206th Coastal Division (Italy)


The 206th Coastal Division was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. Royal Italian Army coastal divisions were second line divisions formed with reservists and equipped with second rate materiel. Recruited locally, they were often commanded by officers called out of retirement.

History

The division was activated on 15 November 1941 in Catania by reorganizing the VI Coastal Sector Command. The division was assigned to XVI [Army Corps (Italy)|XVI Army Corps], which was responsible for the defense of the eastern half of the island of Sicily. The division had its headquarter in Modica and was responsible for the coastal defense of the coast between Punta Braccetto in Santa Croce Camerina and Arenella to the South of Syracuse.
The division defended the beaches where the British Eighth Army landed during the Allied invasion of Sicily on 10 July 1943. On D-day the 206th Coastal Division and British forces fought for control of the beaches at Avola, Castelluzzo and Cassibile, but the British superiority in materiel and numbers crushed the 206th Coastal Division, which by 11 July was reduced to small units surrounded by British forces. On 12 July British troops eliminated the last resistance and the division was declared lost due to wartime events.

Organization

  • 206th Coastal Division
  • * 122nd Coastal Regiment
  • ** CCXLIII Coastal Battalion
  • ** CCCLXXIV Coastal Battalion
  • ** CCCLXXV Coastal Battalion
  • * 123rd Coastal Regiment
  • ** CCCLXXXI Coastal Battalion
  • ** CCCLXXXIII Coastal Battalion
  • ** DXLII Coastal Battalion
  • * 146th Coastal Regiment
  • ** CDXXX Coastal Battalion
  • ** CDXXXVII Coastal Battalion
  • * 44th [Coastal Artillery Grouping]
  • ** CII Coastal Artillery Group
  • ** CLXI Coastal Artillery Group
  • ** CLXII Coastal Artillery Group
  • ** CLXIV Coastal Artillery Group
  • ** CCIX Coastal Artillery Group
  • ** CCXXIV Coastal Artillery Group
  • ** 227th Coastal Artillery Battery
  • * CIV Machine Gun Battalion
  • ** 511th Machine Gun Company
  • ** 537th Machine Gun Company
  • ** 542nd Machine Gun Company
  • ** 625th Machine Gun Company
  • * 122nd Mixed Engineer Platoon
  • * 123rd Mixed Engineer Platoon
  • * 206th Carabinieri Section
  • * 163rd Field Post Office
  • * Division Services
Attached to the division:
The division's commanding officer was: