| 33rd Infantry Division "Acqui" | |
|---|---|
 33rd Infantry Division "Acqui" insignia | |
| Active | 1939–1943 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Italy |
| Branch |  Royal Italian Army |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | Division 12,000 soldiers |
| Part of | XXVI Army Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | Meran |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Ernesto Chiminello Antonio Gandin |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |       Acqui Divisiongorget patches |
The33rd Infantry Division "Acqui" (Italian:33ª Divisione di fanteria "Acqui") was aninfantrydivision of theRoyal Italian Army duringWorld War II. The Acqui was classified as a mountain infantry division, which meant that its artillery was moved by pack mules instead of the horse-drawn carriages of line infantry divisions. Italy's realmountain warfare divisions were the six alpine divisions manned byAlpini mountain troops. The division was named for the city ofAcqui. The division is notable for having been massacred with remarkable cruelty after surrendering to the Germans on 21 September 1943. The main detachments of the Acqui division in the islands ofCephalonia andCorfu were officially dissolved 25 September 1943.[1][2][3]
The division's lineage begins with the Brigade "Acqui" established on 21 December 1821, which on 25 October 1831 split to form the 1st and 2nd infantry regiments under the brigade's command. On 4 May 1839, the two regiments were re-numbered as 17th and 18th infantry regiments.[4]
The brigade fought on theItalian front inWorld War I. On 15 October 1926 the brigade command was disbanded and the brigade's two regiments were transferred to other brigades: the17th Infantry Regiment "Acqui" to theXIV Infantry Brigade and the 18th Infantry Regiment "Acqui" to theXI Infantry Brigade.[5][6]
In August 1939 the 33rd Infantry Division "Acqui" was formed inMeran and received on the same date its two namesake infantry regiments. On the same day the33rd Artillery Regiment "Acqui" was reformed and assigned to the division.[1]
On 10 June 1940 theItalian invasion of France commenced and the Acqui engaged French forces in theMaddalena Pass-Argentera-Colle del Ferro area.[7] AfterFrance surrendered to Germany in the evening of 22 June 1940,[8] the Acqui crossed into French territory on 23 June 1940. Meeting weak opposition the division advanced toLa Condamine-Châtelard. On 24 June 1940 the Acqui reached theUbaye Valley, but at this point aFranco-Italian Armistice came into effect and the Acqui division returned Italy. The division's casualties in this campaign amounted to 32 dead, 15 missing, 90 wounded and 198 frostbitten.
On 6 December 1940 the Acqui was ordered to move toAlbania to reinforce the crumbling Italian front in theGreco-Italian War. The division arrived north-west ofVuno in theHimarë municipality on 18 December 1940 and was ordered to reinforce the positions of the51st Infantry Division "Siena" in theShushice river valley. On 19 December 1940 the Acqui battled a Greek offensive trying to captureVlorë. For the rest of December the Acqui remained in its defensive posture. In January 1941 a bitter fight for the Qafa e Hazërit mountain trail started. The Qafa e Hazërit trail changed hands several times. In early February 1941 the division was pulled back to Smokthinë in theShushice river valley to rest and refill its depleted ranks. In March 1941 the Acqui was again deployed to the front at Kakoz. In the course of the German-ledBattle of Greece the Acqui attacked on 14 April 1941 at Bolenë,Horë-Vranisht and Maja e Mesimerit. On 16 April the Greek army began an organized retreat and the Acqui took the direct route to the border town ofKonispol and then entered the Greek province ofFiliates. On 20 April 1941 the Acqui capturedIgoumenitsa andSyvota.[1]
Between 20 December 1940 and 23 April 1941, the casualties in the Acqui Division were 481 killed, 1,163 missing, 1,361 wounded and 672 frostbitten.[9]After the Greek surrender the Acqui became the part of theoccupation force on the islands ofCorfu,Lefkada,Zakynthos andCephalonia. To reinforce the thinly spread troops, the division was reinforced in May 1942 by the 317th Infantry Regiment "Acqui".[2] During 1942, the division headquarters were briefly relocated toLefkada before moving toCephalonia in May 1943.
After theArmistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943 the division resistedGerman orders to surrender. In retaliation the Germans executed thousands of the division's soldiers in what is known as the "Cephalonia massacre". One of the largestprisoner of war massacres of the war, and one of the largest-scaleGerman atrocities to be committed byWehrmacht troops,[10] Of the division's approximately 12,000 soldiers 1,300 died fighting the Germans and between 5,200 and 6,000 soldiers and all the division's officers were murdered by the German1st Mountain Division.[2][3]
The events in Cephalonia were repeated, to a lesser extent, elsewhere: in Corfu, the 8,000-strong Italian garrison comprised elements of three divisions, including the Acqui's 18th Regiment Infantry Regiment, and the I Battalion, 49th Infantry Regiment "Parma" from the49th Infantry Division "Parma". On 24 September, the Germans landed a force on the island, and by the next day they were able to induce the Italians to capitulation.[11] All 280 Italian officers on the island were executed during the next two days on the orders of GeneralHubert Lanz, in accordance with Hitler's directives.[11] The bodies were loaded onto a ship and disposed of in the sea.[11] Similar executions of officers also occurred in the aftermath of theBattle of Kos, when the Italian commander and 90 of his officers were shot.[12][3]
Many of the Acqui's soldiers, who had survived the massacres on Cephalonia and Corfu died in the subsequent weeks:
33rd Infantry Division "Acqui", inMeran[1][2][15]Attached to the division from early 1940 to 14 November 1940:[2]
Attached to the division from 14 November 1940 until early 1942:[2]
Attached to the division in 1943:[2]
For their conduct after the announcement of theArmistice of Cassibile onCephalonia andCorfu thePresident of Italy awarded on 16 February 1948 to the regiments of the 33rd Infantry Division "Acqui" Italy's highest military honor, theGold Medal of Military Valor.
17th Infantry Regiment "Acqui" on 16 February 1948[18] 18th Infantry Regiment "Acqui" on 16 February 1948[19] 317th Infantry Regiment "Acqui" on 16 February 1948[20] 33rd Artillery Regiment "Acqui" on 16 February 1948[21]The division's commanding officers were:[1][2]
In 2002 the Italian Army activated three division commands, with one of the three always readily deployable forNATO missions. Each division was given the traditions of a division that had served with distinction in World War II. Therefore on 31 December 2002 the 3rd Italian Division inSan Giorgio a Cremano was renamedDivision Command "Acqui".