17th Motorised Division Pavia

17th Motorised Division Pavia or 17° Divisione Autotrasportabile Pavia (Italian) was a North African type infantry    Division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Pavia was formed in October 1939 and sent to Libya. It was never completely motorised but despite this limitation, it was considered to have fought well in North Africa. It was almost completely destroyed during the Second Battle of El Alamein.

History
The Pavia Brigade was born during the Risorgimento on 1 March 1860, and was formed of two Infantry Regiments (the 27th and 28th). The Brigade participated in the Third Italian Independence War (1866), the First Italo-Ethiopian War (1896) and the First World War, when it was awarded the Ordine Militare d'Italia. In 1926 it become the XVII Pavia Infantry Brigade and in August 1939 was transformed into the 17th Pavia Division (reinforced with the 26th Artillery Regiment Artiglieria a Cavallo). Until 1939, the headquarters of the Division were in Ravenna, while the 27th Regiment had its barracks in Cesena. In 1940 the Division was deployed in Tripolitania and moved to Cyrenaica belonging to the Italian XX Corps. It participated in the final phases of Operation Compass, retreating from Sabratha to Agedabia. In 1941 - 1942 it fought in North Africa until it surrendered at El Alamein. After the Second World War the 28th Infantry Regiment was reorganized with its headquarters in Pesaro. The Regiment is still in existence and is now specialized in PsyOps.

The North Africa Campaign
The Pavia Division took part in the Axis counterattack of March–April 1941. Under Major-General Pietro Zaglio it attacked via the Balbia coast road from Agedabia on 31 March 1941, driving the Australian rearguards back to Mechili; on the 6th the town was surrounded. The "Fabris" and "Montemurro" Bersaglieri Motorised Battalions came up in support, along with the advance elements of the German 5th Light Division. On the 8th of April General Gambier-Parry surrendered to General Zaglio, commanding the Pavia, after an unsuccessful breakout attempt that was largely broken up by the Bersaglieri. Some 3,000 British, Indian and Australian soldiers were captured.

The division continued to advance and helped to isolate the garrison in Tobruk. It then took part in the siege of Tobruk, stationed in the southern sector of the lines.

On 23 November 1941, during the Operation Crusader, the British 70th Infantry Division, supported by 60 tanks broke through part of the 25 Semi-Motorised Division Bologna. The Italians rallied and the Pavia went over to the counterattack, sealing off the enemy breakthrough. On the night of 25–26 November, the British 70th Division attacked again, but the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment of the Trieste Division counterattacked and check this British advance. However, on the 27th, the 19th Battalion spearheading the 6th New Zealand Brigade, finally linked up with part of the British 70th Division at El Duda. On December 1, the 101 Motorised Division Trieste counterattacked and severed the link with Tobruk. But on 4 December, Rommel ordered a withdrawal to the Gazala Line which entailed giving up Tobruk. During the withdrawal, the Pavia served as a rearguard at El Adem where, according to the Official Australian History of the Second World War, the Pavia put up a tenacious defence before being overcome, delaying the advance for over three hours and allowing Axis forces (including the bulk of the Pavia) to withdraw. On 15 December, the Pavia Division held its ground on the Gazala Line against the attacking 2nd New Zealand Division and Polish Brigade, allowing a strong Italo-German armoured force to counterattack and overrun the 1st British Battalion, The Buffs.

During the Battle of Gazala, after the Trieste and 15th Panzer Division had defeated the British 2nd and 4th Armoured Brigades in an action south of Knightsbridge, the Pavia played an important role in the capture of 6,000 Allied prisoners on June 16, 1942.

The division was also at the First battle of El Alamein as part of the Italian X Corps, where it defended Ruweisat Ridge before taking heavy casualties and being rendered largely ineffective by New Zealand Infantry and British Armour on the 14–15 July 1942. During the initial phase of the fighting Pavia served as a rearguard for the Ariete Division where, according to US historian Conrad H. Lanza, the division repulsed the advance of the and the New Zealand 23rd Battalion with a night counter attack. Finally, during the Second Battle of El Alamein, the Pavia Division (and the other two divisions of the Italian X Corps) was abandoned without transport by the rest of the Axis Forces as they retreated from Alamein to Fuka on the 4th November 1942. Thus abandoned, they had no option but to surrender.

Harry Zinder of Time magazine noted that the Italians fought well and commented that for the Italians:"It was a terrific letdown by their German allies. They had fought a good fight. In the south, the famed Folgore parachute division fought to the last round of ammunition. Two armoured divisions and a motorised division, which had been interspersed among the German formations, thought they would be allowed to retire gracefully with Rommel's 21st, 15th and 19th [sic] light. But even that was denied them. When it became obvious to Rommel that there would be little chance to hold anything between El Daba and the frontier, his Panzers dissolved, disintegrated and turned tail, leaving the Italians to fight a rear-guard action."

Order of Battle
(May 1941)


 * 27th Infantry Regiment Pavia
 * Command Coy
 * Rifle Bn
 * Rifle Bn
 * Rifle Bn
 * 81 mm Mortar Coy
 * 65/17 Artillery Battery


 * 28th Infantry Regiment Pavia
 * Command Coy
 * Rifle Bn
 * Rifle Bn
 * Rifle Bn
 * 81 mm Mortar Coy
 * 65/17 Artillery Battery
 * 6th Armoured Battalion
 * 5th Armoured Car Battalion
 * 26th Artillery (Artiglieria a Cavallo) Regiment Rubicone
 * 77th Anti Aircraft Battalion
 * 679th Carabinieri Platoon
 * 207th Motorized Transport Section
 * 135th Motorized Transport Company
 * 21st Medical Section
 * 66th Field Hospital
 * 84th Field Hospital
 * 71st Field Bakery
 * 54th Field Post

from June 1942 was added
 * 17th Mixed Engineer Battalion