The 5th Army () was a

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

field army A field army (also known as numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps. It may be subordinate to an army group. Air army, Air armies are the equivalent formations in air forces, and ...

of the

Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army () (RE) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfredo Fanti signed a decree c ...

World War I

In World War I the 5th Army was created on 25 May 1916 to help stop the Austrian Trentino Offensive. It was again disbanded on 2 July 1916. It consisted of * XXIV Army Corps (Luciano Secco) * XX Army Corps (Ettore Mambretti) * XXII Army Corps (Evaristo Mossolin) * XXVI Army Corps ( Luca Montuori) * VIII Army Corps ( Ottavio Briccola) Its commanders were : * Pietro Frugoni (until 19 June 1916) * Settimio Piacentini.

World War II

The Italian 5th Army was formed in 1939 to defend Libya from the French in Tunisia and Algeria. After the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

ended, the 5th Army became a source of men and supplies for the Italian Tenth Army on the border with

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. The army was disbanded on 16 February 1941 and incorporated into General Headquarters North Africa. The Army was shortly reformed in North Africa between 15 April 1941 and 5 September 1941.
It was again reformed in Italy on 10 April 1942 to defend Tuscany, Sardinia and from November 1942 also Corsica. In September 1943, after the

Armistice of Cassibile The Armistice of Cassibile ( Italian: ''Armistizio di Cassibile'') was an armistice that was signed on 3 September 1943 by Italy and the Allies, marking the end of hostilities between Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was made public ...

, the 5th Army surrendered to the Germans. Commanders wereAxis History
/ref> *

Italo Gariboldi Italo Gariboldi (20 April 1879 – 3 February 1970) was an Italian senior officer in the Royal Army (''Regio Esercito'') before and during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by German dictator Adolf Hitler for his l ...

(1939 – February 1941) * Mario Caracciolo di Feroleto (April 1941 – September 1941) * Mario Caracciolo di Feroleto (April 1942 – September 1943) In June 1940 it consisted of: * X Army Corps ** 25th Infantry Division "Bologna" ** 55th Infantry Division "Savona" ** 60th Infantry Division "Sabratha" * XX Army Corps ** 17th Infantry Division "Pavia" ** 61st Infantry Division "Sirte" ** 27th Infantry Division "Brescia" * XXIII Army Corps ** 1st CC.NN. Division "23 Marzo" ** 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre"

References

{{Large formations of Italy in World War II Field armies of Italy in World War I Field armies of Italy in World War II