Operation Brevity and Battleaxe

On 15 May 1941 the British XIII Corps launched Operation Brevity. The objective of the operation was to clear the Halfaya Pass and secure several footholds to create advantageous conditions from which to launch Operation Battleaxe.^[10] The principal Axis opposition was Kampfgruppe von Herff, which included a battalion of the 62nd Infantry Regiment "Trento".^[11][12] After a day of inconclusive fighting British forces took control of the pass. Total Italian casualties during the operation are unknown, though at least 347 men were taken prisoner during the operation.^[13][14] German forces retook the pass on 27 May 1941 during Operation Skorpion.

On 15 June 1941 the 62nd Infantry Regiment "Trento" was attacked by British forces during Operation Battleaxe. The regiment had to abandon its positions at Halfaya Pass and Fort Capuzzo, but German-Italian forces retook the lost positions in fierce counterattacks on 17 and 18 June 1941. In September 1941 the Trento was reorganized as an Tipo AS 1942 division.^[1]

Operation Crusader

On 18 November 1941 the British Eighth Army launched Operation Crusader to relieve the siege of Tobruk. The Trento, which together with the 17th Infantry Division "Pavia", the 25th Infantry Division "Bologna", and the 27th Infantry Division "Brescia" formed the Italian XXI Army Corps, came under attack from the defenders of Tobruk and British spearheads arriving from Egypt. On 7 December forces British pressed their offensive and by 9 December the Trento had to fall back towards Ain el Gazala. On 10 December 1941 the British lifted the siege of Tobruk. On 14 December the Trento began to retreat, reaching Ajdabiya on 23 December. On 29 December 1941 the division's 7th Bersaglieri Regiment left the division and became a corps asset of the Italian XXI Army Corps.^[1]

After reorganizing at El Agheila the German-Italian Panzer Group Africa counterattacked on 21 January 1942 and drove British forces back to Ain el Gazala.^[1]

Battle of Gazala

On 26 May 1942 Axis forces commenced the Battle of Gazala. The plan was for the armored and motorized divisions to perform a right flanking attack, while the Italian XXI Army Corps and X Army Corps, which included the Trento, would advance parallel to the coast road.^[15][16] On the first day of the battle the Trento attacked the 1st South African Infantry Division at Bir Belabat and took the position the next day. On 15 June British forces abandoned the Gazala Line and the Trento pursued the retreating Commonwealth forces, capturing 6,000 prisoners on June 16.^[17]

On 20 June 1942 the Trento reached Acroma on the outskirts of the Tobruk perimeter. The division swung around the British defenders at Tobruk and pursued the British forces retreating towards Egypt. On 25 June the Trento arrived in Bardia, Sollum and Sidi Barrani.^[1]

El Alamein battles

From 26 June 1942 the Trento was engaged in the Battle of Mersa Matruh. On 27 June the division began its attack on Mersa Matruh, which fell on 29 June. On 1 July 1942 the Trento reached the area of El Alamein and the next day joined in the First Battle of El Alamein. On 2 July the Trento deployed on Miteirya Ridge, where it was surprised by a British attack.^[1] The Trento put up a tenacious defense on Miteirya, delaying the Allied advance for several hours and allowing an Italian armored reconnaissance force to launch a devastating counterattack.^[18] Despite fresh British attacks after 10 July the Trento managed to hold its positions on Miteirya until the end of the battle on 27 July.^[1]

On 30 August 1942 Axis forces launched the Battle of Alam el Halfa with the aim to outflank the British position at El Alamein. the Trento attacked the positions of the 9th Australian Division and 1st South African Infantry Division to fix the divisions in place, while the Axis' main force attacked further South. By 5 September 1942 the Axis forces had fallen back to their starting positions and began to dig in for the expected British counterattack.^[1]

The British began the Second Battle of El Alamein on 23 October 1942 and the Trento, which was positioned on Miteirya Ridge came under attack from the 2nd New Zealand Division and 10th Armoured Division on 24 October. By 25 October the Allies had broken through the minefields and were fought the Trento on top of Miteiriya Ridge. By then the Trento had lost half its infantry and most of its artillery to incessant British artillery and air attacks.^[19] The intense combat continued until 4 November when General Erwin Rommel ordered his divisions to retreat. However the Trento and the 132nd Armored Division "Ariete" were surrounded by British forces at Bir el Abd and destroyed. The Trento was declared lost due to wartime events on 25 November 1942.^[1][2]