The division's lineage begins with the I Alpine Brigade formed in
Turin on 11 March 1926 with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Alpini regiments and the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment. On 19 October 1933 the brigade was split and the
IV Alpine Brigade with the 1st and 2nd Alpini regiments was raised in
Cuneo. On 27 October 1934 the brigade changed its name to I Superior Alpine Command, which received the name Taurinense in December of the same year (). On 10 September 1935 the I Superior Alpine Command "Taurinense" was reformed as 1st Alpine Division "Taurinense" with the 3rd and 4th Alpini regiments and the 1st Alpine Artillery Regiment.
World War II The division participated in the
Italian invasion of France in June 1940. On 21-22 June it participated in the attack on the
Little St Bernard Pass. At the end of the war the division occupied
Bourg-Saint-Maurice-
Sainte-Foy. In January 1942 the "Taurinense" division landed in
Dubrovnik and from where it moved to
Mostar in
Croatia. From 15 April to 31 May 1942 the division participated in the
third Axis anti-Partisan offensive. The division captured
Trnovo and advanced to
Kalinovik, where it made contact with elements of the
22nd Infantry Division "Cacciatori delle Alpi"; but, overall, the offensive was a failure. In August 1942 the Taurinense moved to
Nikšić in
Montenegro. A year later the division took part in the
fifth Axis anti-Partisan offensive, but did not complete its objectives there either. After the announcement of the
Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 most of the division was captured by German forces near
Kotor, while the Alpini Battalion "Ivrea" and
Alpine Artillery Group "Aosta" joined the
Yugoslav Partisans and formed the
Partisan Division "Garibaldi". == Organization ==