The XVII Army Corps ( it, XVII Corpo d'Armata) was an

army corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

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 11 November 1938 the Armored Corps (Corpo d'Armata Corazzato) was created in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

, with the motorized divisions "Po", "Trento" and the I and II Armored Brigades.
On 1 March 1941, the Armored Corps ( it, Corpo d'Armata Corazzato) was part of the reserve

Army of the Po The Army of the Po (Italian ''Armata del Po''), numbered the Sixth Army (''6a Armata''), was a field army of the Royal Italian Army (''Regio Esercito'') during World War II (1939–45). History When it was initially formed on 10 November 1938 u ...

, renamed XVII Army Corps and transferred to

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

on 4 April, in anticipation of operations against Yugoslavia. It then participated in the

invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a 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 p ...

(6–18 April 1941), where it conquered

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...

and

Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of Trebišnjica river in the re ...

. After returning to Italy on 16 June 1941, the Corps assumed responsibility for the territorial defense of

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, from the borders of Tuscany to the mouth of the Garigliano river. It remained here until 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 ...

in September 1943, when it was disarmed by the Germans in

Velletri Velletri (; la, Velitrae; xvo, Velester) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring com ...

and dissolved on 9 September.

Commanders

* Armored Corps **

Fidenzio Dall'Ora Fidenzio Dall'Ora (20 February 1879 – 4 February 1961) was an Italian general during the interwar period and World War II. He was also a member of the Italian Senate from 1939 to 1945. His brother Giuseppe was also a general. Biography ...

(11.11.1938 – 25.07.1940) **

Giuseppe Pafundi Giuseppe Pafundi (born 4 December 1883) was a general in the Royal Italian Army who commanded the XVII Corps during the World War II Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941. Career Promotions 1934-09-05 Brigadier-General 1937-07-01 Maj ...

(25.07.1940 - 01.03.1941) * XVII Army Corps **

(01.03.1941 - 01.05.1941) **

Vittorio Sogno Vittorio Sogno (Spoleto, 24 July 1885 – 1971) was an Italian general during World War II. Biography He was born in Spoleto on July 24, 1885. After attending the Royal Academy of Artillery and Engineers in Turin, he graduated with the ran ...

(02.05.1941 - 02.11.1941) ** Alberto Barbieri (03.11.1941 - 14.07.1943) ** Giovanni Zanghieri (15.07.1943 - 09.09.1943)generals.dk
/ref>

Notes

References

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