The Alpini Battalion "Val Tagliamento" (Italian: Battaglione Alpini "Val Tagliamento") is an inactive mountain warfare battalion of the Italian Army based last in Tolmezzo in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

The battalion belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and was assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Julia".

In 1915, the army formed a new Alpini Battalion "Val Tagliamento", which fought in World War I in the alpine areas of the Italian front.

[2][3] On 5 October 1882, the Royal Italian Army's 6th Alpini Regiment formed the Battalion "Val Tagliamento" in Gemona.

On 1 November 1886, the Alpini battalions changed their names from their recruiting zones to the cities and towns, where their base was located.

In September 1916, the battalion was sent to the Lagorai range, where it was tasked to take the summit of Cima Busa Alta.

As the regiment's recruiting areas in Friuli had been occupied by Austro-Hungarian forces after the Battle of Caporetto, the three battalions were disbanded on 15 February 1918.

[2][3][5][6][7][8] After the war, the Alpini battalions "Tolmezzo" and "Val Tagliamento" were awarded a shared Silver Medal of Military Valor for having taken and held the summits of Pal Piccolo, Freikofel and Pal Grande on 24 May - 4 July 1915, and for the "Val Tagliamento" to have taken Austrian positions on the Cima Busa Alta in the Lagorai range on 8–10 October 1916.

On 31 December 1935, the 7th Alpini Regiment was transferred to the newly formed 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria".

The three battalions were assigned to the 1st Alpini Group, with which they participated in June 1940 in the Italian invasion of France.

On 10 November, the "Julia" division was taken out of the line, but only four days later it had to return to the front in the Berat sector, where it came under heavy Greek attacks until 8 December.

On 28 February a new battle was fought in the Tepelenë sector; the "Julia" division, as the last Italian unit defending the town, was attacked by the 2nd Greek Division, but managed to hold the front while suffering heavy casualties.

[2][3][5] In April 1941, following the German invasion and Axis occupation of Greece, the division was transferred to the Corinth Canal area and occupied the Peloponnese, while the three Valle battalions moved to the barracks of the "Julia" division in Shkodër in Northern Albania.

Similarly the Alpini Battalion "Val Natisone" was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor for its service on the Greek Front.

The Alpini group was attached to the 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" and heavily engaged by Yugoslav partisans.

The 8th Alpini Regiment, which had been nearly destroyed during its deployment to the Eastern Front, was still in the process of rebuilding its battalions, when the Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943.

[2][3][10][11][12][13] On 31 December 1962, the commands of the XIV and XVI Alpini position battalions were disbanded and their companies assigned to other units of the grouping.

The Alpini Battalion "Val Tagliamento" was based in Tolmezzo and tasked with maintaining and, in case of war, manning the Alpine wall positions on the Plöcken Pass, as well as the fortifications blocking passage through the But valley and through the Tagliamento valley below Tolmezzo.

[2][3][11][12][13] After the end of the Cold War the Italian Army began to draw down its forces and on 13 February 1991, the 212th Alpini Company was disbanded.