World War II Sassari Mechanized Brigade
after end of world war italian army disbanded brigades raised during war exception of sassari brigade , 3 further brigades, had distinguished during war: liguria, arezzo , avellino. brigade moved trieste part of 12th infantry division timavo . in 1926 brigade gained 12th infantry regiment casale , changed name xii infantry brigade. along 34th artillery regiment brigade units of 12th division. in 1939 brigade lost 12th infantry regiment , renamed 12th infantry division sassari. binary division consisted of 2 infantry regiments (151st , 152nd) , 34th field artillery regiment. increase weak strength of division in 1941 division joined 73rd blackshirt assault legion boiardo, battalion sized militia unit of italian fascist party.
the division remained in istria on garrison duty until 6 april 1941 when axis forces began invasion of yugoslavia. first yugoslav cities fall prezid , Čabar on 12 april, followed novi lazi , borovec on 14 april. on 19 april division reached delnice, following day knin. next 2 years division s command remained in knin, while division s units continuously employed in anti-partisan operations: in Šibenik, brod na kupi, gračac, petrovac , drvar. heaviest fighting occurred during july 1942 when division tried clean velebit mountains of partisan forces.
in march 1943, after battle of neretva, division transferred rome aid in defense of city in case of allied attack. during time division reorganized along lines of mod.43 reform of italian army , augmented xii mortar battalion , xii semovente battalion equipped 24 semovente 75/18 self-propelled guns. in total division fielded 14,500 troops, 24 semovente , 80 artillery pieces. after armistice between italy , allied armed forces of 8 september 1943 division found fighting italy s former allies germans , along 21st infantry division granatieri di sardegna , 135th armored division ariete ii sassari defended rome 2 days. on 10 september 1943 remnants of sassari joined 21st infantry division granatieri di sardegna , 8th cavalry regiment lancieri di montebello , hundreds of civilian volunteers @ porta san paolo last stand. civilians @ porta san paolo included communist leader luigi longo, lawyer giuliano vassalli, writer emilio lussu, unionist leader vincenzo baldazzi, mario zagari, retired air force generals sabato martelli castaldi , roberto lordi, , 18-year-old future partisan leader marisa musu. future italian president sandro pertini brought detachment of socialist resistance fighters porta san paolo , around 12:30 catholic communist movement arrived further reinforcements including famed actor carlo ninchi. however, 17:00 germans broke line of italian defenders, had suffered 570 dead. after italian military units surrendered germans flight of italian king victor emmanuel iii rome had made further resistance senseless. italian soldiers handed thousands of weapons on civilian population, quick form organized resistance movement in city of rome.
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