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Army Group West (Italian: Gruppo d'Armate Ovest) was an Army Group of the Royal Italian Army in World War II.

Formation

It was formed in northern Italy in August 1939, with headquarters in Bra; under the command of crown prince Umberto of Savoy, it consisted of the First Army (General Pietro Pintor), deployed along the Alpine border with France between Monte Granero and the Ligurian coast, and of the Fourth Army (General Alfredo Guzzoni), deployed between Monte Granero and the border with Switzerland. The Seventh Army (General Filiberto of Savoy-Genova) was later added as reserve in June 1940.

Italian invasion of France

After Italy's entry into the Second World War, Army Group West carried out the offensive against France in late June 1940, although Prince Umberto's command was little more than nominal, operations being directed by the Army Chief of Staff Rodolfo Graziani, who answered directly to Mussolini.

Reorganization and disestablishment

After the Armistice of Villa Incisa, the headquarters of Army Group West were moved to Turin, and the Army Group itself was renamed Army Group at Disposal (Gruppo d'Armate a disposizione). In July it was re-organized as being composed of the Second, Fourth, Sixth and Eighth armies and of the Alpine Army Corps, amassed in northern Italy for a planned invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which was however cancelled in October 1940. The cancellation of this plan resulted in the disestablishment of Army Group at disposal on 31 October 1940, its armies being transferred to other commands and theatres.

References

1. "Regio Esercito - Storia delle unità terrestri - Gruppo d'Armate Ovest". Regioesercito.it. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
2. Italian Army General Staff, Bollettino dell'archivio storico dell'Ufficio Storico, n. 3-4, Rome, Ufficio Storico SME, January-December 2002
3. Giorgio Rochat, Le guerre italiane 1935-1943, pp. 248-251
4. "Regio Esercito - Storia delle unità terrestri - Gruppo d'Armate a Disposizione". Regioesercito.it. Retrieved 2021-10-02.

• 1939 establishments in Italy
• Military units and formations established in 1939
• 1940 disestablishments in Italy
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1940
• Royal Italian Army
• Army units and formations of Italy in World War II
• Military history of Italy during World War II
• Military units and formations established in 1940
• Umberto II of Italy