Battle of Gazala

In the meantime Rommel had renewed his offensive operations with the Battle of Gazala. The 132nd regiment fielded 169 tanks, 87 officers, 245 non-commissioned officers and 1,437 soldiers for the upcoming operation. The Ariete division was tasked to swing around the heavily fortified Bir Hakeim position and attack it from the rear. On 27 May 1942 the 132nd regiment encountered the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade at Rugbet el Atasc and sent its veteran VIII and IX tank battalions forward, while the fresh X tank battalion was in second line. The Indian position was overrun by the VIII and X battalions with the loss of 23 tanks, some of which were repairable on the field, 30 men killed and 50 wounded, while the Indian brigade lost 440 men killed and wounded and about 1,000 prisoners, including Admiral Sir Walter Cowan and most of its equipment.^[7][1][5][4]

After over-running the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade, the tank battalions of the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment moved to the north-east of Bir Hakeim and the IX Battalion with sixty tanks, changed direction towards the fort of Bir Hakeim defended by the 1st Free French Brigade.^[8][9][10] The IX Battalion arrived before the Bir Hakeim minefield and barbed wire at 8:15 a.m., charged and lost 31 tanks and a Semovente 75/18 self-propelled gun. Ten tanks got through the minefield and were knocked out by French 75 mm anti-tank guns, causing 124 Italian casualties.^[11] The remnants of the IX Battalion retired to the main body of the Ariete, which moved north towards Bir el Harmat around noon, following Rommel's original plan, while the Battle of Bir Hakeim continued for another two weeks. ^[12] After having defeated the British at Gazala the Axis offensive continued with the capture of Tobruk and the Battle of Mersa Matruh.^[5][4]

El Alamein

After having pursued the British Eighth Army to El Alamein Rommel attacked on 1 July 1942 in the First Battle of El Alamein. By 3 July Axis forces were heavily decimated and Rommel paused his attack, which allowed the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment to pull back to the abandoned British RAF El Daba airfield where the VIII tank battalion had to be disbanded to bring the remaining two battalions partially up to strength. By 15 July the 132nd was back at the front attacking the 22nd British Armoured Brigade to the south of Ruweisat Ridge.^[13][4]

In early August the 132nd received the XIII Tank Battalion "M" with M14/41 tanks, which originally had been raised by the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment's depot in Verona for service in Libya, but had been assigned to the 31st Tank Infantry Regiment instead. Now again at full strength the 132nd was ready for Rommel's next attempt to break through at El Alamein. During the resulting Battle of Alam el Halfa the regiment was heavily engaged at El Qattara.^[1][5][4]

On 23 October 1942 the Second Battle of El Alamein commenced during which the 132nd regiment clashed repeatedly with British armored formations, but on 4 November the entire Ariete Division was encircled by the 7th British Armoured Division and annihilated. The 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment was declared lost 20 November 1942.^[1][4]

The few survivors of the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment, 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment, and XI Tank Battalion "M" of the 101st Motorized Division "Trieste" were grouped together in the "Cantaluppi" Group, an ad hoc formation commanded by Colonel Gaetano Cantaluppi, which received the XIV Tank Battalion "M" with M14/41 tanks from the 31st Tank Infantry Regiment, after that regiment's arrival in North Africa. The "Cantaluppi" Group went on to form the short-lived 132nd Anti-tank Regiment, whose creation as officially sanctioned as having been on 5 December 1942 and which was declared lost on 18 April 1943 after the Battle of El Guettar in the Tunisian Campaign.^{[13][1][5][4]}

For its service from Bir el Gubi to El Alamein the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment was Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor.^[14][2]

Sardinia

After having been destroyed twice the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment was raised again on 21 March 1944 in Sardinia, as part of the Italian Co-belligerent Army. While the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment had been sent to Sardinia in September 1942 to defend the island against an allied invasion, then 132nd regiment's task was to manage and maintain the equipment of the for a number of reserve battalions. During this time the regiment's structure was as follows:^[15]

On 15 May 1944 the Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" was raised again in Sardinia and the 32nd and 132nd regiments joined the division, which remained static on the island. On 27 August 1944 the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment was disbanded, followed by the Granatieri division on 31 August, and 32nd regiment on 2 October 1944.^[1][5][4]

8th Tank Battalion "M.O. Secchiaroli"

During the 1975 army reform the 132nd Tank Regiment was disbanded on 31 October 1975 and its VIII Tank Battalion became the 8th Tank Battalion "M.O. Secchiaroli", while the X Tank Battalion became the 10th Tank Battalion "M.O. Bruno", and its XXXVIII Bersaglieri Battalion became the 27th Bersaglieri Battalion "Jamiano". The flag and traditions of the disbanded regiment were assigned to the 8th Tank Battalion "M.O. Secchiaroli". Tank and armored battalions created during the 1975 army reform were all named for officers, soldiers and partisans, who were posthumously awarded Italy's highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valor for heroism during World War II. The 8th Tank Battalion's name commemorated 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment Corporal Giovanni Secchiaroli, who had fought with the VIII Tank Battalion in North Africa and was killed in action on 27 May 1942 during the Battle of Rugbet el Atasc.^[18] Equipped with M60A1 Patton main battle tanks the battalion joined the Armored Brigade "Manin", whose headquarters had been formed from the 132nd Tank Regiment's headquarters.^[1][4][5]

10th Tank Battalion "M.O. Bruno"

The 10th Tank Battalion "M.O. Bruno" was formed during the 1975 army reform by renaming the X Tank Battalion of the 132nd Tank Regiment. The 10th Bruno received the flag and traditions of the 133rd Tank Regiment.

In 1986 the Italian Army disbanded its remaining divisions and to retain the historically significant name "Ariete" the Armored Brigade "Manin" was renamed Armored Brigade "Ariete" on 1 October 1986.