The Order of battle of the East African campaign shows the ground forces of both sides in East Africa on the date that the Italians declared war on Britain and France, 10 June 1940 and for the British and Commonwealth forces involved in the 1941 offensive.
Commander-in-Chief, Italian East African Armed Forces Command, Amedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta [1]
Over the course of the war the Italians combined some of the colonial brigades in divisions, however the sources as to which brigades were attached to which division and for how long are contradictory. Below follows the division listing as given by the Italian wikipedia at it:Divisioni del Regio Esercito nella seconda guerra mondiale#Divisioni coloniali - Africa Orientale Italiana:
Division | Brigades | Activated | Dissolved |
---|---|---|---|
Harar Colonial Division | XIII Colonial Brigade XIX Colonial Brigade XV Colonial Brigade | 10 June 1940 | |
1st Eritrean Division | V Colonial Brigade XLIV Colonial Brigade | ||
2nd Eritrean Division | VIII Colonial Brigade XVI Colonial Brigade | ||
3rd Colonial Division | VI Colonial Brigade XII Colonial Brigade | 10 February 1941 | |
4th Colonial Division | XI Colonial Brigade XLI Colonial Brigade | 4 February 1941 | |
21st Colonial Division | IX Colonial Brigade XVIII Colonial Brigade | 10 June 1940 | |
22nd Colonial Division | I Colonial Brigade LXXXVI Colonial Brigade | 10 June 1940 | 9 luglio 1941 |
23rd Colonial Division | X Colonial Brigade ? | 10 June 1940 | |
24th Colonial Division | XXV Colonial Brigade LXXXV Colonial Brigade | ||
25th Colonial Division | ? ? | ||
26th Colonial Division | VII Colonial Brigade ? | ||
101st Somali Division | XX Colonial Brigade XCII Colonial Brigade | ||
102nd Somali Division | XCI Colonial Brigade ? |
Total 127,000 men
Generale di Squadra Aerea Pietro Pinna Parpaglia [3] [lower-alpha 2]
The Northern Sector Command (Italian : Commando Settore Nord) was based in Asmara.
The Western Sector Command (Commando Settore Ouest) was based in Addis Ababa. The Command was formed on 1 August 1940 and disbanded on 19 August 1941.
Generale di Brigata Aerea Collati
The Southern Sector Command (Commando Settore Sud) was based in Mogadishu.(All data from Nafziger 2012, unless indicated; original source: National Archives Microcopy No. T-821, Roll 144, American Historical Association Committee for the Study of War Documents, Washington, DC. 1960.) [7]
Commander-in-Chief – General Archibald Wavell, Cairo
Commander-in-Chief – General Archibald Wavell
Commander – Lieutenant-General William Platt
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