Fall Achse
Operation Achse (german: Fall Achse, lit=Case Axis), originally called Operation Alaric (), was the codename for the German operation to forcibly disarm the Italian armed forces after Italy's armistice with the Allies on 3 September 1943. Several German divisions had entered Italy after the fall of Benito Mussolini in July 1943, while Italy was officially still an ally of Germany, despite the protests of the new Italian government under Pietro Badoglio. The armistice was made public on 8 September. German forces moved rapidly to take over the Italian zones of occupation in the Balkans and southern France, and to disarm Italian forces in Italy. Some Italian troops, with no orders from superiors, and hampered by many desertions, resisted the Germans. Most notably on the Greek island of Cephalonia, where 1,315 Italian soldiers were killed in action against the Germans and over 5,100 prisoners of war of the 33rd Infantry Division "Acqui" were summarily executed by the Germa ...
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