The XV 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 ...

between 1939 and 1943.

History

the XV Army Corps was created in

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

on 25 March 1939.
In June 1940, it took part in the

Italian invasion of France The Italian invasion of France (10–25 June 1940), also called the Battle of the Alps, was the first major Fascist Italy, Italian engagement of World War II and the last major engagement of the Battle of France. The Italian entry into the war ...

on the Southern part of the front. It reached

Menton Menton (; in classical norm or in Mistralian norm, , ; ; or depending on the orthography) is a Commune in France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italia ...

Breil-sur-Roya Breil-sur-Roya (, literally ''Breil on Roya''; or simply ''Breglio''; ; ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Population Geography Breil-sur-Roya as its name says is located on the scenic and fast movi ...

, and Monte Grammondo. After the armistice with France, the XV Army Corps was in charge of the defense of the Ligurian coast, from the French border to

Savona Savona (; ) is a seaport and (municipality) in the west part of the northern Italian region of Liguria, and the capital of the Province of Savona. Facing the Ligurian Sea, Savona is the main center of the Riviera di Ponente (the western se ...

.
After the landings of the Allies in French North Africa, XV Corps participated in

Case Anton Case Anton () was the military occupation of Vichy France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942. It marked the end of the Vichy regime as a nominally independent state and the disbanding of its army (the severely-limited '' Armisti ...

and on 11 November 1942, it entered French territory again. It occupied Nice, Grasse, Cannes, Antibes, St. Raphael and Toulon. On 20 December 1942, XV Corps returned to Italy to again take up the coastal defense of

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

.
It remained here until September 1943, when it was disarmed by the Germans and dissolved 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 ...

Composition (1940)

* 5th Infantry Division "Cosseria" *

44th Infantry Division "Cremona" The 44th Infantry Division "Cremona" () was an infantry Division (military), division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Cremona was formed on 24 August 1939 by splitting the 20th Infantry Division "Curtatone and Montanara" into t ...

* 37th Infantry Division "Modena"

Composition (1943)

* 6th Alpine Division "Alpi Graie" * 103rd Infantry Division "Piacenza" * 105th Infantry Division "Rovigo" * 201st Coastal Division

Commanders

Mario Berti Mario Berti (3 February 1881 – 1964) was an Italian officer during World War I and a general in the Spanish Civil War and World War II.Macksey, p. 35 Personal life Mario Berti was born in La Spezia, which is located in modern-day Liguria. Wor ...

(1939.03.15 – 1940.06.05) *

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 ...

(1940.06.06 – 1941.01.01) * Emilio Bancale (1941.01.01 – 1943.09.08)generals.dk
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References

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