Which sub-units of the 58th Legnano Division occupied Monaco over November 1942 to September 1943?

[Sid Guttridge]

As I understand it, the occupation of Monaco from November 1942 to September 1943 was carried out by part of the 58ª Divisione di fanteria "Legnano".

Does anyone know what sub-units of this division were deployed in Monaco and what headquarters was stationed there?

Were any other units not of this division deployed in Monaco?

Many thanks for any assistance offered,

Sid

 

[diciassette2000]

The Principality of Monaco during the Second World War remained a neutral state...it was however occupied by the Italians from November 1942 but on the intervention of Pope Pacelli himself it never had a stable Italian garrison inside it...it was however guarded in rotation by Italian coastal troops including coastal Alpine battalions and territorial militias belonging to the coastal divisions...(223.a and 224.a)
All the best
Maurizio

 

[jwsleser]

Sid

I was hoping to add to what Maurizio posted, but there isn't very much to add. In thumbing through L'occupazione italiane dei territori metropolitani francesi there is very little discussion of Monaco. From scanning some of the information in that book, it appears that the defense of the Mediterranean coast of France started on the west border of the principality as Menton to the east had been incorporated into Italy proper.

As Maurizio stated, Monaco was considered neutral and while there was a lot of interference in the internal operation of the principality, it doesn't appear that there was an outright occupation. The book mentions a detachment within its borders but doesn't provide any additional details.

Pista! Jeff

 

[diciassette2000]

In fact, in the work of General Schipsi the Principality of Monaco is mentioned very little and more precisely:
Documenti allegati ai Diari Storici dello SMRE (appendice 2)
Periodo ottobre-novembre 1942
Pag 598
Annotazione n.71
16 novembre 1942 h 11,40
Prevista per ore 12 occupazione principato di Monaco, secondo ordini Comando Superiore
Pag 599
Annotazione n.73
16 novembre 1942 ore 14,45
Occupazione Principato di Monaco
Pag 600
Annotazione 81
Problema presenza Console USA presso Principato di Monaco e segni di resistenza
a occupazione
Pag 601
Annotazione 84
Sotto minaccia di assunzione da parte occupanti di poteri civili, Principe di Monaco accatta proposte di collaborazione
Pag 604
Annotazione 115
Occupazione integrale Principato di Monaco e misure connesse
Periodo dicembre 1942-Gennaio 1943
Pag 606
Annotazione 4
Informativa riguardante arresto senza incidenti, di console americano nel Principato di Monaco
Pag607
Annotazione 10
In territorio francese occupato non esistono consoli o personale consolare stati nemici o che abbiano rotto relazioni con l’Italia ad eccezione del personale consolare esistente nel Principato di Monaco.
What is certain is that even in Panicacci's most attentive work l'Occupation italienne Sud Est de la France the notes are not wasted ... however, it turns out that there was in fact an Italian Military Command of the Principality of Monaco entrusted however only to a small garrison it would seem (???) belonging to the Carabinieri of the 181st mixed section of the 4th Army under the Command of an unspecified Colonel Senes following the fact that the Principality of Monaco, having escaped occupation on November 11, was subjected to diplomatic pressure from the 14th, when Consul General Lepri informed Minister of State Roblot of the willingness of the 4th Army to form a detachment. Roblot summoned the US and Swiss consuls to echo the Monegasque government's protest; Prince Louis II sent a confidential message to Pope Pius XII asking him to intervene to preserve the Principality's neutral status; on the 17th the American consulate was invaded and the following day the Minister of State capitulated to the ultimatum of Stanislao Lepri, with the installation of detachments under the command of Colonel Senes.
All the best
Maurizio

 

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Maurizio and Jeff,

Thanks.

These linked photos seems to show Alpini were in Monaco at some stage: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-g...lian-and-german-occupation-1942-28087672.html

A book on Monaco indicates that the Italians set up an HQ in a villa in the suburb of Revoires and barracks in the main football stadium. the central station and the premises of Sporting d’Ete. However, it doesn't mention the unit or units concerned.

A small Carabinieri unit would seem appropriate for occupation duties in Monaco but coastal defence presumably required more fully equipped troops.

Cheers,

Sid

 

[jwsleser]

Sid

The picture is likely a G.a.F. soldato, not alpini. While the mostrine on the collar is not 100% clear, it is artillery. G.a.F. artillery mostrine has a yellow border on every side of the mostrine. Alpine artillery only has a border on two sides. G.a.F. did wear the Tyrolean hat.

The picture has the soldier carrying German stick grenades. For me, that places the picture after Sep 1943.

Pista! Jeff

 

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Jeff,

That would make sense. Any frontier guards previously deployed on the Italian/Vichy border would have been redundant there after November 1942.

Cheers,

Sid.

 

[diciassette2000]

Yes indeed the GAF is back....in the annex 41 of the book of Ascoli the Guard at the border reads.... Regimental coastal sector-Headquarters of the Monaco Command-Subsector 1/a -Headquarters of the Monaco Command then also Cap Martin is located between Monaco and Mentone.... but as I said Panicacci also places a Carabinieri command there....anyway....
All the best
Maurizio

 

[jwsleser]

Good find Maurizio

However I am not sure that any of those forces were stationed within Monaco. The defensive line described in allegato 41 is inland from the principality (Punta Mala – Tête de Chien – Mont Agel). Nor can I place any of the XLVII gr. art, G.a.F. within the principality's limits.

While I agree that elementa of the 181º sez. misto CC.RR. were inside Monaco, I am uncertain whether any G.a.F. were stationed in the city.

Pista! Jeff

 

[diciassette2000]

Yes, most likely only the commands were stationed in Monaco while the actual garrisons were outside the city ... certainly there were no Italian anti-aircraft and coastal defenses or the GAF ....
ALl the best
Maurizio

 

[Sid Guttridge]

Monaco was surrounded by several forts of the French Alpine Line (Ouvrage Mont Agel, Ouvrage Roquebrunne, Ouvrage Croupe du Reservoir, Ouvrage Cap Martin), which were presumably manned by the Italians after November 1942. Their artillery covered the Principality. Until the Italian Armistice there was very little danger of invasion, so an infantry garrison may have been unnecessary. A garrison of Carabinieri and frontier troops seems plausible.

From the time the Germans took over in September 1943, invasion was more likely and they beefed up port and AAA defences in Monaco.

Cheers,

Sid.

 

[Sid Guttridge]

According to a French Resistance (FTP) report of 28 June 1943:

"MONACO : 4 regiment du Genie. Environs de St Antoine effectif d'une batterie, piece non identifie."

Was there a 4th Engineer Regiment in the local Italian order of battle?

The "batterie" may be the two ceremonial signal guns maintained by Monaco on Fort Antoine.

Cheers,

Sid

 

[Sid Guttridge]

Returning to the Alpini theme:

Les Alpes-Maritimes 1939-1945 by Jean-Louis Panicacci (p.171) gives an Italian OB drawn from "USSME, Situazione descrittiva delle unita" that includes the following on "223e division costiere":

166e regiment d' "Alpini costieri" Villefranche - St, Laurent du Var
167e regiment d' "Alpini costieri" Cagnes sur Mer - La Colle sur Loup

On the next page it also talks of, "la 224e cotiere, regroupant un bataillon d' "Alpini costieri", la 104e compagnie de Bersaglieri, le Xe bataiillon d'e carabiniers d'Armee....", which was apparently formed around Nice from assorted units already in the area.

On p.172 it talks of, "Alpini dites 'costieri' recrutes parmi reservistes relativement ages.....".

(Please excuse the absence of French accents above).

Reading between the lines, I assume that Italian Coastal Divisions were in practice reserve divisions raised in the depots of active divisions using older reservists and that 223rd and part of 224th Coastal Divisions were formed in the depots of Alpini divisions in the nearby Alps. Is this correct?

Many thanks,

Sid.

 

[Sid Guttridge]

Regarding the Italian preoccupation with the American consulate in Monaco:

On 5 November, just three days before US forces invaded French North Africa, the USA prudently moved its Nice consulate to Monaco. The Consul, Walter Orebaugh, was a contact through whom the French Resistance in the Vichy Zone passed its intelligence reports back to the Allies, who were hoping he might continue this activity under the cover of Monaco’s neutrality.

Thus the Italians felt they had reason not to recognise Orebaugh's status in Monaco and they closed his office down later in November.

Cheers,

Sid.

 

[jwsleser]

Sid

Thanks for the additional information. Note that both of those btg. alpini costieri are stationed west of Monaco. I couldn't find a 4º rgt. genio in the Italian OB, but it would be normal that this would be a raggruppamento, not a regiment. However the information I have access to doesn't do a good job listing engineers.

Everything I have access to places the 224ª d. cost. to the west of Monaco.

Pista! Jeff

 

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks.

I have just found "La Guardia alla Frontiera" by Massimo Ascoli on line and this seems to answer my queries.

As one of Maurizio's maps shows above, Monaco did not fall under 4th Army but fell within an area taken over by Italian frontier troops, as you suspected from the photo. In March 1943 both their 1o Settore di Covertura and its Sottosettore 1/a had their command posts in Monaco. In the region Cap Martin-Punta Mala-Mt. Argel the latter had 2o, 3o, 4o and 6o Caposaldi with 1o and 7o Caposaldi in reserve and 5o Caposaldo in Fort Tete de Chien. It is not clear if any of these were actually deployed in Monaco, but they were certainly deployed all round it.

Similarly, XLVIII Gruppo Art G.a.F. had 602o btr. (with 100/17 pieces) positioned at Cap Martin and 403o btr. (with 105/11 pieces) deployed at Cap Ail, on the coast either side of Monaco. It seems clear that there was no Italian artillery in Monaco itself.

I am unclear exactly what a "caposaldo" comprised. In the same book I found three "subsettori" totalling about 1,500 men and another two "subsettori" and an independent "caposaldo" totalling about 500 men. It would appear that the number of men in a "caposaldo" depended on the size of the fortification it garrisoned, which could vary, and the number of "caposaldi" in a "suttosettore" could vary as well. I suppose a "settore" was roughly equivalent to a regiment, a "suttosettore" roughly equivalent to a battalion and a "caposaldo" roughly equivalent to a company. Is that approximately right?

However, as they had been uprooted from their normal fortifications in the Alps, it is possible that the seven "caposaldi" of Sottosettore 1/a no longer had strengths related to fortification size.

Cheers,

Sid

 

[diciassette2000]

As already said this is a copy of a map of the time (March 1943) of the Italian 4th Army that I found in my notes .... as you can see there were nothing but commands in Munich .....
All the best
Maurizio

 

[diciassette2000]

Allegato

 

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Maurizio,

Many thanks. That indicates that Monaco was treated as a distinct entity by the Italian Army, rather than as just another part of their coastal defences in southern France.

Could you clarify what each symbol in the jpg for the Settore Costiere Reggimentale di Monaco means?

Many thanks,

Sid

 

[diciassette2000]

Handwriting indicates the following units:
Settore Costiero Reggimentale di Monaco:
-Comando 1.o Settore GAF (Guardia alla Frontiera)
-Comando 5.o Sottosettore/a GAF
-Comando 1.o Sottosettore/a GAF
-Comando 48.o Gruppo di artiglieria GAF