26th Infantry Division "Assietta"
| 26th Mountain Infantry Division Assietta | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1935 - 1943 |
| Country |  Regno d'Italia Kingdom of Italy |
| Branch | .svg){kind=small} Regio Esercito Royal Italian Army |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Asti |
| Nickname(s) | Assietta |
| Engagements | Second Italo-Abyssinian War World War II |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol | File:26 Infantry division assietta.jpg |
| Identification symbol | Assietta Division collar insignia |
The 26th Mountain Infantry Division Assietta was an Infantry Division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Assietta Division was formed in 1939, from the 26th Infantry Division Assietta that had participated in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War and was reorganized as a Mountain division prior to the start of World War II. The new division took part in the Italian invasion of France. It was then involved in the Invasion of Yugoslavia. and soon after moved to Sicily in July 1941. It was destroyed during the Allied landings. It was being rebuilt in the North of Italy when the Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces was signed and surrendered to the Germans. [1] Mountain Divisions are not to be confused with the "Alpini" specialized mountain troops. The Mountain divisions had pack horse artillery instead of the usual towed type.
Most men drafted in the Assietta Division came from Asti and surroundings.
Order of Battle 1935
- 38th Infantry Regiment "Ravenna"
- 63rd Infantry Regiment "Cagliari"
- 49th Artillery Regiment
- 504th Medium Machine Gun Battalion
- Engineers Company
- Replacements Battalion
- Each Army Division in the Ethiopian Campaign had a Pack-Mules unit of 3000 mules and three Regimental Trucks units (20 light trucks each).
- Assietta was a Binary Division (2 Infantry Rgts only)
Order of battle 1940
- 29. Pisa Infantry Regiment
- 30. Pisa Infantry Regiment
- 17. CCNN Legion (Blackshirts)
- 17. Cremona CCNN Battalion
- 18. Costantissima CCNN Battalion
- 25. Assietta Artillery Regiment
- 5 x Battalion
- 10. Anti Aircraft Battery
- 326. Anti Aircraft Battery
- 26. Mortar Battalion
- 126. Mortar Battalion
- 126. Anti-Tank Company
- 64. Pioneer Company
- 26. Signal Company
- 16. Medical Section
- 9. Field Hospital
- 10. Field Hospital
- 151. Field Hospital
- 468. Field Hospital
- 262. Heavy Motor Transport Section
- 18. Supply Section
- 31. Bakery Squadron
- 51. Pack Transport Section [1][nb 1]
Notes
- Footnotes
- ^ An Italian Infantry Division 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. [2]
- Citations
- ^ a b Wendal, Marcus. "Italian Army". Axis History. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ Paoletti, p 170
- Paoletti, Ciro (2008). A Military History of Italy. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-275-98505-9.