The 211th Coastal Division ( it, 211ª Divisione Costiera) was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) 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 Manfre ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Royal Italian Army coastal divisions were second line divisions formed with reservists and equipped with second rate

materiel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specifi ...

. They were often commanded by officers called out of retirement.Jowett p 6

History

The division was activated on 15 November 1941 in

Cittanova Cittanova is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. Located on the slopes of Aspromonte and facing the ...

by reorganizing the XI Coastal Sector Command. The division was assigned to XXXI Army Corps, which was responsible for the defense of southern

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. The division was responsible for the

coastal defence Coastal management is defence against flooding and erosion, and techniques that stop erosion to claim lands. Protection against rising sea levels in the 21st century is crucial, as sea level rise accelerates due to climate change. Changes in s ...

of southernmost part of the coast of

: on the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...

side from

Capo Vaticano Capo Vaticano is a wide bathing place in the Municipality of Ricadi in Calabria, Italy. The 'Cape' is formed by a particular white-gray granite, which is examined worldwide for its geologic characteristics. Geography The maximum altitude of the c ...

to the outskirts of

Scilla ''Scilla'' () is a genus of about 30 to 80 species of bulb-forming perennial herbaceous plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. Sometimes called the squills in English, they are native to woodlands, subalpine meadows, and sea ...

, on the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including C ...

side from Capo dell'Armi to

Badolato Badolato is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy. As of 2013 Badolato had an estimated population of 3,152. Territory The village of Badolato is from Catanzaro on Calabria's Ionian coast. Situat ...

. Between 3 and 8 September the division skirmished with troops of British XIII Corps, which had landed in southern Calabria in

Operation Baytown Operation Baytown was an Allied amphibious landing on the mainland of Italy that took place on 3 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy, itself part of the Italian Campaign, during the Second World War. Planning The attack was ...

. After the

Armistice of Cassibile The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Brig ...

was announced the division remained at its positions and surrendered to the British XIII Corps. Afterwards the division joined the Italian Co-belligerent Army, but did not participate in the Italian campaign. The division was dissolved in summer 1944.

Organization

* 211th Coastal Division, in

** 53rd Coastal Regiment *** CCXII Coastal Battalion *** XI Dismounted Squadrons Group/ Regiment "Lancieri di Vittorio Emanuele II" ** 118th Coastal Regiment *** CCCXLVIII Coastal Battalion *** CCCLVIII Coastal Battalion *** IX Dismounted Squadrons Group/ Regiment "Lancieri di Aosta" ** 143rd Coastal Regiment *** CCCXXV Coastal Battalion *** XV Dismounted Squadrons Group/ Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Palermo" ** 49th Coastal Artillery Regiment *** LVIII Coastal Artillery Group *** LXXXIV Coastal Artillery Group ** 534th Mortar Company ( 81mm Mod. 35 mortars) ** 211th Mixed Engineer Company ** 327th Anti-paratroopers Unit ** 448th Anti-paratroopers Unit ** 211th

Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...

Section ** 180th Field Post Office ** Division Services Attached to the division: * 185th Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo"/

184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo" The 184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo" ( it, 184ª Divisione paracadutisti "Nembo") was an airborne division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. After the Armistice of Cassibile the division joined the Italian Co-belligerent Army's It ...

** Command Company ** III Paratroopers Battalion ** VIII Paratroopers Battalion ** XI Paratroopers Battalion ** Anti-tank Company ( 47/32

anti-tank gun An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...

s) * DCCCXV Coastal Battalion * DCCCXVI Coastal Battalion * DCCCXL Coastal Battalion * LVIII

Guardia alla Frontiera The Guardia alla Frontiera (GaF), was an Italian Army Border guard created in 1937 who defended the 1,851 km of northern Italian frontiers with the so-called "Vallo Alpino Occidentale" (487 km with France), "Vallo Alpino Settentrionale" ...

Artillery Group * CCIV Artillery Group * Armored Train 120/1/S, in

Siderno Siderno ( scn, label= Calabrian, Sidernu or ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy, about 3 kilometres from Locri. Some notable people from Siderno are Marco stalteri, Patrizia lunch ...

(4x 120/45 Mod. 1918 naval guns, 4x 20/77 Scotti anti-aircraft guns)

Commanding officers

The division's commanding officers were: * Generale di Brigata

Francesco La Ferla Francesco La Ferla ( Monreale, 2 April 1886 – Palermo, 22 March 1962) was an Italian general during World War II. Biography He enlisted in the Royal Italian Army in 1907, after obtaining a degree in law in Palermo, and attended the Mili ...

(15 November 1941 - 17 September 1942) * Generale di Brigata

Felice Gonnella Felice is a name that can be used as both a given name, masculine or feminine, and a surname. It is a common name in Italian, where it is equivalent to Felix. Notable people with the name include: Given name Arts and literature Film and theater * ...

(18 September 1942 - ?)

References

* * {{Italian Divisions World War II Coastal divisions of Italy Infantry divisions of Italy in World War II