The 230th Coastal Division ( it, 230ª 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 ...

History

On 20 May 1943 the 8th Marching Division was disbanded and on 1 June 1943 the command of the 230th Coastal Division was formed with the 8th Marching Division's personnel. The command arrived in

Castelvetrano Castelvetrano ( scn, Castiḍḍuvitranu) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Trapani, Sicily, southern Italy. The archeological site of Selinunte is located within the municipal territory. The municipality borders with Campobello di ...

in Sicily on 3 July 1943 and was assigned to the XII Army Corps in the island's western part. On 10 July 1943, the day the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It bega ...

began, the 230th received two coastal regiments and one artillery regiment from the 202nd Coastal Division. The 230th Coastal Division took over responsibility from the 202nd Coastal Division for the coastal defense of the coast between

Mazara del Vallo Mazara del Vallo (; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Trapani, southwestern Sicily, Italy. It lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the Mazaro river. It is an agricultural and fishing centre and its port gives shelter to the ...

and

Marsala Marsala (, local ; la, Lilybaeum) is an Italian town located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth in Sicily. The town is famous for the docking of Gius ...

, and added the coast between Marsala and

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...

. Between 21 and 24 July 1943 the 230th Division was overrun by vastly superior

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

forces and was considered annihilated by the later date.

Organization

* 230th Coastal Division ** 120th Coastal Regiment *** CCXLV Coastal Battalion *** CCCLXXX Coastal Battalion *** DCCCLVII Coastal Battalion ** 184th Coastal Regiment *** CCCLXXXVII Coastal Battalion *** CDXVI Coastal Battalion *** CDXCVII Coastal Battalion ** 43rd Coastal Artillery Regiment *** VII Coastal Artillery Group (1x 149/35 and 1x 155/36 battery) *** XX Coastal Artillery Group (1x 149/35 and 1x 155/36 battery) *** XXII Coastal Artillery Group (105/28 howitzers) *** CCXVIII Coastal Artillery Group ( 100/22 howitzers) ** 712th Machine Gun Company ** 230th

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 ** 124th Field Post Office

Commanding officers

The division's commanding officer was: * Generale di Divisione Egisto Conti (1 June 1943 - 24 July 1943,

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

)

References

{{Italian Divisions World War II Coastal divisions of Italy Infantry divisions of Italy in World War II Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943