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Divisione Italia
Flag of the Yugoslav Partisans
Active	(Garibaldi battalion) 11 September 1943–7 July 1945
Country	Kingdom of Italy-AMGOT
Branch	National Liberation Army (Yugoslavia)
Type	infantry
Role	Field army
Size	5,000 about
Engagements	Syrmian Front
Decorations	Gold Medal of Military Valour to commander
Commanders
Notable commanders	Giuseppe Maras

Division Italia or Divisione Italia fought in Yugoslavia during second world war: this division was framed in Yugoslav army.

History

After Armistice of Cassibile, which was signed on 3 September 1943, the division was organized by Italian soldiers from disbanded Second Army (Italy), and Italians were framed later in National Liberation Army. The Italian armed force Brigade Italia was formed in Belgrade on 28-29 October 1944 among the 1st Division (Yugoslav Partisans); its core was made up of two battalions: Garibaldi battalion formed on 11 September 1943 in Split, Croatia and Matteotti battalion formed on October 1943 in Livno. Other Italians, freed from German concentration camps, joined the brigade forming the third Mameli battalion. Before leaving Belgrade for the Syrmian Front there were 2,283 soldiers, then the fourth Bandiera brothers battalion was added.

Composition

Division was formed initially by four battalions with soldiers of different political ideologies:

• battalion Giuseppe Garibaldi formed by communists on 11 September 1943
• battalion Giacomo Matteotti formed by socialists on October 1943
• battalion Goffredo Mameli formed by republicans and anarchists during 1944
• battalion Bandiera brothers formed by liberals and monarchists during 1944

The Brigade Italia, and later renamed Division Italia, was led by sub-lieutenant Giuseppe Maras; later the full division was formed by twelve battalions. Only a small part of the fighters were totalitarian or marxist communists while the majority fought for a democratic Yugoslavia. Obviously none of the Italian soldiers knew the carnage of foibe massacres against Italian people.

War operation

On summer 1943, Garibaldi battalion fought in defense of Split against Germans and their Yugoslav allies. Three times the two battalions Garibaldi and Matteotti, the major Italian formations in Bosnia, risked being annihilated by the long range and long lasting German offensives and yet withstood the toughest tests, deserving the praise of Josip Broz Tito and frequent citations in the bulletins of Radio Londra. After the breakthrough on the Syrmian Front, the brigade Italia pursued the enemy towards Zagreb and later also this brigade participated in the conquest of Belgrade, a city to which the Germans attached enormous moral and strategic importance. Italian fighters raised the first flag of democrat Italy on the building of Italian embassy in Belgrade and political commissioner Innocente Cozzolino was temporarily Italian consul in the new Yugoslavia. Broz Tito wanted the Italian battalions in first row of parade in front of him to the liberation departments. On 8 May 1945 Italian soldiers entered victorious in Zagreb after other hard fighting sustained in Tovarnik, Pleternica, mountain Slijem. On June 1945 the brigade became a division with about 5,000 fighters in twelve battalions.

Dissolution

The Division Italia returned to Italy on 2 July 1945 and on 7 July 1945 the armed force was dissolved. The commander Maras was awarded with Gold Medal of Military Valour by president of Italian Republic in 1968.

References

1. Giacomo Scotti Ventimila caduti. Italiani in Iugoslavia 1943–45, printed by Mursia in Milan, 1970: in page 492 there is text regarding division Italia
2. ANPI
3. article by Giacomo Scotti
4. Quirinale

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• Corps of the Yugoslav Partisans