World War I The division's lineage begins with the Brigade "Avellino" established during
World War I in
Camposampiero on 26 May 1916. The brigade consisted of the
231st Infantry Regiment and 232nd Infantry Regiments. The brigade fought on the
Italian front and for their conduct the brigade's two infantry regiments were awarded Italy's highest military honor, the
Gold Medal of Military Valor. After the war regiments raised during the war were dissolved, with the exception of those, who had been awarded a Gold Medal of Military Valor.
World War II Invasion of France On 4 January 1940, the Brennero division was transferred to
Pianezza and
San Maurizio Canavese region. On 10 June 1940 it was at the border with France as reserve unit of
I Army Corps. Some the division's units participated in the
invasion of France and entered the front on 19 June 1940 at
Mont Cenis. Repeated attacks on the mountain pass of Mont Cenis were not successful until 22 June 1940. The French defence was broken on 24 June 1940, with the Brennero's troops capturing
Lanslevillard and
Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis. The total loss of life for Brennero was 18 men killed and 74 wounded, with half of the deaths attributed to exposure to the elements.
Albania In February 1943 the division moved to
Durrës in Albania to begin its conversion to motorized division. While in Albania the division was subordinated to
IV Army Corps. After the
Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943 the division dissolved chaotically: some troops and the division's commander joined the Germans, while other troops abandoned their heavy equipment and embarked on ships for allied-controlled southern Italy. The I Battalion/
231st Infantry Regiment "Brennero" joined the
41st Infantry Division "Firenze", which fought with Albanian partisans
against German forces, while the III Battalion/ 231st Infantry Regiment "Brennero" in
Sarandë sailed to
Korfu, where its men were taken prisoner by the Germans. == Organization ==