| 19th Infantry Division "Venezia" | |
|---|---|
 19th Infantry Division "Venezia" insignia | |
| Active | 1939–1943 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Italy |
| Branch |  Royal Italian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Florence |
| Engagements | Second Italo-Ethiopian War Invasion of Albania World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Giovanni Battista Oxilia |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |       Venezia Divisiongorget patches |
The19th Infantry Division "Venezia" (Italian:19ª Divisione di fanteria "Venezia") was ainfantrydivision of theRoyal Italian Army duringWorld War II. The Venezia was classified as a mountain infantry division, which meant that the division's 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 ofVenice and based in Tuscany, from where it also recruited most of its troops. After theArmistice of Cassibile between theAllies andItaly was announced on 8 September 1943 the division joined theYugoslav partisans inMontenegro and formed thePartisan Division "Garibaldi".[1][2]
The division's lineage begins with the Brigade "Venezia" established on 1 November 1883 inAlessandria with the 83rd and 84th infantry regiments.[3]
The brigade fought on theItalian front inWorld War I. On 10 November 1926 the brigade assumed the name of XIX Infantry Brigade and received the 70th Infantry Regiment "Ancona" from the disbandedBrigade "Ancona". The brigade was the infantry component of the 19th Territorial Division ofFlorence, which also included the19th Artillery Regiment. In 1934 the division changed its name to 19th Infantry Division "Gavinana".[1][4][5]
In preparation for theSecond Italo-Ethiopian War the division was mobilized on 28 March 1935 and shipped toEritrea. The division was deployed near the Ethiopian border in theAdi Quala and Enda-Ghergis area. On 3 October 1935 the division crossed theMareb River and took an Ethiopian fortified position at De’āro Teklē. On 4 October 1935 the division captured the town of Ādī Ābun and on 6 October 1935 it enteredAdwa. The advance then stopped, as several battles were fought around Adwa, in particular at Inda Mīka’ēl to the south of the town. After the Ethiopian counterattack had stalled, the division participated in theSecond Battle of Tembien, attacking on 26 February 1936 nearShire. On 2 March 1936 the division destroyed a large Ethiopian formation near Mai Nebri in Eritrea. On 3 March 1936 the division was in pursuit of retreating Ethiopian troops along theTacazze river. The division then returned to Inda Silasē near Shire on 4 March 1936. On 5–7 March 1936 the division reached the town of Indabaguna, on 9 March 1936Debarq, and on 2 April 1936Dabat. The division was relieved from frontline duties on 22 April 1936 and sent toAxum. For the rest of war it participated in mopping-up operations aroundMendefera.[1]
After the war the division returned to Italy. On 9 March 1937 the 70th Infantry Regiment "Ancona" left the division and moved toLibya to join the61st Infantry Division "Sirte". On the same day the division raised the87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" inArezzo as replacement.[1]
On 15 April 1939 the division, changed its name to "Venezia" and dissolved the XIX Infantry Brigade, with the infantry regiments coming under direct command of the division. On the same date the 19th Artillery Regiment was given the name "Venezia". On 15 September 1939 the division ceded the 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" to the20th Infantry Division "Friuli".[1]
The April 1939 the Venezia was mobilized for theinvasion of Albania, landing inDurrës inAlbania on 25–30 April 1939 and then occupyingElbasan andPogradec to the East ofTirana.[1] On 24 August 1939 the41st Infantry Division "Firenze" was raised in Florence as replacement for the Venezia, which was to be based permanently in theItalian protectorate of Albania.[6]
On 10 June 1940, the day of Italy's entry into World War II, the Venezia was patrolling the Albanian-Yugoslav border in the area between theDrin valley andBulqizë. As part of Italy's preparation for theattack on Greece the division was ordered on 26 October 1940 to move toKorçë near the border withGreece. On 2 November the division moved to the south ofLake Prespa to parry an anticipated Greek attack. Its defence stretched along theZaroshkë-Bilisht-Kapshticë line. On 3 November 1940 Greek forces attacked the division's right flank. Although the Venezia initially held the position by 4–5 November 1940 it was pushed out ofKapshticë,Bilisht and Bitincke, falling back to theDevoll river.
Consequently, the Greeks shifted the focus of their attacks on the centre and left (northern) flank of the Venezia, but without much success despite heavy fighting on 8–15 November 1940. On 16 November the Venezia was outflanked by the Greek breakthrough toErsekë. The Venezia tried to rectify this by pulling back its southern flank from the Devoll river, while the Greeks intensified their attacks on the retreating Italians on 17–19 November. On 21 November 1940 the Venezia lost contact with its neighbouring Italian forces on its southern flank and the division had to made a stand at thePogradec–Buçimas–Bregu i Zervaskës line on the southern tip ofLake Ohrid. The Greeks resumed their attack 26 November 1940 and the Venezia was forced to retreat to theShkumbin river valley after being outflanked on its right on 29 November 1940.
The division's rearguards fought a delaying battle on 1–7 December 1940 at the outskirts ofPogradec and on the southern shores ofLake Ohrid, from Kalasë to as far south as the Qafa e Vashës pass. The outstretched southern flank of the Venezia was retreating to the north, but the rapid Greek advance resulted in some elements of the division being stranded by 9 December 1940 on the Breshenihcut mountain. These troops were rescued on 23–24 December 1940. In early 1941 the division was reinforced by the 72ndCC.NN. Legion "Luigi Farini". Despite these reinforcement and severe weather conditions the Venezia's positions continued to crumble, resulting in the failure of the Kungullit mountain defence on 7 January 1941. This was the last major defeat for the Venezia, as the fighting's intensity began to decrease in January–March 1941. On 7 April 1941 a last Greek attack on Qafa e Vashës occurred.
On 14 April 1941 the Italian forces began a general offensive. The Venezia advanced first toPogradec, and then turned south toMaliq andKorçë, capturing both on 15 April 1941, without meeting sustained resistance. On 18 April 1941 the Venezia reached Ersekë on the Greek border.
In July 1941 the division was transferred toPodgorica inMontenegro and in August moved its headquarter toBerane in the MontenegrinSandžak. The division also garrisonedKolasin and from February 1942 alsoPljevlja, which became the base of the newly arrived 383rd Infantry Regiment "Venezia". Throughout its time in Montenegro the division was locked in fighting withYugoslav partisans. On 17 June 1943 the 383rd Infantry Regiment "Venezia" was assigned to the Territorial Defense Command Albania and moved toTirana.[7][1]
After theArmistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943, the German118th Jäger Division and YugoslavChetniks demanded the Venezia disarm, but both were refused. While the 383rd Infantry Regiment "Venezia" inTirana was quickly forced to surrender byinvading German forces, the Venezia's commander GeneralGiovanni Battista Oxilia was able to consolidate his forces atBerane and maintain discipline. On 10 October the division entered the2nd Corps ofTito'sNational Liberation Army and on 13 October 1943 the division began an offensive againstWehrmacht forces inBrodarevo,Murina, Berane andKolašin.[8] The new situation required that the division be split in smaller units and so six brigades were formed, each one centered around one of the brigade's infantry battalions:[1]
On 2 December 1943 inPljevlja the remaining Italian soldiers of the Venezia and1st Alpine Division "Taurinense", together with remnants of the155th Infantry Division "Emilia", approximately 16,000 men in total, were grouped together in theDivision "Garibaldi". The division consisted of three brigades of 5,000 men each, with the remaining Italian troops, mostly artillery, signals, engineer, and medical specialists, becoming instructors.[8]
Integrated into the Partisan 2nd Corps the division fought in Yugoslavia until February 1945, when the remaining 3,800 troops were repatriated via the liberatedDubrovnik.[8]
19th Infantry Division "Venezia", inFlorence[1][2]Attached from 1941:[2]
For their conduct after the announcement of theArmistice of Cassibile thePresident of Italy awarded on 15 March 1950 to the regiments of the 19th Infantry Division "Venezia" Italy's highest military honor, theGold Medal of Military Valor.
83rd Infantry Regiment "Venezia" on 15 March 1950[10] 84th Infantry Regiment "Venezia" on 15 March 1950[11] 19th Artillery Regiment "Venezia" on 15 March 1950[12]The division's commanding officers were:[1][2]
The names of twelve men attached to the division can be found in theCentral Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects (CROWCASS) set up by the Anglo-AmericanSupreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force in 1945. The names can be found at:Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects from the Kingdom of Italy.