• Source: 211th Coastal Division (Italy)

The 211th Coastal Division (Italian: 211ª Divisione Costiera) was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. Royal Italian Army coastal divisions were second line divisions formed with reservists and equipped with second rate materiel. They were often commanded by officers called out of retirement.




History


The division was activated on 15 November 1941 in Cittanova by reorganizing the XI Coastal Sector Command. The division was assigned to XXXI Army Corps, which was responsible for the defense of southern Calabria. The division was responsible for the coastal defence of southernmost part of the coast of Calabria: on the Tyrrhenian Sea side from Capo Vaticano to the outskirts of Scilla, on the Ionian Sea side from Capo dell'Armi to Badolato.
Between 3 and 8 September the division skirmished with troops of British XIII Corps, which had landed in southern Calabria in Operation Baytown. After the Armistice of Cassibile was announced the division remained at its positions and surrendered to the British XIII Corps. Afterwards the division joined the Italian Co-belligerent Army, but did not participate in the Italian campaign. The division was dissolved in summer 1944.




Organization


211th Coastal Division, in Cittanova
53rd Coastal Regiment
CCXII Coastal Battalion
XI Dismounted Squadrons Group/ Regiment "Lancieri di Vittorio Emanuele II"
118th Coastal Regiment
CCCXLVIII Coastal Battalion
CCCLVIII Coastal Battalion
IX Dismounted Squadrons Group/ Regiment "Lancieri di Aosta"
143rd Coastal Regiment
CCCXXV Coastal Battalion
XV Dismounted Squadrons Group/ Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Palermo"
49th Coastal Artillery Regiment
LVIII Coastal Artillery Group
LXXXIV Coastal Artillery Group
534th Mortar Company (81mm Mod. 35 mortars)
211th Mixed Engineer Company
327th Anti-paratroopers Unit
448th Anti-paratroopers Unit
211th Carabinieri Section
180th Field Post Office
Division Services
Attached to the division:

185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo"
Command Company
III Paratroopers Battalion
VIII Paratroopers Battalion
XI Paratroopers Battalion
Anti-tank Company (47/32 anti-tank guns)
DCCCXV Coastal Battalion
DCCCXVI Coastal Battalion
DCCCXL Coastal Battalion
LVIII Guardia alla Frontiera Artillery Group
CCIV Artillery Group
Armored Train 120/1/S, in Siderno (4x 120/45 Mod. 1918 naval guns, 4x 20/77 Scotti anti-aircraft guns)




Commanding officers


The division's commanding officers were:

Generale di Brigata Francesco La Ferla (15 November 1941 - 17 September 1942)
Generale di Brigata Felice Gonnella (18 September 1942 - ?)




References



Paoletti, Ciro (2008). A Military History of Italy. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-98505-9.
Jowett, Philip S. (2000). The Italian Army 1940-45 (1): Europe 1940-1943. Osprey, Oxford - New York. ISBN 978-1-85532-864-8.

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