[M26 Pershing]] tanks and was renamed LX Armored Battalion "Avellino". On 25 March 1965, the LX Armored Battalion "Avellino" in Salerno was transferred to the [[3rd Armored Infantry Regiment (Italy)|3rd Armored Infantry Regiment]] and redesignated IX Tank Battalion, while on the same date the 3rd Armored Infantry Regiment's IX Tank Battalion in [[Altamura]] was redesignated as LX Armored Battalion "Avellino" and assigned to the Infantry Brigade "Avellino". On 1 October 1965, the Infantry Brigade "Avellino" was disbanded and the LX Armored Battalion was transferred to the [[Infantry Brigade "Pinerolo"]].<ref name="Pinerolo"/><ref name="60° Carri"/>
During the [[Italian Army 1975 reform|1975 army reform]] the army disbanded the regimental level and newly independent battalions were granted their own flags for the first time. On 1 November 1975, the LX Armored Battalion was renamed 60th Armored Battalion "M.O. Locatelli". Tank and armored battalions created during the 1975 army reform were named for officers, soldiers and partisans of the tank speciality, who had served in [[World War II]] and been awarded Italy's highest military honor the [[Gold Medal of Military Valor]]. The 60th Armored Battalion was named for [[:it:Giuseppe Locatelli|Lieutenant Giuseppe Locatelli]], who as commander of the 1st Company, I Tank Battalion M11/39 was killed in action on 19 November 1940 south of [[Sidi Barrani]].<ref name="60° Carri"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Giuseppe Locatelli |url=https://www.quirinale.it/onorificenze/insigniti/12734 |publisher=President of Italy |access-date=13 July 2024}}</ref>
The battalion was assigned to the [[Motorized Brigade "Pinerolo"]] and consisted of a command, a command and services company, two tank companies with [[M47 Patton]] tanks, and a mechanized company with M113 [[armored personnel carrier]]s. The battalion fielded now 536 men (34 officers, 83 non-commissioned officers, and 419 soldiers).<ref name="60° Carri"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Stefani |first1=Filippo |title=La storia della dottrina e degli ordinamenti dell'Esercito Italiano - Vol. III - Tomo 2° |date=1989 |publisher=Ufficio Storico - Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito |location=Rome |pages=1190–1192}}</ref> On 12 November 1976 the [[President of the Italian Republic]] [[Giovanni Leone]] granted with decree 846 a new flag to the 60th Armored Battalion "M.O. Locatelli".<ref name="60° Carri"/><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=24 June 2024}}</ref>
In 1979 the Motorized Brigade "Pinerolo" was reorganized as [[Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo"]] and consequently on 1 February 1979 the 60th Armored Battalion "M.O. Locatelli" was renamed 60th Tank Battalion "M.O. Locatelli". The battalion consisted now of a command, a command and services company, and three tank companies with [[M47 Patton]] tanks and fielded 434 men (32 officers, 82 non-commissioned officers, and 320 soldiers). In 1989 the battalion replaced its [[M47 Patton]] tanks with [[Leopard 1|Leopard 1A2]] [[main battle tank]]s.<ref name="Pinerolo"/><ref name="60° Carri"/>
=== Recent times ===
On 28 September 1992, the 60th Tank Battalion "M.O. Locatelli" lost its autonomy and the next day the battalion entered the newly formed 60th Tank Regiment "M.O. Locatelli". On 17 October 1992, the 60th Tank Regiment "M.O. Locatelli" was renamed [[133rd Tank Regiment (Italy)|133rd Tank Regiment]] and the flag of the 60th Tank Regiment "M.O. Locatelli" was transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano.<ref name="60° Carri"/>
== See also ==
* [[Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo"]]
==References==
{{reflist|1}}
{{Italian Army}}
{{Italian Cavalry}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:60th Tank Battalion M.O. Locatelli}}
[[Category:Tank Battalions of Italy]]