The Alpini that formed the divisions are a highly decorated and elite mountain corps of the Italian Army comprising both infantry and artillery units.

By 23 November the division had entered the front in the upper Devoll valley, but by December it was in retreat during the Greek counter-offensive.

[4] On the evening of 17 January, the Alpine Army Corps commander, General Gabriele Nasci, ordered a full retreat.

[4] On the morning of 26 January, the spearheads of the Tridentina reached the hamlet of Nikolayevka, occupied by the 48th Guards Rifle Division.

By noon the Italian forces had reached the outskirts of the village and the Alpine Army Corps' Chief of Staff General Giulio Martinat brought up reinforcements: the 5th Alpini Regiment with the battalions "Edolo", "Morbegno" and "Tirano", and the remaining alpine artillery groups "Vicenza" and "Val Camonica" of the 2nd Alpine Artillery Regiment, as well as the remnants of the Alpini Battalion "L’Aquila" of the "Julia" division.

[4] By sunset the Alpini battalions were still struggling to break the reinforced Soviet lines and in a last effort to decide the battle before nightfall General Luigi Reverberi, commander of the Tridentina, ordered the remaining troops and stragglers, which had arrived over the course of the afternoon, to assault the Soviet positions in a human wave attack.

[3] After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the invading German forces disbanded the division.

The army decided that each of the three should carry on the traditions of one of the divisions that served with distinction in World War II.