213th Coastal Division (Italy)

The 213th Coastal Division (Italian: 213ª Divisione Costiera) was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II.[1] Royal Italian Army coastal divisions were second line divisions formed with reservists and equipped with second rate materiel. Recruited locally, they were often commanded by officers called out of retirement.[2]

213th Coastal Division
Active1941 – 1943
Country Kingdom of Italy
Branch Royal Italian Army
SizeDivision
Garrison/HQCatania
EngagementsWorld War II
Insignia
Identification
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213th Coastal Division gorget patches

History

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The division was activated on 15 November 1941 in Catania and assigned to XVI Army Corps, which was responsible for the defense of the eastern half of the island of Sicily.[1] The division was responsible for the coastal defense of the coast between Punta Castelluccio in Agnone Bagni and Moleti south of Messina.[3] The division fought against units of the British Eighth Army after the allies landed on Sicily on 10 July 1943. By 15 July 1943 the division had been severely decimated and was therefore officially declared lost due to wartime events.[3]

Organization July 1943

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  • 213th Coastal Division[3][1]
    • 135th Coastal Regiment
      • CII Coastal Battalion
      • LXVI Replacements Battalion
      • CCCLXIX Coastal Battalion
      • CCCLXXII Coastal Battalion
    • 140th Coastal Regiment (regimental command transferred without its battalion to the XIX Coastal Brigade in May 1943)
      • CCXXVIII Replacements Battalion
      • CCCLXXIII Coastal Battalion
    • 21st Coastal Artillery Regiment
    • 553rd Machine Gun Company
    • 554th Machine Gun Company
    • 135th Mixed Engineer Platoon
    • 213th Carabinieri Section
    • 166th Field Post Office
    • Division Services

Attached to the division:[1]

Commanding officers

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The division's commanding officers were:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Bollettino dell'Archivio dell'Ufficio Storico N.II-3 e 4 2002. Rome: Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico. 2002. p. 369. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  2. ^ Jowett p 6
  3. ^ a b c "213a Divisione Costiera". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  4. ^ Crescenzi, Andrea (2009). Fondo M-9 - Serie Sicilia (PDF). Rome: Stato Maggiore della Difesa - Ufficio Storico. pp. 18–20. ISBN 9788898185375. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Treni Armati della Marina". Italian Navy. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  • 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.