154th Infantry Division Murge
| 154th Infantry Division Murge | |
|---|---|
 Destroyed tanks of 154th Infantry Division Murge on Neretva, 1943. | |
| Active | 1942–1943 |
| Country | Italy |
| Branch | Italian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Nickname(s) | Murge |
| Engagements | World War II |
The 154th Infantry Division Murge was an infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Murge Division was a garrison division formed in April 1942. It was sent to Dalmatia as an occupation force and took part in anti-Partisan operations. It took part in the Battle of the Sutjeska and then had to be withdrawn after suffering heavy losses in fighting with the Partisans. It was disbanded in September 1943, following the Italian surrender to the Allies.
Order of battle
- 259. Murge Infantry Regiment
- 260. Murge Infantry Regiment
- 154. Artillery Regiment
- 154. Machine Gun Battalion
- 154. Engineer Battalion
- Motor Transport Section
- Medical Section
- Supply Section
- Carabinieri Section [nb 1]
Popular culture
Alistair Maclean's novel Partisans, set in the Balkan Theater of World War II, mentions the Murge Division as being a major force in the Axis offensives against the Yugoslav Partisans. The book begins at the buildup to Fall Weiss and ends with the protagonists having accomplished a significant espionage mission that would ensure the mauling of the Murge at the hands of the Yugoslav Resistance.
Notes
- Footnotes
- ↑ An Italian Infantry Division normally consisted of two Infantry Regiments (three Battalions each), an Artillery Regiment, a Mortar Battalion (two companies), an Anti Tank Company, a Blackshirt Legion of two Battalions was sometimes attached. Each Division had only about 7,000 men, The Infantry and Artillery Regiments contained 1,650 men, the Blackshirt Legion 1,200, each company 150 men.[1]
- Citations
- ↑ Paoletti, p 170
- Paoletti, Ciro (2008). A Military History of Italy. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-275-98505-9.
- Jowett, Phillip. The Italian Army 1040-45 (3): Italy 1943-45. Osprey Publishing, Westminster. ISBN 978-1-85532-866-2.