132nd Armoured Division Ariete The Ariete Armoured Division was an armoured division of the Italian Army during World War II . It was formed in 1939 as the second armoured division in the Italian Army after the 131 Armoured Division Centauro . The division fought in the North African Campaign until being destroyed during the Second Battle of El Alamein . After World War II the division was reformed as part of the Italian Army . History . World War II . France . The 132nd Armoured Division " Ariete " was formed in Milan in February 1939 , it was initially made up of the 8th Bersaglieri motorised infantry regiment , the 32nd tank regiment , equipped with L3 / 35 light tanks and a few M11 / 39 medium tanks , the 132nd artillery regiment , and additional divisional support units . The division was moved to the French border at the outbreak of World War II , but was kept in reserve during the short campaign on that front . Libya . Later , some battalions of the 32nd Tank Regiment were sent to Libya on a stop gap basis . The I and II M11 / 39 medium tank battalions were sent as part of the Maletti Group . The III and V M13 / 40 medium tank battalions become part of the Special Armored Brigade ( " Brigata Corazzata Speciale " , or BCS ) . Both the Maletti Group and the BCS were part of the ill - fated 10th Army . Operation Compass . From December 1940 to February 1941 , during Operation Compass , the British Western Desert Force overran the 10th Army and occupied the whole of Cyrenaica . The tanks of the Maletti Group were lost in Egypt , while the tanks of the BCS were sacrificed during the break out attempt at Beda Fomm . After this setback it was decided to employ the whole Ariete Division in North Africa . On 24 January 1941 , the first echelons of the division disembarked at Tripoli . From February 1941 to November 1942 , the Ariete Division fought alongside the German Africa Corps ( " Deutsches Afrikakorps " , or DAK ) in the North Africa campaign . Ariete was attached to the Italian Mobile Corps ( " Corpo d ' Armata di Manovra Italia " ) . This unit was later to become Italian XX Motorised Corps . Siege of Tobruk . In particular , reinforced in 1941 with the 132nd Tank Regiment , which would replace the 32nd Tank Regiment , ( disbanded in mid - 1942 ) , it took part in the first German – Italian counteroffensive to retake Cyrenaica , and the siege of Tobruk which resulted from this . With this regiment , its battalions equipped with M13 / 40 and / or M14 / 41 medium tanks the division fought in the desert of Libya and Egypt during 1941 . On 1 May 1941 the Germans and Italians attacked Tobruk in considerable strength . Their attack pierces the defences , and the " Ariete " and 8th Bersaglieri capture the R3 , R4 , R5 , R6 and R7 strongpoints , On 3 May the Australians launched a counterattack with their 18th Brigade . The counterattack only recaptures one strongpoint from what Australian historian Mark Johnston reported to be Italian defenders . This action is later known as the Battle of the Salient . During Operation Crusader , the division very successfully defended Bir el Gobi against the British 22nd Armoured Brigade , inflicting heavy losses on the inexperienced British forces . On 23 November , the 15th Panzer Division moved on to attack the 5th South African Brigade defending Sidi Rezegh and that evening , the " Ariete " with the 8th Bersaglieri Regiment came up in support and the ridge was taken . Nearly 3 , 400 prisoners were taken in this attack . During 29 – 30 November , the " Ariete " and supporting Italian infantry and motorcycle units were responsible for capturing a considerable number of New Zealand , Indian and British troops during the Italo - German counterattacks . Recalling the loss of the 21st New Zealand Infantry Battalion , Lieutenant - Colonel Howard Kippenberger , who later rose to command the 2nd New Zealand Division , wrote that , " " About 5 . 30 p . m . damned Italian Motorized Division ( Ariete ) turned up . They passed with five tanks leading , twenty following , and a huge column of transport and guns , and rolled straight over our infantry on Point 175 . " " When the battle led to the retreat of the Axis forces to the Gazala Line , the " Ariete " went on the attack . The Italian armoured division , augmented by 23 tanks of the 15th Panzer Division and supported by Bersaglieri motorcycle troops , lost no time in assaulting the pursuing Commonwealth forces . Between them , they overran the 1st Battalion , " The Buffs " ( Royal East Kent Regiment ) and part of the 5th Indian Brigade , taking according to one estimate 1 , 000 prisoners in the counterattack . Nevertheless , the British were able to recover from this setback and the " Ariete " retreated through the Djebel Mountain towards el Agheila . By this time the division had lost almost all its tanks . Reinforced again with replacement tanks and M40 75 / 18mm semoventi assault gun s in the V and VI battalions of the 132nd Artillery Regiment , it took part in the second counteroffensive of January 1942 , the Gazala battles of May 1942 , and the invasion of Egypt that followed . Battle of Gazala . The " Ariete " met early success during the Battle of Gazala , when it overran the British - officered 3rd Indian Motor Brigade at Rugbet Al Atasc on 27 May 1942 , capturing 1 , 000 troops . The " Ariete " then repelled strong British armoured counterattacks on 29 May and went on to repeat the same feat on 5 June 1942 . El Alamein . During the initial phase of the First Battle of El Alamein the " Ariete " , which had just six or eight tanks and 1 , 000 men , having just arrived in the positions assigned to it at dawn on 3 July 1942 and due to the disorganization caused by enemy air attacks , had been compelled to withdraw after losing 531 men , several artillery batteries and a number of tanks . Rommel ' s report of the division having been decimated with the loss of 100 tanks was greatly exaggerated . During the Second Battle of El Alamein the Ariete sacrificed its obsolete tanks in the attempt to counter the Allied offensive and cover the withdrawal of the army . On 4 November at about 15 : 30 , the few surviving tanks , surrounded by an overwhelmingly superior enemy , broadcast their last message , quoting : Then they were destroyed to the last tank . On 6 November 1942 , the Germans acknowledged that in the sector allotted to the " Ariete " " the British were made to pay for their penetration with enormous losses in men and material . The Italians fought to the last man . " 135th Armoured Cavalry Division " Ariete II " . On 21 November 1942 , the division was disbanded , and its name kept by a task force gathering up its remnants , which kept fighting throughout the retreat and subsequent battle of Tunisia . It was forced to surrender along with the rest of the Axis army in North Africa . On 1 April 1943 , as a tribute it was reconstituted as 135 Ariete II Armoured Cavalry Division , made up of cavalry regiments . The division was located in north eastern Italy , with the following order of battle ; It comprised the following armoured fighting vehicles : for a total of 247 tank and semoventi plus 50 armoured car . The division was moved to central Italy following the fall of Benito Mussolini ' s government and took part to the defence of Rome from 8 to 10 September 1943 , counter - attacking German Panzergrenadier s and Paratrooper s . Because the Headquarters decided to avoid unnecessary sacrifices and losses , the division was ordered to surrender and was then disbanded . Reconstitution . On 23 May 1948 its reconstitution as a brigade sized unit begins at Forte Pietralata in Rome . The same year it was transferred to Pordenone in the Friuli region in Northern Italy . On 1 October 1952 , the brigade had completed its increase to full division and commanded now the same regiments as during the African campaign : Cold War . In 1963 all Italian divisions adapted their organization to NATO standards and thus added a brigade level to the divisions structure . In the same year the reconstitution of the 32nd Tank Regiment began : On 1 October 1968 the brigade headquarters were disbanded and the divisions returned to its former structure . The " Ariete " Armored Division was part of the 5th Army Corps based in North - Eastern Italy . The 5th Army Corps was tasked with defending the Italian - Yugoslavian border against possible attacks by either the Warsaw Pact , or Yugoslavia or both . The " Ariete " Armored Division was based in the middle of the potential front . Before the major reorganization of 1975 the division consisted of the following units : In 1975 the Italian Army undertook a major reorganization of it forces : the regiment level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of newly formed brigades , which combined units from different arms . Thus on 1 October 1975 the " Ariete " took command of the following brigades , which were formed from its disbanded regiments : Additional troops were added to bring the division up to full strength : When the Italian Army abolished the divisional level on 10 October 1986 the 132nd Armored Brigade " Manin " was renamed as 132nd Armored Brigade " Ariete " .