1 Libyan Division Sibelle
Encyclopedia
The 1 Libyan Division Sibelle was a Infantry
Division
of the Italian Army
during World War II
.
. This was a formation of colonial troops raised by the Italians in their colony in Libya and participated in the invasion of Ethiopia in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
.
This formation was reorganized into the "1st Libyan Infantry Division Sibelle" by the beginning of Italy's entry into World War II. It had 7224 men (mostly native Libyans).
In September 1940, the 1st Libyan Division (commanded by general Sibelle and named after him) participated in the Italian invasion of Egypt
. By December, the division was dug in at Maktila near Sidi Barrani
and was forced to surrender after heavy fighting during Operation Compass
.
Indeed on September 13 the entire 1st Libyan Division, including a regiment of Libyan paratroopers attacked Sollum on the Egyptian northern coast, held by platoons of Coldstream Guards
. The British laid mines in the area and quickly withdrew to Marsa Matruh
after 50 casualties.
But on December came the British counter-offensive. The Arabs and paratroopers of 1st Libyan Division fought hard on the December 10, 1940 amid a howling sandstorm, but on the 11th the division began to disintegrate with heavy losses.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
Division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of the Italian Army
Royal Italian Army (1940–1946)
This article is about the Italian Royal Army which participated in World War II.The Italian Royal Army was reformed in 1861 and lasted until 1946. The Royal Army started with the unification of Italy and the formation of the Kingdom of Italy . It ended with the dissolution of the monarchy...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
History
Originally called in the 1920s with the name Italian Libyan Colonial DivisionItalian Libyan Colonial Division
The Libyan Division was a formation of colonial troops raised by the Italians in their colony in Libya. It participated in the invasion of Ethiopia in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The formation was reorganized into the 1 Libyan Infantry Division Sibelle by the beginning of Italy's entry into...
. This was a formation of colonial troops raised by the Italians in their colony in Libya and participated in the invasion of Ethiopia in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
.
This formation was reorganized into the "1st Libyan Infantry Division Sibelle" by the beginning of Italy's entry into World War II. It had 7224 men (mostly native Libyans).
In September 1940, the 1st Libyan Division (commanded by general Sibelle and named after him) participated in the Italian invasion of Egypt
Italian invasion of Egypt
The Italian Invasion of Egypt was an Italian offensive action against British, Commonwealth and Free French forces during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. Initially, the goal of the offensive was to seize the Suez Canal. To accomplish this, Italian forces from Libya would have...
. By December, the division was dug in at Maktila near Sidi Barrani
Sidi Barrani
Sidi Barrani is a town in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, about east of the border with Libya, and around from Tobruk, Libya.Probably named after Sidi Mohammed el Barrani, a Senussi fighter in the early 1900s, the village is mainly a Bedouin community...
and was forced to surrender after heavy fighting during Operation Compass
Operation Compass
Operation Compass was the first major Allied military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during World War II. British and Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces in western Egypt and eastern Libya in December 1940 to February 1941. The attack was a complete success...
.
Indeed on September 13 the entire 1st Libyan Division, including a regiment of Libyan paratroopers attacked Sollum on the Egyptian northern coast, held by platoons of Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
. The British laid mines in the area and quickly withdrew to Marsa Matruh
Marsa Matruh
Marsa Matrouh is a Mediterranean seaport and the capital of the Matrouh Governorate in Egypt. It is west of Alexandria and 222 km from Sallum, on the main highway from the Nile Delta to the Libyan border. Another highway leads south from the town, toward the Western Desert and the oases of...
after 50 casualties.
But on December came the British counter-offensive. The Arabs and paratroopers of 1st Libyan Division fought hard on the December 10, 1940 amid a howling sandstorm, but on the 11th the division began to disintegrate with heavy losses.
Order of battle
- 1st Libyan Division "Sibelle"
- 1º Raggruppamento libico
- 2º Raggruppamento libico
- Regiment Libyan Paratroopers
- Battalion Commander – Lieutenant colonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Tonini - Deputy Commander – MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Ermete Dandini - 1st Company – CaptainCaptain (OF-2)The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
Luigi Sartini - 2nd Company – LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Ubaldo Fiamingo - 3rd Company – Lieutenant Ugo Rapoccini
- 4th Company – Lieutenant Enrico Cirillo
- Battalion Commander – Lieutenant colonel
See also
- Italian Libyan Colonial DivisionItalian Libyan Colonial DivisionThe Libyan Division was a formation of colonial troops raised by the Italians in their colony in Libya. It participated in the invasion of Ethiopia in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The formation was reorganized into the 1 Libyan Infantry Division Sibelle by the beginning of Italy's entry into...
- 2 Libyan Division Pescatori2 Libyan Division PescatoriThe 2 Libyan Division Pescatori was a Infantry Division of the Italian Army during World War II. In December 1940, it was in Libya part of the Italian XXIII Corps a together with the 1 Blackshirt Division 23 Marzo and 2 Blackshirt Division 28 Ottobre, took part in the Italian invasion of Egypt and...
- Maletti GroupMaletti GroupThe Maletti Group was an ad hoc "mechanized" unit formed by the Italian Royal Army in Italian North Africa during the initial stages of the Western Desert Campaign of World War II...
- History of Libya as Italian ColonyHistory of Libya as Italian ColonyThe History of Libya as an Italian colony began in the 1910s and lasted until February 1947, when Italy officially lost all the colonies of the former Italian Empire.-First years:...