COMALP

Comando Truppe Alpine
Coat of Arms of the Alpine Troops Command
Active	4º Corpo d'Armata 1 May 1945 Comando Truppe Alpine 1 October 1997 - today
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Type	Alpini
Role	Corps Command
Size	2 Brigades
Part of	COMFOTER - Terrestrial Operational Forces Command
Garrison/HQ	Bolzano (BZ)
Engagements	War in Afghanistan

The Comando Truppe Alpine (Alpine Troops Command) or COMTA (formerly also COMALP) commands the Mountain Troops of the Italian Army, called Alpini and various support and training units. It is the successor to the 4º Corpo d'Armata Alpino (4th Alpine Army Corps) of the Cold War. The Alpinis are light Infantry units specializing in Mountain Combat. The subordinate units of the COMTA distinguished themselves during combat in World War I and World War II.

The history of the COMTA begins after the second Italian war of independence. Following the Italian-French victory over the Austrian Empire, the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed the Papal Legations in present-day Emilia Romagna. Thus on 25 March 1860 the 4th Higher Military Command was activated as a territorial command in Bologna and tasked to defend the newly acquired territory between the Panaro river and the Adriatic Sea. The command consisted of the 4th, 7th and 13th division of the Line.

At the outbreak of the third Italian war of independence the command covered the right flank of the main army and remained static along the river Po. The command under General Enrico Cialdini consisted of the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th and 20th division of the line. However, when the main Italian army failed to break through the Austrian Quadrilatero fortress system south of Lake Garda the V Army Corps marched six divisions over the Apennine mountains, joined up with the IV Army Corps in the Romagna and crossed the lower Po and Adige rivers in force on 15 July 1866. Cialdini bypassed the Austrian fortresses and main army on his left flank and marched his army all through the Veneto, dispatching one division under Giacomo Medici to invade Trentino and cut the Austrian line of retreat and three divisions under Raffaele Cadorna to march at speed to the city of Trieste. Cialdinis army finally reached the Isonzo river on 24 July 1866.