Active 1940–1943 Branch Italian Army Size Division | Country Italy Type Cavalry | |
Nickname(s) Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro | ||
The 2nd Cavalry Division Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro was a Cavalry Division of the Italian Army during World War II. The division was mobilised in 1940, it did not take part in the Italian invasion of France, but did serve in the Invasion of Yugoslavia in the Celere Corps and remained in Yugoslavia as part of the occupying forces. In March 1942 the Divisions 6. Bersaglieri Regiment was sent to the Soviet Union attached to the 3 Cavalry Division Amedeo Duca d'Aosta. In May 1942, the division was selected to convert to an Armoured division and starting converting to the 134 Armoured Division Freccia; however, the conversion was cancelled and it returned to the Cavalry division format. In December 1942, the division moved to France as part of the Italian occupying forces where it was based in Toulon. The division remained in France until the Italian surrender, when it returned to Italy in September 1943, where it was disbanded.
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The Division had undergone a level of mechanization. Each division had two cavalry regiments, a highly mobile infantry (Bersaglieri) regiment, an artillery regiment, and a light tank group. The squadrons of the cavalry regiments were horse-mounted and, other than a motorcycle company, the Bersaglieri were issued with bicycles. The light tank group had a total of 61 tanks. The tanks were typically L3s or L6s.