101st Motorized Division "Trieste" | |
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Active | 1939–1943 |
Country | Kingdom of Italy |
Branch | Royal Italian Army |
Type | Infantry |
Role | Motorized |
Size | Division |
Part of | XX Army Corps |
Garrison/HQ | Piacenza |
Engagements | World War II Operation Crusader Battle of Gazala Battle of Bir Hakeim First Battle of El Alamein Battle of Alam el Halfa Second Battle of El Alamein Battle of the Mareth Line Battle of Wadi Akarit |
Insignia | |
Identification symbol | Trieste Division gorget patches |
101st Motorized Division "Trieste" (Italian: 101ª Divisione motorizzata "Trieste") was a motorized infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Trieste was formed in 1939 and named for the city of Trieste. The division and its infantry and artillery regiments were based in Piacenza, while the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment was based until 1940 in Treviso and then moved to Cremona to be closer to the division. In September 1941 the Trieste was transferred to Libya for the Western Desert Campaign. The division was decimated in the Second Battle of El Alamein, but was rebuilt with the survivors of destroyed divisions. The Trieste then participated in the Tunisian Campaign until Axis forces in Tunisia surrendered to allied forces on 13 May 1943.[1][2]