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Alpine Divisions in 1940- Julia 6th Bn?

Dili

Member
I have that the 5 Alpine divsions are considered complete at war start, but i have only 5 Battalions in Julia in Albania. Where was the 6 Bn?
 
Dili
The Julia in Albania have this OOB
-8° Reggimento Alpini, con i Btg. “Tolmezzo”, “Gemona” e “Cividale”;
-9° Reggimento Alpini, con i Btg. “Vicenza” e “L'Aquila”;
-3° Reggimento Artiglieria Alpina, con i Gruppi “Conegliano” e “Udine”;
-8^, 9^ 303^ Sezione Sanità;
-633° Ospedale da Campo;
9941 Alpini 20 guns at the start of the campaign
The 9.o reggimento never receive its third btl...During the campaign the division have many casualties and often receive Gruppi Alpini Valle like help.......
ALl the best
maurizio
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
My info has the btg. alp. Val Cismon joining the division in January 1941. I will need to look at my sources at home to cite the source.

I will need to dig to see if I can answer the basic question of whether Julia had a sixth battalion when mobilized in June 1940.

Pista! Jeff
 

Dili

Member
Thanks Maurizio, Jeff

Maurizio, you mean at start of campaign 10 June or 28 October? and 20 guns you mean 20 75/13?

Strange that the unit is considered complete. Maybe one of those Val btg was supposed to be part of it.
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
Unfortunately what I have found doesn't clarify the situation. Val Cismon was part of the XXV corpo d'armata in March 1941, but doesn't join the division until sometime between Greece and Russia.

On 1 agosto 1940, Julia had 5 big. alpina and 5 btr. alpina. The artillery and guns match as the organization of the d. alp. was that each btg. could have a btr. in support. (Campagna di Grecia tomo II, pp. 53 and 63). The division was reinforced with a btg. volontari albanesi (tomo I p. 136)

On 2 dec. 1940, the 9º reg. alpina had the L'Aquila, Val Fella, and Vicenza. (Campagna di Grecia tomo II, p. 579)

On 21 Mr 41, the 9º reg. alpina had the L'Aquila, Susa, and Vicenza. (Campagna di Grecia tomo II, p. 879).

In Russia in 1942 the 9º reg. alpina had the L'Aquila, Val Cismon, and Vicenza. (Le operazioni delle unità italiane al fronte russo p. 620) Campagna di Grecia tomo II, p. 579).
 

Dili

Member
I have found Battaglione "Val Venosta"/9° Reggimento Alpini in 3° Comando Guardia alla Frontiera
 
Gentlemen
The Julia (3.a alpina) Division takes part in the operations for the annexation of Albania to the Empire (1939).
At the moment the division is composed of:
-8th Regiment (Btg. Tolmezzo, Btg. Gemona, Btg. Cividale)
-9th Regiment (Btg. Vicenza and Btg. L'Aquila)
-3rd Artillery Regiment (Gr. Conegliano and Gr. Udine) (20x 75/13 guns)
-3ª Cp. mixed Genio
- chemical platoon
-207 ° autoreparto
The Division, strong of about 9 thousand men, remains dislocated in different locations in the north-eastern part of Albania, overlooking the border with Yugoslavia and later presides over the province of Scutari, until October 1940 when it is moved to the Greek border -Albanian.
On December 21, 1940, the «Val Cismon» battalion (The Val Cismon battalion was a "Valle" battalion, therefore belonging to the Alpine reserve) was reconstituted in Feltre, starting soon after for Taranto. On 14 January 1941 the department arrived in Vlora and immediately transferred to the Vojussa area as an independent battalion. On 1 March the already tried «Val Cismon» was included in the alpine group «Signorini» with the btg. «Bolzano» and «Cervino». After the necessary reorganization, the Alpine group replaced the "Julia" in the Golic area, also acquiring the btg. "Susa." Once the task had been completed, the "Signorini" group was dissolved on 27 April and the "Val Cismon" was assigned to the 9th Alpine Regiment, with which it reached Janina and then took part in the conquest of Epirus. The battalion was then finally assigned to the 9th alpine regiment with which it also faced the Russian campaign.
All the best
Maurizio
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks Maurizio. I forgot to check the 1939 invasion. It appears that Julia never had a sixth battalion until the end of the Greek campaign.
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
Dili

I did understand your question. The simple answer is 'because they said it was complete' with only 5 btg/5 btr.
From L'esercito italiano tra la 1ª e 2ª guerra mondiale, p. 275, 58 btg. alpini were mobilized on 15 agosto 1939. Why the 9º reg. alpina only had two battalions instead of three is not explained. I am sure it was based on war plans, priorities, mobilization plans, whatever. Comando Supremo decided that Julia only needed 5 btg. My working theory is that the number of active btg. (i.e. peacetime) didn't provide the 6th battalion.

I don't have the detailed history of the alpini. It is likely that it might be explained in that work. My abridged copy only has what was, not the logic of why it was. The OB from the 1939 occupation of Albania its telling as the division only had 5 bg. at that time. The fact that it only had 5 btg. in 1940 indicates that this was part of prewar planning.

Pista! Jeff
 
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