184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo"

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184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo"
Active1942-1944
CountryItaly Kingdom of Italy
BranchItaly Royal Italian Army
TypeInfantry
RoleAirborne
SizeDivision
EngagementsWorld War II:
Insignia
Identification
symbol		World War II - Mostrina - Paracadutisti.png World War II - Mostrina - Artiglieria paracadutisti.png World War II - Mostrina - Genio paracadutisti.png World War II - Mostrina - Sanità paracadutisti.png World War II - Mostrina - Sussistenza paracadutisti.png
Nembo Division gorget patches

The 184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo" (Italian: 184ª Divisione paracadutisti "Nembo") was an airborne division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. After the Armistice of Cassibile the division joined the Italian Co-belligerent Army's Italian Liberation Corps and together with the Polish II Corps liberated Ancona in the Battle of Ancona.[1]

History[]

Constitution[]

The division was activated on 1 November 1942 in Pisa. The division consisted initially of the 184th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo", 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo", 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Nembo", CLXXXIV Paratroopers Sapper Battalion, and minor units.[2]

The 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" was raised on 1 April 1941 in Tarquinia as 1st Paratroopers Infantry Regiment, making it the oldest paratroopers regiment of the Italian Army.[3] On 1 September 1941 the 1st Paratroopers Infantry Regiment joined the Paratroopers Division, which was renamed 185th Paratroopers Division "Folgore" on 27 July 1942. On the same date the 1st Paratroopers Infantry Regiment was renamed 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Folgore".[2] In August 1942 the Folgore division, with the 186th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Folgore", 187th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Folgore", 185th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Folgore", and VIII Paratroopers Sapper Battalion, was sent to Libya to fight in the Western Desert Campaign. The 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Folgore" remained in Italy to serve as basis for the raising of the 184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo". On 15 September the regiment changed its name to 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Folgore" and consisted of the III, X, and XI paratrooper battalions. On the same date the regiment left the 185th Paratroopers Division "Folgore".[2][3]

The 184th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" was raised on 24 August 1942 in Florence and consisted of the XII, XIII, and XIV paratrooper battalions, which had been trained at the Royal Air Force Paratroopers School in Tarquinia.[4][2] The 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Nembo" was raised on 15 September 1942 in Pisa and consisted of the I and II paratrooper artillery groups, which both had been trained in Tarquinia.[5][2] The CLXXXIV Paratroopers Sapper Battalion was activated together with the division on 1 November 1942.[6]

Meanwhile the 185th Paratroopers Division "Folgore" fought in the Second Battle of El Alamein during which the division was annihilated by British XIII Corps. On 25 November 1942 the Folgore division was declared lost due to wartime events leaving the Nembo as the only Italian paratroopers division.[7] On 11 January 1943 the army's General Staff ordered to transform the Nembo in a triangular division and therefore on 1 February 1943 the 183rd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" with the XV, XVI, and VIII paratrooper battalions was raised by the Royal Air Force Paratroopers School in Viterbo.[8][2] The VIII Paratroopers Battalion was raised to replace the original VIII Paratroopers Battalion, which had been reorganized as VIII Paratroopers Sapper Battalion in May 1942.[9] The 183rd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment joined the division on 12 April 1943 and was based in Livorno. To complete the division the 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment raised a third paratroopers artillery group and the CLXXXIV Paratroopers Sapper Battalion raised a third paratroopers sapper company.[2]

On 30 May 1943 the 183rd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment, 184th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment, and 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment received their flags in a ceremony in Florence and the division's troops swore their oath to the King of Italy Victor Emmanuel III.[2] In May 1943 the 183rd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment transferred the VIII Paratroopers Battalion to the 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment and received the X Paratroopers Battalion in return.[8]

Sardinia[]

184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo" is located in Sardinia
Sassari
Sassari
Cagliari
Cagliari
Div. Command
Div. Command
Quaroni
Quaroni
Renzoni
Renzoni
Invrea
Invrea
Valletti
Valletti
Tantillo
Tantillo
class=notpageimage|
The division's locations in Sardinia 1943

In early June 1943 the bulk of the division was transferred to Sardinia, while the 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" and the III Paratroopers Artillery Group were detached. In Sardinia the division was assigned to , which was responsible for the defense of the southern half of the island. The division was divided into tactical groups, which were dispersed in the island's south-western region of Campidano, while one battalion was sent to the north-western region of Nurra. The tactical groups of the Nembo, together with units of the German 90th Panzergrenadier Division, were intended to act as rapid reinforcements for the coastal units garrisoning the beaches where allied forces were expected to land.[10]

The tactical groupings and groups were named after their commanders and based at the following locations:[10]

  • 184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo", in Villanovaforru
    • Grouping "Quaroni", in Assemini
      • Command Company/ 183rd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo"
      • Tactical Group "Gigersa" (XVI Paratroopers Battalion (reinforced)/ 183rd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo")
      • Tactical Group "Lusena" (XV Paratroopers Battalion (reinforced)/ 183rd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo")
      • Tactical Group "Conte" (CLXXXIV Paratroopers Sapper Battalion (reinforced))
    • Grouping "Renzoni", in Serramanna
      • Command Company/ 184th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo"
      • Tactical Group "Rizzati" (XII Paratroopers Battalion (reinforced)/ 184th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo")
      • Tactical Group "Corrias" (XIV Paratroopers Battalion (reinforced)/ 184th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo")
    • Grouping "Invrea", in Marrubiu
      • Tactical Group "Del Vita" (XIII Paratroopers Battalion (reinforced)/ 184th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo")
      • Tactical Group "Cadeddu" (attached: Squadrona Group "Cavalleggeri di Sardegna")
    • Tactical Group "Valletti" (X Paratroopers Battalion (reinforced)/ 183rd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo") in Fertilia
    • Maneuver Grouping "Tantillo" in Sanluri (attached M14/41 tank unit from the 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment)

Sicily[]

In March 1943 the III Paratroopers Battalion of the 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" had been sent Venezia Giulia to fight Yugoslav partisans. The battalion operated in the area of Črni Vrh, Vipava, Zadlog, Postojna and Ajdovščina. The battalion was joined in April by the XI Paratroopers Battalion and by June 1943 the area was cleared of partisans and the two battalions returned to the regiment's base in Florence.[11]

In July the 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" and III Paratroopers Artillery Group of the 184th Artillery Regiment "Nembo" were sent to Apulia to guard the Royal Italian Air Force's airfields on the Salento peninsula. On 9 July 1943 allied forces landed in Sicily and commenced the conquest of the island. The 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment was first transferred to Calabria and then shipped to Sicily to reinforce the Axis's last line of defense in the island's north-eastern corner. On 3 August 1943 the regiment took up its positions on the northern slopes of the Peloritani mountains between Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto and Castroreale.[11]

However the Seventh US Army's advance was unstoppable and the regiment had to fall back to Messina between 11 and 13 August 1943. Allied airpower forced the regiment to abandon all its vehicles and materiel and retreat by foot over the mountains to Messina, from where it was evacuated to Reggio Calabria on 16 August 1943.[11]

Calabria[]

In Calabria the 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 211th Coastal Division, which garrisoned the beaches on the southernmost tip of Italy. The regiment's headquarter and III Paratroopers Artillery Group were at Cittanova, while the regiment's battalions were at (III), Santa Cristina d'Aspromonte (XI) and Melito di Porto Salvo (VIII).[11]

On 3 September 1943 British and Canadian forces landed on the Calabrian coast: the 5th British Infantry Division between Bagnara Calabra and Villa San Giovanni, and the 1st Canadian Infantry Division between Reggio Calabria and Melito di Porto Salvo. While the units of the 211th Coastal Division quickly surrendered the 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment together with German units retreated along the mountainous interior of Calabria. On 4 September the XI Paratroopers Battalion clashed with British forces in Gambarie, while patrols of the VIII Paratroopers Battalion clashed with Canadian forces between Bagaladi and San Lorenzo, after which it began to retreat towards Platì.[11]

The VIII Paratroopers Battalion retreated through the Aspromonte mountains as the main roads along the coast were already under allied control. On 7 September the battalions reached the road passing from Platì to Santa Cristina d'Aspromonte and found it occupied by Canadian forces moving towards Delianuova. Unaware of the presence of the Italian paratroopers the Canadian 1st Battalion, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment and 1st Battalion, The West Nova Scotia Regiment bivouacked on the road and thus blocked the paratroopers toure of escape. Early in the morning of 8 September the remaining 400 paratroopers attacked and tried to break through the Canadian lines, however the Canadians prevailed and the VIII Paratroopers Battalion was annihilated.[12][11]

Armistice of Cassibile[]

Sardinia[]

The announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 and the total lack of communication, orders or news from Rome led to a split in the division: The XII Paratroopers Battalion of the 184th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" decided to side with the Germans. Together with individual soldiers the battalion began to retreat with the German 90th Panzergrenadier Division towards Corsica.[10] The division's Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Bechi Luserna followed the mutinous troops to try to convince them to return to their positions and respect the chain of command. On 9 September near Borore he caught up with them and was killed together with one of the accompanying Carabinieri officers. The mutineers then dumped his body into the sea when they crossed the Strait of Bonifacio to Corsica. For his courage Alberto Bechi Luserna was awarded Italy highest military honor the Gold Medal of Military Valour.[13][14][10]

Following these events the Armed Forces Command Sardinia ordered XIII Army Corps to keep the division under strict surveillance and away from combat operations. Meanwhile the division's commander disbanded the X Paratroopers Battalion of the 183rd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" and the 284th Paratrooper Cyclists Company, which both were deemed unreliable.[10]

Calabria[]

The news of the Armistice of Cassibile reached the remnants of the 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" during the evening of 8 September 1943. The regimental command and XI Paratroopers Battalion were in Cardinale, while the III Paratroopers Battalion was further East in Soveria Mannelli. Without clear orders or news from Rome the regiment split: the units in Cardinale decided to remain there and wait for the arrival of allied forces, while the III Paratroopers Battalion decided to continue retreating with the German 29th Panzergrenadier Division. When news reached the retreating III Paratroopers Battalion on 10 September that King Victor Emmanuel III with the royal family and the Badoglio government had fled Rome and taken refuge with British forces in Brindisi the battalion's 9th Company and some personnel of the 7th Company decided to join the allied side.[11]

Italian Co-belligerent Army[]

After the Armistice of Cassibile the units of Nembo gave birth to three distinct units, which joined the Italian Co-belligerent Army and fought in the Italian campaign on the allied side.

184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo"[]

Main article: Italian Liberation Corps

In January 1944 the 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment returned to Italy, where its two groups were equipped with more powerful 75/27 field guns respectively 100/22 howitzers. The regiment also raised a third group equipped with British QF 6-pounder anti-tank guns.[5] In May the rest of the division was transferred to main land Italy and joined the Italian Liberation Corps. On 22 May 1944 the 184th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" entered combat followed by the rest of the division on 31 May.[15][16] For the Battle of Ancona in July 1944 the Italian Liberation Corps was assigned to the Polish II Corps. In this battle the Nembo distinguished itself in the liberation of Filottrano, earning the 183rd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" a Bronze Medal of Military Valor and the 184th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" a War Cross of Military Valor.[8]

On 24 September 1944 the division and most of its units were disbanded and the personnel used to form the Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo" and various support units for the newly activated Combat Group "Folgore", which was equipped with British materiel and uniforms.[16] The 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment was re-equipped with British guns and assigned to the Combat Group "Folgore".[5]

CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo"[]

The remnants of the 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" were transferred to Apulia and reduced to CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo".[15] The battalion was equipped with Italian materiel and consisted of a command platoon, three paratrooper companies, one mortar company, and one anti-tank company. In January 1944 the battalion joined the brigade-sized , which was assigned to the American Fifth Army and fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino. By March 1944 the I Motorized Grouping had grown to a division-sized unit and was therefore split on 22 March in two brigades and renamed Italian Liberation Corps. The CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo" was assigned to corps' I Brigade.[15] In September 1944 the Italian Liberation Corps was disbanded and its personnel used to create division-sized combat groups, which were equipped with British materiel. At the same time the CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo" was disbanded and its personnel assigned to the Combat Group "Folgore", which was formed around the Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo" and 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Nembo".[12][15]

Reconnaissance Squadron "Folgore"[]

The 9th Company of the III Battalion/ 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo" were the first paratroopers to enter the war against the Germans. Already in September 1943 the company met with officers of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and offered to carry out reconnaissance and sabotage missions behind German lines. The company won the Allies' trust by undertaking patrols beyond the Biferno river, towards Agnone and Isernia, and later in the upper Sangro valley. The company passed to the British XIII Corps Corps and received reinforcements of about hundred men from the CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo".[17] On 15 January 1944 the unit assumed the name of Reconnaissance Squadron "Folgore" (Squadron "F") and continued to operate behind German lines until the middle of March 1944, when it was transferred to Sesto Campano in Apulia for a training cycle with the British Special Air Service that ended in early May.[3]

Afterwards the squadron conducted reconnaissance missions, patrols, infiltration and sabotage actions behind the German lines. In October 1944 the squadron received reinforcements from the disbanded CLXXXV Paratroopers Battalion "Nembo". At the end of March 1945 the squadron came under direct command of the allied 15th Army Group and around hundred of its paratroopers began to train for an airborne operation behind German lines. On 20 April 1945 the paratroopers of Squadron "F" jumped in Operation Herring, the war's final airborne combat drop, into the area of Poggio Rusco.[3][17]

Post War[]

On 15 October 1945 the Combat Group "Folgore" was renamed Infantry Division "Folgore", which included among other units the Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo" and 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Nembo". On 1 December 1948 the Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo" was renamed 183rd Infantry Regiment "Nembo" and remained one of the Folgore division's infantry units until the 1975 army reform, when it was reduced to 183rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion Nembo and assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Gorizia".[8] On 1 July 1953 the personnel and equipment of the 184th Paratroopers Artillery Regiment "Nembo" were used to reform the 5th Mountain Artillery Regiment.[5]

Organization[]

  • 184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo"[1]
    • Command Company
    • 183rd Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo"
      • Command Company
      • X Paratroopers Battalion
      • XV Paratroopers Battalion
      • XVI Paratroopers Battalion
      • Paratroopers Support Weapons Company (47/32 anti-tank guns)
    • 184th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo"[18]
      • Command Company
      • XII Paratroopers Battalion
      • XIII Paratroopers Battalion
      • XIV Paratroopers Battalion
      • Paratroopers Support Weapons Company (47/32 anti-tank guns)
    • 185th Paratroopers Infantry Regiment "Nembo"
      • Command Company
      • III Paratroopers Battalion
      • VIII Paratroopers Battalion
      • XI Paratroopers Battalion
      • Paratroopers Support Weapons Company (47/32 anti-tank guns)
    • 184th Artillery Regiment "Nembo"
      • Command Battery
      • I Paratroopers Artillery Group (47/32 anti-tank guns)
      • II Paratroopers Artillery Group (47/32 anti-tank guns)
      • III Paratroopers Artillery Group (47/32 anti-tank guns)
      • 2x Paratroopers Anti-aircraft batteries (20/65 Mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns)
    • CLXXXIV Paratroopers Sapper Battalion
    • 184th Paratroopers Motorcyclists Company
    • 284th Paratroopers Cyclists Company
    • 184th Paratroopers Mortar Company (81mm Mod. 35 mortars)
    • 184th Paratroopers Telegraph and Radio Operators Company
    • 184th Paratroopers Engineer Company
    • 184th Transport Unit
    • 324th Carabinieri Section
    • 184th Medical Section
    • 184th Supply Section
    • 146th Field Post Office

Attached to the division in Sardinia:[1]

  • Squadrons Group "Cavalleggeri di Sardegna" (L6/40 tanks)

Commanding officers[]

The division's commanding officer was:[1]

  • Generale di Brigata (1 November 1942 - September 1943)
  • Generale di Brigata (1943 - 1944)

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Bollettino dell'Archivio dell'Ufficio Storico N.II-3 e 4 2002. Rome: Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico. 2002. p. 349. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "184a Divisione di Fanteria "Nembo" - Costituzione". Associazione Nazionale "Nembo". Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "185° Reggimento Paracadutisti Ricognizione Acquisizione Obiettivi "Folgore" - La Storia". Italian Army. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  4. ^ "184° Reggimento Paracadutisti "Nembo"". Italian Army. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "184° Reggimento Artiglieria Paracadutisti "Nembo"". Italian Army. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  6. ^ "CLXXXIV Battaglione Guastatori Paracadutisti". Italian Army. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  7. ^ Bollettino dell'Archivio dell'Ufficio Storico N.II-3 e 4 2002. Rome: Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico. 2002. p. 351. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d "183° Reggimento Paracadutisti "Nembo"". Italian Army. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  9. ^ "8° Reggimento Genio Guastatori Paracadutisti "Folgore" - La Storia". Italian Army. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e "184a Divisione di Fanteria "Nembo" - In Sardegna". Associazione Nazionale "Nembo". Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "184a Divisione di Fanteria "Nembo" - Operazioni Venezia Giulia ed in Calabria". Associazione Nazionale "Nembo". Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  12. ^ a b "185° Reparto Autonomo Paracadutisti "Nembo"". Italian Army. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Bechi Luserna Alberto". President of Italy. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Ten.Col. Alberto Bechi Luserna". Italian Army. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d "L'Esercito e i suoi corpi - Volume Terzo - Tomo I". Rome: Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico. 1979. p. 90. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  16. ^ a b "La Divisione "NEMBO" ed il 185° reparto paracadutisti Arditi "Nembo" nelle operazioni con il Corpo Italiano di Liberazione". Associazione Nazionale "Nembo". Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Lo Squadrone da Ricognizione "F"". Associazione Nazionale "Nembo". Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  18. ^ "184° Reggimento di fanteria "Nembo"". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 22 December 2021.


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