The 10th Army ( it, 10ª Armata) was a field army of the Royal Italian Army, which fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and in Italian North Africa 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 opposing ...

World War I

Formation

After the

Battle of Caporetto The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Kobarid or the Battle of Karfreit) was a battle on the Italian front of World War I. The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central ...

(November 1917) the Italian Army (Regio Esercito) was reorganized by

Armando Diaz Armando Diaz, 1st Duke della Vittoria, (5 December 1861 – 28 February 1928) was an Italian general and a Marshal of Italy. He is mostly known for his role as Chief of Staff of the Regio Esercito during World War I from November 1917. He ...

. In the summer of 1918 (after the Battle of the Solstice) the Command continued to modify these changes and in preparation for the Italian Offensive planned for October 1918, the new 10th Italian Army was formed on 14 October. It was a British–Italian Army under command of the Earl of Cavan. It consisted of * 1 Italian Army corps, the XI Corps (Italian) (Corpo d'Armata) of Lt. General Giuseppe Paolini. ** 37th division of Maj. General Giovanni Castagnola (Brigata Macerata of Brig. General Florenzio Tagliaferri, 121st and 122nd Infantry Regiments; Brigata Foggia of Brig. General Raffaele Radini Tedeschi, 280th and 281st Infantry Regiments) ** 23rd

Bersaglieri The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, (, "sharpshooter") are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, whi ...

Division of Lt. General Gustavo Fara (VI Brigade of Brig. General Giovanni Deo, 8th and 13th Regiments; VII Brigade of Brig. General

Alessandro Pirzio Biroli Alessandro Pirzio Biroli (23 July 1877 – 20 May 1962) was an Italian fencer and army General. Biography Biroli won a silver medal competing in the team sabre event at the 1908 Summer Olympics. During the First World War Biroli fought i ...

, 2nd and 3rd Regiments) * 2 divisions of the British

XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to: * XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...

of the General James Babington. ** 7th Division of Maj. General Thomas Herbert Shoubridge (20th, 22nd and 91st Infantry Brigade, 22nd and 35th Field Artillery Brigade, 2 batteries of trench mortars plus a

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...

battalion). ** 23rd division of the Maj. General H.F. Thuillier (68th, 69th and 70th infantry brigades, a group of cavalry squadrons, the 102nd and 103rd field artillery brigades, 2 batteries of trench mortars and another pioneer battalion). At the same time General Jean César Graziani of France was asked to command another new Italian Army (joint), the 12th Army consisting of I Corps (Italy), the 52nd Division – Alpini (Italy) and 23rd Division (France).

The Final Battle

The newly constituted 10th Army participated in the victory of the

Battle of Vittorio Veneto The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought from 24 October to 3 November 1918 (with an armistice taking effect 24 hours later) near Vittorio Veneto on the Italian Front during World War I. After having thoroughly defeated Austro-Hungarian troop ...

(October–November 1918). The Army was inserted between the Italian 8th and 3rd Armies at the Piave River. The 8th Army was to cross the Piave River and advance to Vittorio in order to split the Austro-Hungarian Trentino Army from the ones defending Piave. The 10th Army was to protect their right flank. They were also expected to cross the Piave by breaking the Austro-Hungarian defenses at Grave di Papadopoli, a large island in the river. The 10th Army was augmented by the addition of the following Italian troops prior to the battle: * XI Reparto d'Assalto (

Arditi Arditi (from the Italian verb ''ardire'', lit. "to dare", and translates as "The Daring nes) was the name adopted by a Royal Italian Army elite special force of World War I. They and the opposing German '' Stormtroopers'' were the first modern ...

). * A squadron of cavalry of the 11th Cavalleggeri di Foggia. * Three battalions of engineers: two bridge building units and one sapper unit. * 10th and 14th armored car squadrons. * Artillery: 2 field artillery regiments and a bomb group. * Fifty Sailors (18th Pontieri Company) The pontieri played an important preparatory role by transporting a contingent of British soldiers by boat to the island to surprise the Austro-Hungarian garrison there and gain control of the island before the commencement of the battle. The 10th Army provided one of the early successes in the Battle as it established a bridgehead on the left bank of the river, despite high and fast waters (floods) in the river. In fact, elements of the 8th Army had to improvise and use the 10th Army's crossings in order to initially get across the river and then achieve the capture of Vittorio. The 10th Army proceeded to speed across the Italian countryside crossing the Tagliamento River towards 1) Tolmezzo (the XIV Corps) and 2) Udine (the XI Corps) as the Austro-Hungarian Army rapidly retreated and then collapsed. The 10th Army was subsequently joined in the Battle by the

332nd Infantry Regiment (United States) The 332nd Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, active during World War I. It was initially part of the 83rd Division, but was detached to serve on the Italian front during the war, taking part in the Battle of V ...

, as part of the British XIV Corps; the American regiment forming the advance guard of the corps. On 4 November, when the Italian armistice came into effect, the line of the 10th Army was Basagliapenta-Meretto di Tomba-Coseano-S. Daniele-Pinzano.

World War II

In 1940, the 10th Army was based in

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή ��παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...

(eastern

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

) and faced the British in the

Kingdom of Egypt The Kingdom of Egypt ( ar, المملكة المصرية, Al-Mamlaka Al-Miṣreyya, The Egyptian Kingdom) was the legal form of the Egyptian state during the latter period of the Muhammad Ali dynasty's reign, from the United Kingdom's recog ...

, a British ally. The 5th Army, was based in

Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...

(western Libya) opposite

French Tunisia The French protectorate of Tunisia (french: Protectorat français de Tunisie; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في تونس '), commonly referred to as simply French Tunisia, was established in 1881, during the French colonial Empire era, ...

. When Italy declared war on 10 June 1940, the 10th Army consisted of five divisions and the 5th Army consisted of nine. After the Fall of France at the end of June, several divisions were transferred from the 5th Army to strengthen the 10th Army, which was increased to ten divisions.

Italian invasion of Egypt

On 13 September 1940, about four divisions of the 10th Army conducted the Italian invasion of Egypt. Four

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 mar ...

divisions and the Maletti Group marched in four days and stopped at

Sidi Barrani Sidi Barrani ( ar, سيدي براني ) is a town in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, about east of the Egypt–Libya border, and around from Tobruk, Libya. Named after Sidi es-Saadi el Barrani, a Senussi sheikh who was a head of ...

. The Maletti Group included most of the M11/39 medium tanks in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and numerous L3 tankettes. Defensive positions were prepared by the Italians in fortified camps.

British counter-attack

In December 1940 during

Operation Compass Operation Compass (also it, Battaglia della Marmarica) was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) during the Second World War. British, Empire and Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces of ...

, the British counter-attacked in what initially was to be a five-day raid against the Italian camps in Egypt. The Italian camps were overrun and the rest of the 10th Army was pushed further and further back into

Italian Libya Libya ( it, Libia; ar, ليبيا, Lībyā al-Īṭālīya) was a colony of the Fascist Italy located in North Africa, in what is now modern Libya, between 1934 and 1943. It was formed from the unification of the colonies of Italian Cyrenaica ...

. Many Italian soldiers surrendered once the British troops encircled them in fortified places like

Bardia Bardia, also El Burdi or Barydiyah ( ar, البردية, lit=, translit=al-Bardiyya or ) is a Mediterranean seaport in the Butnan District of eastern Libya, located near the border with Egypt. It is also occasionally called ''Bórdi Slemán''. ...

and

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

Destruction at Beda Fomm

At the

Battle of Beda Fomm The rapid British advance during Operation Compass (9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941) forced the Italian 10th Army to evacuate Cyrenaica, the eastern province of Libya. In late January, the British learned that the Italians were retreating a ...

(6–7 February 1941), most of the remainder of the retreating 10th Army was isolated by Combeforce (Lieutenant-Colonel John Combe) a small advance guard of the 7th Armoured Division (Major-General Michael O'Moore Creagh). Combeforce took a shortcut across the desert, to block the Italian army's retreat, while the

6th Australian Division The 6th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army. It was raised briefly in 1917 during World War I, but was broken up to provide reinforcements before seeing action. It was not re-raised until the outbreak of World War II, when ...

continued the coastal pursuit. The force was delayed by the harsh terrain, so Combeforce was divided and the lighter, faster elements were detached to complete the interception, leaving the tracked vehicles to follow. The first elements arrived at

Msus Msus or Zawiyat Msus ( ar, زاوية مسوس), also Masous is a village in eastern Libya. It's located on the southeast of Benghazi, and far from Suluq on the same direction by . There is a road linking her to Suluq. It's also linked with Char ...

late on the afternoon of 4 February and cleared the local garrison. During the following night and day the advance continued and the British artillery and infantry were in position across the coast road by 4:00 p.m. on 5 February. The head of the retreating Italian column arrived 30 minutes later. The Italians were stunned to find the British force blocking them at

Beda Fomm Beda Fomm is a small coastal town in southwestern Cyrenaica, Libya. It is located between the much larger port city Benghazi to its north-west and the larger town of El Agheila further to the south-west. Beda Fomm is known mainly for being the s ...

, whose strength they greatly overestimated. With the Australians in pursuit, a desperate battle ensued, in which newly arrived

Fiat M13/40 The Carro Armato M13/40 was an Italian World War II tank designed to replace the M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II. It was the primary tank used by the Italians throughout the war. The design was influenced by the British Vi ...

medium tank battalions were thrown against the British positions, at great loss. In the afternoon of 6 February, the 7th Armoured Division tanks arrived and harassed the Italian eastern flank. On the morning of 7 February, the Italians attempted a final, desperate attempt to break through. By this stage, the British units were almost out of food, petrol and ammunition. The British blocking line was almost breached and convinced of the overwhelming size and strength of the blocking force, the encircled Italian units surrendered. The 10th Army was destroyed.

Commanders

* General Francesco Guidi (October 1939 – Summer 1940) * General

Mario Berti Mario Berti (3 February 1881 – 1964) was an Italian officer during World War I and a general in the Spanish Civil War and World War II.Macksey, p. 35 Personal life Mario Berti was born in La Spezia, which is located in modern-day Liguria. His ...

(Summer 1940 – December 1940) * General

Italo Gariboldi Italo Gariboldi (20 April 1879 – 3 February 1970) was an Italian senior officer in the Royal Army (''Regio Esercito'') before and during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by German dictator Adolf Hitler for his ...

(acting) * General

Giuseppe Tellera Giuseppe Tellera (March 14, 1882 in Bologna – February 7, 1941) was a general in the Italian Army during World War II. Italian Tenth Army On 23 December 1940 General Tellera took over the command of the Italian Tenth Army from Lt. Gen ...

(December 1940 – February 1941 IA

Order of battle

* 10th Army (HQ

) Commander – General

(followed by General

; who was followed by General

from 23 December 1940 until his death at Beda Fomm; who was followed by General

Annibale Bergonzoli Annibale Bergonzoli (1 November 1884 – 31 July 1973), nicknamed ''"barba elettrica"'', " Electric Whiskers", was an Italian Lieutenant General who served during World War I, the Spanish Civil War and World War II. In 1940 he commanded the de ...

who surrendered to the British **

Babini Group The Babini Group ( it, Raggruppamento Babini, also known as the Special Armoured Brigade ) was an armoured unit. The group was formed by the Italian Royal Army () in Italian North Africa (Libya) at the start of the Western Desert Campaign o ...

*** III Tank Battalion "M" (

M13/40 The Carro Armato M13/40 was an Italian World War II tank designed to replace the M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II. It was the primary tank used by the Italians throughout the war. The design was influenced by the British Vi ...

tanks) *** V Tank Battalion "M" (M13/40 tanks) ** 10th

Regiment ** 12th Bersaglieri Regiment ** 12th

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

Regiment ** 26th Artillery Regiment ** 55th Artillery Regiment ** various

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...

battalions ** XX Corps, HQ in

Giovanni Berta Giovanni Berta (August 24, 1894 – February 28, 1921) was an Italian fascist militant of the Florentine ''Squadrismo'', later killed by communist militants during the Pignone clashes in Florence. Biography Giovanni Francesco Berta, known as Gian ...

(today Al Qubbah),

Generale di Corpo d'Armata An army corps general or corps general is a rank held by a General officer who commands an army corps. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. Normally, the rank is above the divisional ge ...

Ferdinando Cona Ferdinando Cona (Rome, 25 April 1882 – unknown) was an Italian military officer who participated in World War II. His positions included C.O. XXI. Granatieri di Sardegna Infantry Brigade; C.O. XXIX. Infantry Brigade; Deputy Chief of Staff, Eas ...

***

60th Infantry Division "Sabratha" The 60th Infantry Division "Sabratha" ( it, 60ª Divisione di fanteria "Sabratha") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The Sabratha was raised in May 1937, in Gharyan in Italian Libya and named after the near ...

( Derna) ** Libyan Divisions Group, HQ in

, Generale di Corpo d'Armata Sebastiano Gallina *** 1st Libyan Division (

Al Maktilah AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (Aladdin), Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (EastEnders), Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British ...

) *** 2nd Libyan Division ( Tummar) *** 4th CC.NN. Division "3 Gennaio" (Sidi Barrani) *** 2nd Tank Group, Colonel Antonio Trivioli **** II Tank Battalion "M" (minus one company; M11/39 tanks) **** LXI Tank Battalion "L" (

L3/35 The L3/35 or Carro Veloce CV-35 was an Italian tankette that saw combat before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tan ...

tankettes) *** Maletti Group ( Nibeiwa) **** Mixed Tank Battalion (1x M11/39 company, 1x

company) ** XXI Corps, HQ in Sofafi, Generale di Corpo d'Armata

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 ...

***

63rd Infantry Division "Cirene" The 63rd Infantry Division "Cirene" ( it, 63ª Divisione di fanteria "Cirene") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed on 1 October 1937 in Benghazi in Italian Libya and named for the nearb ...

( Rabia / Sofafi) ***

64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro" The 64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro" ( it, 64ª Divisione di fanteria "Catanzaro") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was activated on 3 June 1940 and named for the Southern Italian city of Cat ...

( Buq Buq) *** XX Tank Battalion "L" (

tankettes) *** LX Tank Battalion "L" (minus one company; L3/35 tankettes) *** LXIII Tank Battalion "L" (L3/35 tankettes) ** Italian XXII Corps, HQ in

, Generale di Corpo d'Armata

Enrico Pitassi Mannella Enrico Pitassi Mannella (Cerignola, 31 May 1882 – Rome, 1948) was an Italian general during World War II. An artillery specialist, he was known among his colleagues as the "King of Artillerymen". Biography He was born in Cerignola, in the ...

***

61st Infantry Division "Sirte" The 61st Infantry Division "Sirte" ( it, 61ª Divisione di fanteria "Sirte") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed on 9 May 1937 in Misrata in Italian Libya and named for the Libyan city ...

(Tobruk) *** 1st Tank Group, Colonel Pietro Aresca **** I Tank Battalion "M" ( M11/39 tanks) **** XXI Tank Battalion "L" (

tankettes) **** LXII Tank Battalion "L" (L3/35 tankettes) *** Fortress and artillery troops in Tobruk ** XXXIII Corps, HQ in

, Generale di Corpo d'Armata

*** 1st CC.NN. Division "23 Marzo" (along the coast between Buq Buq and Sidi Barrani) *** 2nd CC.NN. Division "28 Ottobre" (

Sollum Sallum ( ar, السلوم, translit=as-Sallūm various transliterations include ''El Salloum'', ''As Sallum'' or ''Sollum'') is a harbourside village or town in Egypt. It is along the Egypt/Libyan short north–south aligned coast of the Mediterra ...

) *** 62nd Infantry Division "Marmarica" (covering the escarpment between Sofafi and

Halfaya Halfaya ( ar, حلفايا, also spelled Helfaya) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located about 25 kilometers northwest of Hama. Nearby localities include Mahardah and Shaizar to the west, al-Lataminah ...

) *** Frontier Guards and Fortress troops in Bardia ** Regia Aeronautica (as of 10 June 1940) *** 5th Squadron General Felip Porro **** 2 Stormo: 60

CR.32 The Fiat CR.32 was an Italian biplane fighter used in the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. Designed by the aeronautical engineer Celestino Rosatelli, it was a compact, robust and highly manoeuvrable aircraft for its era, leading to ...

, 25 CR.42 **** 10 Stormo: 31

SM.79 The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 ''Sparviero'' (Italian for sparrowhawk) was a three-engined Italian medium bomber developed and manufactured by aviation company Savoia-Marchetti. It may be the best-known Italian aeroplane of the Second World War. Th ...

**** 14 Stormo: 43

SM.81 The Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 ''Pipistrello'' (Italian: bat) was the first three-engine bomber/transport aircraft serving in the Italian '' Regia Aeronautica''.Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 188. When it appeared in 1935, it represented a real s ...

, 12 SM.79, 1 BR.20 **** 15 Stormo: 21 SM.81, 37 SM.79, 3 BR.20 **** 33 Stormo: 31 SM.79 **** 50 Stormo: 68 Ba.65, 17 Ro.17, 23 Ca.31 **** 10 Gruppo: 27 CR.42 *** Colonial Garrison **** 1 Gruppo: 32

Ghibli Ghibli (Italian: , also used in English), the name of a hot desert wind also known as sirocco, derived from Libyan Arabic (, ). Ghibli may refer to: Vehicles * Maserati Ghibli, a model of car made by Italian auto manufacturer Maserati * Capron ...

**** 2 Gruppo: 27 various models *** Air Observation **** 64 Gruppo: 5 RO 1 Bis, 9 Ro.37 Bis **** 73 Gruppo: 1 Ro.1 Bis, 8 Ro.37 Bis **** 143 (Sea) Squadron: 6

Cant Z.501 The CANT Z.501 ''Gabbiano'' (Italian language, Italian: ''Gull'') was a high-wing central-hull flying boat, with two outboard floats. It was powered by a single engine installed in the middle of the main-planeAngelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 18 ...

( flying boats)

References

{{Large formations of Italy in World War II Field armies of Italy in World War I Field armies of Italy in World War II