The 3 Mountain Infantry Division Ravenna was a Mountain Infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 Division

Division (military)

A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...

 of the Italian Army

Royal Italian Army (1940–1946)

This article is about the Italian Royal Army which participated in World War II.The Italian Royal Army was reformed in 1861 and lasted until 1946. The Royal Army started with the unification of Italy and the formation of the Kingdom of Italy . It ended with the dissolution of the monarchy...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The Ravenna Division was mobilized for war in October 1939. They were part of the Italian III Corps, First Army (Italy) during the Italian invasion of France

Italian invasion of France

The Italian invasion of France in June 1940 was a small-scale invasion that started near the end of the Battle of France during World War II. The goal of the Italian offensive was to take control of the Alps mountain range and the region around Nice, and to win the colonies in North Africa...

. They also took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia

Invasion of Yugoslavia

The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...

 as part of the Italian XI Corps. The Division was one of the twelve Divisions that served on the Eastern front

Eastern Front (World War II)

The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...

 as part of the Italian Army in Russia

Italian Army in Russia

The Italian Army in Russia was an army-sized unit of the Italian Royal Army which fought on the Eastern Front during World War II...

. The Division was destroyed in Operation Little Saturn the Red Army

Red Army

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...

s offensive operation which consisted of a pincer movement which threatened to cut off the forces attempting to reach Stalingrad. The 1st Guards Army

Soviet First Guards Army

The 1st Guards Army was a Soviet field army that fought on the Eastern Front during World War II, being formed from the 2nd Reserve Army with five Guards Rifle Divisions in August 1942....

 and the 3rd Guards Army

Soviet Third Guards Army

The 3rd Guards Army was a field army of the Soviet Red Army that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II, notably in 1945.It was created in December 1942, as part of the Southwestern Front , according to the order of the Supreme High Command on formation of the 3rd Guards Army...

 attacked from the north, encircling 130,000 soldiers of the Italian 8th Army

Italian war in Soviet Union, 1941-1943

The Italian participation in the Eastern Front during World War II began after the launch of Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941. Barbarossa was the German war against the Soviet Union...

 on the Don and advancing to Millerovo

Millerovo

Millerovo is a town and the administrative center of Millerovsky District of Rostov Oblast, Russia. Population: It was founded in 1786 and named after its founder, the army officer Ivan Abramovich Müller...

. The Division was reforming in Italy, when Italy surrendered in September 1943, it then surrendered to the Germans.
Mountain Divisions are not to be confused with the "Alpini" specialized mountain troops. The Mountain divisions had pack horse artillery instead of the usual towed type.

Order of battle

• 37. Infantry Regiment
• 38. Infantry Regiment
• 121. Artillery Regiment
• 7. Mixed Carabinieri Section
• 8. Motorized Carabinieri Section
• III Mortar Battalion
• 3. Anti-Tank Company
• 154. Anti-Tank Company
• 51. Flak Company
• 303. Flak Company
• 71. Anti-Tank Battery
• 3. Engineer Battalion
• 18. Medical Section
• 7. Supply Company
• 3. Transportation Section
• 3. Transportation Unit
• 53. Field Post Office