Guardia alla Frontiera
Guardia alla Frontiera emblem
Active1934 – 1953
CountryItaly
AllegianceKingdom of Italy
Republic of Italy
BranchRoyal Italian Army
TypeBorder Guard
RoleMountain Warfare
Size8 Corps areas with 27 Sectors
Regimental CentreVallo Alpino
Nickname(s)Vidoa
Motto(s)Dei sacri confini guardia sicura
ColorsGreen
EngagementsWorld War II

The Guardia alla Frontiera (GaF) (transl. Border Guard), was an Regio Esercito Border guard created in 1937[1] who defended the 1,851 km of northern Italian frontiers with the so-called "Vallo Alpino Occidentale" (487 km with France), "Vallo Alpino Settentrionale" (724 km with Switzerland and 420 km with Austria) and "Vallo Alpino Orientale" (220 km with Yugoslavia).

In 1940 the GaF had 21,000 military personnel, deployed in eight commands, 27 sectors and seven regiments of artillery. It manned 1,000 fortifications, 6,000 machine guns, 1,000 mortars, 100 Cannone da 47/32 M35 , and another thousand other medium and small-caliber cannons (75/27 and 149/35).

By 10 June 1940 (Italy's entry into the war) the GaF (not counting colonies in Libya and Albania) contained 23 sectors, 50,000 men, 28 battalions "Vallo Alpino", and 22 battalions of fascist militia.

Organization

Guardia alla Frontiera corps in 1940

Each command of the army of GaF could be divided into "sectors" (27 areas of coverage, from I to XXVII, along the border; sectors XVIII, XIX and XX were never realized), which could break down in subsectors and so on for ever smaller units. Each command in the field had two or more subsectors which controlled the fortifications. These works were manned by infantry, artillery, engineers, etc. Despite the GaF being predominantly static it also received five light tank (carristi) companies, equipped with Fiat 3000 tanks that over time, due to their age and lack of spare parts, ended largely abandoned in Sector armories or buried to use the turrets as a fort.

The Guardia alla Frontiera disappeared after 1943, but nominally was active until 1953.[2]

In Italy

Vallo alpino occidentale

Army CorpsSectorSector HQSubsectorsSubsector HQArea responsible
XV - GenoaI Bassa RojaBordighera1/a Destra RojaVentimigliaLigurian Sea - Testa dell'Alpe
1/b Sinistra RojaDolceacqua
V Media RojaTaggia5/a MuratonePignaTesta dell'Alpe - Balcone di Marta
5/b MartaMolini di Triora
II - AlessandriaII Alta Roja - GessiCuneo2/a Alta RojaTendeBalcone di Marta - Ponte Negri
2/b GessiValdieri
III SturaVinadio3/a Collalunga - San SalvatoreVinadioPonte Negri - Passo di Vanclava
3/b Alta SturaSambuco
IV Maira - PoSaluzzo4/a MairaPrazzoPasso di Vanclava - Monte Granero
4/b VaraitaCasteldelfino
4/c PoCrissolo
I - TurinVI Pellice - GermanascaPinerolo6/a PelliceTorre PelliceMonte Granero - Col d'Abries
6/b GermanascaPerrero
VII MonginevroCesana7/a CesanaBoussonCol d'Abreis - Passo Desertes
7/b Val ChisoneCesana
VIII BardonecchiaBardonecchia8/a ColomionBardonecchiaPasso Desertes - Monte Niblé
8/b MelmiseBardonecchia
IX MoncenisioSusa9/a ClapierSusaMonte Niblè - Rocciamelone
9/b MoncenisioMont Cenis
Autonomous Subsector LevannaLanzo TorineseRocciamelone - Cima Galisia
X BalteaAosta10/a Nivolet - ValgrisenzaValgrisenzaCima Galisia - Monte Rosa
10/b Piccolo S.Bernardo - SeigneSan Desiderio Terme
10/c Gran S.BernardoSan Remigio

Three artillery regiments supported the sectors of the Vallo alpino occidentale:

  • 7th Guardia alla Frontiera Artillery Regiment, in Cuneo
  • 8th Guardia alla Frontiera Artillery Regiment, in Venaria Reale
  • 11th Guardia alla Frontiera Artillery Regiment, in Savona

Vallo alpino settentrionale

Army CorpsSectorSector HQSubsectorsSubsector HQArea responsible
III - MilanXI LaghiVarese11/a Val d'OssolaDomodossolaMonte Rosa - Pizzo Martello
11/b Verbano-LarioComo
XII ValtellinaSondrio12/a MorbegnoChiavennaPizzo Martello - Cima Garibaldi
12/b BormioMadonna di Tirano
IV - BolzanoXIII VenostaMerano13/a ResiaMalsCima Garibaldi - Cima Libera
13/b PassiriaMerano
XIV IsarcoBrixen14/a BrenneroGossensaßCima Libera - Pizzo di Alpre
14/b VipitenoSterzing
XV PusteriaBruneck15/a DravaInnichenPizzo di Alpre - Sella Frugnoni
15/b RienzaWelsberg
XIV - TrevisoXVI Cadore - CarniaTolmezzo16/a CadoreSanto Stefano di CadoreSella Frugnoni - Sella Valdolce
16/b Val DeganoForni Avoltri
16/c Val ButPaluzza
16/d Val ChiarsòPaularo
XVII TarvisioPontebba17/a PontebbaPontebbaSella Valdolce - Monte Termine
17/b UgovizzaUgovizza
17/c SilizzaTarvisio
17/d Val RomanaFusine Valromana

One artillery regiment and one autonomous artillery group supported the sectors of the Vallo alpino settentrionale:

  • 6th Guardia alla Frontiera Artillery Regiment, in Bolzano
  • Guardia alla Frontiera Autonomous Artillery Group, in Sondrio

Vallo alpino orientale

Army CorpsSectorSector HQSubsectorsSubsector HQArea responsible
XI - UdineXXI Alto IsonzoTolmin21/aTrentaMonte Termine - Passo di Piedicolle
21/bPolubino
21/cPodbrdo
XXII IdriaIdrija22/aCerknoPasso di Piedicolle - Zolla-Selva di Piro-Cauzze
22/bIdrija
22/cČrni Vrh
XXIII PostumiaPostojna23/aVipavaZolla-Selva di Piro-Cauzze - Monte Grosso
23/bPostojna
V - TriesteXXV TimavoPivka25/a TimavoPivkaMonte Grosso - Testa d'Orso
25/b NevosoKnežak
XXVI CarnaroIlirska Bistrica26/a TrestenicoIlirska BistricaTesta d'Orso - Volosca
26/b BresaKlana
26/c MattuglieMatulji
XXVII FiumeRijekaBorgo Marina - Monte Calvario
Zara[3][4]ZadarProvince of Zara - Dalmatia

Three artillery regiments supported the sectors of the Vallo alpino orientale:

In Albania

CommandSectorSector HQSubsectorsSubsector HQ
26° - TiranaXLI ScutariShkodër41/a MilotiPilana
41/b BojanaOblika
41/c KoplikuKoplik
Coastal Subsector San Giovanni di MeduaShëngjin
Coastal Subsector DurazzoDurrës
XLII ScutariShkodër42/a
42/b
XLIII KossovoKukës43/aKukës
43/b
XLIV LaghiPiskupat44/aPiskupat
44/b
XLV LibrazhdLibrazhd45/a Fieri Fier
45/b CiamuriaLibrazhd

One artillery regiment supported the 26th Command in Albania:

  • 13th Guardia alla Frontiera Artillery Regiment, in Tirana

In Libya

Libyan-Tunisian border

CommandSectorSector HQSubsectorsSubsector HQ
20° - TripoliXXVIII ZuaraZuwarah28/aSidi Milad
28/bRegdalin
28/cSidi abd es Samad
XXIX NalutNalut29/aAin el Ghezaia
29/bRas el Reab
Autonomous Subsector Uadi HammarUadi Hammar
Tripoli Military GarrisonXXXIII Tripoli OvestTripoli33/aSidi Bilal
33/bC. Lupini
33/cC. Sottocasa
XXXIV Tripoli EstTripoli34/aBir ben Milad
34/bAl-Khums
XXXV Tripoli SudTripoli35/aCastel Benito
35/bBir Langar
35/cSuani ben Adem
XXXVI Tripoli Sud EstTripoli36/a
36/b

One artillery regiment supported the units arrayed on the Libyan-Tunisian border:

  • 14th Guardia alla Frontiera Artillery Regiment, in Tripoli

Libyan-Egyptian border

CommandSectorSector HQSubsectorsSubsector HQ
31° - BardiaXXX BardiaBardia30/a SudFort Capuzzo
30/b CentroJaghbub
30/c NordPonticelli
Tobruk Military GarrisonXXXI Ras el MeduarTobruk31/a
31/b
XXXII Sidi DaudTobruk32/a
32/b

Libyan Sahara

G.a.F. CommandSectorSector HQ
Libyan Sahara Troops Command - KufraGadamesGhadames
SerdelesGhat
CufraKufra

Notes

  1. ↑ History of the "Guardia alla Frontiera" (in Italian)
  2. ↑ Detailed information on "Guardia alla Frontiera" (in Italian)
  3. ↑ Anche se non ufficialmente previsti settori GaF nel territorio di Zara, un provvedimento del governo del 1939 considera le truppe stanziate a Zara quali appartenenti alla GaF.
  4. ↑ M. Ascoli, SME, Roma 2003 La Guardia alla Frontiera, p. 301.

See also

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