51st Infantry Division "Siena"
51st Infantry Division "Siena" | |
---|---|
![]() 51st Infantry Division "Siena" insignia | |
Active | 1939–1943 |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Infantry |
Size | Division |
Garrison/HQ | Naples |
Engagements | World War II |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | General Ercole Caligian, General Gualtiero Gabutti,[1] General Giulio Perugi, Lieutenant General Angelico Carta |
Insignia | |
Identification symbol | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Siena Division gorget patches |
The 51st Infantry Division "Siena" (
History
The division's lineage begins with the Brigade "Siena" established by order of the Provisional Government of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany of 2 July 1859 with the 3rd and 4th infantry regiments. On 25 March 1860 the Brigade "Siena" entered the Royal Sardinian Army three days after the Kingdom of Sardinia had annexed the United Provinces of Central Italy, which included the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Already before entering the Royal Sardinian Army the brigade's two infantry regiments had been renumbered on 30 December 1859 as 31st Infantry Regiment and 32nd Infantry Regiment.[4]
World War I
The brigade fought on the Italian front in World War I. On 9 December 1926 the brigade command and 32nd Infantry Regiment "Siena" were disbanded, while the 31st Infantry Regiment "Siena" was transferred to the XXV Infantry Brigade.[5][6]
On 15 September 1939 the 51st Infantry Division "Siena" was activated in Naples. On the same date the 31st Infantry Regiment "Siena" and the newly raised 51st Artillery Regiment "Siena" joined the division. On 24 September 1939 the 32nd Infantry Regiment "Siena" was reactivated in Caserta joined the division.[2][6]
World War II
On 10 June 1940 the Siena was transferred to Piedmont as reserve unit during the
To plug the gap caused by the Greek breakthrough after the
After the fighting ended the Siena was reorganized in the
In October 1943 about 2,000 Italian POWs from Crete were killed, when the ship
Organization
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/CoA_mil_ITA_rgt_fanteria_031.png/180px-CoA_mil_ITA_rgt_fanteria_031.png)
51st Infantry Division "Siena", in Naples[3]
- 31st Infantry Regiment "Siena", in Naples[5]
- 3x Fusilier battalions
- Support Weapons Company (65/17 infantry support guns)
- Mortar Company (81mm mod. 35 mortars)
- 32nd Infantry Regiment "Siena", in Caserta[6]
- 3x Fusilier battalions
- Support Weapons Company (65/17 infantry support guns)
- Mortar Company (81mm mod. 35 mortars)
- 51st Artillery Regiment "Siena", in Caserta (formed by the depot of the 10th Artillery Regiment "Bologna")[7]
- Command Unit
- I Group (75/27 mod. 11 field guns)
- II Group (75/27 mod. 11 field guns)
- I Group (75/13 mod. 15 mountain guns)
- 1x Anti-aircraft Battery (anti-aircraft guns)
- Ammunition and Supply Unit
- LI Machine Gun Battalion (joined the division in 1942)
- LI Mortar Battalion (81mm mod. 35 mortars)
- LI Mixed Engineer Battalion (formed in 1943)
- XXXI Replacements Battalion
- XXXII Replacements Battalion
- 51st Anti-tank Company (47/32 anti-tank guns)
- 51st Telegraph and Radio Operators Company (entered the LI Mixed Engineer Battalion in 1943)
- 83rd Engineer Company (entered the LI Mixed Engineer Battalion in 1943)
- 51st Medical Section
- 51st Truck Section
- 121st Supply Section
- 120th Transport Section (joined the division in Crete)
- 851st Transport Section
- Bakers Section
- 63rd Carabinieri Section
- 120th Carabinieri Section
- 121st Field Post Office
- 31st Infantry Regiment "Siena", in Naples[5]
Attached to the division from 1941 to early 1942:[3]
- 141st CC.NN.Legion "Capuana"
- CXLI CC.NN. Battalion (remained with the division until September 1943)
- CLIII CC.NN. Battalion
- 141st CC.NN. Machine Gun Company
Attached to the division from 1 March 1942:[3]
Attached to the division from 1 December 1942:[3]
- 3rd Tank Company "L" (L6/40 tanks)
- 4th Machine Gun Company
- 251st Anti-tank Company (47/32 anti-tank guns; detached from the LI Special Brigade)
- 33rd Artillery Battery (75/27 field guns)
- 137th Artillery Battery (75/27 field guns)
- 199th Anti-aircraft Battery (20/65 mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns); detached from the LI Special Brigade)
Commanding officers
The division's commanding officers were:[2][3]
- Generale di Divisione Ercole Caligian (15 September 1939 - 30 April 1940)
- Generale di Divisione Gualtiero Gabutti (1 May 1940 - 9 December 1940)
- Generale di Divisione Giulio Perugi (10 December 1940 - 6 January 1941)
- Generale di Divisione Angelico Carta (7 January 1941 - 9 September 1943)
References
- ^ Enrico Tagliazucchi and Franco Agostini. "Royal Italian Army". World War II Armed Forces – Orders of Battle and Organizations. Archived from the original on 4 April 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f "51ª Divisione di fanteria "Siena"". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Bollettino dell'Archivio dell'Ufficio Storico N.II-3 e 4 2002. Rome: Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico. 2002. p. 293. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ Voghera, Enrico (1909). Annuario militare del regno d'Italia - Volume I. Rome. p. 402.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c "31° Reggimento di fanteria "Siena"". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ a b c "32° Reggimento di fanteria "Siena"". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ F. dell'Uomo, R. di Rosa (1998). L'Esercito Italiano verso il 2000 - Vol. Secondo - Tomo II. Rome: SME - Ufficio Storico. p. 147.
- Paoletti, Ciro (2008). A Military History of Italy. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-98505-9.