Regiment "Savoia Cavalleria" (3rd)

The Regiment "Savoia Cavalleria" (3rd) (Italian: Reggimento "Savoia Cavalleria" (3°)) is a cavalry unit of the Italian Army based in Grosseto in Tuscany. The regiment is the reconnaissance unit of the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore". The regiment is named for the Duchy of Savoy in France, which makes the regiment, along with the Regiment "Nizza Cavalleria" (1st), one of two Italian Army units named for a French region, which once was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

In 1692, Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy ordered to form two cavalry regiments for service in the Nine Years' War. One of the two new regiments was named Cavalry Regiment "Savoia" (Italian: Reggimento di Cavalleria "Savoia"). After the Nine Years' War the regiment was disbanded in 1699. In May 1701, after Victor Amadeus II had entered the War of the Spanish Succession the regiment was reformed. From 1701 to 1713, regiment fought in the War of the Spanish Succession. Between 1733 and 1735, the regiment fought in the War of the Polish Succession, and from 1741 to 1748 in the War of the Austrian Succession. From 1792 to 1796, the regiment fought in the War of the First Coalition against the French Republic. In November 1798, during the War of the Second Coalition, French forces occupied Piedmont, forced King Charles Emmanuel IV into exile, and formed the Piedmontese Republic, a French client-state. In January 1799, the regiment was disbanded.

In May 1814 King Victor Emmanuel I returned from exile in Sardinia and on 1 December of the same year the King ordered to reform the regiment. The regiment fought in 1848 in the First Italian War of Independence, in 1859 in the Second Italian War of Independence, and in 1866 in the Third Italian War of Independence. During World War I the regiment distinguished itself in the pursuit of the beaten Austro-Hungarian Army after the Battle of Vittorio Veneto. During World War II the regiment was assigned together with the Regiment "Lancieri di Novara" to the 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta", which participated in spring 1941 in the Invasion of Yugoslavia and in summer 1941 in the Invasion of the Soviet Union. In October 1941 the regiment distinguished itself in the capture of Donetsk and Horlivka in Ukraine. On 24 August 1942 the regiment charged Soviet forces at Izbushensky, for which the regiment was awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor.

In December 1942 the regiment was nearly annihilated during the Soviet Operation Little Saturn and subsequently the survivors were repatriated to Italy. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 invading German forces disbanded the remnants of the regiment in the Emilia region, while the troops of the regimental depot in Somma Lombardo escaped with the regiment's horses to Switzerland.

The regiment was reformed in 1946 as the reconnaissance unit of the Infantry Division "Legnano". In 1957 the regiment moved to Meran and was assigned to the IV Army Corps. In 1975 the regiment "Savoia Cavalleria" was reduced from three squadrons groups to one. In 1992 the squadrons group was reformed as regiment and equipped with wheeled Centauro tank destroyers. In 1995 the regiment's flag was transferred from Meran to Grosseto in Tuscany, where on the same day the Regiment "Lancieri di Firenze" (9th) was renamed Regiment "Savoia Cavalleria" (3rd). From 1995 to 2000 the regiment was the reconnaissance unit of the Mechanized Brigade "Friuli" and then until 2013 the reconnaissance unit of the Airmobile Brigade "Friuli". In September 2013 the regiment was transferred from the Airmobile Brigade "Friuli" to the Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore".