Folgore Mechanized Division

Divisione Meccanizzata Folgore
Coat of Arms of the Folgore Mechanized Division
Active	25 September 1944 - 31 October 1986
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Role	Armoured warfare
Part of	V Army Corps
Garrison/HQ	Treviso
Engagements	World War II

The Folgore Mechanized Division was a mechanized division of the Italian Army. Its core units were three mechanized brigades. The brigades headquarters was in the city of Treviso.

The divisions history begins on 25 September 1944 with the formation of the Folgore Combat Group of the Italian Co-Belligerent Army with soldiers from the disbanded 184th Airborne Division Nembo. The name of the combat group was chosen in commemoration of the bravery of the 185th Airborne Division Folgore, which fought to annihilation in the Second Battle of El Alamein. The Nembo itself had been raised in 1942 with the Folgores 185th Parachute Infantry Regiment as its core unit.

The combat group consisted of the Nembo Parachute Infantry Regiment, the Italian Navys San Marco Amphibious Infantry Regiment, the Folgore Parachute Artillery Regiment and the CLXXXIV (184th) Engineer Battalion. Each of the two infantry regiments consisted of three infantry battalions, a mortar company armed with British ML 3 inch mortars and an anti-tank company armed with British QF 6 pounder guns. The artillery regiment consisted of four artillery groups with British QF 25 pounder guns, one anti-tank group with British QF 17 pounder guns and one anti-air group armed with British versions of the Bofors 40mm gun.

Equipped also with British uniforms the Combat Group took part in the Italian Campaign of World War II as part of the British XIII Corps.