[1][2] In 1940 the division remained in Fenestrelle as a reserve force during the Italian invasion of southern France.

[1] After Allied forces had landed on the Italian peninsula and an armistice between Italy and the Allies had been signed, the division stayed loyal to the Italian King Victor Emmanuel III, who fled with the royal court from Rome to Brindisi.

Already on 26 September 1943 parts of the division were used to form the I Motorized Grouping (Italian: 1° Raggruppamento Motorizzato), which was to aid in the allied war effort.

On 24 September 1944 the II Brigade of the Italian Liberation Corps ("Corpo Italiano di Liberazione", or CIL), was renamed as Combat Group "Legnano".

The combat group's structure when it entered the front was: The Legnano entered the front as part of the Polish II Corps on the extreme left of the British 8th Army near the river Idice and was tasked with liberating Bologna.

In the next years the division was motorized with American equipment and the Divisional Reconnaissance Group "3° Cavalieri" was increased to full regiment with three battalions of armored and mechanized cavalry.

The structure of the division before the 1975 reform was as follows: The Light Aviation Unit "Legnano", at Bergamo-Orio al Serio Air Base was disbanded on 16 July 1972.

[9] In 1975 the Italian Army undertook a major reorganization of it forces: the regimental level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of multi-arms brigades.

The VII Reconnaissance Squadrons Group "Lancieri di Milano" was transferred to the Mechanized Division "Mantova", while the division's Signal Battalion, Engineer Battalion and Services Grouping were split among the two new brigades.

Passalacqua" and 18th Bersaglieri Battalion "Poggio Scanno" from the disbanded Mechanized Brigade "Goito".