The 50 Infantry Division Regina 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 Regina Division was a regular division of the Italian Army. The only combat it was involved in was when its 10th Regina Infantry Regiment was involved in the Battle of Crete

Battle of Crete

The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...

 in 1941. The rest of the division was used as an occupying force in the Dodecanese Islands. After the Italian surrender to the Allies

Allies

In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...

 in September 1943, the division fought against the Germans until October 1943.

Battle of Kos

The division together with British forces fought against the Germans in the Battle of Kos.
The British forces on Kos numbered about 1,500 men, 680 of whom where from the 1st Bn, Durham Light Infantry, the rest being mainly RAF personnel, and ca. 3,500 Italians of the 10th Regiment of the Regina Division. On 3 October, the Germans effected amphibious and airborne landings known as "Operation Polar Bear" (Unternehmen Eisbär) and reached the outskirts of the island's capital later that day. The British withdrew under cover of night. They surrendered the next day. The fall of Kos was a major blow to the Allies, since it deprived them of vital air cover. The Germans captured 1388 British and 3145 Italian prisoners. On 3 October, German troops executed the captured Italian commander of the island, Colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 Felice Leggio, and one-hundred-and-one of his officers. This was done in accordance with Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...

's order of 11 September to execute captured Italian officers.

Order of battle

• 9. Regina Infantry Regiment
• 10. Regina Infantry Regiment
• 309. Infantry Regiment
• 331. Infantry Regiment
• 50. Artillery Regiment
• 35. Coastal Defence Artillery Group
• 36. Coastal Defence Artillery Group
• 24. CCNN Legion
• 201. CCNN Legion
• 50. Mortar Battalion
• 50. Anti-Tank Company
• 23. Anti-Tank Company
• 46. Signal Company
• 91. Pioneer Company
• 250. Pioneer Company