"Granatieri di Sardegna". In 1939 the 21st Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" lost the 3rd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" and thus the division entered World War II with its two Granatieri regiments, the 13th Field Artillery Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna", and some minor units. In June 1940 the division was mobilized and took part in the Italian invasion of France as a part of the VII Army, but due to the quick German victory in the Battle of France the division was not involved in any combat operations before the French surrender. 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 cavalry Regiment "Lancieri di Montebello" (8th) and hundreds of civilian volunteers. The future Italian president Sandro Pertini brought a detachment of resistance fighters to Porta San Paolo where 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 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 Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" and the Regiment "Lancieri di Montebello" (8th) were