The division's lineage begins with the Brigade "Messina" established in
Gaeta on 1 November 1884 with the 93rd and 94th infantry regiments.
World War I The brigade fought on the
Italian front in
World War I. On 30 September 1926 the brigade assumed the name of XVIII Infantry Brigade and on 6 November of the same year received the
157th Infantry Regiment "Liguria" from the disbanded
Brigade "Liguria". The brigade was the infantry component of the 18th Territorial Division of
Ancona, which also included the 2nd Artillery Regiment. In 1934 the division changed its name to 18th Infantry Division "
Metauro".
Second Italo-Ethiopian War In preparation for the
Second Italo-Ethiopian War the division was mobilized on 27 September 1935 with the 93rd and 157th infantry regiments and the 2nd Artillery Regiment and shipped to
Libya. On 15 November the division returned to its base in Ancona and demobilized. In early August 1942 the division was transferred to
Metković in
Croatia, where it continued with anti-partisans. From 12 August to 2 September 1942 the Messina operated against partisan forces in the
Biokovo area, where Italian forces burned 10 villages, and killed and arrested several hundred people. Between 5 and 10 October 1942 the Messina participated in
Operation Alfa with the aim to retake
Prozor in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. The operation, led by
VI Army Corps achieved its objectives in 6 days. After the
Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943 the Messina was ordered separately by German, Yugoslav, and Croatian forces to hand over its weapons and surrender. The division refused and in the ensuing confusion the 93rd Infantry Regiment "Messina" and the 108th CC.NN. Legion "Stamira" managed to embark and sail to liberated
Apulia in southern Italy. The rest of the division was dissolved by the Germans on 13 September 1943. == Organization ==