The Italian Bersaglieri Corps was founded on 18 July 1853 as elite light infantry in the Sardinian Army and fought in the Unification of Italy (1848-71) and Crimean War (1853-56) against the Russians. The Bersaglieri Corps fought in the First World War in the form of 12 regiments, and then due to cuts in the military budget, only four full-sized regiments existed in 1920. During the Second World War, the Bersaglieri Corps again saw much action in the form of 12 Bersaglieri regiments that were deployed on all fronts, with half fighting in the North African Campaign.