The XXXI Army Corps ( it, XXXI Corpo d'Armata) was a corps 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 ...
between 1941 and 1944.
History
The XXXI Corps was created on 15 November 1941 in
Catanzaro
Catanzaro (, or ; scn, label= Catanzarese, Catanzaru ; , or , ''Katastaríoi Lokrói''; ; la, Catacium), also known as the "City of the two Seas", is an Italian city of 86,183 inhabitants (2020), the capital of the Calabria region and of its p ...
. Its task was to defend the coast of
Calabria
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, the "toe" of Italy.
On 3 September 1943, the British Army launched
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 ...
from Sicily, landing the
XIII Corps on a bridgehead between Archi and
Catona
Catona (in the local dialect ''A Catùna'') is an urban district (independent municipality until 1927) of Reggio Calabria, Italy, as part of the 8th district with neighborhoods Salice, Villa San Giuseppe and Rosalì. With about 15,000 inhabita ...
, in the extreme south of Calabria.
The German Command, correctly suspecting a more important
attack further north, ordered not to oppose the invasion, but to withdraw while slowing down the advance of the British.
The units of the XXXI Corps first settled on the
Sinopoli
Sinopoli (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 90 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 30 km northeast of Reggio Calabria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a pop ...
-
Bovalino
Bovalino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about east of Reggio Calabria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 8,406 and an area ...
line, and by 7 September had reached the area between
Vibo Valentia
Vibo Valentia (; Monteleone before 1861; Monteleone di Calabria from 1861 to 1928; scn, label= Calabrian, Vibbu Valenzia or ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Calabria region of southern Italy, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the ca ...
and
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 ...
. After the signing of 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 ...
, hostilities ceased and the Corps was overtaken by the advance of the British Army. The units of the XXXI Army Corps were assigned by the allies to control the coasts, ports and airports of Calabria.
On 15 July 1944, the XXXI Army Corps was disbanded, and replaced by the Military Command of Calabria.
Composition (1943)
*
16th Infantry Division "Pistoia" (until September 1942)
*
104th Infantry Division "Mantova"
The 104th Infantry Division "Mantova" ( it, 104ª Divisione di fanteria "Mantova") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during the Second World War. The Mantova was named for the city of Mantua ( it, Mantova) and classified as an a ...
(from January 1943)
*
211th Coastal Division (from 1942)
*
212th Coastal Division (from 1942)
*
213th Coastal Division (from early 1943)
*
227th Coastal Division (from early 1943)
*
214th Coastal Division (from August 1943)
Commanders
*
Mario Priore
is a character (arts), character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in ...
(15.11.1941 – 30.04.1942)
*
Francesco Zingales
Francesco Zingales (1884-1959) was a general in the Royal Italian Army during World War II.
Biography
Francesco Zingales fought in World War I on the Isonzo Front.
In 1939 he had become commander of the 10th Motorised Division Piave, but saw no ...
(01.05.1942 – 10.10.1942)
*
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
* ...
(10.10.1942 – 13.11.1942) (acting)
*
Taddeo Orlando
Taddeo Orlando (Gaeta, 23 June 1885 – Turin, 1 September 1950) was an Italian general who served in the Italo-Turkish War, World War I, and World War II.
Biography
Orlando was born in Gaeta on June 23, 1885. He attended the Military Co ...
(13.11.1942 – 08.02.1943)
*
Camillo Mercalli
Camillo Mercalli (Savona, 18 July 1882 – Turin, 13 November 1974) was an Italian general during World War II.
Biography
He was born in Savona on 18 July 1882, the son of Antonio Mercalli and Gabriella Marchesi Massimino, and after enlisti ...
(11.02.1943 – 08.09.1943)
*
Emilio Coronati (09.09.1943 - 15.07.1944)
generals.dk
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References
{{Large formations of Italy in World War II
Army corps of Italy in World War II