2nd Army (Italy)
Encyclopedia
World War II
During World War II the 2nd Army was the Italian (Complex Major) Great Unit charged, from 1941 to 1943, of the activities of control and garrison of the occupied or annexed territories of the former Kingdom of YugoslaviaKingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
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2nd Army ORBAT, depending units:
- "Comando Superiore Forze Armate (FF.AA.) di Slovenia e Dalmazia" - "Supersloda"
- V Corps, in LikaLikaLika is a mountainous region in central Croatia, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by the Malovan pass...
- VI Corps, in HerzegovinaHerzegovinaHerzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
- XI Corps, in Southern DalmatiaDalmatiaDalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
and HerzegovinaHerzegovinaHerzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva... - XVIII Corps, from 18 February 1942; General Quirino Armellini then Umberto Spigo around ZaraZadarZadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
and SpalatoSplit (city)Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
responsible for the territories from Graciaz to the Narenta river - Comando Truppe Montenegro: XIV Corps, in MontenegroMontenegroMontenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
(a functionally dependent Command and Great Unit but not a constituent part of the 2nd Army)
Initially strong of 250,000 men in 15 divisions the 4 immediately dependent Corps were then reduced to 230,000 men in 13 divisions. The 2nd Army was a second line force with most of the men in their late 30s and early 40s, the only really largely combat ready and effective (Simple Major) Great Unit was the assigned component of the Alpine Division Julia
Alpine Brigade Julia
The Alpini Brigade Julia is a light Infantry brigade of the Italian Army, specializing in Mountain Combat. Its core units are the Alpini, the mountain infantry corps of the Italian Army, that distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II....
only partially deployed in the yugoslav theatre of operations as a whole unit.
Commanders
- General Vittorio AmbrosioVittorio AmbrosioVittorio Ambrosio was an Italian general who served in the Italo-Turkish War, World War I, and World War II...
(1941 - January 1942) - General Mario RoattaMario RoattaMario Roatta was an Italian general, Mussolini's Chief-of-Staff, and head of the military secret service.-SIM:From 1934 to 1936, Roatta headed up the Italian Military Intelligence Service .-Spain:...
(March 18, 1942 - January 1943)