21st Infantry Division Granatieri di Sardegna The 21st Infantry Division Granatieri di Sardegna was an infantry division of the Italian Army during World War II . The " Granatieri di Sardegna " Division can trace its origins to 1659 when the Duke Carlo Emanuele II of Savoy formed a regiment of Guards . It became a unit in the national army in 1866 . History . On 8 February 1934 the 21st Infantry Division received the name " Granatieri di Sardegna " ( Grenadiers of Sardinia ) . In 1939 the 21st Infantry Division Granatieri di Sardegna lost the 3rd Granatieri di Sardegna Regiment . The division entered World War II with the two " Granatieri di Sardegna " , the 13th Artillery Regiment and some minor units . In June 1940 , it was mobilized and took part in the invasion of France as a part of the Italian VII Army and due to the quick victory in the Battle of France was not involved in any operations . In 1941 , during the invasion of Yugoslavia it was stationed in the Province of Ljubljana and took part in encircling Ljubljana with barbed wire . In spring 1943 the division was moved to Rome to aid in the defence of the city in case of an Allied attack . During this time the division was reorganized along the lines of the Mod . 43 reform of the Italian Army and was augmented with the XXI Mortar Battalion . In total the division fielded 14 , 500 troops . After the armistice between Italy and Allies of 8 September 1943 the division found itself fighting Italy ' s former allies the Germans and along with the 12th Infantry Division " Sassari " and 135th Armored Division " Ariete II " the Granatieri defended Rome . The Granatieri fought along the Via Ostiensis for two days before falling back to the Porta San Paolo where the division fought a last stand . There the division was joined by remnants of the " Sassari " division , the 8th Cavalry Regiment " Lancieri di Montebello " and hundredths of civilian volunteers . The future Italian president Sandro Pertini brought a detachment of Socialist resistance fighters to Porta San Paolo were they received the weapons of fallen grenadiers . Civilians at Porta San Paolo included communist leader Luigi Longo , lawyer Giuliano Vassalli , writer Emilio Lussu , unionist leaders Vincenzo Baldazzi , Mario Zagari , retired Air Force generals Sabato Martelli Castaldi and Roberto Lordi , and 18 year old future partisan leader Marisa Musu . Around 12 : 30 the Catholic Communist movement arrived with reinforcements including famed actor Carlo Ninchi . However by 17 : 00 the Germans broke the line of the Italian defenders , who had suffered 570 dead . Soon after the Italian military units surrendered to the Germans as the flight of the Italian King Victor Emmanuel III from Rome had made further resistance senseless . However the Italian soldiers handed thousands of weapons over to the civilian population , which was quick to form an organized resistance movement in the city of Rome . For their role in the defence of the Rome the 1st Granatieri di Sardegna Regiment and the 8th Cavalry Regiment " Lancieri di Montebello " were awarded with the Gold Medal of Military Valour . After the surrender of the Granatieri di Sardegna division three Granatieri battalions based in Corsica refused to surrender to the Germans and along with the 20th Infantry Division Friuli , 44th Infantry Division Cremona , 225th Coastal Division , 226th Coastal Division and French Partisans began to fight retreating German troops . The German Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SS and 90th Panzergrenadier Division and the Italian 12 Parachute Battalion of the 184 Parachute Regiment , which had come from Sardinia tried to retreat through Corsica towards the harbour of Bastia in the islands north . On 13 September elements of the Free French 4th Moroccan Mountain Division landed in Ajaccio to support the Italian efforts to stop the 30 , 000 retreating Germans . However the Germans managed to escape . By augmenting the existing three battalions the Italian Co - Belligerent Army managed to raise the " Granatieri di Sardegna " division anew in Sardinia on 15 May 1944 . The division consisted of the 1st and 2nd Grenadier Regiments , the 32nd and 132nd Armoured Infantry Regiments , 548th and 553rd Artillery Regiments and an Engineer Company . However it was decided that the infantry units of the division should join the " Friuli " Combat Group in Italy . On August 31 the Granatieri division was disbanded with the remaining units used to augment the " Cremona " Combat Group .