| abstract | - The Italian Bersaglieri Corps was founded on 18 July 1853 as elite light infantry in the Sardinian Army and fought in the Unification of Italy (1848-71) and Crimean War (1853-56) against the Russians. The Bersaglieri Corps fought in the First World War in the form of 12 regiments, and then due to cuts in the military budget, only four full-sized regiments existed in 1920. During the Second World War, the Bersaglieri Corps again saw much action in the form of 12 Bersaglieri regiments that were deployed on all fronts, with half fighting in the North African Campaign. Under General Armando Diaz, the Bersaglieri Corps was reorganized in 1923 with the 12 regiments each consisting of two battalions, six being infantry regiments and the other half being equipped with bicycles. In 1940, under orders from General Alberto Pariani, the Bersaglieri regiments that were now equipped with motorcycles, were deployed in the Po Valley as part of the Army of the Po. At the start of the Second World War, three Bersaglieri regiments formed part of the three Italian Army armoured divisions attached to the Army of the Po, the 5th (Centauro), 8th (Ariete) and 12th (Littorio) Bersaglieri Regiments. In the two existing motorized divisions, there were the 7th (Trento) and 9th (Trieste) Regiments. All these Bersaglieri formations later fought in North Africa.
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