Italian Co-Belligerent Army

The Italian Co-Belligerent Army ("Esercito Cobelligerante Italiana"), or the Army of the South ("Esercito del Sud"), was the army of the Italian royalist forces fighting on the side of the Allies during World War II. The Italian Co-Belligerent Army was formed in southerm Italy after the Allied armistice with Italy was declared on September 8, 1943. The Italians soldiers of the Co-Belligerent Army no longer fought for Italian dictator Benito Mussolini or for the Axis. Their allegiance was to King Victor Emmanuel and to Marshal of Italy ("Maresciallo d'Italia") Pietro Badoglio, the men who ousted Mussolini and created what was known as the "Badoglio government." In many regards, the Italian Co-Belligerant Army was a reorganized version of the Italian Royal Army ("Regio Esercito").

Formation

On 28 September 1943, the Italian Co-Belligerent Army began when its first military unit was formed in tented reorganization camps near Lecce. Some of the first soldiers in this unit had just barely managed to escape internment by the Germans. [Holland, "Italy's Sorrow", p. 53] In accordance with Royal Army Order 70/V, the Italian First Motorized Combat Group ("1• Raggruppamento Motorizzato") was created. The unit included elements of two divisions of the old Italian Royal Army ("Regio Esercito"): The 18th Infantry Division "Messina" and the 58th Infantry Division "Legnano." [Jowett, "The Italian Army 1940-43 (3)", p. 24] The First Motorized Combat Group had a strength of 295 officers and 5,387 men.

The first action of the First Motorized Combat Group was in the Cassino sector at Monte Lungo. This action did much to remove the Allied distrust of the Italian soldiers fighting on their side. [Mollo, "The Armed Forces of World War II", p. 100] The unit suffered heavy casualties and performed well enough. [Jowett, "The Italian Army 1940-43 (3)", p. 24]

Following service with the American 5th Army and re-organization, the First Motorized Combat Group was transferred to the Polish II Corps on the extreme left of the British 8th Army. [Mollo, "The Armed Forces of World War II", p. 100]

Italian liberation corps

On 17 April 1944, the formation (now 22,000 men strong) assumed the name Italian Liberation Corps ("Corpo Italiano di Liberazione", or CIL). The continuous influx of volunteers made it necessary to form further formations. [Mollo, "The Armed Forces of World War II", p. 100] The CIL was organized in two new divisions: The "Nembo" and the "Utili." The "Nembo" Division was formed around the old Royal Army's parachute division of the same name. The "Utili" Division was formed around the First Motorized Combat Group and was named after its commander, General Umberto Utili. In early 1944, a 5,000 man force of Italians fought on the Gustav Line around Monte Cassino and acquitted itself well. The Italians once again suffered heavy casualties. [Jowett, "The Italian Army 1940-43 (3)", p. 24]

Gothic Line

By early 1945, the CIL had outgrown itself. It was used as the nucleus for six separate Combat Groups ("Gruppi di Combattimento"): "Cremona," "Legnano," "Friuli," "Mantova," "Piceno," and "Folgore." Each Combat Group was the equal to a weak division. The established strength for each was 432 officers, 8,578 other rank, 116 field guns, 170 mortars, 502 light machine guns, and 1,277 motor vehicles. The Combat Groups were given the names of old Royal Army divisions and followed the component numbering system of the component regiments to some extent. [Jowett, "The Italian Army 1940-43 (3)", p. 24] These groups were attached to various American and British formations on the Gothic Line. The following is the "order of battle" of the Italian Co-Belligerent Army as of April 1945 [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
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title = Order of Battle: Italian Co-Belligerent Forces
work = Military History Network
publisher =
date = 11 March 2004
url = http://www.milhist.net/ordbat/italcobel.html#cremona.450409
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-12-21 ]

Cremona Combat Group (of British V Corps, 9 Apr 1945)
* 7th Italian Artillery Regiment [-1bty]
* 21st Italian Infantry Regiment [3btn]
* 22nd Italian Infantry Regiment [3btn]
* 144th Italian Engineer Battalion

Folgore Combat Group (of XIII Corps, 9 Apr 1945)
* Nembo Regiment [3btn]
* San Marco Regiment [3btn]
* 57th Italian Field Regiment [-1bty,1trp]
* 154th Italian Field Regiment
* 184th Italian Artillery Regiment
* 184th Italian Engineer Battalion

Friuli Combat Group (of British X Corps, 9 Apr 1945)
* 35th Italian Artillery Regiment
* 87th Italian Infantry Regiment [3btn]
* 88th Italian Infantry Regiment [3btn]
* 120th Italian Engineer Battalion

Legnano Combat Group (of U S II Corps), 9 Apr 1945)
* 11th Italian Artillery Regiment
* 51st Italian Engineer Battalion
* 68th Italian Regiment Infantry
* 69th Italian Regiment Infantry

Legnano Combat Group (enlarged and reassigned to U S Fifth Army, 23 Apr 1945)
* Headquarters, Legnano Combat Group
* Legnano Ordnance Field Park
* Legnano Mechanical workshop
* 34th Carabinieri Section
* 51st Carabinieri Section
* 51st Supply and Transport Company
* 51st Medical Section
* 51st Italian Engineer Battalion
* 52nd British Liaison Unit
* 244th Field Hospital
* 332nd Field Hospital
* 11th Italian Artillery Regiment
* 68th Italian Infantry Regiment::1st Infantry Battalion::2nd Infantry Battalion::3rd Infantry Battalion::405th Mortar Company (3-inch)::56th Antitank Company (6-pounder)
* 69th Italian Speciale Infantry Regiment::1st Bersaglieri Battalion::2nd Alpini Battalion::3rd Alpini Battalion::15th Mortar Company (3-inch)::16th Antitank Company (6-pounder)

Italian Army

In 1946, the Kingdom of Italy became the Italian Republic. In a like manner, what had been the royalist Co-Belligerent Army simply became the Italian Army ("Esercito Italiano").

ee also

* Military history of Italy during World War II
* Italian Royal Army, Kingdom of Italy
* Italian National Republican Army, Italian Social Republic
* Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force
* Italian Co-Belligerent Navy
* Co-belligerence
* Giovanni Messe

References

ources

* Holland, James, "Italy's Sorrw: A Year of War 1944-1945", St. Martin's Press, New York, ISBN:13 978-0-312-37396-2, ISBN:10 0-312-37396-1
* Jowett, Phillip, "The Italian Army 1040-45 (3): Italy 1943-45", Osprey Publishing, Westminster, MD, ISBN 978-1-85532-866-2
* Mollo, Andrew, "The Armed Forces of World War II", Crown Publishing, New York, ISBN 0-517-54478-4