Italian divisions withdrawn from Balkans from 15 Aug. 1943?

[sid guttridge]

Hi Enrico,

I have been rechecking my sources on the distance the Germans were from La Spezia.

1) It was one of the conditions of German deployments that none of the new divisions they introduced to Italy in August 1944 should be deployed within 40 kilometers of La Spezia. It was described by the Germans as the "Sperrzone". It appears that none were closer on 8 September.

2) However, you are right that the Germans already had several hundred uniformed personnel in La Spezia. These included U-boat support staff, a naval anti-aircraft unit and various other minor naval support and liaison services and an army transport unit. These were organised into "Kommandos z.b.V" (Special Service Detachments). They were unable to prevent the Italian fleet from sailing but were able to secure some port installations before the arrival of 65th Infantry Division from the north and 305th Infantry Division from the south during the morning. It seems probable that the fighting you reported at 0300 or earlier was the Kommandos z.b.V moving into action.

Cheers,

Sid.

[Enrico Cernuschi]

Hello! I didn't know nothing about this sperrzone (tsk tsk tsk, my fault). Do you know this agreement date too? An hopeful Enrico

[sid guttridge]

Hi Enrico,

I have managed to dig out a source for the Sperrzone around La Spezia: "Italiens Kriegaustritt 1943" by Josef Schroder (Gottingen, 1969).

I have a couple of dozen pages photocopied from it and they contain two references. There may be others in the rest of the book, which I do not have.

p.243. "Dennoch musste die Heersegruppe B bei der Dislozierung ihrer Krafte letztlich die Sperrzone respektieren, die die Italiener in Umkreis von 40 km um das von zwei italienischen Divisionen gesicherte La Spezia festgesetzt hatten."

This is followed by no less than seventeen references from German and Italian sources, although many of these may refer to information earlier in the same paragraph.

p.305. "Als die im Hafen liegenden italienischen Schiffe gleich nach Bekanntwerden der Kapitulation ein wildes Freudenschiessen veranstalteten, standen - entsprechend den italienischen Wunschen - in einem Umkeis von 40 km um den Kriegshafen keine deutschen Heerseinheiten."

This gives no references, but probably relies on those mentioned above.

I hope this is of some value.

Cheers,

Sid.

[Enrico Cernuschi]

Well done, Sid EC