185th Paratroopers Division "Folgore" () was an airborne division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed in Tarquinia near Rome on 1 September 1941. In July 1942 the division was sent to Libya to fight in the Western Desert Campaign and was destroyed during the Second Battle of El Alamein in early November 1942.
History
Origins
On 20 March 1938 the first Italian Parachuting School was activated by the Royal Italian Air Force in Italian Libya at Castel Benito air base. At the outbreak of World War II the school had raised two Libyan and one Italian paratroopers battalion. In July 1940 the school moved to al-Marj, where the school was overrun by British forces during Operation Compass.
On 15 October 1939 the Royal Italian Air Force activated the Royal Air Force Paratroopers School in Tarquinia near Rome, which trained the units for the Folgore division. On 10 November 1942 the Royal Air Force Paratroopers School in Viterbo was formed, which trained units for the 184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo" and the planned 183rd Paratroopers Division "Ciclone".
On 1 July 1940 the school in Tarquinia raised the I Paratroopers Battalion and on 15 July the Carabinieri Paratroopers Battalion. For order of precedence reasons the Carabinieri Paratroopers Battalion received the number I from the I Paratroopers Battalion, which was renumbered as II Paratroopers Battalion. On 1 April 1941 the I Carabinieri Paratroopers Battalion, the II, III, and IV paratrooper battalions, and the 1st Paratroopers Anti-tank Company entered the newly formed 1st Paratroopers Regiment. In July 1941 the I Carabinieri Paratroopers Battalion was transferred to Libya, where it participated in the Western Desert Campaign.
On 30 April 1941 the Italian paratroopers were deployed for the first time when a company of the II Paratroopers Battalion jumped onto Cephalonia during the Battle of Greece.
Paratroopers Division
On 1 September 1941 the 2nd Paratroopers Regiment and the Paratroopers Division were activated in Tarquinia. The division was intended to be used in Operation Hercules – the planned Axis invasion of Malta and was initially organized as follows:
Paratroopers Division
1st Paratroopers Regiment (activated on 1 April 1941) II Paratroopers Battalion III Paratroopers Battalion IV Paratroopers Battalion 2nd Paratroopers Regiment (activated on 1 September 1941) V Paratroopers Battalion VI Paratroopers Battalion VII Paratroopers Battalion I Paratroopers Artillery Group (47/32 cannons, activated on 28 August 1941) 1st Paratroopers Artillery Battery (47/32 anti-tank guns; former 1st Paratroopers Anti-tank Company) 2nd Paratroopers Artillery Battery (47/32 anti-tank guns, former 2nd Paratroopers Anti-tank Company) Signal Company Engineer Company
In 1942 the division was further augmented: on 15 January the II Paratroopers Artillery Group was activated, followed by the III Paratroopers Artillery Group on 10 March. On the same date the Paratroopers Division Artillery Regiment was activated. The regiment took command of the three paratrooper artillery groups, which each fielded two batteries with four 47/32 anti-tank guns per battery. On 15 March 1942 the 3rd Paratroopers Regiment was activated in Tarquinia and took command of the VIII, IX, and X paratrooper battalions. The VIII Paratroopers Battalion was sent to the Central Engineering School in Civitavecchia, where the battalion's troops were trained as Sappers. In May 1942 the battalion was renamed as VIII Paratroopers Sapper Battalion and assigned to the Paratroopers Division.
185th Infantry Division "Folgore" On 27 July 1942 the division's name was changed to 185th Infantry Division "Folgore" and its regiments were renumbered and renamed as well. The new structure was as follows:
185th Infantry Division "Folgore" 185th Infantry Regiment "Folgore" (former 1st Paratroopers Regiment) II Paratroopers Battalion III Paratroopers Battalion IV Paratroopers Battalion Paratroopers Support Weapons Company (47/32 anti-tank guns) 186th Infantry Regiment "Folgore" (former 2nd Paratroopers Regiment) V Paratroopers Battalion VI Paratroopers Battalion VII Paratroopers Battalion Paratroopers Support Weapons Company (47/32 anti-tank guns) 187th Infantry Regiment "Folgore" (former 3rd Paratroopers Regiment) IX Paratroopers Battalion X Paratroopers Battalion Paratroopers Support Weapons Company (47/32 anti-tank guns) 185th Artillery Regiment "Folgore" I Paratroopers Artillery Group (47/32 anti-tank guns) II Paratroopers Artillery Group (47/32 anti-tank guns) III Paratroopers Artillery Group (47/32 anti-tank guns) Regimental Services Battery VIII Paratroopers Sapper Battalion