Italian Tenth Army
Encyclopedia
The Italian Tenth Army was one of two Italian armies in Italian North Africa
during World War II. The Tenth Army in Cyrenaica
(eastern Libya
) faced the British in the neutral Kingdom of Egypt
. The other army, the Italian Fifth Army, was based in Tripolitania
(western Libya) and faced French Tunisia
.
. Four infantry
divisions and the "Maletti Group
" marched one hundred kilometers in four days. The Italians stopped when they got to Sidi Barrani
. The Maletti Group included most of the M11/39 medium tanks available in North Africa
and numerous L3 tankettes
. Defensive positions were prepared by the Italians in the form of several fortified camps.
, the British counter-attacked
in what initially was to be a five-day raid against the Italian camps in Egypt. Ultimately, the Italian camps were completely overrun and the rest of the Tenth Army was constantly pushed further and further back into Italian Libya
. Many Italian soldiers were forced to surrender once the British troops encircled them in static fortified garrisons at places like Bardia
and Tobruk
.
(6–7 February 1941), most of the remainder of the retreating Tenth Army was isolated by a small advance guard of Richard O'Connor's
7th Armoured Division
called Combe Force
.
O'Connor had this ad hoc force under the command of John Combe
leave the coastal roads at Gazala
and take an unreconnoitred shortcut across the desert to block the Italian army's retreat, while the Australian 6th Division
continued the coastal pursuit. The 7th Armoured force was delayed by the harsh terrain, so a lighter, faster element was detached to complete the interception, leaving the tracked vehicles to follow. The first elements arrived at Msus late on the afternoon of 4 February and cleared the local garrison. During the following night and day, the advance continued and the British artillery and infantry were in position across the coast road by 4 pm on 5 February. The head of the retreating Italian column arrived 30 minutes later.
The Italians were stunned to find the British force blocking them at Beda Foum, whose strength they greatly over-estimated. With the Australians in pursuit, a desperate battle ensued, in which newly arrived M13/40
medium tank battalions were thrown against the British positions, at great loss. In the afternoon of 6 February, the 7th Armoured Division's tanks had arrived and were now harassing the Italian eastern flank.
On the morning of 7 February, the Italians attempted a final, desperate attempt to break through. By this stage, the British units were almost out of food, petrol and ammunition. The British blocking line was almost breached, but they held and, convinced of the overwhelming size and strength of the blocking force, the encircled Italian units surrendered. The Tenth Army was destroyed.
Italian North Africa
Italian North Africa was the aggregate of territories and colonies controlled by Italy in North Africa from 1911 until World War II...
during World War II. The Tenth Army in Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
(eastern Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
) faced the British in the neutral Kingdom of Egypt
Kingdom of Egypt
The Kingdom of Egypt was the first modern Egyptian state, lasting from 1922 to 1953. The Kingdom was created in 1922 when the British government unilaterally ended its protectorate over Egypt, in place since 1914. Sultan Fuad I became the first king of the new state...
. The other army, the Italian Fifth Army, was based in Tripolitania
Tripolitania
Tripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...
(western Libya) and faced French Tunisia
French occupation of Tunisia
The French conquest of Tunisia occurred in two phases in 1881: the first consisting of the invasion and securing of the country before the signing of a treaty of protection, and the second consisting in the suppression of a rebellion...
.
World War II
When Italy declared war on 10 June 1940, the Tenth Army consisted of five divisions and the Fifth Army consisted of nine. At the end of June, after the Fall of France, several divisions were transferred from the Fifth Army to strengthen the Tenth Army. Soon the Tenth Army had a total of ten divisions.Italian invasion of Egypt
On 13 September 1940, about four divisions were used when elements of the Tenth Army advanced into EgyptItalian 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...
. Four infantry
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...
divisions and the "Maletti Group
Maletti Group
The 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...
" marched one hundred kilometers in four days. The Italians stopped when they got to 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...
. The Maletti Group included most of the M11/39 medium tanks available in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and numerous L3 tankettes
L3/35
The L3/35 or Carro Veloce CV-35 was an Italian tank used before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tankettes....
. Defensive positions were prepared by the Italians in the form of several fortified camps.
British counter-attack
In December 1940 during Operation CompassOperation 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...
, the British counter-attacked
Counterattack
A counterattack is a tactic used in response against an attack. The term originates in military strategy. The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy in attack and the specific objectives are usually to regain lost ground or to destroy attacking enemy units.It is...
in what initially was to be a five-day raid against the Italian camps in Egypt. Ultimately, the Italian camps were completely overrun and the rest of the Tenth Army was constantly pushed further and further back into Italian Libya
Italian Libya
Italian Libya was a unified colony of Italian North Africa established in 1934 in what represents present-day Libya...
. Many Italian soldiers were forced to surrender once the British troops encircled them in static fortified garrisons at places like Bardia
Bardia
Bardia is a geographic region in the Democratic Republic of Nepal.Bardia comprises a portion of the Terai, or lowland hills and valleys of southern Nepal. The Terai is over 1,000 feet in elevation, and extends all along the Indian border...
and Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
.
Destruction at Beda Fomm
At the battle of Beda FommBeda Fomm
Beda Fomm is a small coastal town in southwestern Cyrenaica, Libya located between the much larger port city Benghazi to its north and the larger town of El Agheila further to the southwest...
(6–7 February 1941), most of the remainder of the retreating Tenth Army was isolated by a small advance guard of Richard O'Connor's
Richard O'Connor
General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor KT, GCB, DSO & Bar, MC, ADC was a British Army general who commanded the Western Desert Force in the early years of World War II...
7th Armoured Division
British 7th Armoured Division
The 7th Armoured Division was a British armoured division which saw service during the Second World War where its exploits made it famous as the Desert Rats....
called Combe Force
Combe Force
Combe Force, or Combeforce, was an ad hoc flying column formed by the British Army for a specific purpose during the latter stages of Operation Compass. Combe Force was formed to cut across the open desert of Cyrenaica and cut off the retreating Italian Army which was traveling along the coastal...
.
O'Connor had this ad hoc force under the command of John Combe
John Frederick Boyce Combe
Major-General John Frederick Boyce Combe CB DSO & Bar was a British Army officer before and during World War II. He was twice awarded the DSO for his service in the Western Desert Campaign before being captured in April 1941 and spending nearly two and a half years as a prisoner of war in Italy...
leave the coastal roads at Gazala
Gazala
Gazala, or Ain el Gazala , is a small Libyan village near the coast in the northeastern portion of the country. It is located west of Tobruk....
and take an unreconnoitred shortcut across the desert to block the Italian army's retreat, while the Australian 6th Division
Australian 6th Division
The 6th Division of the Australian Army was a unit in the Second Australian Imperial Force during World War II. It served in the North African campaign, the Greek campaign and the New Guinea campaign, including the crucial battles of the Kokoda Track, among others...
continued the coastal pursuit. The 7th Armoured force was delayed by the harsh terrain, so a lighter, faster element was detached to complete the interception, leaving the tracked vehicles to follow. The first elements arrived at Msus late on the afternoon of 4 February and cleared the local garrison. During the following night and day, the advance continued and the British artillery and infantry were in position across the coast road by 4 pm on 5 February. The head of the retreating Italian column arrived 30 minutes later.
The Italians were stunned to find the British force blocking them at Beda Foum, whose strength they greatly over-estimated. With the Australians in pursuit, a desperate battle ensued, in which newly arrived M13/40
Fiat M13/40
The Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40 was an Italian medium tank , designed to replace the Fiat L3, the Fiat L6/40 and the Fiat M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II...
medium tank battalions were thrown against the British positions, at great loss. In the afternoon of 6 February, the 7th Armoured Division's tanks had arrived and were now harassing the Italian eastern flank.
On the morning of 7 February, the Italians attempted a final, desperate attempt to break through. By this stage, the British units were almost out of food, petrol and ammunition. The British blocking line was almost breached, but they held and, convinced of the overwhelming size and strength of the blocking force, the encircled Italian units surrendered. The Tenth Army was destroyed.
Italian order of battle, Libya 1940
- Tenth Army (HQ Bardia) Commander – GeneralGeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Mario BertiMario BertiMario Berti was an Italian officer during World War I and General in the Spanish Civil War and World War II.-Personal life.:Mario Berti was born in La Spezia, which is located in modern day Liguria. He was born into an upper-middle class family...
(followed by General Italo GariboldiItalo GariboldiItalo Gariboldi was a senior officer in the Italian Royal Army before and during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
; who was followed by General Giuseppe TelleraGiuseppe TelleraGiuseppe Tellera was a General in the Italian Army during World War II.Giuseppe Tellera was a Lt. General in the Italian Army during the North African Campaign fought against the British and Commonwealth forces in world war II...
from 23 December 1940 until his death at Beda Fomm; who was followed by General Annibale BergonzoliAnnibale BergonzoliAnnibale Bergonzoli , nicknamed "barba elettrica", "Electric Whiskers", was an Italian Lieutenant General during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. He commanded the defences of Bardia, Libya, after the short offensive into Egypt made by Rodolfo Graziani...
who surrendered to the British- Babini Armoured Brigade fielding 57 M13Fiat M13/40The Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40 was an Italian medium tank , designed to replace the Fiat L3, the Fiat L6/40 and the Fiat M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II...
tankTankA tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s in 3 Bersaglieri Battalions - 10th BersaglieriBersaglieriThe Bersaglieri are a corps of the Italian Army originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Piedmontese Army, later to become the Royal Italian Army...
Regiment - 12th Bersaglieri Regiment
- 12th ArtilleryArtilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
Regiment - 26th ArtilleryArtilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
Regiment - 55th ArtilleryArtilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
Regiment - various machine gunMachine gunA machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
battalions - Italian XX Corps (HQ Giovanni BertaAl QubahQuba or Qoba was one of the 32 districts of Libya. In 2007 it became part of the Derna District. The population of the former district was approximately 93,000.In the north, Al Qubah had a shoreline on the Mediterranean Sea...
– now Al Qubah) Generale di Corpo d'ArmataGenerale di Corpo d'ArmataGenerale di Corpo d'Armata, or "Tenente Generale" is an Italian military rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in the forces of some English speaking countries....
Ferdinando ConaFerdinando ConaFerdinando Cona was an Italian military officer who participated in World War II.His positions included C.O. XXI. Granatieri di Sardegna Infantry Brigade; C.O. XXIX...
- 60 Infantry Division Sabratha (Derna)
- Libyan Divisions Group (HQ Sidi BarraniSidi BarraniSidi 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...
Generale di Corpo d'Armata Sebastiano Gallina- 1 Libyan Division Sibelle1 Libyan Division SibelleThe 1 Libyan Division Sibelle was a Infantry Division of the Italian Army during World War II.-History:Originally called in the 1920s with the name Italian Libyan Colonial Division...
(Al Maktilah) - 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...
(Tummar) - 4 Blackshirt Division 3 Gennaio (Sidi Barrani)
- 2nd Tank Group (M11/39s & L3L3/35The L3/35 or Carro Veloce CV-35 was an Italian tank used before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tankettes....
s) Colonel Trivioli - 3 Libica – Gruppo Malletti (Nibeiwa)
- 1 Libyan Division Sibelle
- Italian XXI Corps (HQ Sofafi) Generale di Corpo d'Armata Lorenzo Dalmazzo
- 63 Infantry Division Cirene63 Infantry Division CireneThe 63 Infantry Division Cirene was a Infantry Division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Cirene Division was sent to Libya in October 1939...
(Rabia / Sofafi) - 64 Infantry Division Catanzaro64 Infantry Division CatanzaroThe 64 Infantry Division Catanzaro was a Infantry Division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Catanzaro Division was sent to Libya in October 1939, and took part in the Italian invasion of Egypt in September 1940...
(Buq Buq) - IV Armored Battalion (L3s)
- V Armored Battalion (M13/40s)
- LX Armored Battalion (L3s)
- 63 Infantry Division Cirene
- Italian XXII Corps (HQ TobrukTobrukTobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
) Generale di Corpo d'Armata Petassi Manella- 61 Infantry Division Sirte61 Infantry Division SirteThe 61 Infantry Division Sirte was a Infantry Division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Sirte Division was sent to Libya in October 1939 . In September 1940, it was part of the Italian XXII Corps that took part in the Italian invasion of Egypt and was destroyed at Tobruk during the...
(Tobruk) - 1st Tank Group (M11/39s, M13/40s & L3s) Colonel Aresca
- Fortress and artillery troops in Tobruk
- 61 Infantry Division Sirte
- Italian XXXIII Corps (HQ BardiaBardiaBardia is a geographic region in the Democratic Republic of Nepal.Bardia comprises a portion of the Terai, or lowland hills and valleys of southern Nepal. The Terai is over 1,000 feet in elevation, and extends all along the Indian border...
) Generale di Corpo d'Armata Annibale BergonzoliAnnibale BergonzoliAnnibale Bergonzoli , nicknamed "barba elettrica", "Electric Whiskers", was an Italian Lieutenant General during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. He commanded the defences of Bardia, Libya, after the short offensive into Egypt made by Rodolfo Graziani...
- 1 Blackshirt Division 23 Marzo (along the coast between Buq Buq and Sidi Barrani)
- 2 Blackshirt Division 28 Ottobre (Sollum)
- 62 Infantry Division Marmarica62 Infantry Division MarmaricaThe 62 Infantry Division Marmarica was a Infantry Division of the Italian Army during World War II. The Marmarica Division was sent to Libya in October 1939. It took part in the Italian invasion of Egypt in September 1940...
(covering the escarpment between Sofafi and Halfaya) - Frontier Guards and Fortress troops in Bardia
- Regia AeronauticaRegia AeronauticaThe Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946...
(as of 10 June 1940)- 5th Squadron General Felip Porro
- 2 Stormo: 60 x CR32Fiat CR.32The Fiat CR.32 was an Italian biplane fighter used in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. This nimble little Fiat was compact, robust and highly manoeuvrable and gave impressive displays all over Europe in the hands of the Pattuglie Acrobatiche. The CR.32 fought in North and East Africa, in...
, 25 x CR42Fiat CR.42The Fiat CR.42 Falco was a single-seat sesquiplane fighter which served primarily in Italy's Regia Aeronautica before and during World War II. The aircraft was produced by the Turin firm, and entered service, in smaller numbers, with the air forces of Belgium, Sweden and Hungary... - 10 Stormo: 31 x SM79Savoia-Marchetti SM.79The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero was a three-engined Italian medium bomber with a wood and metal structure. Originally designed as a fast passenger aircraft, this low-wing monoplane, in the years 1937–39, set 26 world records that qualified it for some time as the fastest medium bomber in the...
- 14 Stormo: 43 x SM81Savoia-Marchetti SM.81The Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello was a three-engine bomber/transport aircraft serving in the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II...
, 12 x SM79, 1 x BR20Fiat BR.20The Fiat BR.20 Cicogna was a low-wing twin-engine medium bomber produced from mid-1930s until the end of World War II by the Turin firm. When it entered service in 1936 it was the first all-metal Italian bomber and it was regarded as one of the most modern medium bomber of the world... - 15 Stormo: 21 x SM81, 37 x SM79, 3 x BR20
- 33 Stormo: 31 x SM79
- 50 Stormo: 68 x BA65Breda Ba.65|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Angelucci, Enzo and Paolo Matricardi. World Aircraft: World War II, Volume I . Maidenhead, UK: Sampson Low, 1978. ISBN 0-562-00096-8....
, 17 x RO.17, 23 x CA.31 - 10 Gruppo: 27 x CR42
- 2 Stormo: 60 x CR32
- Colonial Garrison
- 1 Gruppo: 32 x GhibliCaproni Ca.309-See also:...
- 2 Gruppo: 27 x various models
- 1 Gruppo: 32 x Ghibli
- Air Observation
- 64 Gruppo: 5 x RO 1 Bis, 9 x RO.37 Bis
- 73 Gruppo: 1 x RO 1 Bis, 8 x RO 37 Bis
- 143 (Sea) Squadron: 6 x Cant Z.501CANT Z.501The CANT Z.501 Gabbiano was a single engine flying boat that served with the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II. It had a crew of four or five and was used mainly for reconnaissance. Initially a successful aircraft, it was obsolete by 1940, but was still used throughout World War II,...
(flying boatFlying boatA flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s)
- 5th Squadron General Felip Porro
- Babini Armoured Brigade fielding 57 M13
See also
- Military history of Italy during World War IIMilitary history of Italy during World War IIDuring World War II , the Kingdom of Italy had a varied and tumultuous military history. Defeated in Greece, France, East Africa and North Africa, the Italian invasion of British Somaliland was one of the only successful Italian campaigns of World War II accomplished without German support.In...
- Italian invasion of EgyptItalian invasion of EgyptThe 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...
- Operation CompassOperation CompassOperation 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...
- 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...