The Italian XXII Army Corps () was a formation of the

Italian army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...

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 ...

History

There was a XXII Corps in World War I, which existed between 24 May 1916 and 1 January 1920. The Corps was reformed in

Tobruk Tobruk ( ; ; ) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.)."Tobruk" (history), ''Encyclop� ...

in Libya on 15 September 1939 and participated in the

Italian Invasion of Egypt The Italian invasion of Egypt () was an offensive in the Second World War from Italian Libya, against British, Commonwealth and Free French in the neutral Kingdom of Egypt. The invasion by the Italian 10th Army () ended border skirmishing on th ...

as part of the

Italian 10th Army The 10th Army () was a field army of the Royal Italian Army, which fought in World War I and in Italian North Africa during World War II. World War I Formation After the Battle of Caporetto (November 1917) the Italian Army (Regio Esercito) was r ...

. After the defeat at the

Battle of Sidi Barrani The Battle of Sidi Barrani 1940) was the opening battle of Operation Compass, the first big British attack of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. Sidi Barrani, on the Mediterranean coast in Egypt, had been occupied by the Italia ...

, XXII Corps took up defensive positions at Tobruk. On 21 January 1941, the British attacked Tobruk and by the afternoon of 23 January, the last Italian nuclei of resistance surrendered. Also on this date, the XXII Corps was considered disbanded. On 10 May 1942, a new XXII Corps was formed in

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

to control the border with Yugoslavia. In September 1942, the Corps was transferred to

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

and on 11 November, following the Anglo-American landing in French North Africa, the XXII Corps crossed the Italian-French armistice line and occupied

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

, until 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 ...

of 10 September 1943, when the Corps was disarmed by the Germans and disbanded.

Composition

Spring 1940

64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro" The 64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro" () was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was activated on 3 June 1940 and named for the Southern Italian city of Catanzaro. The division's regimental depots we ...

* 4th CC.NN. Division "3 Gennaio"

Autumn 1940

61st Infantry Division "Sirte" The 61st Infantry Division "Sirte" () was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed on 9 May 1937 in Misrata in Italian Libya and named for the Libyan city of Sirte. The division's regimental dep ...

1942

* 136th Armored Legionary Division "Centauro" *

2nd Cavalry Division "Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro" The 2nd Cavalry Division "Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro" () was a cavalry or "Celere" (Fast) Division (military), division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was mobilised in 1940. I ...

* 7th Infantry Division "Lupi di Toscana" * 48th Infantry Division "Taro" * 10th Infantry Division "Piave" * 103rd Infantry Division "Piacenza" *

104th Infantry Division "Mantova" The 104th Infantry Division "Mantova" () was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during the Second World War. The Mantova was named for the city of Mantua () and classified as an auto-transportable division, meaning it had some motor ...

1943

* 48th Infantry Division "Taro" * Command Fortress

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

Commanders

* Gen. C.A.

Umberto Somma Umberto Somma (20 November 1878 – 31 December 1955) was an Italian general during the interwar period and World War II. He was also a member of the Italian Senate from 1939 to 1943. Biography After joining the Royal Italian Army in 1896, ...

(1939.09.15 – 1940.06.08) * Gen. C.A.

Enrico Pitassi Mannella Enrico Pitassi Mannella (Cerignola, 31 May 1882 – Rome, 1948) was an Italian general during World War II. An artillery specialist, he was known among his colleagues as the "King of Artillerymen". Biography He was born in Cerignola, in the ...

(1940.06.09 – 1941.01.23 : POW) * Gen. D.

Federico Ferrari Orsi Federico Ferrari Orsi (Rivoli, Piedmont, Italy, 18 December 1886 – Egypt, 18 October 1942) was a general in the Royal Italian Army during World War II. He was one of the founders of Torino Football Club and played as a defender in the 1907 s ...

(1942.05.10 – 1942.08.10) * Gen. B. Romolo Borelli (interim) * Gen. C.A.

Alfonso Ollearo Alfonso Ollearo (16 December 1885 – 28 November 1957) was an Italian general during World War II. He was State Undersecretary for the Army of the Italian Social Republic from December 1943 to June 1944. Biography He was born in San Salva ...

(1942.08.16 – 1943.09.08) Generals.dk
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Army Corps 22 Italian Army corps of Italy in World War II Western Desert campaign