5th Infantry Division Cosseria

5th Infantry Division Cosseria
5th Infantry Division Cosseria Insignia
Active	January 1, 1935 – September 12, 1943
Country	Italy
Branch	Italian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Garrison/HQ	Imperia
Engagements	World War II

The 5th Infantry Division Cosseria was an Infantry Division of the Italian Army during the Second World War. It was mobilized in January, 1935 in Imperia city. It was made up almost totally of Ligurians and Montferratians.

The 5th Division "Cosseria" participated in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, with parts of it forming 105th Division Cosseria II. In August–September Cosseria was moving to Benghazi, where it stayed until December, 1935. Casseria was transferred to Adi Quala in Eritrea in the beginning of January, 1936. It was mostly tasked with population control and supply lines protection behind the front-line. In March, it started to advance to Addi Onfito, reaching Axum in April, 1936 and spreading in Adwa area. It has returned to Italy in September, 1936, and was reorganized as a binary division 25 March 1939.

10 June 1940, it was deployed on the French border, in the strip from Cima Longoira to the sea. 20 June 1940, the Cosseria division has started assault on French positions at bridges of Via Aurelia (Corso Francia) and Ponte San Luigi over Ro San Luigi river near coast, and mountain pass San Paolo near I Colletti, in Ventimiglia commune. Although the thrust through the bridges over Ro San Luigi river was initially repulsed, Cosseria has succeeded in taking over pass San Paolo 22 June 1940. As result, the French forces defending bridges over Ro San Luigi and Menton area were outflanked, with Italians capturing rural areas between Castellar and Roquebrune. Cosseria has remained in the occupied territory until middle of August, 1940, than it was transferred to coastal defence duties in Western Liguria.