5th Alpine Division "Pusteria"

5th Alpine Division "Pusteria"
5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" insignia
Active31 December 1935 – 8 September 1943
Country Kingdom of Italy
Branch Royal Italian Army
TypeAlpini
RoleMountain Infantry
Size17,460 men
Garrison/HQBruneck
EngagementsSecond Italo-Ethiopian War
World War II
Battle of France
Greco-Italian War
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Giovanni Esposito
Insignia
Identification
symbol

Pusteria Division gorget patches

The 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" (Italian: 5ª Divisione alpina "Pusteria") was a division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II, which specialized in mountain warfare. The Alpini are a mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The division was formed in 1935 and based in the Puster Valley (Italian: Val Pusteria), which gave the division its name.