The Italian XXI Army Corps was a formation of the

Italian army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

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

The Corps fought in Northern Africa and took part in the Western Desert Campaign and

Tunisian campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. The ...

between 1940 and 1943.
It surrendered to the allies in Tunisia in May 1943, with the rest of Army Group Africa.

Composition

in 1940

* 61st Infantry Division Sirte * 64th Infantry Division Catanzaro * 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre"

in July 1941

27th Infantry Division Brescia 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

17th Infantry Division Pavia 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...

102nd Motorised Division Trento 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

in May 1942

132nd Armoured Division Ariete Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

101st Motorised Division Trieste 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

in October 1942

25th Infantry Division Bologna Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

in 1943

80th Infantry Division La Spezia 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

16th Infantry Division Pistoia 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

Commanders

* Gen. C.A. Mario Caracciolo di Feroleto (1 October 1937 – 1 December 1939) * Gen. C.A.

Lorenzo Dalmazzo Lorenzo "Renzo" Dalmazzo was an Italian lieutenant general and corps and army commander during World War II. Military career On 3 June 1918, he received the Knight's Military Order of Italy (5th Class). He served in the colony of Italian Somalil ...

(1 December 1939 – 26 September 1940) * Gen. D.

Carlo Spatocco Carlo Spatocco (31 May 1883 – 28 January 1945) was an Italian general during World War II. Biography Spatocco was born in Chieti on May 31, 1883, the son of Francesco Spatocco, and after enlisting in the Royal Italian Army he participated ...

(26 September – 20 December 1940) * Gen. D.

Enea Navarini Enea Navarini (Cesena 1 April 1885 - Merano 22 March 1977) was an Italian general who served during the Second World War from 1940 to 1943. Biography From 1939 to 1941 Enea Navarini was the general officer commanding the 56th Infantry Divisi ...

(1 August 1941 – 14 October 1942) * Gen. D.

Alessandro Gloria Alessandro Gloria (Rome, 7 July 1883 – Genoa, 24 October 1970) was an Italian general during World War II. Biography Gloria was born in Rome on July 7, 1883, the son of Gaspare Gloria and Maria Sacchi. After enlisting in the Royal Italian ...

(interim : 14–26 October 1942) * Gen. C.A.

(26 October 1942 – 21 February 1943) * Gen. C.A.

Paolo Berardi Paolo Berardi (Turin, 21 June 1885 – 13 December 1953) was an Italian general who served in the Italo-Turkish War, World War I, and World War II. He was Chief of Staff of the Italian Co-Belligerent Army from November 1943 to February 1945. ...

(21 February – 12 May 1943)

Sources

Regio Esercito
{{DEFAULTSORT:Army Corps 21 Italian Army corps of Italy in World War II Western Desert campaign Tunisian campaign