Alpine Brigade Orobica

Brigata Alpina Orobica
Coat of Arms of the Alpine Brigade Orobica
Active	1 January 1953 - 27 July 1991
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Type	Alpini
Role	Mountain Infantry
Part of	IV Army Corps 1953 - 1991
Garrison/HQ	Meran

The Alpine Brigade Orobica was a light Infantry brigade of the Italian Army, specializing in mountain warfare. Its core units were the Alpini, the mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II.

The Orobica was constituted on 1 January 1953 in the city of Meran. The brigade’s name Orobica alludes to the Bergamo Alps, which are called Alpi Orobie in Italian and from this region most units of the brigade initially originated. The Brigade also drew the majority of its recruits from this region. The brigades units were based in the western and northern half of the province of South Tyrol. The brigade was tasked with the defending the vital Brenner and Reschen mountain passes. The brigade’s strength was around 3000 men and it was composed of the:

In the following years the brigade was augmented with further units:

The Alpini Parachutist Platoon merged with the other four Alpini Brigades Parachutist Platoons on 1 April 1964 to form an Alpini Parachutist Company under direct command of the 4th Alpine Army Corps.

In 1975 the regimental level was abolished and all units came under direct control of the Orobica Brigade. The new composition was:

After the 1976 reform, the 4th Alpine Army Corps was responsible to defend the Italian border along the main chain of the alps from the Swiss-Austrian-Italian border tripoint in the west to the Italian-Yugoslavian border in the east. In case of war with Yugoslavia, the 4th Alpine Army Corps would remain static in its position guarding the left flank of the Italian V Corps, which would meet the enemy forces on the plains of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The only brigade which would have seen combat in such a case would have been the Julia.