3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta"

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3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta"
8th Army
Garrison/HQMilan
EngagementsWorld War II
Insignia
Identification
symbol
Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta Division gorget patches

The 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta" (Italian: 3ª Divisione celere "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta") was a Cavalry or "Celere" (Fast) division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed in 1934, and during World War II was mobilized in June 1940. As a cavalry division it took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia and was part of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia. Annihilated during the Red Army's Operation Little Saturn in December 1942, the survivors returned to Italy in spring 1943.

History

The division was formed on 1 November 1934 as 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta" in

3rd Artillery Regiment for Cavalry Division. The cavalry brigade consisted of the cavalry regiments Regiment "Savoia Cavalleria" (3rd) and Regiment "Lancieri di Novara" (5th), the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment, and the III Light Tank Group "San Giorgio". On 1 February 1938 the III Cavalry Brigade "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta" was dissolved and its units came under direct command of the division.[1]

World War II

In March 1941 the division had to transfer its

deployment to the Eastern front.[1][2]

Eastern Front

On 13 August 1941 the division reached Dniprodzerzhynsk (today

Dnipro in central Ukraine, where the division took up position to the right of the 9th Infantry Division "Pasubio". On 28 September the Pasubio forced the river and the division's of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia went on the offensive, which brought them to Stalino (today Donetsk) by 13 October. After a month of fierce combat Stalino and nearby Horlivka were taken. The divisions continued their slowing offensive until 25th December, when the Soviets launched a determined counterattack in the Christmas Battle. The Italians repulsed the attack and the front stabilized afterwards for January.[1]

On 15 March 1942 the division was radically reorganized: it received the

self-propelled guns, and an expanded complement of mortars and anti-tank weapons. The division's two cavalry regiments, the horse artillery regiment and the III Light Tanks Group "San Giorgio" were removed from the division and formed the independent Horse Troops Grouping under direct command of the 8th Italian Army. With the new units and equipment the 3rd Cavalry Division was now structured similar to Italian motorized divisions.[4][1]

In April 1942, the division was further reinforced when the

Croatian Light Transport Brigade arrived at the front and was attached to the "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta".[4] From 30 July to 9 August the two Bersaglieri regiments eliminated the Soviet bridgehead at Serafimovich and later that month, with the support of German tanks, the Bersaglieri repelled a Soviet attack during the first defensive battle of the Don.[5][1]

By late autumn 1942, the 8th Italian Army was placed on the left flank of the

Veshenskaya
.

Operation Little Saturn

On 17 December the Soviets began

Dnipropetrovsk. After three weeks in the icy desert of the Steppe the survivors crossed the Donets river. The few remaining troops formed a Kampfgruppe and continued to fight until February 1943. The last troops were withdrawn to Italy in March 1943 and garrisoned in Bologna and Imola, where the process of rebuilding the division began.[1]

After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the division and its units were disbanded on 15 September 1943 after brief resistance against the invading German forces.[2][1]

Organization

August 1940

The division had undergone a level of mechanization and fielded two cavalry regiments, a

L6/40 tanks.[6]

Attached during the Invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941:[7]

August 1942

After the reorganization in August 1942 the division consisted of the following units:[13]

  • 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta"[1][7]
    • 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment[10]
      • Command Company
      • XVIII Auto-transported Bersaglieri Battalion
      • XX Auto-transported Bersaglieri Battalion
      • XXV Auto-transported Bersaglieri Battalion
      • 3rd Anti-tank Company (47/32 anti-tank guns)
    • 6th Bersaglieri Regiment[14]
      • Command Company
      • VI Auto-transported Bersaglieri Battalion
      • XIII Auto-transported Bersaglieri Battalion
      • XIX Auto-transported Bersaglieri Battalion
      • 6th Anti-tank Company (47/32 anti-tank guns)
    • 120th Motorized Artillery Regiment[15]
      • Command Unit
      • I Motorized Group (100/17 mod. 14 howitzers)
      • II Motorized Group (75/27 mod. 11 field guns)
      • III Motorized Group (75/27 mod. 11 field guns)
      • 101st Anti-aircraft Battery (20/65 md. anti-aircraft guns)
      • 220th Anti-aircraft Battery (
        anti-aircraft guns
        )
    • IC Mortar Battalion (81mm mod. 35 mortars)
    • XIII Self-propelled Anti-tank Squadrons Group
      self-propelled guns
      )
    • XLVII Bersaglieri Motorcyclists Battalion
    • LXVII Armored Bersaglieri Battalion (L6/40 tanks)
    • Anti-tank Battalion
      • 75th Anti-tank Battery (75/39 anti-tank guns)
      • 172nd Anti-tank Company (47/32 anti-tank guns)
      • 173rd Anti-tank Company (47/32 anti-tank guns)
      • 272nd Anti-tank Company (47/32 anti-tank guns)
    • 103rd Telegraph and Radio Operators Company
    • 105th Engineer Company
    • XIV Transport Group
      • 122nd Light Transport Section
      • 213th Medium Transport Section
      • 218th Heavy Transport Section
      • 219th Heavy Transport Section
    • 73rd Medical Section
      • 46th Field Hospital
      • 47th Field Hospital
      • 148th Field Hospital
      • 30th Surgical Unit
    • 93rd Supply Section
    • 3rd Cavalry Division Command Transport Squad
    • 355th Carabinieri Section
    • 356th Carabinieri Section
    • 40th Field Post Office

Military honors

For their conduct during the

campaign in the Soviet Union the President of Italy awarded the division's units six Gold Medals of Military Valor - Italy's highest military honor. This makes the 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta" together with the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia"
the two highest decorated Italian divisions of World War II.

Commanding officers

The division's commanding officers were:[1][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "3ª Divisione Celere "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta"". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b Wendal, Marcus. "Italian Army". Axis History. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  3. ^ "Finding All Possible Italian Tanks from 1900 to 1980 - Axis History Forum".
  4. ^ a b Bohannon, Shawn. "Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia". Axis History. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  5. ^ Italian Ministry of Defence, 1977a. Valori, 1951
  6. ^ Mollo, p.87
  7. ^ a b c d Bollettino dell'Archivio dell'Ufficio Storico N.II-3 e 4 2002. Rome: Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico. 2002. p. 199. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Reggimento "Savoia Cavalleria" 3°". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  9. ^ "Reggimento "Lancieri di Novara" 5°". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  10. ^ a b "3° Reggimento Bersaglieri". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  11. ^ a b dell'Uomo, F.; Puletti, R. (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Primo - Tomo II. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 235.
  12. ^ "Reggimento "Genova Cavalleria" 4°". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  13. ^ Quadro di battaglia dell'8ª Armata italiana in Russia. Rome: Ministero della Difesa Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito Ufficio Storico Roma, 1977. 1977. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  14. ^ "6° Reggimento Bersaglieri". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  15. ^ dell'Uomo, F.; di Rosa, R. (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Secondo - Tomo II. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 164.
  16. ^ "3° Reggimento Bersaglieri". President of Italy. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  17. ^ "3° Reggimento Bersaglieri". President of Italy. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  18. ^ "Reggimento "Savoia Cavalleria"". President of Italy. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  19. ^ "Reggimento "Lancieri di Novara"". President of Italy. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  20. ^ "6° Reggimento Bersaglieri". President of Italy. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  21. ^ "6° Reggimento Bersaglieri". President of Italy. Retrieved 12 October 2021.

Further reading

  • Dr Jeffrey T. Fowler - Axis Cavalry in World War II.
  • George F. Nafziger - Italian Order of Battle: An organizational history of the Italian Army in World War II (3 vol).
  • John Joseph Timothy Sweet - Iron Arm: The Mechanization of Mussolini's Army, 1920–1940.


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