After the fall of fascist regime in Italy immediately secret negotiations started with the goal that Italy will separate from Germany and if possible make peace with allies. Allied military command in Cairo authorized major Karel Novak the leader of Slovenian royalists for the negotionations with general Gambara at that time Italian military commander in Slovenia.
The goal of major Novak should be to convince general Gambara that Italian army in Slovenia should leave Germany and step on the side of allies. Gambara asked what kind of support will he get from the allies when he will go in the confrontation with German army. Cairo replied that first just support from the air. Gambara was disapointed with the answer. He was hoping that the western allies will land in Trst and Istra and that he will be able to support their landing with the help of Italian army and with the help of Slovenian royalists which he saw as a future allies against Germany. He even offered to Novak to arm up to 12.000 men for his Yugoslav royal army. There were big problems with establishing this army mostly because the largest Slovenian political party catholic peoples party ( SLS ) was not ready to sent its supporters in to the ranks of royal army. We can see from their documents that they were thinking that maybe Yugoslavia is dead since Croats would no longer want to live with Serbs.
When Germans started sending their troops in Italian part of Slovenia for like the protection of railways etc. Gambara ordered that forged documents should be given to Slovenian royalists that they will be able to carry around radio stations connected with Cairo. Because Novak was sending to Cairo just spy reports concerning Slovenia, allied command demanded that Gambara should also send them information about German troops elswhere in Italy. Gambara declined but said to Novak that his spies can get forged documents to spy around Germans units.
In a document which was sent to general Mario Roatta at 22.8. 1943 general Gambara is talking about his plan to create ''Slovenian unity'' by arming the anticommunists and even separating non communists from the Liberation front ( OF ) by promising them an independent Slovenia. We do not know if he recieved any answer. His proposal was sent to the Italian high command on August 28. 1943.
In Rome they were informed very well with the activity of Gambara and with his connections with Cairo via Slovenian royalists. He got instuctions that upon capitulation Italian army in Slovenia should resist to the Germans. But that did not happen. On 14. September 1943 he even ordered Italian troops in Reka that they should give their weapons to Germans and he himself step soon in to the ranks of the army of the new fascist regime of Salo republic.
The informations shared here can be found in the following two books: Dies Irae, written by dr. Tone Ferenc in 2002 and Plava garda written by Marijan Kranjc and Slobodan Kljakić in 2006.
Political games before 8. september 1943 in Slovenia
Discussions on all aspects of Italy under Fascism from the March on Rome to the end of the war.
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Political games before 8. september 1943 in Slovenia
Post by SloveneLiberal » 22 Jan 2019, 21:45
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