page_title: Italian Co-belligerent Army
section_title: Combat groups
hierarchical_section_title: Italian Co-belligerent Army / Italian Co-belligerent Army from late 1944 to 1945 / Combat groups
caption_attribution_description: English: The British Army in Italy 1945 Churchill tank of 'C' Squadron, North Irish Horse carrying Italian infantry of 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry (Italian), north of Castel Borsetti, 2 March 1945
context_page_description: The Italian Co-belligerent Army, Army of the South, or Italian Liberation Corps were names applied to various division sets of the now former Royal Italian Army during the period when it fought alongside the Allies during World War II from October 1943 onwards. During the same period, the pro-allied Italian Royal Navy and Italian Royal Air Force were known as the Italian Co-belligerent Navy and Italian Co-belligerent Air Force respectively.
  From September 1943, pro-Axis Italian forces became the National Republican Army of the newly formed Italian Social Republic.
  The Italian Co-belligerent Army was the result of the Allied armistice with Italy on 8 September 1943; King Victor Emmanuel III dismissed Benito Mussolini as Prime Minister in July 1943 following the Allied invasion of Southern Italy, and nominated Marshal of Italy Pietro Badoglio instead, who later aligned Italy with the Allies to fight the Social Republic's forces and its German allies in Northern Italy.
context_section_description: Each infantry regiment fielded three infantry battalions, a mortar company armed with  British ML 3 inch mortars and an anti-tank company armed with British QF 6 pounder guns. The artillery regiments consisted of four artillery groups with British QF 25 pounder guns, one anti-tank group with British QF 17 pounder guns and one anti-air group armed with British versions of the Bofors 40mm gun.
  Cremona Combat Group with men from the 44th Infantry Division Cremona, attached to British V Corps – Major General Clemente Primieri
  21st Infantry Regiment
  22nd Infantry Regiment
  7th Artillery Regiment
  CXLIV Engineer Battalion
  Friuli Combat Group with men from the 20th Infantry Division Friuli, attached to British X Corps – Major General Arturo Scattini
  87th Infantry Regiment
  88th Infantry Regiment
  35th Artillery Regiment
  CXX Engineer Battalion
  Folgore Combat Group with men from the 184th Airborne Division Nembo, attached to British XIII Corps – Major General Morigi
  Nembo Parachute Regiment
  Italian Navy San Marco Regiment
  Folgore Artillery Regiment
  CLXXXIV Engineer Battalion
  Legnano Combat Group, attached to US II Corps – Lieutenant General Utili
  68th Infantry Regiment with men from the 58th Infantry Division Legnano
  Special Infantry Regiment with 2x Alpini battalions (remnants of the 3rd Alpini Regiment of the 1st Alpine Division Taurinense) and 1x Bersaglieri battalion (remnants of the 4th Bersaglieri Regiment )
  11th Artillery Regiment with men from the 104th Motorised Division Mantova
  LI Engineer Battalion
  Mantova Combat Group – Major General Bologna
  76th Infantry Regiment with men from the 54th Infantry Division Napoli
  114th Infantry Regiment with men from the 104th Motorised Division Mantova
  155th Artillery Regiment with men from the 155th Infantry Division Emilia
  CIV Engineer Battalion
  Piceno Combat Group with men from the 152nd Infantry Division Piceno – Major General Beraudo di Pralormo
  235th Infantry Regiment
  336th Infantry Regiment
  152nd Artillery Regiment
  CLII Engineer Battalion
caption: Churchill tank of 'C' Squadron, North Irish Horse carrying Italian infantry of 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry (Italian), north of Castel Borsetti, 2 March 1945
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