36th Air Brigade (Italy)
| 36th Strategic Interdiction Air Brigade | |
|---|---|
| 36ª Brigata aerea interdizione strategica | |
 Ensign of the 36ª Aerobrigata I.S. of the Italian Air Force | |
| Active | 23 April 1960-21 June 1963 |
| Country |  Italy |
| Branch | Italian Air Force |
| Type | Air Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | "Antonio Ramirez" Gioia del Colle Air Base, Italy |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Edoardo Medaglia, Oreste Genta |
The 36th Strategic Interdiction Air Brigade (Template:Lang-it) was a short-lived formation of the Italian Air Force, active between 1960 and 1963.[1]
History
Italian activities in the field of long range missiles started in 1957 with a secret agreement with France and the Germany dealing with military applications of nuclear energy and common development of a 2,500 km range ballistic missile. At the same time, the USA started negotiations with Italy in order to install Jupiter missiles on its soil. The technical arrangement was signed in August 1959 between USA and Italy. The agreement provided that the missiles would be set in motion by the Italian Air Force but that the nuclear warheads would remain under US control.[2]
On 23 April 1960, the 36th Strategic Interdiction Brigade was established by the Italian Air Force, with command in Gioia del Colle Air Base. Missiles were transported between April and June 1960.[3] The 36th Air Brigade was deactivated on 1 April 1963 and definitively disestablished on 21 June 1963.[1] The two units of 15 missiles each was put in operational service between February and July 1961.[2]
Organization
The formation consisted of the 1st IS Unit and the 2nd IS Unit, each of which controlled five Launch Positions, with a ready-to-use missile and two refills, for a total of thirty shots.[1] The medium-range ballistic missiles in use were the PGM-19A Jupiter, which could carry a Los Alamos/Sandia Mk-49 Mod. 3 thermonuclear warhead of 1.44 Megatons.[1]
The Air Brigade had its Headquarters in Gioia del Colle Air Base; the launch sites (built in a triangular configuration) were within 30 miles,[3] in the direct vicinity of the villages Acquaviva delle Fonti, Altamura (two sites), Gioia del Colle, Gravina in Puglia, Laterza, Mottola, Spinazzola, Irsina and Matera.
1st I.S. Unit
The 1st I.S. Unit controlled five subordinate Groups:[1]
- 56th I.S. Group in Gioia del Colle;
- 57th I.S. Group in Mottola;
- 58th I.S. Group in Laterza;
- 59th I.S. Group in Altamura alta;
- 60th I.S. Group in Gravina in Puglia.
2nd I.S. Unit
The 1st I.S. Unit controlled the other five subordinate Groups:[1]
- 108th I.S. Group in Altamura Bassa;
- 109th I.S. Group in Spinazzola;
- 110th I.S. Group in Irsina;
- 111th I.S. Group in Acquaviva delle Fonti;
- 112th I.S. Group in Matera.
U.S. Units
Alongside the Italian units, there were two USAF units: 7230th Support Squadron and the 305th Munitions Maintenance,[1] for a total of less than 400 troops ordinarily headquartered in Taranto.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Ciocchetti, Tiziano (18 November 2019). "Le armi nucleari in Italia". Difesa Online (in Italian). Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Alfa". web.archive.org. 20 October 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Brando, Marco (30 June 2005). "La piccola «guerra fredda» dalla Murgia contro l'Urss" (PDF). Corriere del Mezzogiorno (in Italian). p. 11. Retrieved 3 March 2020.