The 9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment "Col Moschin" () is an active Special Forces unit of the Italian Army based in Livorno in Tuscany. The regiment is part of the Italian Army's infantry arm's Paracadutisti speciality and assigned to the Army Special Forces Command for training, preparation, doctrinal and procedural development, and the materiel acquisition. Operationally the regiment falls under the Italian Armed Forces' Joint Special Forces Operations Command. The regiment is the only military unit, which has participated in all out-of-area missions of the Italian Army since World War II. History World War I During the later half of World War I the Royal Italian Army began to form Arditi units modeled after the Imperial German Stormtroopers. Armed with daggers and hand grenades the Arditi were used to clear the Austro-Hungarian trenches. From summer 1917 the army began to form assault units, which consisted of approximately 700 Arditi, for each of its army corps. In May 1918 the regimental depot of the 45th Infantry Regiment (Brigade "Reggio") in Sassari formed the IX Assault Unit (), which was assigned to the IX Army Corps. On 15 June 1918 the Austro-Hungarian Army went on the offensive and began the Second Battle of the Piave River. On 16 June the IX Assault Unit was ordered to retake Italian positions in the Monte Grappa sector, which had been conquered by the Austro-Hungarians the day before. The IX Assault Unit overran the Austro-Hungarians on the summits of Col Fenilon, Col Fagheron, and Col Moschin in a lightning attack and held the summits until Italian infantry could be brought up. On 20 October 1918 the IX Assault Unit suffered heavy casualties when it stormed Col della Beretta in the Monte Grappa sector as preparation for the decisive Battle of Vittorio Veneto. For its conduct on 15 June and 20 October 1918 the IX Assault Unit was awarded Italy's second-highest military honor the Silver Medal of Military Valour. After the war all Arditi units were disbanded. World War II 10th Arditi Regiment On 15 May 1942 the I Arditi Battalion was formed in Bracciano by the regimental depot of the 82nd Infantry Regiment "Torino". The battalion consisted of the 101st Paratroopers Company, 102nd Watercraft Company (later renamed: 102nd Landing Company), and 103rd Trucks Company (later renamed: 103rd Terrestrial Company). Each company consisted of ten patrols of two officers and ten men each. Advanced training for the paratroopers