The division's lineage begins with the Brigade "Sicilia" established in
Naples on 16 April 1861 with the 61st and 62nd infantry regiments.
World War I The brigade fought on the
Italian front in
World War I and was disbanded after the war in October 1920.
World War II On 10 June 1940 Italy entered
World War II and
invaded France. The Trento was assigned to the
Army of the Po as reserve. In March 1941 the division disembarked in
Libya for the
Western Desert Campaign. While the division was in Libya its
regimental depots raised the infantry and artillery units of the
103rd Infantry Division "Piacenza", which was activated on 15 March 1942. Beginning in January 1941 Italy and Germany sent reinforcement to
Italian Libya to reinforce the Italian
5th Army and stop the British offensive. The Trento was ordered to North Africa in March 1941 and gathered in
Misrata. On 10 April the Trento reached
Marsa al-Brega, on 12 April
Derna and on the 13th the division arrived in
Ain el Gazala. On 15 April the division defeated British forces at
Acroma. British and other Commonwealth forces withdrew a further east to
Sollum, on the Libyan–Egyptian border. These moves initiated the 240-day-long
Siege of Tobruk. On 20 April 1941 the Trento assembled at Bu Amud to the East of Tobruk for the siege. On 30 April the 62nd Infantry Regiment "Trento" was detached from the division and sent to the
Bardia-
Sollum sector further east, while the rest of the Trento remained at Tobruk. The principal Axis opposition was
Kampfgruppe von Herff, which included a battalion of the 62nd Infantry Regiment "Trento". After a day of inconclusive fighting British forces took control of the pass. Total Italian casualties during the operation are unknown, though at least 347 men were taken prisoner during the operation. German forces retook the pass on 27 May 1941 during
Operation Skorpion. On 15 June 1941 the 62nd Infantry Regiment "Trento" was attacked by British forces during
Operation Battleaxe. The regiment had to abandon its positions at Halfaya Pass and
Fort Capuzzo, but German-Italian forces retook the lost positions in fierce counterattacks on 17 and 18 June 1941. In September 1941 the Trento was reorganized as an Tipo AS 1942 division. On the first day of the battle the Trento attacked the
1st South African Infantry Division at Bir Belabat and took the position the next day. On 15 June British forces abandoned the Gazala Line and the Trento pursued the retreating Commonwealth forces, capturing 6,000 prisoners on June 16. On 20 June 1942 the Trento reached Acroma on the outskirts of the Tobruk perimeter. The division swung around the British defenders at Tobruk and pursued the British forces retreating towards Egypt. On 25 June the Trento arrived in
Bardia, Sollum and
Sidi Barrani. Despite fresh British attacks after 10 July the Trento managed to hold its positions on Miteirya until the end of the battle on 27 July. The intense combat continued until 4 November when General Erwin Rommel ordered his divisions to retreat. However the Trento and the
132nd Armored Division "Ariete" were surrounded by British forces at Bir el Abd and destroyed. The Trento was declared lost due to wartime events on 25 November 1942. == Organization ==