224th Coastal Division (Italy)
The 224th Coastal Division (Italian: 224ª 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. They were often commanded by officers called out of retirement.[2]
| 224th Coastal Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1943 – 1943 |
| Country | _crowned.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Kingdom of Italy |
| Branch | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Royal Italian Army |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Nice |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |    224th Coastal Division gorget patches |
History
In November 1942 Axis forces invaded Southern France and divided it into a German and an Italian occupation zone. For the coastal defense of its zone Italy raised on 1 January 1943 the 223rd Coastal Division in Bologna and the 224th Coastal Division in Florence. Both divisions were formed with reserve units of the army's regular Alpini regiments.[2]
The 224th Coastal Division was based in Nice and assigned to I Army Corps. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the division was disbanded by invading German forces.[3][1]
Organization
- 224th Coastal Division - Military Base Nice, in Nice[3][1]
- 165th Coastal Alpini Regiment
- Alpini Battalion "Monte Marmolada" (formed from the XXV Replacements Battalion/ 7th Alpini Regiment)
- Alpini Battalion "Monte Canin" (formed from the XXVI Replacements Battalion/ 8th Alpini Regiment)
- Alpini Battalion "Monte Clapier" (formed from the XXVII Replacements Battalion/ 1st Alpini Regiment)
- DXIII Mobile Territorial Alpini Battalion
- 424th Mortar Company (81mm Mod. 35 mortars)
- X Carabinieri Battalion
- 104th Bersaglieri Motorcyclists Company
- 224th Mixed Engineer Company
- 224th Carabinieri Section
- 158th Field Post Office
- Division Services
- 165th Coastal Alpini Regiment
Commanding officers
The division's commanding officers were:[1]
- Generale di Divisione Luigi Mazzini (1 January 1943 - 25 May 1943)
- Generale di Divisione Giuseppe Andreoli (26 May 1943 - 25 August 1943)
- Generale di Divisione Mario Badino Rossi (26 August 1943 - 9 September 1943)
References
- Bollettino dell'Archivio dell'Ufficio Storico N.II-3 e 4 2002. Rome: Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico. 2002. p. 376. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- Jowett p 6
- "224a Divisione Costiera". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 16 October 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.