Army Group Liguria
Encyclopedia
Army Group Liguria was an army group formed for the National Republican Army
(Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano, or ENR). The ENR was the national army of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
's Italian Social Republic
(Repubblica Sociale Italiana, or RSI). Formation of this RSI army started in 1943 and the army was disbanded in 1945. Army Group Liguria included several German units and its Italian units were sometimes transferred to German formations.
and the RSI was allowed to raise four division-sized military formations. The four divisions—1st Italian "Italia" Infantry Division, 2nd Italian "Littorio" Infantry Division, 3rd Italian "San Marco" Marine Division, and 4th Italian "Monte Rosa" Alpine Division—were to ultimately total 52,000 men.
and the Decima Flottiglia MAS
-- the newly formed RSI divisions generally participated in anti-partisan activities
. While there were exceptions, these divisions saw limited front line action.
As the remaining divisions completed training, they were combined with German units and formed into Army Group Liguria. General Alfredo Guzzoni
was the Commander-in-Chief of this army group. The RSI Minister of Defense, Rodolfo Graziani
, commanded all Army forces of the RSI.
The 1st Italian "Italia" Infantry Division was attached to the 14th German Army.
signed the unconditional instrument of surrender for all Axis forces in Italy and his surrender took effect on 2 May.
Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano
The National Republican Army was the army of the Italian Social Republic from 1943 to 1945 that fought on the side of Nazi Germany during World War II....
(Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano, or ENR). The ENR was the national army of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
(Repubblica Sociale Italiana, or RSI). Formation of this RSI army started in 1943 and the army was disbanded in 1945. Army Group Liguria included several German units and its Italian units were sometimes transferred to German formations.
Formation
On 16 October 1943, the Rastenburg Protocol was signed with Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and the RSI was allowed to raise four division-sized military formations. The four divisions—1st Italian "Italia" Infantry Division, 2nd Italian "Littorio" Infantry Division, 3rd Italian "San Marco" Marine Division, and 4th Italian "Monte Rosa" Alpine Division—were to ultimately total 52,000 men.
Service
In July 1944, the first of these divisions completed training and was sent to the front. Like the smaller RSI units—the Black BrigadesBlack Brigades
Black Brigades were one of the Fascist paramilitary groups operating in the Italian Social Republic , during the final years of World War II, and after the signing of the Italian Armistice in 1943...
and the Decima Flottiglia MAS
Decima Flottiglia MAS
The Decima Flottiglia MAS was an Italian commando frogman unit of the Regia Marina created during the Fascist regime.The acronym MAS also refers to various light torpedo boats used by the Regia Marina during World...
-- the newly formed RSI divisions generally participated in anti-partisan activities
Italian resistance movement
The Italian resistance is the umbrella term for the various partisan forces formed by pro-Allied Italians during World War II...
. While there were exceptions, these divisions saw limited front line action.
As the remaining divisions completed training, they were combined with German units and formed into Army Group Liguria. General Alfredo Guzzoni
Alfredo Guzzoni
Alfredo Guzzoni was an Italian military officer who served in both World War I and World War II.-Italian Army:Guzzoni joined the Italian Royal Army and fought in World War I....
was the Commander-in-Chief of this army group. The RSI Minister of Defense, Rodolfo Graziani
Rodolfo Graziani
Rodolfo Graziani, 1st Marquis of Neghelli , was an officer in the Italian Regio Esercito who led military expeditions in Africa before and during World War II.-Rise to prominence:...
, commanded all Army forces of the RSI.
Order of battle
- Order of Battle for the LXXXXVII "Liguria" Army - 30 April 1945
- LXXV Corps
- 5th German Mountain Division
- 2nd Italian "Littorio" Infantry Division
- 34th German Infantry Division34th Infantry Division (Germany)The 34th Infantry Division, , was a German military unit that fought in the Battle of France and on the Eastern Front during World War II.-Commanding officers:*Generalleutnant Erich Lüdke, 1 April 1936 – 1 October 1937...
- Lombardia Corps
- 3rd Italian "San Marco" Marine Division
- 134th German Infantry Brigade
- 4th Italian "Monte Rosa" Alpine Division
- LXXV Corps
The 1st Italian "Italia" Infantry Division was attached to the 14th German Army.
Surrender
On 1 May 1945, Graziani ordered the RSI forces under his command to lay down their arms and Army Group Liguria ceased to exist. German General Heinrich von VietinghoffHeinrich von Vietinghoff
Heinrich Gottfried Otto Richard von Vietinghoff genannt Scheel was a German Colonel-General of the German Army during the Second World War....
signed the unconditional instrument of surrender for all Axis forces in Italy and his surrender took effect on 2 May.
See also
- List of German Army Groups in WWII
- Italian Co-Belligerent ArmyItalian Co-Belligerent ArmyThe Italian Co-Belligerent Army , or the Army of the South , was the army of the Italian Royalist forces fighting on the side of the Allies during World War II....
- Alfredo GuzzoniAlfredo GuzzoniAlfredo Guzzoni was an Italian military officer who served in both World War I and World War II.-Italian Army:Guzzoni joined the Italian Royal Army and fought in World War I....
- Gothic Line order of battleGothic Line order of battleGothic Line order of battle is a listing of the significant formations that were involved in Operation Olive, the Allied offensive on the Gothic Line in northern Italy, August - September 1944, and in the subsequent fighting in the central Apennine mountains and on the plains of eastern...
- Operation Winter StormOperation WintergewitterOperation Winter Storm was a German offensive in World War II, undertaken between 12–23 December 1942, in which the German 4th Panzer-Armee failed to break the encirclement of Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad....
(Unternehmen WintergewitterOperation WintergewitterOperation Winter Storm was a German offensive in World War II, undertaken between 12–23 December 1942, in which the German 4th Panzer-Armee failed to break the encirclement of Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad....
)