The 13th Infantry Division Re ("King") was a 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 Re Division was mobilized in June 1940, and 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...

. It was used as an occupation force in Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

 and took part in anti partisan operations and the Battle of the Neretva. In September 1943 when it returned to Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and surrendered to the Germans after the Italian surrender.

Anti-Partisan Operations in Croatia

Operation K

Operation K between the 23 – 28 March 1942, was an anti partisan operation carried out over six days by the Italian V Corps. The objective was to break through to and relieve the surrounded garrisons in Titova Korenica

Korenica

Korenica is a village in Lika, Croatia, located in the municipality of Plitvička Jezera, on the road between Plitvice and Udbina. It has 1,570 residents .In SFR Yugoslavia it was named Titova Korenica after Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito...

, Udbina

Udbina

Udbina is a village and a municipality in the Lika region of Croatia. It is an administratively part of in the Lika-Senj county.-Geography:The village is located in the large karst field called Krbava...

 and Donji Lapac

Donji Lapac

Donji Lapac is a small town and municipality in Lika, Croatia. The majority of the population are Serbs.-Geography:Donji Lapac is located a region of eastern Lika called Ličko Pounje, by the river Una that flows near the town in the valley between mountain Plješevica and Una on the altitude of 582m...

 the operation was successful and the division suffered only light casualties.

Operation Provincia di Lubiana

Operation Provincia di Lubiana between the 12 July – 7 August 1942, was an anti partisan operation to cear Partisans from the mountainous area north west of Delnice

Delnice

Delnice is a town in western Croatia, the largest settlement in the mountainous region of Gorski Kotar, in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county. The town has a population of 4,451 , total municipality population is 6,858. Delnice is Gorski Kotar's main town...

 near the border with Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

. The objective was to destroy their supply bases and alienate the local population against the partisans. The operation was part of a larger anti partisan operation. The Division carried out a scorched earth

Scorched earth

A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area...

 campaign by destroying the local harvest, burning 1,000 homes. They were also involved in the murder of 200 civilians and interning another 2,500 men and women in concentration camp.

Order of battle

• 1. Re Infantry Regiment
• 2. Re Infantry Regiment
• 23. Timav Artillery Regiment
• 75. CCNN Legion
• 13. Semoventi
  Semovente 75/18
  The Semovente 75/18 was an Italian self-propelled gun of the Second World War. It was built by mounting the 75 mm Obice da 75/18 modello 34 mountain gun on the chassis of a M13/40 or M14/41 tank. The first 60 were built using the M13/40 chassis and a subsequent 162 were built on the M14/41...
  
   Battalion
• 13. Motar Battalion
• 13. Anti-Tank Company
• 34. Mixed Carabinieri
  Carabinieri
  The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
  
  Section
• 35. Mixed Carabinieri Section
• 13. Engineer Company