20th Infantry Division Friuli

The 20th Infantry Division "Friuli" was formed on 24 August 1939 by renaming the existing 20th Infantry Division "Curtatone e Montanara". The division was immediately split to raise the 44th Infantry Division "Cremona". It was a reserve force in Valle Germanasca and Pellice valleys during the Italian invasion of southern France in June, 1940. From the beginning of April, 1941, it took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941 as part of the Italian VI Corps. The "Friuli" division was tasked to advance to the Gorenja Vas, Gorenja Vas–Poljane area. It opened fire 6 April 1941, and entered Yugoslavia 11 April 1941.[1] It reached Municipality of Loška Dolina and Municipality of Loški Potok 12 April 1941. The fighting ceased 18 April 1941, and 5 May 1941, the "Friuli" division was ordered back to Italy. When Italy and Germany occupied Vichy France after the Allied landings in French North Africa, the division was ordered to northern Corsica on 8 November 1942 to occupy the island, completing the transfer by 20 November 1942, while the 44th Infantry Division "Cremona" occupied Southern Corsica.[2] From 8 September 1943, to 4 October 1943, it fought Germans on Corsica, with prominent battles occurring at Teghime, Bastia and Casamozza. Afterward, the "Friuli" division was transferred to Sardinia to perform security duties.

Coat of Arms of the 88th Infantry Regiment "Friuli", 1939

As of its deployment to Corsica in 1942:[2][3][4]

• 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" [5][6]
  • 87th Command Company
  • 1st Infantry Battalion
  • 2nd Infantry Battalion
  • 3rd Infantry Battalion
  • 87th Mortar Company, with 81mm Mortars
  • 87th Accompanying Arms Company, with 65/17 Field Guns
• 88th Infantry Regiment "Friuli"[7][8]
  • 88th Command Company
  • 4th Infantry Battalion
  • 5th Infantry Battalion
  • 6th Infantry Battalion
  • 88th Mortar Company, with 81mm Mortars
  • 88th Accompanying Arms Company, with 65/17 Field Guns
• 35th Artillery Regiment "Friuli"[9]
  • 1st Artillery Group, with 100/17 Field Cannons
  • 2nd Artillery Group, with 75/27 Field Cannons
  • 3rd Artillery Group, with 75/18 Field Cannons
  • 4th Artillery Group, with 75/18 Field Cannons
  • 5th Anti-Aircraft Group
    • 35th Anti-Aircraft Battery, with 20 mm Anti-Aircraft Guns
    • 320th Anti-Aircraft Battery, with 20 mm Anti-Aircraft Guns
    • 356th Anti-Aircraft Battery, with 20 mm Anti-Aircraft Guns
• 88th CCNN Legion
  • 88th CCNN Battalion "Costanza Ciano"
  • 96th CCNN Battalion "Petrarca"
• 20th Mortar Battalion, with 81mm Mortars
• 20th Engineer Battalion
  • 52nd Pioneer Company
  • 20th Signal Company
  • 20th Chemical Company
• 20th Anti-Tank Company, with 47/32 Anti-Tank Guns
• 26th Medical Company
  • 81st Field Hospital
  • 82nd Field Hospital
  • 83rd Field Hospital
  • 491st Field Hospital
• 23rd Heavy Motor Transport Section
• 13th Supply Section
• 19th Bakery Section
• 58th Carabinieri Section
• 59th Carabinieri Section
• 60th Carabinieri Section
• 79th Field Post Office

Attached units in Corsica:

• Territorial Coastal Battalion
• Machine Gun Company
• Bastia Garrison with 3 battalions [10][nb 1]

• General Vittorio Sogno
• General Vito Ferrari
• General Giacomo Carboni[12]
• General Ettore Cotronei
• General Ugo De Lorenzis
• General Bartolomeo Pedrotti [2]

After the armistice between Italy and the Allies on 3 September 1943 the division in conjunction with the 44 Infantry Division "Cremona" and French Partisans engaged in heavy combat with the German Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SS and 90th Panzergrenadier Division and the Italian 12 Parachute Battalion of the 184 Parachute Regiment,[13] which came from Sardinia and retreated through Corsica towards the harbor of Bastia in the islands north. On 13 September elements of the Free French 4th Moroccan Mountain Division were landed in Ajaccio to support the Italian efforts to stop the 30,000 retreating German troops. But during the night of 3 to 4 October the last German units were evacuated from Bastia leaving behind 700 dead and 350 POW's. After the end of operations on Corsica the division was sent as garrison unit to Sardinia. On 24 November the 88th CCNN Legion was renamed as 387th Infantry Regiment "Friuli".

In July 1944 the division was transferred to San Giorgio del Sannio on the Italian peninsula. On 20 August 1944, the third battalions in the 87th and 88th Infantry regiments were replaced by two Granatieri di Sardegna battalions and on 31 August the 387th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" was disbanded. On 20 September 1944 the division was reorganized as Combat Group "Friuli" and on 5 February 1945, the group entered front as part of the Italian Co-Belligerent Army and replaced the 5th Polish Division "Kresowa" of the II Polish Corps on the Senio river near Brisighella. From there the group advanced with the allied armies to liberate Imola, Castel San Pietro and Bologna.[3]

On 15 October 1945, the Combat Group "Friuli" was renamed Infantry Division "Friuli" retaining the 87th and 88th Infantry Regiments as well as the 35th Artillery Regiment; additional units were the 120th Mixed Engineer battalion and some minor support units. Initially the division was based in the city of Bolzano as part of the IV Military Territorial Command, but in 1949 the division moved to Florence and joined the VII Military Territorial Command. There the division was augmented with the 78th Infantry Regiment "Lupi di Toscana", 8th Field Artillery Regiment and 3rd Light Anti-Air Artillery Regiment. Later the 3rd Light Anti-Air Artillery Regiment was replaced by the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment "Piemonte Cavalleria".

On 15 April 1960, the division was reduced to brigade, losing its traditional regiments and receiving new units. See Infantry Brigade "Friuli" for the brigade's history since 1960.