1st Infantry Division Superga

Last updated
1st Infantry Division Superga
1a Divisione Fanteria Superga.png
1st Infantry Division Superga Insignia
Active1940 – 1943
Country Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Regno d'Italia
Kingdom of Italy
Branch Flag of Italy.svg Regio Esercito
Royal Italian Army
TypeInfantry
Size Division
Garrison/HQTorino
Nickname(s)"Superga"
Engagements World War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Curio Barbasetti di Prun

1st Infantry Division Superga was a mountain infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. It was formed in 1940 in Torino (Turin), and was part of the 4th Army, Italian I Corps during the Italian invasion of France. [1] The only difference between line infantry divisions and mountain infantry divisions was that the latter's artillery was carried by pack mules instead of the standard horse-drawn carriages. Italy's real mountain warfare divisions were the six alpine divisions manned by the "Alpini" mountain troops.

Contents

History

On 10 June 1940 the Superga division was assigned to France invasion force. Superga has captured the French village of Argentière 21 June 1940, reaching Battaileres pass and mount Argentiere summit 22 June 1940. [2] On 24 June 1940, just before the armistice, the Division attacked the Ouvrage Pas du Roc in the Alpine Line. Supported by its neighbor, Ouvrage Arrondaz and others, the fort repelled the attack. [3] The Division was moved from Turin to Naples in August, 1941. [4] In March, 1942, division headquarters moved to Avola in Sicily island, while bulk of forces remained around Naples.

The Division was reorganized into assault and landing type in April, 1942 for the planned invasion of Malta. Between May 1942 and October 1942 main Division forces were concentrated around cities Formia and Gaeta.

The Superga Division was sent to Tunisia in November 1942, landing in Bizerte 11 November 1942. By 20 November 1942 it was fighting near Enfidaville Airfield. By 1 December 1942 the Superga Division has moved to Sousse-Sfax area. On 26 December 1942 it was deployed on the southern outskirts of Tunis. From late January, 1943 until 4 February 1943 it repelled an Anglo-American assault on Oued el Koukat depression. The second assault on positions of Superga division has started 23 February 1943. The Superga Division surrendered to the British forces 12 May 1943. [5]

Order of battle

The force designated '50 Special Brigade' consisted of 6th Infantry Battalion (Regiment?), 557th (7th) Semovente Group, (75/18 Assault Guns), and the 15th Armoured Battalion from the Centauro Armoured Division plus 3 Artillery battalions - or 3d Artillery Group. [5] [nb 1]

Notes

Footnotes
  1. ↑ An Italian Infantry Division normally consisted of two Infantry Regiments (three Battalions each), an Artillery Regiment, a Mortar Battalion (two companies), an Anti-Tank Company, a Blackshirt Legion (Regiment of two Battalions). Each Division had only about 7,000 men, The Infantry and Artillery Regiments contained 1,650 men, the Blackshirt Legion 1,200, each company 150 men. [6]
Citations
  1. ↑ Jowett, Philip S. The Italian Army 1940-45 (1): Europe 1940-1943. Osprey, Oxford - New York, 2000, pp. 5-6, ISBN   978-1-85532-864-8
  2. ↑ "Regio Esercito - Divisione Superga".
  3. ↑ Kauffmann, p. 178
  4. ↑ "WWII Aerial Photos and Maps".
  5. 1 2 Wendal, Marcus. "Italian Army". Axis History. Archived from the original on 2009-04-25. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  6. Paoletti, p 170

Related Research Articles

24th Infantry Division Pinerolo Military unit

The 24th Infantry Division Pinerolo was an infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II.

4th Infantry Division Livorno Military unit

The 4th Infantry Division Livorno was a mountain infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed on 5 April 1939 in Rome. The only difference between line infantry divisions and mountain infantry divisions was that the latter's artillery was carried by pack mules instead of the standard horse-drawn carriages. Italy's real mountain warfare divisions were the six alpine divisions manned by the "Alpini" mountain troops.

101st Motorised Division Trieste Motorised Division of the Italian Army

101st Motorised Division Trieste or 101° Divisione Trieste (Italian) was a Motorised Division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Trieste was formed in 1939 and served in Albania and North Africa where it surrendered to the Allies in 1943.

2nd Infantry Division Sforzesca Military unit

The 2nd Infantry Division Sforzesca was a mountain Infantry Division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Division was mobilized in June 1940 in Novara, for the Italian invasion of France. The only difference between line infantry divisions and mountain infantry divisions was that the latter's artillery was carried by pack mules instead of the standard horse-drawn carriages. Italy's real mountain warfare divisions were the six alpine divisions manned by the "Alpini" mountain troops. The division was named to honor the Italian noble House of Sforza.

10th Infantry Division Piave Military unit

The 10th Infantry Division Piave was an infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. It was formed from Abruzzi brigade in Padua in 1934 as territorial division and was converted to artillery-infantry auto-transportable division format in 1939, meaning staff and equipment could be transported on cars and trucks, although not simultaneously.

52nd Infantry Division Torino Military unit

The 52nd Infantry Division Torino was an auto-transportable infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed from the expansion of the Torino Brigade in June 1940. It took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia and was then sent to the Eastern front as part of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia.

3rd Infantry Division Ravenna Military unit

The 3rd Infantry Division (Ravenna) was a mountain infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. The only difference between line infantry divisions and mountain infantry divisions was that the latter's artillery was carried by pack mules instead of the standard horse-drawn carriages. Italy's real mountain warfare divisions were the six alpine divisions manned by the "Alpini" mountain troops. The Ravenna Division was mobilized for war in October 1939 in Alessandria.

103rd Infantry Division Piacenza Military unit

The 103rd Infantry Division Piacenza was an auto-transportable infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed in 1942, and was in the Italian Fourth Army's XXII Corps that was part of the occupying Italian army in the Toulon area of France. At the end of August 1943, the Italian High Command moved the 4th Army from southern France back to Italy, where it was destroyed fighting the Germans after the Italian surrender in September 1943.

7th Infantry Division Lupi di Toscana Military unit

The 7th Infantry Division Lupi di Toscana was an infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. It was in 1938 formed as binary (2-regiment) division from infantry brigade in the city of Brescia. Despite the name, the division was formed by men from Lombardy, especially from Brescia, Bergamo and the surrounding valleys.

12th Infantry Division Sassari Military unit

The 12th Infantry Division Sassari was an Infantry Division of the Italian Army during World War II. After the end of World War I the Italian Army disbanded all brigades raised during the war with the exception of the Sassari Infantry Brigade and three further brigades, which also had distinguished themselves during the war: Liguria, Arezzo and Avellino. The brigade moved to Trieste as part of the 12th Infantry Division Timavo'. In 1926 the brigade gained the 12th Infantry Regiment Casale and changed its name to XII Infantry Brigade. Along with the 34th Artillery Regiment the brigade were the only units of the 12th Division. In 1939 the brigade lost the 12th Infantry regiment and was renamed 12th Infantry Division Sassari. This binary division consisted of only two infantry regiments and the 34th Field Artillery Regiment. To increase the weak strength of the division in 1941 the division was joined by the 73rd Blackshirt Assault Legion Boiardo, a battalion sized militia unit of the Italian Fascist Party.

20th Infantry Division Friuli Former infantry division of the Italian Army

The Infantry Division "Friuli" was a division of the Italian Army active in World War II and during the early days of the Cold War.

31st Infantry Division Calabria Military unit

The 31st Infantry Division Calabria was an infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Calabria Division, formed from the 31st Infantry Brigade "Caprera" 15 October 1939, was part of the garrison at Sardinia where it remained until it surrendered to the Allies after the Italian surrender in September 1943. The Division would then serve on the Allied side until the end of the war.

44th Infantry Division Cremona Military unit

The 44th Infantry Division Cremona was an infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II.

The 136th Armoured Division Giovani Fascisti was an infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II.

58th Infantry Division Legnano Military unit

The 58th Infantry Division Legnano was an Infantry Division of the Royal Italian Army during the Second World War. It was raised on 8 February 1934 in Milan and was disestablished on 17 February 1944 in Apulia. On 24 May 1939 it also spun off the 6th Infantry Division Cuneo.

159th Infantry Division Veneto Military unit

The 159th Infantry Division Vento was an infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Vento Division was formed in March 1942, as a garrison division. It was stationed on the Yugoslav border and never saw any combat. It was disbanded after the Italian surrender to the Allies in September 1943.

152nd Infantry Division Piceno Military unit

The 152nd Infantry Division Piceno was an infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Piceno Division was a Garrison division, formed in August 1941. As it was station in Italy it was also used for coastal defence. It was disbanded by the Allies after the Italian surrender in September 1943.

155th Infantry Division Emilia Military unit

The 155th Infantry Division Emilia was an infantry division of the Italian Army during the Second World War, formed in December 1941 as a garrison division. Despite this, in April 1942 it was sent to Dalmatia to assist in combat operations against Yugoslav Partisans. After the Italian armistice with the Allies of September 1943, most of the division surrendered to the Germans, but some elements held out until October, while the 155th Artillery Regiment managed to cross the Adriatic to reach Apulia in Southern Italy, where it joined forces with the 104th Motorised Division Mantova.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.