The XI Army Corps () was a corps 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 ...

during

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 ...

that participated in the

invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a Nazi Germany, German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put fo ...

History

The XI Army Corps was created in

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

on 8 July 1883, and fought in World War I, after which it was dissolved. In April 1939, Italy occupied Albania and on 9 November 1940, the occupation troops, known until then as ''Comando Superiore Truppe Albania'', were renamed XI Army Corps, and became part of the 2nd Army. The Corps participated in the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian campaign in Greece, Italian invasion of Greece, and War of '40 in Greece, took place between Italy and Greece from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. This conflict began the Balk ...

without much success. On 11 April 1941, the Corps advanced into Yugoslav territory, reaching and occupying Ljubljana. After the Yugoslav capitulation on 23 April, the Corps remained in Slovenia as an occupation force with its headquarters in Ljubljana. It was involved in anti-partisan operations and brutal repression of the population. During 1942, the XI Army Corps was moved to Greece as part of the Italian occupation army there. On 25 July 1943, the Corps became part of the German

OB Südost The General Commander in the South East (''Oberbefehlshaber Südost'' (German: initials OB Südost)) was the overall command of the German Armed Forces in Greece and the Balkans between 1943 and 1945 during World War II. It was directly subordinate ...

and was based in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

. XI Army Corps was disarmed by the Germans and dissolved on 18 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 ...

Commanders

* Matteo Roux (1940.01.01 – 1940.11.01) *

Mario Robotti Mario Robotti (25 November 1882 – 1955) was a general in the Royal Italian Army who commanded the XI Corps during the World War II Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941. He then became military commander in the Province of Ljubljana, the It ...

(1940.11.01 – 1942.12.15) *

Gastone Gambara Gastone Gambara (10 November 1890 – 27 February 1962) was an Italian General who participated in World War I and World War II. He excelled during the Italian intervention in favor of the nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. During World War I ...

(1942.12.15 – 1943.09.08)Regio Esercito
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Notes

References

* {{Large formations of Italy in World War II Army corps of Italy in World War II