First Army (Italy) - World War II

World War II

At the beginning of World War II, the Italian First Army was one of two armies that made up Army Group West commanded by Prince General Umberto di Savoia. Together with the Italian Fourth Army, the First Army attacked French forces during the Italian invasion of France. At this time, the First Army was commanded by General Pietro Pintor and included three army corps: the 2nd Corps commanded by General Francesco Bettini, the 3rd Corps - General Mario Arisio, and the 15th Corps commanded by General Gastone Gambara. (See order of battle, below.)

By 1942, after the defeat of Panzer Army Africa (Panzerarmee Afrika) at the Second Battle of El Alamein and after the Operation Torch landings, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was forced to make one of the longest retreats in history. He withdrew from the "Western Desert" of Egypt and Libya and established a defence on the French-built Mareth Line in southern Tunisia. After occupyinging the Mareth Line, Rommel took command of the newly created Army Group Africa and turned over the "German-Italian Panzer Army" (formerly "Panzer Army Africa") to Italian General Giovanni Messe. The army was once again renamed and on February 23, 1943, Messe took command of the "Italian First Army."

The First Army, with Messe in command, took part in Rommel's attempt to break through the Kasserine Pass. As part of Army Group Africa commanded by General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim, the First Army attacked Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth Army at Medenine, just west of the Mareth Line. However, the First Army was crushingly defeated. In addition, the attempt by Rommel and Arnim to breakthrough in Tunisia failed.

By the end of May, Allied troops had captured all of North Africa, and the First Army was part of the 270,000 Axis troops taken prisoner.