Operation Compass was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) during the Second World War. British Empire forces attacked Italian forces of the 10th Army in western Egypt and Cyrenaica, the eastern province of Libya, from December 1940 to February 1941.
The 1st CC.NN. Division "23 Marzo" was an Italian CC.NN. division raised on 23 April 1935 for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War against Ethiopia. The name "23 Marzo" was chosen to commemorate the founding date of the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento on 23 March 1919. The division took part in the Italian invasion of Egypt and was destroyed during the Battle of Bardia in January 1941.
The 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre" was an Italian CC.NN. division raised on 10 May 1935 for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War against Ethiopia. The name "28 Ottobre" was chosen to commemorate the Fascist March on Rome on 28 October 1922. The division took part in the Italian invasion of Egypt and was destroyed during the Battle of Bardia in January 1941.
The 102nd Motorized Division "Trento" was a motorized infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed in 1935 and named for the city of Trento, where its infantry and artillery regiments were based. The Trento served in the Western Desert Campaign and was destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein in November 1942.
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 rebuild 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 Italian invasion of Egypt was an offensive in the Second World War, against British, Commonwealth and Free French forces in the Kingdom of Egypt. The invasion by the Italian 10th Army ended border skirmishing on the frontier and began the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) proper. The Italian strategy was to advance from Libya along the Egyptian coast to seize the Suez Canal. After numerous delays, the scope of the offensive was reduced to an advance as far as Sidi Barrani and the engagement of any British forces in the area.
The Maletti Group(Italian: Raggruppamento Maletti) was an ad hoc mechanised unit formed by the Italian Royal Army in Italian North Africa, during the initial stages of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The Italian army had three armoured divisions in Europe but all were needed for the occupation of Albania and the forthcoming invasion of Greece, which began on 28 October 1940. The Raggruppamento Maletti was formed in June 1940, as part of the 10th Army and contained all of the M11/39 medium tanks in Libya.
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 staff and equipment could be transported on cars and trucks, although not simultaneously. 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 6th Infantry Division "Cuneo" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Cuneo was formed on 24 May 1939 in Milan by splitting the 58th Infantry Division "Legnano" and was named for the city of Cuneo. The Cuneo was part of the III Corps of First Army that took part in the Italian invasion of France, and then it was part of the XXVI Corps during the Greco-Italian War.
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 12th Infantry Division "Sassari" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division recruited primarily in Friuli and Istria and was entirely based in Trieste.
The 22nd Infantry Division "Cacciatori delle Alpi" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was based in Perugia and named for the Cacciatori delle Alpi corps raised for the Second War of Italian Independence.
The 23rd Infantry Division "Ferrara" was a infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Ferrara 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 named for the city of Ferrara and based in Bari. The division's men were mostly recruited from Bari and in the Altopiano delle Murge region.
The 44th Infantry Division "Cremona" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Cremona was formed on 15 September 1939 by splitting the 20th Infantry Division "Curtatone and Montanara" into the 20th Infantry Division "Friuli" and 44th Infantry Division "Cremona". The division was named for the city of Cremona. The division served as occupation force on Corsica and fought German units after the Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943. The division then served with the Italian Co-belligerent Army and remained active until the 1975 Italian Army reform.
The 50th Infantry Division "Regina" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Regina was formed on 1 March 1939 in the Italian Islands of the Aegean and entitled to the Queen. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile between Italy and the Allies on 8 September 1943 the division fought Wehrmacht forces in the Battle of Rhodes. The majority of the division surrendered on 11 September 1943, while the III Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment "Regina" resisted the Germans on Leros until 16 November 1943.
The 51st Infantry Division "Siena" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Siena was formed on 15 September 1939 and named for the city of Siena. The division was a Campanian unit and it's men were almost entirely from Naples. After fighting in the Greco-Italian War the division was sent to Crete as garrison unit. There the division was disbanded by invading German forces after the Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943.
The 56th Infantry Division "Casale" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Casale was activated on 15 June 1939 in Forlì and named for the city of Casale Monferrato and recruited most its men from the Romagna region. The division was sent to Greece as occupation and force. There the division was disbanded by invading German forces in the Aetolia-Acarnania region of Greece after the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943.
The 57th Infantry Division "Lombardia" was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Lombardia was formed on 24 May 1939 in Pula and named for the region of Lombardy. The division was disbanded by the Germans after the Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943.
The 5th Army was a World War I and World War II field army of the Royal Italian Army.
The Italian XXI Army Corps was a formation of the Italian army in World War II.