fights in 1945

Discussions on all aspects of Italy under Fascism from the March on Rome to the end of the war.
Post Reply
linedadelas
New member
Posts: 1
Joined: 11 Apr 2020, 10:17
Location: USA

fights in 1945

#1

Post by linedadelas » 11 Apr 2020, 10:19

Hi
I rechearch all informations on the fights between the RSI divisions and the Tito's army during the last months 1945
Thanks

SloveneLiberal
Member
Posts: 399
Joined: 23 Jul 2018, 13:54
Location: Slovenia

Re: fights in 1945

#2

Post by SloveneLiberal » 11 Apr 2020, 12:10

For example Kosovelova partisan brigade was fighting in January 1945 with RSI batalion Fulmine at Trnovo near Gorica/Gorizia. Partisans were using also artilery in this attack. According to partisan sources they lost 29 men and their enemies more than 200 soldiers. 10. SS police regiment report is saying that 39 RSI soldiers were saved by German allies, but four later died because of wounds.

Kosovelova brigada, written by Radoslav Isaković, published in 1973, pages 563-586.

Also in summer 1944 Slovene partisans which were under Tito were fighting with RSI forces in Baška grapa where you had an important railroad which was destroyed during the operation.


Berto
Member
Posts: 172
Joined: 06 Oct 2016, 15:27
Location: Italy

Re: fights in 1945

#3

Post by Berto » 11 Apr 2020, 15:44

Italian sources state that losses of the "Fulmine" Battalion were 86 killed and 56 wounded, out of 214 men that made up the Trnovo garrison.

SloveneLiberal
Member
Posts: 399
Joined: 23 Jul 2018, 13:54
Location: Slovenia

Re: fights in 1945

#4

Post by SloveneLiberal » 11 Apr 2020, 16:50

Ok, interesting. Partisan reports from the time before the attack are saying that there were 250 RSI soldiers at Trnovo, but likely the number 214 is more correct. However that would also mean that SS police forces saved around 128 RSI soldiers, not just 39? After their successful intervention in the battle Germans retreated from Trnovo and partisans came in. They collected dead bodies and also weapons and made a funeral for both partisans and RSI soldiers.

SloveneLiberal
Member
Posts: 399
Joined: 23 Jul 2018, 13:54
Location: Slovenia

Re: fights in 1945

#5

Post by SloveneLiberal » 14 Apr 2020, 21:21

There were tensions between Italian RSI soldiers and Slovene collaboration units ( domobranci ) in the area of Adriatische Kustenland. You even had some smaller battles. Like for example in Dornberk and Prvačina. Because of the tensions gauleiter Rainer asked SS general Wolf at the end of January 1945 to remove X MAS units from Julijska Krajina/Friuli Venezia-Giulia. So in February 1945 the majority of these units were moved to Veneto and further south. Some smaller units which remained in Julijska Krajina were given secret orders from Valerio Borghese to break their alliance with Germans in the case of critical situation and to move to Trst/Trieste to defend it against partisan units under Tito. But before they were able to do this they were captured by western allies at the end of April 1945.

The only fighting between X MAS and Yugoslav partisans or with Yugoslav army was in Croatia in Istra/Istria. Borghese ordered his troops there that they should stay in their posts in the case of German retreat and defend the land considered by them Italian against the forces under Tito. In Pula/Pola for example 1200 Italian soldiers gathered. Together with Germans they wanted to move to Trst but near Pazin they met partisans. After failed negotiations fighting at Pula was going on until 6. May 1945 when partisans won. In Reka/Fiume there were hundreds of RSI soldiers. Allies helped partisans with landing near Reka and fighting was going on until first days of May.

Operacija Julijska Krajina, written by dr. Gorazd Bajc, published in Koper, 2006, pages 319-320.

User avatar
Xavier
Member
Posts: 3259
Joined: 12 Nov 2002, 03:01
Location: South of the Texas Border.. :)

Re: fights in 1945

#6

Post by Xavier » 15 Apr 2020, 04:13

can you elaborate more about the fighting in pul;a?

SloveneLiberal
Member
Posts: 399
Joined: 23 Jul 2018, 13:54
Location: Slovenia

Re: fights in 1945

#7

Post by SloveneLiberal » 15 Apr 2020, 10:56

Well i found just a few more informations. Partisans landed with allied help near Reka on 25.4. 1945 as i mentioned before and that made connections with Pula easier. There were at first around 6000 Germans and 1200 Italians in Pula but the majority of Germans retreated, around 2000 of them apparently remained in the town. On 3.5. 1945 units of the Kvarner Navy Infantry Division of the Yugoslav Navy entered Pula as the bulk of the German crew retreated to the Muzil Peninsula, also retaining part of the city.

Yugoslav army attacked after failed negotiations and in a one-day battle, their enemy suffered casualties of about 70 dead, and the Kvarner detachment had 9 dead and 50 wounded. The next day, the German admiral accepted the terms of the capitulation, and enemy soldiers and officers were disarmed.

User avatar
Xavier
Member
Posts: 3259
Joined: 12 Nov 2002, 03:01
Location: South of the Texas Border.. :)

Re: fights in 1945

#8

Post by Xavier » 16 Apr 2020, 05:48

thanks SloveneLiberal..

SloveneLiberal
Member
Posts: 399
Joined: 23 Jul 2018, 13:54
Location: Slovenia

Re: fights in 1945

#9

Post by SloveneLiberal » 02 May 2020, 23:21

Concerning before mentioned battle in Baška grapa and the destruction of the railway there in summer 1944 partisan newspaper Partizanski dnevnik reported on 18.7.1944 that general Wilson supreme allied commander in Mediterranean sent his thanks to Tito and specially mentioned Slovene partisans for their offensive in Baška grapa.

bogbrek
Member
Posts: 4
Joined: 15 Aug 2020, 10:05
Location: Poreč-Parenzo

Re: fights in 1945

#10

Post by bogbrek » 15 Aug 2020, 15:45

In the of Cres on the island of Cres (Cherso in Italian) there was also an Italian unit, "Compania Tramontana" that fought against the partisans, they were commanded by Stefano Petris. When they ran out of ammunition they surrendered, and Stefano Petris was tired and executed for collaboration in October 1945.

JadranTS
Member
Posts: 8
Joined: 22 Jul 2010, 13:00
Location: Padova

Re: fights in 1945

#11

Post by JadranTS » 20 Aug 2020, 12:45

SloveneLiberal wrote:
11 Apr 2020, 16:50
Ok, interesting. Partisan reports from the time before the attack are saying that there were 250 RSI soldiers at Trnovo, but likely the number 214 is more correct. However that would also mean that SS police forces saved around 128 RSI soldiers, not just 39? After their successful intervention in the battle Germans retreated from Trnovo and partisans came in. They collected dead bodies and also weapons and made a funeral for both partisans and RSI soldiers.
The term "funeral" is somehow misleading, because enemies' bodies were treated no more respecteful than rubbish and just thrown in graves or "foibe", natural caves commons in Karst. This is not a criticism toward slovenian partisans, because germans and italians did quite the same. It is just to remember the savagery of partisan war in that area, during and after the end of the fightings (really an handful of italian etnic soldiers captured by jugoslavian partisans returned to their homes).

SloveneLiberal
Member
Posts: 399
Joined: 23 Jul 2018, 13:54
Location: Slovenia

Re: fights in 1945

#12

Post by SloveneLiberal » 09 Sep 2020, 20:48

Hm, about that i am not sure. Source which i quoted is saying that both dead partisans and dead RSI soldiers were put in a line before open graves which partisans made after German retreat from Trnovo. At the funeral on 23.1.1945 partisan commander had a speech about the importance of liberation struggle.

It was dangerous to desecrate dead bodies in a way because harsh reprisals could follow against civilians, or political prisoners could be shot as hostages because of this. It was happening yes, but as i said it was dangerous.

For example when partisans attacked Italian post at Zakriž near Cerkno on 26.2.1943 they disarmed 21 soldiers and policemen ( or carabinieri ) and sent them to Cerkno. Three were killed in the fighting and one escaped according to Italian source.

Post Reply

Return to “Italy under Fascism 1922-1945”