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Carabinieri

The Carabinieri is the shortened (and common) name for the Arma dei Carabinieri, an Italian military corps of the gendarmerie type with police functions.

Contents

History

The corps was created by King Victor Emanuel I of Sardinia, with the aim of providing Piedmont with a police corps similar to the French Gendarmerie. Previously, police duties were managed by the Dragoni di Sardegna corps, created in 1726 and composed of volunteers.

After French soldiers had occupied Turin at the end of the 18th century and later abandoned it to the Savoy family, the corps of Carabinieri Reali was instituted under the Regie Patenti (Royal Patent) of July 13, 1814.

Both a military and a police corps, the Carabinieri have fought in every conflict in which Italy has been involved, suffering heavy losses and being awarded many decorations for gallantry.

The Carabinieri are particularly proud of the memory of Brigadier Salvo D'Acquisto , who was executed by the Germans in Palidoro , near Rome, in World War II, having exchanged his life for the lives of innocent citizens due to be executed in retaliation for the murder of a German soldier. Brigadier D'Acquisto falsely claimed responsibility and was shot for the offense.

The history of the Carabinieri is replete with other such actions and the corps is nicknamed La Benemerita (the Meritorious).

The Carabinieri recently became an armed force (alongside the Army , Navy and Air Force), thus ending their long standing as the first corps (Arma) of the Army (Esercito). It is likely that Carabinieri will continue to be referred to as the Arma by antonomasia, unrivalled in popular affection and national pride.

Organization

The Carabinieri are organised on a territorial basis. The corps is headed by the Comando, consisting of the Comandante Generale (a General), the Vice-Comandante Generale (a Lieutenant General) and the Headquarters Staff.

There are five Zones (commanded by Lieutenant Generals), fourteen Regions (commanded by Major Generals) and 104 Provinces (commanded by Brigadier Generals or Colonels). Some smaller subunits also exist.

Specialized units also exist, such as the Nucleo Tutela Patrimonio Artistico (specializing in the protection of artwork and in the recovery of stolen paintings) and the Mobile Command, consisting of twelve Mobile Regiments. The Carabinieri's elite special forces unit is the GIS - Gruppi di Intervento Speciale - with the same duties and training as the more famous NOCS of the Polizia di Stato.

The Carabinieri in Italian culture

The Carabinieri are traditionally the exemplars of serious behaviour in Italian culture and are attributed a strict formal respect, even if in recent times they have been made protagonists of jokes (in the role that blondes play in American jokes). The first time they appeared in a fictional context was in Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, not without a certain scandal.

Many films and tv series have featured the Carabinieri, even acting as protagonists. Racconti del Maresciallo, La Tenda Nera, Il Maresciallo Rocca and Carabinieri are some of the titles that have been produced, mainly by the RAI fiction division, in the last few years.

See also

External links

  • Official Carabinieri website http://www.carabinieri.it/


Last updated: 02-07-2005 11:27:56
Last updated: 03-02-2005 05:50:49