The 18 Infantry Division Messina was a Infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 Division

Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...

 of the Italian Army

Royal Italian Army (1940–1946)

This article is about the Italian Royal Army which participated in World War II.The Italian Royal Army was reformed in 1861 and lasted until 1946. The Royal Army started with the unification of Italy and the formation of the Kingdom of Italy . It ended with the dissolution of the monarchy...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The Messina Division took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia

Invasion of Yugoslavia

The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...

 as part of the Italian XVII (Armoured) Corps and captured both Cetinje

Cetinje

Cetinje , Цетиње / Cetinje , Italian: Cettigne, Greek: Κετίγνη, Ketígni) is a town and Old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...

 and Kotor

Kotor

Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....

 and much of the Yugoslav Royal Navy

Yugoslav Royal Navy

The Royal Yugoslav Navy was the navy of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.This navy existed since the establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918, which was changed in 1929 to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia...

. It remained in Yugoslavia as an occupying force, stationed in Herzegovina

Herzegovina

Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...

 and carried out anti partisan operations. The division was disbanded by the Germans after the Italian surrender in September 1943.

Operation Alba

The Messina Division took part in Operation Alba

Operation Alba

Operation Alba was a multinational peacekeeping force sent to Albania in 1997. Led by Italy, it was intended to help the Albanian government restore law and order in their troubled country after the 1997 rebellion in Albania....

 which was an anti Partisan operations in Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

 carried out on the 12 August to he 2 September 1942, to destroy partisan groups in the Biokovo

Biokovo

Biokovo is the second-highest mountain range in Croatia, located along the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea, between the rivers of Cetina and Neretva...

 area 40 to 50 kilometres east of Split

Split (city)

Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...

. Italian forces burned down 10 villages and killed and arrested several hundred people.

Operation Alfa

The Messina also took part in Operation Alfa

Operation Alfa

Operation Alfa was an Italian-Chetnik military operation carried out in the Prozor region. Prozor was located within the Italian third occupation zone in the Independent State of Croatia....

 between the 5 and 10 October 1942. The objective was to retake the town of Prozor which had been overrun by a strong Partisan force. The operation was under the command of the Italian VI Corps, which achieved all its objectives in 6 days.

Order of battle

• 93. Messina Infantry Regiment
• 94. Messina Infantry Regiment
• 2. Metauro
  Metauro
  The Metauro is a river of the Marche, central Italy. It rises in the Apennine Mountains and runs east for 110 km ....
  
   Artillery Regiment
• 108. CCNN Legion (Blackshirts)
• 18. Mortar Battalion
• 118. Anti-Tank Company
• 18. Signal Company
• 20. Mining Company
• 48. Pioneer Company
• 49. Medical Section
• 190. Heavy Motor Transport Section
• 23. Supply Section
• 52. Carabinieri
  Carabinieri
  The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
  
  Section
• 53. Carabinieri Section
• 44. Field Bakery