204th Coastal Division (Italy)

The 204th Coastal Division (Italian: 204ª Divisione Costiera) was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II.[1] Royal Italian Army coastal divisions were second line divisions formed with reservists and equipped with second rate materiel. Recruited locally, they were often commanded by officers called out of retirement.[2]

204th Coastal Division
Active1941 – 1944
Country Kingdom of Italy
Branch Royal Italian Army
SizeDivision
Garrison/HQPorto Torres
EngagementsWorld War II
Insignia
Identification
symbol
204th Coastal Division gorget patches

History
204th Coastal Division (Italy) is located in Sardinia
Sassari
Sassari
Cagliari
Cagliari
203rd Div.
203rd Div.
204th Div.
204th Div.
205th Div.
205th Div.
XXXIII Bde.
XXXIII Bde.
IV Bde.
IV Bde.
Capo Monte Santu
Capo Monte Santu
Capo Pula
Capo Pula
Punta Usai
Punta Usai
Torre Foghe
Torre Foghe
Punta Li Francesi
Punta Li Francesi
Capo Coda Cavallo
Capo Coda Cavallo
Coastal units in Sardinia

The division was activated on 15 January 1942 in Sassari by reorganizing the IV Coastal Sector Command.[3] The division was initially assigned to XIII Army Corps, which was responsible for the defense of the island of Sardinia. On 15 July 1943 the division was assigned to the reactivated XXX Army Corps, which took over the responsibility for the defense of the northern half of Sardinia.[1] The division was based in Porto Torres and responsible for the coastal defense of the north-western and northern coast of Sardinia from, but excluding, Torre Foghe to Capo Coda Cavallo. The division's area of responsibility included the Gulf of Asinara and Gulf of Alghero, and the Maddalena archipelago with its large Royal Italian Navy base.[4] On 1 August 1942 the IV Coastal Brigade was reactivated and took over the responsibility for the defense of the Maddalena archipelago and the north-eastern coast of Sardinia between Punta Li Francesi and Capo Coda Cavallo.[5]

The 204th Coastal Division, together with the 203rd Coastal Division, 205th Coastal Division, IV Coastal Brigade and XXXIII Coastal Brigade formed a first static defense line against allied landings on the island. Further inland the 30th Infantry Division "Sabauda", 31st Infantry Division "Calabria", 47th Infantry Division "Bari", and 184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo" were the mobile forces of the Armed Forces Command Sardinia.[4]

After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the division, together with all other divisions on Sardinia, refused German demands to surrender. Realizing the futility of attempting to gain control of Sardinia the German forces on the island retreated to Corsica.[4]

The division joined the Italian Co-belligerent Army and was renamed 204th Division. In August 1944 the division's command was shipped to the mainland where it was used to reform other commands.[6]

Organization
  • 204th Coastal Division, in Porto Torres[4][1]
    • 130th Coastal Regiment
      • CCC Coastal Battalion
      • CCCXCVIII Coastal Battalion
      • CCCXCIX Coastal Battalion
      • CMIV Coastal Battalion
    • 149th Coastal Regiment
      • CCCXCIV Coastal Battalion
      • CCCXCVII Coastal Battalion
      • CDI Coastal Battalion
      • CDXCIX Coastal Battalion
    • 46th Coastal Artillery Regiment
      • XII Coastal Artillery Group
      • XIII Coastal Artillery Group
      • LXXXII Coastal Artillery Group
      • LXXXIV Coastal Artillery Group
      • CCXI Coastal Artillery Group
    • CII Machine Gun Battalion
      • 161st Machine Gun Company
      • 162nd Machine Gun Company
    • 204th Mixed Engineer Company
    • 204th Carabinieri Section
    • 215th Field Post Office
    • Division Services

Commanding officers

The division's commanding officer was:[1]

References
  1. Bollettino dell'Archivio dell'Ufficio Storico N.II-3 e 4 2002. Rome: Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico. 2002. p. 360. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  2. Jowett p 6
  3. Circolare n. 22960 del 24/12/1941 dello S.M.R.E. Uff. Ordinamento - 2a Sezione. "Cronistoria dei reparti costieri". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  4. "204a Divisione Costiera". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  5. Circolare n. 39650 del 07/07/1942 dello S.M.R.E. Uff. Ordinamento - 3a Sezione. "Cronistoria dei reparti costieri". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  6. "Le unità ausiliarie dell'Esercito Italiano nella guerra di liberazione". Rome: Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico. 1977. p. 283. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  • Paoletti, Ciro (2008). A Military History of Italy. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-98505-9.
  • Jowett, Philip S. (2000). The Italian Army 1940-45 (1): Europe 1940-1943. Osprey, Oxford - New York. ISBN 978-1-85532-864-8.


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