Via della Vittoria

Military road between Italian Libya and western Egypt

The Via della Vittoria was a military road between Bardia in Italian Libya and Sidi Barrani in western Egypt.

Characteristics

The "Via della Vittoria" (Victory Road), was built by Italian engineers during World War II, between September and December 1940. The road went from Sidi Barrani, Egypt, to the border of Italian Libya and connected to the Via Balbia. It was 11 metres (12 yd) wide and asphalted.

It was officially called Via della Vittoria nell'Africa Settentrionale Italiana in order to distinguish it from another "Via della Vittoria" built in 1939 in Ethiopia/Africa Orientale Italiana.^[1]

History

The Italian Army invaded Egypt in summer 1940 and penetrated until Sidi Barrani. The need of communication in order to supply the Army forced the construction of this new road.^[2]

Proceeding in an orderly, colonial fashion, the Italian commander in Egypt, General Mario Berti, deployed the advanced units of his Army (1st and 2nd Libyan, 3 January Blackshirt, Cirene and Catanzaro Divisions, as well as Maletti’s motorised brigade group) in a ring of strong-points around Sidi Barrani, and began work on extending the Via Balbia into Egypt....
— Edmund Hall^[2]

In fall 1940 Italian Marshal Rodolfo Graziani ordered his Army in western Egypt to complete this new coastal road extending the Via Balbia 100 kilometres (60 mi) inside Egypt, even in order to create an infrastructure for a planned Italian invasion of the Nile Delta in January/February 1941.

In December 1940 the new road was used by the British forces during Operation Compass. In the next two years the road was damaged by the continuous changes in the front between Axis forces under Erwin Rommel and the Allies.

Footnotes

^ Le strade italiane in Africa Orientale Italiana (in Italian)
^ ^a ^b Hall 2015, p. 281.

References

Hall, E. (2015). The Italian Army in Egypt during World War II (PDF) (Report). UK: Egypt Study Circle. Retrieved 30 March 2015.

Italian Empire

Subdivisions

Western Mediterranean	Southeastern France Monaco Corsica
Balkans	Albania World War I World War II Islands of the Aegean Independent State of Croatia Dalmatia Greece Hellenic State Principality of the Pindus Ionian Islands Italian Province of Lubiana Governorate of Montenegro
Horn of Africa	Italian Eritrea Italian Somaliland Oltre Giuba Italian East Africa Eritrea Governorate Somalia Governorate British Somaliland Amhara Governorate Harar Governorate Galla-Sidamo Governorate Scioa Governorate Italian Ethiopia
Libya	Tripolitania Cyrenaica Italian Libya Tripoli Province Misrata Province Benghazi Province Derna Province Southern Military Territory
Far East	Italian concession of Tientsin Concessions & Forts of Italy in China
Planned expansion	Adalia Egypt Majorca Tentative to occupy French Somaliland Kenya Sudan Malta Ticino, Valais and Grisons Tunisia

Settlers and Irredentism

Settlers and colonists	Albania Dodecanese Eritrea Ethiopia Libya Somalia
Irredentism	Corsica Nice Savoy Dalmatia Istria-Venezia Giulia Malta Switzerland Corfu

Architecture

Governmental	Governor's Palace (Mogadishu) Governor's Palace (Tripoli) Governor's Palace (Asmara) Asmara Presidential Palace (Asmara)
Civilian	Mogadishu Cathedral Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Asmara Benghazi Cathedral Tripoli Cathedral Cinema Impero Fiat Tagliero Building Marble Arch Asmara Theatre Lighthouse "Francesco Crispi" (Cape Guardafui)
Urbanism	Italian Tripoli Mogadishu under Italian rule Italian Benghazi Italian Asmara Italian Massaua Addis Abeba under Italian rule

Infrastructure

Political concepts

Police and military

Italian African Police
Bands (Italian Army irregulars)
Zaptié
Dubat
Savari
Spahis
Royal Corps of Colonial Troops
- Eritrean Ascari
- Somali Ascari
Ascari del Cielo
Italian 1st Eritrean Division
Italian 2nd Eritrean Division
1st Libyan Division Sibille
2nd Libyan Division Pescatori
Italian Libyan Colonial Division
Italian Somali Divisions (101 and 102)
Maletti Group
Legione Redenta
Italian guerrilla units (A.O.I.)

Currencies and Stamps

v t e Italian Libya
Governors	Italo Balbo Rodolfo Graziani Italo Gariboldi Ettore Bastico Giovanni Messe
General History	Italo-Turkish War Italian colonization of Libya Italian Libya Second Italo-Senussi War Western Desert campaign North African campaign Allied administration of Libya 1945 anti-Jewish riots in Tripolitania Italian refugees from Libya
Provinces	Tripoli Province Misurata Province Benghazi Province Derna Province Southern Military Territory
Related articles	Italian settlers Italian Tripolitania Governors Italian Cyrenaica Governors Italian Empire Fascist imperialism Italian Libya Railways Railway stations in Libya Tripoli-Castel Benito Airport Italian Benghazi Via Balbia Via della Vittoria Arch of the Fileni Tripoli Grand Prix Tripoli International Fair Imperial Line Frontier Wire Italo-Turkish War Sciara Sciatt massacre Muslim Association of the Lictor Arab Lictor Youth Fort Capuzzo Auto-Saharan Company Fourth Shore Postage stamps Pidgin Italian of Libya Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli Adriano Visconti Rossana Podestà Claudio Gentile Franco Califano Lorenzo Bandini
Colonial troops	Italian Libyan Colonial Division 1st Libyan Division 2nd Libyan Division Maletti Group Ascari del Cielo Italian African Police Bands Zaptié Savari Spahis Royal Corps of Colonial Troops