During World War II, the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia (CSIR) was a corps of the Regio Esercito that fought on the Eastern Front. In July 1942 the CSIR entered the newly formed Italian Army in Russia as XXXV Army Corps. On 1 August 1941 the CSIR consisted of the following units:
In March 1942 the division was reorganized: both cavalry regiments left the division and formed the Mounted Grouping under direct command of the CSIR, while the 3rd Horse Artillery Regiment came under direct command of the CSIR's Artillery Commander. The units were replaced in the division by the following units
The 9th Infantry Division "Pasubio" was an auto-transportable division, which had motorized artillery and support units, while its infantry continued to transport equipment on mules or with carriages.
The 52nd Infantry Division "Torino" was an auto-transportable division, which had motorized artillery and support units, while its infantry continued to transport equipment on mules or with carriages.
The Regia Aeronautica dispatched the following units to Russia:
The following logistic and support units were attached to the corps: [1]
Operation Husky order of battle is a listing of the significant military and air force units that were involved in the campaign for Sicily, July 10 – August 17, 1943.
The 60th Infantry Division "Sabratha" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Sabratha was raised in May 1937, in Gharyan in Italian Libya and named after the nearby ancient Roman city of Sabratha. The division's regimental depots were in mainland Italy in Campania and shared with the 25th Infantry Division "Bologna", with both divisions recruiting their troops from and training them there. The division was destroyed on 25 July 1942 during the First Battle of El Alamein in Egypt and its remnants used to fill up the depleted ranks of the 102nd Motorized Division "Trento". The Sabratha was classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning it had some motorized transport, but not enough to move the entire division at once.
101st Motorized Division "Trieste" was a motorized infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Trieste was formed in 1939 and named for the city of Trieste. The division and its infantry and artillery regiments were based in Piacenza, while the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment was based until 1940 in Treviso and then moved to Cremona to be closer to the division. In September 1941 the Trieste was transferred to Libya for the Western Desert Campaign. The division was decimated in the Second Battle of El Alamein, but was rebuilt with the survivors of destroyed divisions. The Trieste then participated in the Tunisian Campaign until Axis forces in Tunisia surrendered to allied forces on 13 May 1943.
The 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta" was a Cavalry or "Celere" (Fast) division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed in 1934, and during World War II was mobilized in June 1940. As a cavalry division it took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia and was part of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia. Annihilated during the Red Army's Operation Little Saturn in December 1942, the survivors returned to Italy in spring 1943.
The 9th Infantry Division Pasubio was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Pasubio was classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning it had some motorized transport, but not enough to move the entire division at once. The division was formed as an infantry division in 1934, reorganized as auto-transportable division in 1939 and mobilized in August 1940. It was named for the battles on Pasubio during World War I. Its 79th Infantry Regiment and 8th Artillery Regiment were made up of men from Verona, while the ranks of the 80th Regiment were filled with men from Mantua. Its I CC.NN. Battalion "Sabauda" was made up of Blackshirt volunteers from Turin.
The 1st Infantry Division "Superga" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Superga was classified as a mountain infantry division, which meant that the division's artillery was moved by pack mules instead of the horse-drawn carriages of line infantry divisions. Italy's real mountain warfare divisions were the six alpine divisions manned by Alpini mountain troops. The Superga recruited primarily from central Piedmont and was based, together with its two infantry regiments, in Turin, while the 5th Artillery Regiment was based in Venaria Reale. The division was and named for the Superga hill near Turin, where members of Italy's Royal House of Savoy were buried in the Basilica of Superga.
The 10th Infantry Division "Piave" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. At the beginning of World War II Piave was classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning it had some motorized transport, but not enough to move the entire division at once. On 15 July 1941 the division reorganized to a fully motorized division and was renamed 10th Motorized Division "Piave". The division was named after the river Piave, where during World War I Italy and Austria fought three major battles. The division had its recruiting area in Veneto and its headquarters in Padua. Its two infantry regiments were based in Vicenza (57th) and Padua (58th), with the division's artillery regiment also based in Padua.
The 52nd Infantry Division "Torino" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Torino was named after the city of Turin and classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning it had some motorized transport, but not enough to move the entire division at once. The division was formed by expanding the Torino Brigade in June 1940 and was based with two of its regiments in Civitavecchia, while the 81st Infantry Regiment "Torino" was based in Rome. The division took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia and was then sent to the Eastern front as part of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia.
The 36th Infantry Division "Forlì" was a infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Forlì was classified as a mountain infantry division, which meant that the division's artillery was moved by pack mules instead of the horse-drawn carriages of line infantry divisions. Italy's real mountain warfare divisions were the six alpine divisions manned by Alpini mountain troops. The division was formed on 31 March 1939 and named for the city of Forlì. The division was based in Saluzzo and most of its troops were drafted in the surrounding Langhe region in southern Piedmont. The division's two infantry regiments were based in Alba (43rd) and Saluzzo (44th), with the division's artillery regiment also based in Saluzzo.
The 103rd Infantry Division "Piacenza" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Piacenza was named for the city of Piacenza and classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning it had some motorized transport, but not enough to move the entire division at once.
The 11th Infantry Division "Brennero" was a infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Brennero was classified as a mountain infantry division, which meant that the division's artillery was moved by pack mules instead of the horse-drawn carriages of line infantry divisions. Italy's real mountain warfare divisions were the six alpine divisions manned by Alpini mountain troops. The Brennero was named for the Brenner Pass between Italy and Austria. The division was based in the western half of South Tyrol with the division's headquarter in Bolzano.
The 104th Infantry Division "Mantova" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during the Second World War. The Mantova was named for the city of Mantua and classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning it had some motorized transport, but not enough to move the entire division at once.
The 105th Infantry Division "Rovigo" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Rovigo was named for the city of Rovigo and classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning it had some motorized transport, but not enough to move the entire division at once.
The 15th Infantry Division "Bergamo" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Bergamo was based in Istria and named for the city of Bergamo.
The 136th Armored Division "Giovani Fascisti", also known in English as the Young Fascists Division or merely the Young Fascists, was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II.
The 58th Infantry Division "Legnano" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Legnano's predecessor division was formed on 8 February 1934 in Milan and named for the medieval Battle of Legnano. On 24 May 1939 the division split to form the 6th Infantry Division "Cuneo" and the 58th Infantry Division "Legnano". After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile the Legnano resisted the invading German forces. The division's staff and 67th Infantry Regiment "Legnano" were used to form the first unit of the Italian Co-belligerent Army, which fought on the allied side in the Italian campaign. On 17 February 1944 the division's last units joined other commands and the division was officially dissolved.
The 55th Infantry Division "Savona" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. It was formed on 27 April 1939 in Salerno and named after the city of Savona. Its men were drafted from Naples, Salerno and the surrounding Campania. The Savona was classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning it had some motorized transport, but not enough to move the entire division at once. The division was destroyed on during Operation Crusader at Halfaya Pass and officially declared lost on 17 January 1942.
The 155th Infantry Division "Emilia" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during the World War II. The Emilia was formed on 1 December 1941 and named for the historic region of Emilia. The Emilia was classified as an occupation infantry division, which meant that the division's artillery regiment consisted of two artillery groups instead of the three artillery groups of line infantry divisions and that the divisional mortar battalion was replaced by a divisional machine gun battalion.
The Italian Liberation Corps was a corps of the Italian Co-belligerent Army during the Italian campaign of World War II. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the Italian government began the formation of units to fight on the allied side against Germany. On 18 April 1944 the Italian Liberation Corps was formed, which after an intense cycle of combat operations was disbanded on 24 September 1944 to form division-sized combat groups.
The Italian Army in Russia (ARMIR) was a field army of the Royal Italian Army in World War II, which was deployed to the Soviet Union in July 1942. Upon arrival on the Eastern Front the army consisted of the following units: