60th Tank Battalion "M.O. Locatelli"

The 60th Armored Battalion "M.O. Locatelli" (Italian: 60° Battaglione Corazzato "M.O. Locatelli") is an inactive tank battalion of the Italian Army, which was based in Altamura in Apulia and last operationally assigned to the Armored 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 "Aosta". In 1975 was renamed 62nd Armored Battalion "M.O. Jero". In 1992 the battalion was disbanded.^[1][2]

60th Tank Battalion "M.O. Locatelli"
60° Battaglione Carri "M.O. Locatelli"
Battalion coat of arms
Active	15 May 1940 - 8 Feb. 1941 1 May 1960 - 2001
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Part of	Armored Brigade "Pinerolo"
Garrison/HQ	Altamura
Motto(s)	"Irruento aggredisco"
Anniversaries	1 October 1927
Insignia
Tank units gorget patches

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 regiment'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.^[1]

World War II

On 15 May 1940, the LX Tank Battalion L (with L standing for Italian: "Leggero" or Light) was formed in Tripolitania 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 Corps. In early December 1940, the battalion was assigned to the Special Armored Brigade, with which it fought during the British Operation Compass. After the Italian defeat in the Battle of Sidi Barrani, the 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 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.^[1]

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, including the LX Tank Battalion L, were annihilated. On 8 February 1941, the LX Tank Battalion L was declared lost due to wartime events.^[1]

The battalion was formed during the 1975 army reform: on 1 November 1975 the LX Armored Battalion of the Infantry Brigade "Pinerolo" was renamed 60th Armored Battalion "M.O. Locatelli". The 60th Locatelli was granted a new flag on 12 November 1976 by decree 846 of the President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone.^[3]

After World War II the LX Armored Battalion was reformed on 1 May 1960 as armored unit of the Infantry Brigade "Avellino". The Avellino was disbanded on 30 October 1965 and the LX battalion was transferred to the Infantry Brigade "Pinerolo".

Tank and armored battalions created during the 1975 army reform were all named for officers, soldiers and partisans, who were posthumously awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor for heroism during World War II. The 60th Tank Battalion's name commemorated 4th Tank Infantry Regiment Lieutenant Giuseppe Locatelli, who had served in the I Tank Battalion "M" during the Italian invasion of Egypt and was killed in action on 19 November 1940 south of Sidi Barrani.^[4] Equipped with M47 Patton tanks and M113 armored personnel carriers the battalion joined the Motorized Brigade "Pinerolo".^[2][1]

On 1 February 1979 the 60th Armored Battalion "M.O. Locatelli" ceded its two M113 armored personnel carrier equipped companies to the infantry battalions of the brigade and received two new tank companies. Consequently, the battalion was renamed on the same date 60th Tank Battalion "M.O. Locatelli". Additionally the battalion was equipped with modern Leopard 1A2 tanks and the brigade's infantry battalions were equipped with VCC-1 armored personnel carriers. Therefore, on 1 February 1979 the brigade was renamed Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo".^[2][1]

On 17 October 1992 the 60th Tank Battalion "M.O. Locatelli" was renamed 133rd Tank Regiment without changing size or composition. On 9 October 1995 the 31st Tank Regiment in Bellinzago Novarese received the flag and name of the 4th Tank Regiment and transferred its own name and flag to the 133rd Tank Regiment in Altamura, while on the same date the flag of the 133rd Tank Regiment was transferred to the army's Tank School in Lecce, where it was stored in the commander's office, until, in case of war, the personnel of the Cavalry School would have formed the 133rd Tank Regiment.^[5] On 3 December 1996 the Pinerolo, which fielded now two tank regiments, was renamed: Armored Brigade "Pinerolo".^[2][1]

In fall 2001 the 133rd Tank Regiment was disbanded and its flag transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome.

• Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo"