151st Infantry Division Perugia


The 151st Infantry Division Perugia was an infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Perugia Division was formed in August 1941 as a garrison division. It was sent on operations to Yugoslavia in December 1941. It was part of the Italian forces committed to the Battle of the Sutjeska. It was then transferred to Albania in August 1943. Following the Italian surrender in September 1943, the division marched from Girokaster to the Albanian coast, where some thousand men could be evacuated by ship to Italy, but the majority was left behind and was largely captured by the Germans of the 99 regiment, I Mountain Division, at "Porto Palermo". The commander of the "Perugia", gen. Ernesto Chiminello, was shot on October 4, 1943, at 16:45; the next day the other 120 officers were shot on the beach of "baia Limione" and their bodies were thrown in the sea. The last 32 officers, after fierce resistance, were captured near Kuc and shot there on the morning of October 7, 1943. Some survivors from the division joined the partisans, many others dispersed and tried to hide and survive in the woods; Bill Tilman reported in October 1943 that some 5,000 survivors from the "Perugia" and "Parma" Divisions were "living on roots and berries".

Order of battle