Order of Battle for the Italian Invasion of Egypt
The Order of Battle of the Italian invasion of Egypt on 09 December 1940 is listed below. Due to the many Italian losses, there were many changes in the Order of Battle until February 1941 when Operation Compass came to a halt. Please contact us with any corrections or additions.
Tanks advance to the border in the Italian invasion of Egypt.
Supreme Commander North Africa
Maresciallo d’Italia Rodolfo Graziani
5th Army
HQ Tripoli
10th Army
HQ Bardia
Generale di Corpo d’Armata Italo Gariboldi
12th Art. Reg
25th Art Reg
55th Art. Reg
10th Bers. Reg
4 MG Bns
Comando Carri Armati del Libia
HQ Mechili
Generale di Brigata Valentino Babini
II Tank Bns
V Tank Bns
3 Bers Reg
One Motorcycle Bns
One Art Reg
2 Anti Tank Co
XX Corpo d’Armata
HQ Berta
Generale di Corpo d’Armata Ferdinando Cona
60 Division Sabratha
85 Inf Reg
86 Inf Reg
42 Art Reg
XXII Corpo d’Armata
HQ Tobruk
Generale di Corpo d’Armata Enrico P. Manella
61 Division Sirte
69th Inf Reg
70th Inf Reg
43rd Art Reg
1st Ragruppamento Carristi
I Tank Bns
XXI Tank Bns
LXII Tank Bns
LXIII Tank Bns
XXIII Corpo d’Armata
HQ Bardia
Generale di Corpo d’Armata Annibale Bergonzoli
1st MVSN Div
23 Marzo
219th Blackshirt Leg
233rd Blackshirt Leg
201st Art Reg
2nd MVSN Div
28 Ottobre
231st Blackshirt Leg
203rd Blackshirt Leg
202nd Art Reg
62nd Division Marmarica
115th Art Reg
116th Art Reg
44th Art Reg
XXI Corpo d’Armata
HQ Sofafi
Generale di Corpo d’Armata Lorenzo Dalmazzo
63rd Division Cirene
157th Inf Reg
158th Inf Reg
45th Art Reg
64th Division Catanzaro
141st Inf Reg
142nd Inf Reg
203rd Art Reg
Gruppo Divisione Libiche
HQ Sidi Barrani
Generale di Corpo d’Armata Sebastiano Gallina
1st Division Libica
8th Libyan Inf Bns
9th Libyan Inf Bns
10th Libyan Inf Bns
11th Libyan Inf Bns
12th Libyan Inf Bns
13th Libyan Inf Bns
2nd Division Libica
2nd Libyan Inf Bns
3rd Libyan Inf Bns
6th Libyan Inf Bns
7th Libyan Inf Bns
14th Libyan Inf Bns
15th Libyan Inf Bns
Ragruppamento Malletti
1st Libyan Inf Bns
4th Libyan Inf Bns
5th Libyan Inf Bns
18th Libyan Inf Bns
19th Libyan Inf Bns
4th MVSN Division
3 Gennaio
250th Blackshirt Leg
270th Blackshirt Leg
204th Art Reg
2nd Ragruppamento Carristi
II Tank Bns
IX Tank Bns
XX Tank Bns
LXI Tank Bns
Periods of Command
10 June 1940 – 28 June 1940
Marasciallo dell’Aerea Italo Balbo
(Killed by friendly AA fire)
28 June 1940 – 11 February 1941
Marsciallo d’Italia Rodolfo Graziani
(Requested to be relieved after the defeat in Operation Compass and the surrender at Beda Fomm)
11 February 1941 – 19 July 1941
Generale d’Armata Italo Gariboldi
(Relieved because of his alleged lack of cooperation with Rommel)
19 July 1941 – 05 February 1943
Generale d’Armata Ettore Bastico
(Promoted Maresciallo d’Italia on August 12, 1942)
Note: The supreme command was dissolved after Libya was lost to the British in February 1943. Although the post of Supreme Commander nominally included the command of all Axis forces in Libya (excluding Egypt 1942), its actual responsibilities were steadily diminished. Rommel was actually considered the commander since autumn of 1941. The situation of the Supreme Commander was further complicated by the incessant interference from Mussolini and Ugo Cavallero‘s Comando Supremo. Rommel faced similar problems when dealing with Hitler, Wilhelm Keitel‘s OKW or Kesselring).
Special thanks to Stefan Schlemmer for the OOB and Note.
