The 40 Infantry Division "Hunters of Africa" (Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

: 40th Divisione d'Africa Cacciatori d’Africa) was an 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 Royal 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...

 (Regio Esercito Italiano) 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...

.

History

The Cacciatori d’Africa was formed in Italian East Africa

Italian East Africa

Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...

 (Africa Orientale Italiana, or AOI) and took part in the East African Campaign

East African Campaign (World War II)

The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....

. The division, together with the 65 Infantry Division "Grenadiers of Savoy"

65 Infantry Division Granatieri di Savoia

The 65 Infantry Division "Grenadiers of Savoy" was an infantry division of the Italian Royal Army during World War II.-East African Campaign:...

 (Granatieri di Savoia), was under the overall command of the Amedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta

Amedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta

Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta was the third Duke of Aosta and a first cousin, once removed of the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III. His baptismal name was Amedeo Umberto Isabella Luigi Filippo Maria Giuseppe Giovanni di Savoia-Aosta...

, who was the Viceroy

Viceroy

A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...

 and Governor-General

Governor-General

A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...

 of AOI. The Cacciatori d’Africa first saw action sometime in late March 1941 after the Italian defeat at the Battle of Keren

Battle of Keren

The Battle of Keren was fought as part of the East African Campaign during World War II. The Battle of Keren was fought from 5 February-1 April 1941 between the colonial Italian army defending it's colonial possession of Eritrea and the invading British and Commonwealth forces. In 1941, Keren was...

 but it too, couldn't turn back the British advance into AOI. The Cacciatori d’Africa laid down their arms on 19 May 1941. A handful of men refused to be POWs and waged a guerrilla war against the British in AOI. On 31 October 1943, the remaining Italian guerrillas in AOI stopped harassing the British.

Order of battle

• 210. Bisagno Infantry Regiment
• 211. Pescara Infantry Regiment
• 40. Artillery Regiment
• 10. Monte Bello Blackshirt CCNN Battalion
• 40. Mortar Battalion
• 40. Anti Tank Company
• 18. Colonial Engineer Battalion
• 40. Medical services unit
• 40. Supply services unit