214th Coastal Division (Italy)

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214th Coastal Division
Active	1943 – 1944
Country	Kingdom of Italy
Branch	Royal Italian Army
Size	Division
Garrison/HQ	Santa Severina
Engagements	World War II
Insignia
Identification symbol	214th Coastal Division gorget patches

The 214th Coastal Division (Italian: 214ª Divisione Costiera) was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II.^[1] Royal Italian Army coastal divisions were second line divisions formed with reservists and equipped with second rate materiel. They were often commanded by officers called out of retirement.^[2]

History

The division was activated on 1 July 1943 in Bari and received units from the 212th Coastal Division and XXXI Coastal Brigade.^[3] The division was assigned to XXXI Army Corps and had its headquarter in Santa Severina.^[1] The division was responsible for the coastal defense of the coast of the Ionian Sea coast of Calabria between Botricello and Lido Sant'Angelo.^[3]

In early September the division prepared to fight the British XIII Corps, which had landed on 3 September 1943 in southern Calabria in Operation Baytown and was advancing towards the 214th Coastal Division's positions. After the Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943 the division remained at its positions and surrendered to the British XIII Corps. Afterwards the division joined the Italian Co-belligerent Army, but did not participate in the Italian campaign. The division was dissolved in summer 1944.^[3]

Organization

214th Coastal Division, in Santa Severina^[3]^[1]
- 103rd Coastal Regiment (transferred from the 212th Coastal Division)
  - CCCXLII Coastal Battalion
  - VI Dismounted Squadrons Group/ Regiment "Lancieri di Novara"
- 148th Coastal Regiment
  - 3x Coastal battalions
- CCCXCVI Coastal Battalion
- XXVII Coastal Artillery Group
- LV Coastal Artillery Group
- LXXXI Coastal Artillery Group
- CXL Coastal Artillery Group
- 403rd Mortar Company (81mm mod. 35 mortars)
- 702nd Mixed Engineer Company
- 178th Anti-paratroopers Unit
- 312th Anti-paratroopers Unit
- 443rd Anti-paratroopers Unit
- 447th Anti-paratroopers Unit
- 451st Anti-paratroopers Unit
- 214th Carabinieri Section
- Field Post Office
- Division Services

Attached to the division:^[3]

Armored Train 152/3/T, in Crotone (4x 152/40 naval guns, 4x 20/77 Scotti anti-aircraft guns;^[4] transferred from the 212th Coastal Division)

Commanding officers

The division's commanding officers were:^[1]

Generale di Brigata Carlo Lama (1 July 1943 - ?)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bollettino dell'Archivio dell'Ufficio Storico N.II-3 e 4 2002. Rome: Ministero della Difesa - Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito - Ufficio Storico. 2002. p. 370. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
^ Jowett p 6
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "214a Divisione Costiera". Regio Esercito. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
^ "Treni Armati della Marina". Italian Navy. Retrieved 7 October 2021.

Paoletti, Ciro (2008). A Military History of Italy. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-98505-9.
Jowett, Philip S. (2000). The Italian Army 1940-45 (1): Europe 1940-1943. Osprey, Oxford - New York. ISBN 978-1-85532-864-8.

Divisions of the Royal Italian Army in World War II

Armored

Cavalry

Alpine

Infantry

Infantry - Mountain-type	1st Infantry Division "Superga" 2nd Infantry Division "Sforzesca" 3rd Infantry Division "Ravenna" 4th Infantry Division "Livorno" 11th Infantry Division "Brennero" 19th Infantry Division "Venezia" 23rd Infantry Division "Ferrara" 26th Infantry Division "Assietta" 32nd Infantry Division "Marche" 33rd Infantry Division "Acqui" 36th Infantry Division "Forlì" 37th Infantry Division "Modena" 38th Infantry Division "Puglie" 53rd Infantry Division "Arezzo" 59th Infantry Division "Cagliari"
Line Infantry	5th Infantry Division "Cosseria" 6th Infantry Division "Cuneo" 7th Infantry Division "Lupi di Toscana" 12th Infantry Division "Sassari" 13th Infantry Division "Re" 14th Infantry Division "Isonzo" 15th Infantry Division "Bergamo" 16th Infantry Division "Pistoia" 18th Infantry Division "Messina" 20th Infantry Division "Friuli" 21st Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" 22nd Infantry Division "Cacciatori delle Alpi" 24th Infantry Division "Pinerolo" 28th Infantry Division "Aosta" 29th Infantry Division "Piemonte" 30th Infantry Division "Sabauda" 31st Infantry Division "Calabria" 40th Infantry Division "Cacciatori d'Africa" 41st Infantry Division "Firenze" 44th Infantry Division "Cremona" 47th Infantry Division "Bari" 48th Infantry Division "Taro" 49th Infantry Division "Parma" 50th Infantry Division "Regina" 51st Infantry Division "Siena" 54th Infantry Division "Napoli" 56th Infantry Division "Casale" 57th Infantry Division "Lombardia" 58th Infantry Division "Legnano" 65th Infantry Division "Granatieri di Savoia"
Auto-transportable Infantry	9th Infantry Division "Pasubio" 10th Infantry Division "Piave" 52nd Infantry Division "Torino" 103rd Infantry Division "Piacenza" 104th Infantry Division "Mantova" 105th Infantry Division "Rovigo"
Auto-transportable Infantry - North-African-type	17th Infantry Division "Pavia" 25th Infantry Division "Bologna" 27th Infantry Division "Brescia" 55th Infantry Division "Savona" 60th Infantry Division "Sabratha" 61st Infantry Division "Sirte" 62nd Infantry Division "Marmarica" 63rd Infantry Division "Cirene" 64th Infantry Division "Catanzaro"
Air-transportable Infantry	80th Infantry Division "La Spezia"
Motorized Infantry	101st Motorized Division "Trieste" 102nd Motorized Division "Trento"
Garrison Infantry	151st Infantry Division "Perugia" 152nd Infantry Division "Piceno" 153rd Infantry Division "Macerata" 154th Infantry Division "Murge" 155th Infantry Division "Emilia" 156th Infantry Division "Vicenza" 157th Infantry Division "Novara" 158th Infantry Division "Zara" 159th Infantry Division "Veneto"
Marching	8th Marching Division

Coastal

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