3 Cavalry Division Amedeo Duca d'Aosta
Encyclopedia
The 3 Cavalry Division Amedeo Duca d'Aosta was an Cavalry
or Celere (Italian) Division
of the Italian Army
during World War II
. The division was formed in 1934, and during World War II was mobilized in June 1940. As a cavalry division and took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia
and was part of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia
. Almost destroyed during the Red Army
's attack in December 1942, the survivors returned to Italy
in 1943 when the Division was disbanded.
in August 1941, as part of Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia (Corpo di Spedizione Italiano). It was reorganized as a light mechanized division in March 1942, with the addition of the 6th Bersaglieri
Regiment from the 2 Cavalry Division Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro
, the 120th Motorized Artillery Regiment, the XLVII Bersaglieri Motorcyclist Battalion, the LXVII Bersaglieri Corazzato Battalion (two companies of L6/40 light tanks), the XIII Cavalleggeri di Alessandria Group (two squadrons of Semovente 47/32
tank destroyers) and an expanded complement of mortars and anti-tank weapons. The two cavalry regiments and the horse artillery regiment were removed from the Division to form the independent Raggruppamento truppe a cavallo and the San Giorgio Armoured Battalion returned to Italy. In April 1942, they were further reinforced when the Italian Legione Croata
arrived at the front and was attached to the 3rd Cavalry Division. In August, the Bersaglieri
Regiment eliminated the Soviet bridgehead at Serafimovich
. In the same month, with the support of German tanks, the Bersaglieri repelled a Soviet attack during the first defensive battle of the Don. By late autumn 1942, they were placed on the left flank of the German 6th Army between the Hungarian
and Romania
n forces. The German 6th Army was then investing Soviet General Vasily Chuikov
's 62nd Army in Stalingrad. The Italian line
stretched along the River Don for more than 250 Kilometres from the positions of the Hungarian 2nd Army
in Kalmiskowa to the positions of the Romanian 3rd Army in Veshenskaya
. The Division was destroyed during fighting in the Battle of Nikolayevka
on the Don River
in December 1942.
About half of the division remained which was formed into a kampfgruppe
and continued to fight until February 1943. The survivors were withdrawn to Italy in March 1943 and the Division was disbanded after a brief resistance against the German forces in September 1943.
The Division had undergone a level of mechanization. Each division had two cavalry regiments, a highly-mobile infantry (Bersaglieri
) regiment, an artillery regiment, and a light tank group. The squadrons of the cavalry regiments were horse-mounted and, other than a motorcycle company, the Bersaglieri were issued with bicycles. The light tank group had a total of 61 tanks. The tanks were typically L3s
or L6s.
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
or Celere (Italian) 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 division was formed in 1934, and during World War II was mobilized in June 1940. As a cavalry division and 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...
and was part of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia
Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia
During World War II, the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia was a corps-sized expeditionary unit of the Regio Esercito that fought on the Eastern Front...
. Almost destroyed during the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
's attack in December 1942, the survivors returned to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1943 when the Division was disbanded.
Eastern Front
The Division was transferred to the Eastern FrontEastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
in August 1941, as part of Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia (Corpo di Spedizione Italiano). It was reorganized as a light mechanized division in March 1942, with the addition of the 6th Bersaglieri
Bersaglieri
The Bersaglieri are a corps of the Italian Army originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Piedmontese Army, later to become the Royal Italian Army...
Regiment from the 2 Cavalry Division Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro
2 Cavalry Division Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro
The 2nd Cavalry Division Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro was a Cavalry Division of the Italian Army during World War II. The division was mobilised in 1940, it did not take part in the Italian invasion of France, but did serve in the Invasion of Yugoslavia in the Celere Corps and remained in...
, the 120th Motorized Artillery Regiment, the XLVII Bersaglieri Motorcyclist Battalion, the LXVII Bersaglieri Corazzato Battalion (two companies of L6/40 light tanks), the XIII Cavalleggeri di Alessandria Group (two squadrons of Semovente 47/32
Semovente 47/32
The Semovente 47/32 was an Italian self-propelled gun built during World War II. It was created by mounting a Cannone da 47/32 M35 in an open-topped, box-like superstructure on a Fiat L6/40 chassis. Some were built as command tanks with a radio installed instead of the main gun...
tank destroyers) and an expanded complement of mortars and anti-tank weapons. The two cavalry regiments and the horse artillery regiment were removed from the Division to form the independent Raggruppamento truppe a cavallo and the San Giorgio Armoured Battalion returned to Italy. In April 1942, they were further reinforced when the Italian Legione Croata
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
arrived at the front and was attached to the 3rd Cavalry Division. In August, the Bersaglieri
Bersaglieri
The Bersaglieri are a corps of the Italian Army originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Piedmontese Army, later to become the Royal Italian Army...
Regiment eliminated the Soviet bridgehead at Serafimovich
Serafimovich
Serafimovich is a town and the administrative center of Serafimovichsky District of Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Don River, northwest of Volgograd. Population:...
. In the same month, with the support of German tanks, the Bersaglieri repelled a Soviet attack during the first defensive battle of the Don. By late autumn 1942, they were placed on the left flank of the German 6th Army between the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n forces. The German 6th Army was then investing Soviet General Vasily Chuikov
Vasily Chuikov
Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov was a Russian lieutenant general in the Red Army during World War II, twice Hero of the Soviet Union , who after the war became a Marshal of the Soviet Union.-Early life and career:Born into a peasant family in the village of Serebryanye Prudy, he joined the Red Army during...
's 62nd Army in Stalingrad. The Italian line
Italian Army in Russia
The Italian Army in Russia was an army-sized unit of the Italian Royal Army which fought on the Eastern Front during World War II...
stretched along the River Don for more than 250 Kilometres from the positions of the Hungarian 2nd Army
Hungarian Second Army
The Hungarian Second Army was one of three field armies raised by the Kingdom of Hungary which saw action during World War II. All three armies were formed on March 1, 1940...
in Kalmiskowa to the positions of the Romanian 3rd Army in Veshenskaya
Veshenskaya
Veshenskaya, or Vyoshenskaya , colloquially known as Vyoshki, is a Cossack stanitsa in the northern, or upper, Don region, on the left bank of the Don. It is the administrative centre of the Sholokhovsky district...
. The Division was destroyed during fighting in the Battle of Nikolayevka
Battle of Nikolayevka
The Battle of Nikolayevka was fought in January 1943, as a small part of the larger Battle of Stalingrad. The Battle pitted forces of the Italian 8th Army's Alpini Corps against the four Soviet Armies of the Voronezh Front...
on the Don River
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
in December 1942.
About half of the division remained which was formed into a kampfgruppe
Kampfgruppe
In military history and military slang, the German term Kampfgruppe can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the German Wehrmacht and its allies during World War II and, to a lesser extent, in World War I...
and continued to fight until February 1943. The survivors were withdrawn to Italy in March 1943 and the Division was disbanded after a brief resistance against the German forces in September 1943.
Order of battle August 1940
- 3. SavoiaSavoiaSavoia may refer to:-*Savoy*Savoie*House of Savoy, a royal house of Italy until 1946.*Savoia-Marchetti, an Italian aircraft manufacturer.*Savoia Castle, a castle near Prague, Czech Republic....
Cavalry Regiment - 5. NovaraNovaraNovara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
Lancer Regiment - San GiorgioSan GiorgioSan Giorgio, is the Italian form of Saint George. When used as the name of a person it is frequently contracted to Sangiorgio.-Places:Many town and villages are named after the saint, including the following comuni, or ‘municipalities’:...
Armoured Battalion - 3. Autocelere Artillery Regiment (mot)
- 3. BersaglieriBersaglieriThe Bersaglieri are a corps of the Italian Army originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Piedmontese Army, later to become the Royal Italian Army...
Regiment- 3x Battalions
- 356. CarabinieriCarabinieriThe Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
Section - 3. Transportation Unit
- 7. Road Movement Group
- 40. Post Office
- 103. Mixed Engineer Company
- 45. Field Hospital
- 46. Field Hospital
- 47. Field Hospital
- 73. Medical Section
- 93. Quartermaster Section
- 213. Motor Transport Command
- 872. Light Motor Transport Detachment
- 873. Light Motor Transport Detachment
- 874. Light Motor Transport Detachment
- 36. Mixed Motor Transport Detachment
- 7. Road Recovery Unit
- Fuel Section
The Division had undergone a level of mechanization. Each division had two cavalry regiments, a highly-mobile infantry (Bersaglieri
Bersaglieri
The Bersaglieri are a corps of the Italian Army originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Piedmontese Army, later to become the Royal Italian Army...
) regiment, an artillery regiment, and a light tank group. The squadrons of the cavalry regiments were horse-mounted and, other than a motorcycle company, the Bersaglieri were issued with bicycles. The light tank group had a total of 61 tanks. The tanks were typically L3s
L3/35
The L3/35 or Carro Veloce CV-35 was an Italian tank used before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tankettes....
or L6s.
Further reading
- Dr Jeffrey T. Fowler - Axis Cavalry in World War II
- George F. Nafziger - Italian Order of Battle: An organizational history of the Italian Army in World War II (3 vol)
- John Joseph Timothy Sweet - Iron Arm: The Mechanization of Mussolini's Army, 1920-1940