TheVIII Army Corps (Italian:VIII Corpo d'Armata) was an infantry corps of theRoyal Italian Army duringWorld War II, when it participated in theItalian invasion of Albania, and theGreco-Italian War and the subsequentItalian occupation of Greece.
Its origins lie in the 8th Army Corps Command based atNapoli, formed as a territorial jurisdiction on 22 March 1877.[1] Between 1927 and 1940, it was based inRome as theRome Army Corps (VIII) (Corpo d'Armata di Roma (VIII)).[1]
With the Italian entry intoWorld War II on 10 June 1940, VIII Army Corps was moved toPiedmont under theSeventh Army. Returning briefly to Rome, it was sent toAlbania in early November 1940 to participate in theGreco-Italian War under theEleventh Army.[1]
During January and February 1941, the corps held a front sector atTepeleni. It took part in the failedItalian Spring Offensive in March, and in the Italian advance once the Greek retreat began in mid-April as a result of theGerman invasion of Greece. after the Greek capitulation, the corps was moved into Greece in May.[1]
VIII Corps remained in Greece on occupation duties, still under Eleventh Army command, with its headquarters atXylokastro, until theItalian armistice in September 1943, when it was disbanded.[1]
