Third Army (Italy)

The Italian Third Army was an Italian Army which was formed in World War I and World War II.

World War I

At the start of the participation of Italy in World War I (May 1915), the Third Army occupied the southern part of the Isonzo Front. It was commanded by Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta and consisted of the

The Third Army participated in all eleven Battles of the Isonzo (1914-1917). It withdrew in relative good order during the Caporetto disaster of October 1917 and played a leading role in the final victory offensive a year later. This gave it its name "La Armata Invitta" ("The undefeated Army").
There is a museum of the Third Army in Padua.[2]

World War II

In June 1940, the Third Army was formed and based in Southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. It was disbanded on 20 December 1940.
Its commander was General Carlo Geloso. [3]

Cold War

On 1 May 1952 the Italian Army re-activated the Third Army in Padua, and two subordinate corps commands, the IV Alpine Army Corps in Bolzano and V Army Corps in Vittorio Veneto, to be able to circumvent NATO's chain of command in case a war should break out between Italy and Yugoslavia for the Free Territory of Trieste.[4] Later the army raised also the III Army Corps in Milan and VI Army Corps in Bologna, which both entered the Third Army. However with the easing of tensions between Italy and Yugoslavia the army, along with VI Army Corps, was disbanded on 1 April 1972 and its functions taken over by NATO's Allied Forces Southern Europe in Verona.

References

  1. ↑ CGSC
  2. ↑ Museum of the Third Army in Padua
  3. ↑ Axis History
  4. ↑ "31 marzo 1972. Riordino degli Alti Comandi Militari" (PDF). Italian Parliament. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
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