December 25th, 1942
Montecelio, 00:10 - While all over Italy the faithful are attending midnight mass, the first fighting breaks out in the east of Rome between the reconnaissance units of the 10. Panzer and the 8th Lancieri di Montebello Armored Reconnaissance Rgt (2nd Rapid Division Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro). The Germans are repulsed.
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Rome, 00:30 - Ambrosio's approach is useless: on his own initiative, one of the directors of the national radio orders the diffusion of the message of Badoglio. This message will then repeated every hour.
It is a short text, said in a dull voice and without intonations: "The Italian government, recognizing the impossibility of continuing an unequal struggle, has requested an armistice from the governments of the Allies. The request has been accepted. All acts of hostility against the forces of the Allies must cease everywhere and immediately on the part of the Italian forces. They will, however, react to possible attacks from other sources."
00:35 - While Badoglio's message is being broadcast, General Castellano manages to contact the Allies to inform them of what had just happened in the capital.
01:15 - The telephone contact is cut with Viterbo. Shortly afterwards, it is Bologna's turn to stop answering.
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Bologna, Christmas night - Although well informed of the growing tension with the Germans, Alberto Terziani, head of the Bologna defense command, went to Christmas mass with his family, after having confined his men to their barracks. On the 24th, he met with representatives of the National Front, but refused to arm the population ("Not on Christmas Eve" he reportedly said). It is in the middle of a Christmas Eve dinner that he is captured by the Germans, who easily take control of the city, despite some heroic acts of small units that try to resist.
Portoferraio (Elba Island), 00:15 - The commander of the E-Boats S-152, 153 and 154 receive the order to leave before the Italians think of blocking his flotilla. He has to head for Livorno: unlike the island of Elba, the takeover of this port by the German forces can indeed be rapid. In order to give the impression of being in control of the port, the officers and crew ostensibly celebrate Christmas while discreetly preparing their exit. The three launches set off into a sleeping port that they are soon to wake up. Their leader, who doesn't appreciate his allies from the previous day, has decided not to leave without doing some damage.
Lacking a goal worth torpedoing, he decides to attack the three VAS (VAS-209, 214 and 217) anchored not far from his boats. The E-Boats elongated their targets by firing all their guns and machine guns before speeding out of the harbor. The few Italian sailors on guard aboard the VAS are unable to retaliate; only a light flak position placed at the entrance of the harbour opens fire as the E-Boats pass, in vain... The German patrol boats move away unharmed in the night, leaving behind them the three hard hit VAS. Devoured by an uncontrollable fire, the VAS-214 even ends up sinking. This is the first act of what will be called, according to the authors and their geographical origin, the "Ten Days of Elba" or "Elba-Piombino" or even "Piombino".
The commander of the Regia Marina in Portoferraio, responsible for the defense of the island, immediately reacts, but on that busy Christmas night, his message is lost before reaching Rome. Nobody in the Italian fleet is informed of the presence of three hostile torpedo boats in the Upper Tyrrhenian...
Friuli, 01:30 - General Mario Robotti is on his way to Fiume, which the Slavs call Rijeka. As soon as he receives the Promemoria N.1, he makes a point of going to Padua to consult with his neighbor Ezio Rosi, commander of the 8th Army. The time to provide for the consequences of his absence (even if only for a short time), he arrives in Padua on the morning of the 23rd. After two days of intense kriegsspiel (with never very pleasing results), Rosi convinced him to share Christmas Eve dinner with him ("What do you want to happen at Christmas?"). The last bite swallowed, he takes the road back in order to be at his headquarters at the time of the armistice, which he knows is near.
The blue headlights are not very bright and it seems to him that his new driver does not know the region. Shouldn't they have crossed the Isonzo? The driver, embarrassed, stops to check the map in his glove compartment and realizes that instead of a map of Friuli, he has mistakenly taken a map of the Egyptian desert, west of Alexandria. Furious, Robotti doesn't have time to decide on an appropriate punishment: his Alfa-Romeo 2500 is surrounded by BMW R-75 side, from which point vilely rifles and machine guns. One of the German soldiers bends over the door: "Herr General? Please follow us..."
Fiume/Rijeka - General Gastone Gambara is also furious, but it is because he has learnt on the radio about the surrender of the kingdom, like everyone else. Acting Commander of Supersloda, he has not had time to make arrangements. He has only just finished the move of the headquarters from Sušak to Fiume, ordered by Robotti on December 21st. This was probably a wise decision: not only was Sušak full of Slavs from the MVAC (Voluntary Anti-Communist Militia, known as the White Guard) with very doubtful loyalty, but Gambara assumes (with reason) that the Allies will soon bring the Italians back within their pre-war borders. Might as well be ahead of the game for once... In private, Gambara does not hide his low regard for Badoglio's political and military skills. And Robotti, his superior, who does not return!
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Rome, 02:20 - After talking with members of the Regia Aeronautica, General Ambrosio sends an order to ground all the Italian aircraft in order to avoid any error or confusion for the day to come.
At the same time, he finally decides to give clear instructions to the major commands of the Balkans. Indeed, the announcement of the armistice seemed to them rather explicit, Badoglio and Ambrosio had agreed on the uselessness of broadcasting coded messages relating to the Memoria 44 op and Promemoria N.1 and N.2. This was to forget that these instructions, and in particular the last one, had not necessarily reached all their addressees! Understanding his mistake, Ambrosio sends radiograms to the Comando Forze Armate Montenegro and to the Comandi Superiori FF. AA. of Albania and Greece. They will be of little use...
Brief and forceful, but probably not much more useful, is the message that General Roatta had sent the Western commands - the only ones to have received the Memoria 44 op - between 02:50 and 03:35. Written in such a way as not to contravene Badoglio's order forbidding the diffusion of the planned coded message ("Attuare misure ordine pubblico Memoria 44", "Execute public order measures Memoria 44"), it says soberly: "Ad atti di forza reagire con atti di forza", "To the force to react by the force". But, in various places, it is already outdated.
02:30 - Elements of the 2nd Armored Group San Marco (attached to the 2nd Rapid Division) attempt to move towards the Guidonia airfield, north-east of the capital. They are stopped at the edge of the field by soldiers of the Hermann-Göring.
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Tunis, 03:00 - It is decided to embark in the gliders of the first wave the anti-tank elements of the 2nd REP and the 82nd Airborne.
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Rome, 03:15 - At the switchboard of the Ministry of the Interior, transformed into Headquarters, the contact is lost with Milan. The last communications indicate that the SS-Division Hohenstaufen is in control of the city, but that sporadic resistance is taking place in several districts.
03:15 - Ambrosio confers with Generals Baldassare and De Stefanis. While waiting for news of the Trieste and the Pasubio, whose silence is worrying, the three men decide to send one of the three tank battalions of the Ariete to reinforce the San Marco Group, which is holding the road from Guidonia to Rome, and to send another armored battalion to Fiumicino.
During the meeting of the three generals, communications are interrupted with Verona and Padua.
03:40 - Marshal Badoglio, generals Ambrosio, Carboni and Castellano and the King hold a meeting with the military house of the King. The marshal advises to leave Rome as soon as possible: "If they find us [i.e. the Germans], they will cut off all our heads!"
An evacuation plan to the Lido di Roma is prepared for the King, his family, the government and the general staff, but everything depends on the information that the battalion of tanks in charge of retaking Fiumicino brings.
04:30 - The Ministry of the Interior receives a message announcing that the police headquarters in Turin is surrounded by German forces, but that an uprising had started in the working-class districts. This uprising is supported by part of the troops of the 105th DI Rovigo, which unfortunately is still being transferred from Cannes to Turin and does not have heavy weapons.
Fiumicino, 05:00 - Fighting breaks out between the airfield and the coast: the first elements of the Ariete clashed with the advanced units of the Hermann-Göring.
Rome, 05:05 - Telephone contact i lost between the Ministry of the Interior and the police headquarters in Turin.
05:15 - News from a police station in Turin confirms that fighting is taking place in the workers' districts; one of the Fiat assembly halls is occupied by workers and soldiers of the Rovigo.
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Genazzano, 05:20 - Queen Elizabeth wakes up in the middle of the night, thinking she heard artillery fire in the distance. As she leaves her room, the Mother Superior comes towards her in a panic: the Allies have landed in Gaeta and the Germans are being fought in the vicinity of Rome. "Gaeta!" the Queen thinks with fright. She remembers the curse that her aunt Marie-Sophie had uttered when she had learned of the marriage plans between Marie-José and Umberto. The last queen of the Two Sicilies, soul of the desperate resistance of the last Neapolitan troops in besieged Gaeta, had never forgiven the Savoys for having robbed her of her throne.
Elisabeth wakes up Marie-José, however exhausted by her final pregnancy. What to do? To flee, but on which side? Nobody has the least idea of the location of the front. We cannot take the risk of running into a hostile patrol. No, in the end, the best thing is to stay hidden in the convent until the situation settles down.
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Reggio Calabria, 05:30, Operation Bedlam - Three brigades of the British V Corps, the 14th and 231st Infantry Brigades and the 22nd Guards Brigade, land on beaches just north of Reggio. The Italian troops offer no resistance.
However, Allfrey, respecting Montgomery's orders, applies himself to securing the area and to prepare the arrival of the rest of his troops without venturing north.
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Montecelio, 06:00 - Reinforced by mechanized units and the equivalent of a tank company (in fact, the light company of one of the two Panzer battalions), the troops of the 10. Panzer counter-attack. After half an hour of fighting, they force the men of the Lancieri di Montebello to withdraw.
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Fiumicino, 06:45 - The Italian armoured vehicles manage to regain control of the airfield after more than an hour and a half of confused fighting. They find in the buildings the corpses of a hundred Italian soldiers summarily executed by the Germans. Furious, the Italians turn their guns on the few captured Germans. From now on, the Ariete and San Marco will not give any quarter.
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Island of Elba, 06:50 - After much hesitation, the commander of the land defense of Elba, pushed by furious sailors, reacts to the aggression committed by the German boats by ordering the neutralization of the Reich's land forces on the island.
The liaison mission of the Kriegsmarine having folded aboard the E-Boats, it is members of the Luftwaffe: some men in charge of the liaison with the Regia Aeronautica and above all 120 artillerymen of the flak. These men serve two batteries placed in strategic points of the island, each with four 88 mm guns and three 20 mm Flak-38 guns. These batteries do not surrender without a fight - the fighting lastx about ten hours, resulting in fifteen German and ten Italian casualties. The Italians take more than a hundred prisoners, who are well treated and transferred to Sardinia. They avoid Elba bloody reprisals...
Off the coast of Livorno, from 07:00 - The E-Boats S-152, 153 and 154, which are cruising off the Tuscan port, have been given the mission to prevent any Italian warship or commercial vessel from escaping to the south. In fact, the three patrol boats interceptfour small commercial or fishing boats coming from the north and heading towards Livorno, which is still supposed to be safe. Intending to sink their pizes only in case of necessity, the E-boats are sailing in convoy with them, at slow speed, when the lookouts signal the arrival of warships, the escort torpedo boats Orione (CC Emanuele Bertetti) and Pegaso (CF Riccardo Imperiali di Francavilla, group leader), which had left La Spezia shortly before 05:00.
Reacting promptly, the squadron leader decides to set a trap for the newcomers, too well armed for an open fight. Hoping not to have been spotted by the Italians, he uses his four clutches as a screen, forcing them to hoist the signal of a request for assistance. As expected, the two torpedo boats change course to see what is going on. The trap seems to work perfectly when an unexpected incident prematurely opens it. Despite the presence of an armed guard, the helmsman of the trawler Amba Aradam (405 GRT) does not hesitate to shoot down sharply to port in order to reveal to the torpedo boats the presence of the S-153 sailing alongside him. He pays for his action with his life, but his sacrifice forces the S-153 to launch forward prematurely. This is the beginning of a melee where fortune alternately favors each side.
Immediately, the S-153 is hit by the Pegaso's fire, killing several men. CF Imperiali is about to finish it off, but his ship is then attacked by the S-154 and he directs his fire towards this new adversary. This duel is fatal for both combatants: the speedboat manages to mortally wound its opponent with a torpedo that hits it in the rear third, but it is hit by a 100 mm shell and explodes, while the Pegaso sinks slowly. Imperiali comments on the loss of his ship: "In the end, those Germans saved me from having to choose between handing over my ship to yesterday's enemy or scuttling it, that is, between an act contrary to honor and an act contrary to discipline!"
For its part, the S-152 attempts to attack the Orione, but is unable to gain a good position to launch. Its commander prefers to break off the fight, taking advantage of its superior speed, but luck abandons him: a mechanical incident (perhaps due to a near miss) slows down brutally the E-boot, which succumbs under the shots of the Orione.
Finally, the S-153, somewhat forgotten, could try to escape, but its commander, still having its two torpedoes, wants to liquidate its biggest catches: it launches a torpedo on the Amba Aradam and the other on the Pertinace (498 GRT). The first misses, the second hits and sends the coaster to the bottom. But when the S-153 wants to stall, it is itself torpedoed by the Orione, which had set its two engines to the minimum depth to finish off this too fast opponent.
Commander Bertetti only has to recover the survivors of the Pertinace, the crew and the passengers of the Pegaso (minus seventeen killed or missing) and some German prisoners (including the guards placed on the catches, except the one who killed the helmsman of the Amba Aradam, conveniently forgotten in the middle of the sea). Once this is done, he sets course for Portoferraio accompanied by the three liberated ships: besides the Amba Aradam, the small tanker Baciccia (180 GRT) and the sailing ship Idria (160 GRT).
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South Tyrol, 07:00 - The takeover of Bolzano (Bozen) is accomplished very quickly during the night: the headquarters of the XXXV Corps fall after a short resistance. It is true that its main force, the Alpine Division Tridentina, had, according to its orders, almost entirely passed through the Salorno/Salurn cluse to reinforce the defense of the Julian Veneto. On December 26th, its last elements on the spot are reduced to surrender, both in Bressanone (Brixen) and in San Candido (Innichen).
During the night of the 25th to the 26th, following a plan that had been in place for months, the Südtirol Ordnungsdienst, clandestine Nazi police force composed of men too young or too old to be enrolled in the Italian armed forces, goes into action. In a short time, its elements will replace the carabinieri everywhere.
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Genoa and La Spezia, 07:15 - A radio message informs the headquarters of the Regia Marina, in Rome, that the sailors and workers of the dockyards resisted the German forces sent to take control of the two ports and seize the ships. Several hundred men fight foot to foot. They are helped by elements of the 58th ID Legnano - like the 105th ID Rovigo in Turin, this one is being transferred from the French Riviera, but its support is decisive to prevent the shipyards from falling quickly into German hands.
Genoa, 07:20 - In the great Ligurian port, the most attractive target for the Germans is the battleship Giulio Cesare, whose repairs are almost complete, but which is still in dry dock. Its commander, the CV Vittorio Carminati, has the engines blown up and puts the main artillery out of action.
At the Ansaldo shipyards in Sestri Ponente and Voltri, the torpedo boats Auriga, Eridano and Rigel, as well as the corvettes Cormorano and Gru, are sunk in the basin by scuttling charges, while the corvettes Folaga and Ibis are towed out to sea and scuttled 500 meters from the coast. On the other hand, the light cruiser Cornelio Silla is left intact, but it was far from being operational: since the damage suffered in November 1941, when it was sunk and its refloating at the beginning of the year, the repairs have progressed very slowly.
La Spezia, 07:20 - In accordance with their orders, the escort torpedo boats Orione and Pegaso left - as we have seen - at 04:50, taking with them a number of men from the Naval Engineers. On the other hand, unable to take to sea, the very recent escort torpedo boat Ardimentoso is sunk with its valves open.
As for the submarines, the three wrecked ones are scuttled without delay: while the Pietro Micca is sunk, the Axum and the H-6 are scuttled in their dry dock. As for the Acciaio and Platino, the firm resistance put up by the workers to the new enemy made it possible to put them in a condition to take to the sea. Like the three Tritone class units, Murena, Grongo and Sparide, under construction at the Muggiano shipyards, still require several months of work each, they are more slightly sabotaged. The staff of the personnel of the shipyards make disappear a part of the supplies necessary for the continuation of their construction.
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Gulf of Gaeta, 07:30 - The first allied troops land without any opposition.
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Rome, 07:40 - The torpedo boats Palestro and San Martino (from Genoa) are diverted to the Lido di Roma to collect the King and the government.
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Albano (southern suburb of Rome), 08:00 - The first Horsa gliders land without incident and land the men of the 82nd Airborne and the 2nd REP.
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Gulf of Salerno, 08:00 - The allied troops begin to land.
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Off the coast of Foggia, 08:15 - The radar of the battleship Roma spots a formation of planes heading towards the small squadron, which is delayed by damage to the engines of the Giuseppe Missori and the Antonio Mosto. After a few minutes of waiting, it appears that these planes are German. They are 18 Do 217 E-5 and K-2 escorted by 12 Bf 110 G-1 and 16 Bf 109 G. The Dorniers drop, at a respectable distance, 18 Hs 293 guided missiles and as many FX 1400 gliding bombs (each plane carries a pair of one or the other of these new new weapons).
Of the 18 missiles, five, probably defective (unless the operator of the launching plane was not able to "capture" the missile in time), crash into the sea at some distance (between 800 to 1,500 metres) from the Italian squadron. Ten missiles focus on the CL Pompeo Magno, which avoids them without too much problem by zigzagging (although its commander, nor anyone else on board the Italian ships, knew what they were). Finally, three of them target the torpedo boat Ciclone, which is emitting a smoke screen. The latter manages to avoid two of the projectiles but the third one explodes less than 10 meters away from it. The shockwave seriously damages the rudder of the small ship and tears off the starboard propeller.
Most of the FX-1400 gliding bombs are concentrated on the battleship Roma, which opens fire with the part of its AA armament that is operational. Thanks to the control of its commander, the Roma avoids four bombs, which explode at sea near her. But three of them hit it. The first one hits on the foredeck, goes right through the ship and explodes after exiting the ship, leaving a hole of 18 meters in the hull. The second one hits in the middle of the ship, penetrates the engine room, pierces the bottom of the hull and explodes under water, causing extensive damage. The third hits at bridge level, killing the commander and several officers, continues towards the interior of the ship and explodes in the forward ammunition bay. A huge explosion, the blast of which is felt on the neighbouring ships, shakes the large ship, which breaks in two and sinks rapidly.
No sooner had this tragedy occurred than the Artigliere (ex-Camicia Nera) is hit by by at least five bombs. Thanks to its speed and maneuverability, it escapes four of them but the fifth hit the ship amidships, confirming the old belief of sailors that a change in the name of a ship brings misfortune upon it. The impact destroys the port turbine and the bomb comes out under the hull before exploding. The shock is violent and the unfortunate destroyer begins to turn on itself under the thrust of the starboard turbine. When it stops, its crew can only notice that it is taking on water. Perhaps it could be saved, but the escort leader on the Bombardiere, fears other attacks. He orders the survivors to evacuate on board the Fortunale and Uragano and to scuttle the ship.
The German planes withdraw without a loss. The first attack in history using air-sea guided missiles is a success.
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Guidonia, 08:30 - German armoured elements try to break through towards Rome and engage the San Marco Group and one of the three battalions of the Ariete.
The confrontation is violent and the Italians lose about twenty tanks, but they manage to beat the Germans back.
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Rome, 08:45 - Colonel Gavin and Lt-Colonel Glaizot, with two jeeps, enter the Eternal City from the south. Glaizot turns to his American colleague: "Do you think the history books will ever say that we took Rome by ourselves?
Gavin smiles, "And on Christmas Day, too!"
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Venice, 08:50 - Admiral of the Upper Adriatic Naval Department, Prince Ferdinando di Savoia-Genova, firmly invited to join the Royal Family for dinner, transmitted his command half an hour earlier to the deputy who had recently been sent to him by a very reactive de Courten: Major Admiral Emilio Brenta, until then head of the Operations Department of the Regia Marina. His first act is to order the departure to the South of all the ships in a position to do so within the scope of his Department and particularly in Venice itself.
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Taranto, 09:00, Operation Slapstick - The "Main Force" of the Aegean Squadron, its ships overflowing with paratroopers of the British 1st Airborne, embarked the day before in Benghazi, appears in front of the minefield protecting the port of Taranto. The destroyers negotiate very carefully the passage of the minefield and enter the port without any opposition.
The main force of the Aegean Squadron (Captain Guy Grantham, RN) includes the CL HMS Aurora; CLAA HMS Cleopatra and Dido (flag); DD HMS Isis, Laforey, Maori, Partridge, Sikh and Somali; the DE (Hunt-III class) MN L'Impérieuse, L'Iphigénie and La Résolue. The Allied Naval Command in Greece has added to them for this mission the HMS Welshman and the cruiser HMS Penelope.
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Ajaccio, 09:00 - General Magli informs Rome of his full support. At dawn, he has the ground staff of the Luftwaffe in charge of the airfields of Ajaccio and Bastia (often used by German aircraft) disarmed - just as the German troops had disarmed the guards of the Italian airfields. He has the German liaison officers on the island arrested. The case of the SS battalion sent by the Germans after the disappearance of Carlo Scorza, to give the Italian troops lessons in repression, is more delicate. Fortunately, this unit (which, in a few months, provided the Corsicans the best reasons to hate it) is led by a brutal but not crazy leader. Since the day before, under the pretext of celebrating "a German Christmas", he has gathered in a single barracks, near Campo dell'Oro, most of his men scattered around the island. At first, the Italians could be satisfied with laying siege to these buildings, as it were.
At the same time, Magli makes an offer to the local Resistance leaders that they could hardly refuse: until "normal circumstances" were re-established, the Italian occupation troops would remain as far as possible in their cantonment areas and will refrain from any action that is even slightly aggressive towards the Resistance, as soon as the latter does the same. All civil powers will be delegated to "the legal civil French authorities". One restriction: the French people "who so desire" (in practice, administrators appointed by Laval!) are to be able to go to the Italian cantonments without being bothered. Magli does not want the blood of men he was supposed to protect to be on his hands.
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Rome, 09:15 - In execution of Hitler's orders in case of Italian resistance, 18 Do 217 E4 and 21 Ju 88 of the IV/KG 100 and I/KG 26 bomb Rome. The Ministry of the Interior is miraculously spared (even if all the windows are blown out by a bomb that fell nearby), but the Quirinal is quite seriously hit.
Fiumicino, 09:30 - Counter-attacked by the armoured elements of the Hermann-Göring, the Italian troops are forced to evacuate Fiumicino, but they manage to form a defensive line 3 km from the airfield.
Rome, 09:50 - Gavin and Glaizot, who witnessed the German bombing, arrive at the Ministry of the Interior. They have immediately a meeting with general Ambrosio.
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Montecelio, 10:15 - The Stukas of I and II/StG 1 hit the Italian defenders hard.
General Enrico Kellner, who commands the 2nd Rapid Division, is wounded. The German tanks go on the attack and push the Italian troops in confusion.
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Gulf of Gaeta, 10:20 - Two Ju 88s were shot down in the Gulf of Gaeta by the Martlet II of Sqn 885 (HMS Victorious).
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Hotel Campo Imperatore, Gran Sasso, 10:30 - Inspector Gueli, in charge of guarding Mussolini in his house under surveillance, receives a call from his former boss, Senise, who was chief of police until November 1st.
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Rome, 10:40 - Another German bombing. This time, 14 He 111 H6 escorted by 16 Fw 190 A4 drop their bombs on the city. Saint Peter's Basilica is hit twice.
At the Ministry of the Interior, Gavin and Glaizot decide to send all available parachutists to reinforce the defences of the eastern gates of the city. Italian trucks come to take the paratroopers while the anti-tank units (armed with 57 mm cannons, recoilless 3.45" and 81 mm guns) follow with their jeeps off the gliders.
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Reggio Calabria, 11:00, Operation Bedlam - No opposition to the landing of his first three brigades, the bridgehead secured, Allfrey can order the rest of the 6th Infantry Division to cross, with the reconnaissance regiment in the lead.
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Taranto, 11:00, Operation Slapstick - The Sikh is back with the rest of the Aegean Squadron, with an Italian pilot from the port on board. Captain Grantham can order all his ships to enter the harbor.
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On the air, 11:00 - The German radio broadcasts in Italian a communiqué signed by Vittorio Mussolini, Pavolini, Ricci, Preziosi and Farinacci*: "The treason will not be accomplished. A national-fascist government has been formed. It worked in the name of Mussolini.
Soldiers, sailors, airmen, join your German comrades."
Goebbels' staff would have liked to be able to present the names of the members of this new fascist government, but... "The unfortunate thing is that we can't publish their names, because they are not important enough", the Nazi propaganda chief laments.
The fault lies in the confused situation that currently reigns in the Italian boot. But also to the measures taken by Badoglio, who in the last few weeks has had hierarchs such as those in the Forte Boccea, in Rome, locked up, hierarchs such as Galbiati, Cavallero, Bottai (who, however, voted against Mussolini!)**, Buffarini Guidi, Soddu and Starace. So many names that are missing to constitute this kind of government of Northern Italy that is taking shape and which lacks a leader, a Duce.
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Livorno, 11:30 - After twenty-four terrible hours without new orders, but during which the radio echoes incredible announcements of the government and of terrible fratricidal fights in Rome, Borghese gathers his men to announce them the escape of the King and the government and the reversal of alliance of Italy. All are shocked by this disgraceful conduct, contrary to their sense of honor (the most critical say that the house of Savoy remained faithful to its tradition of treason): they who, for two and a half years, had been fighting alongside the Germans, they refuse to turn their backs and betray their comrades. Borghese explains his decision to stay in Livorno by his desire to defend his flag and his honour at all costs; however, he asks everyone to act according to his conscience and promises a regular leave to those who want to leave. The great majority of the men of the Decima Mas decide to follow him, with the ships that are still there: the fast aviso Diana, the trawler Cefalo and the submarine Durbo. Borghese's charisma also leads to the four MAS (582, 584, 585 and 586), which were close to the Decima's ships and which occasionally collaborated with her on occasion, to stay as welll. Neither the naval combat of the Secche della Meloria, nor the clashes that in the morning opposed here some guardie di finanza to the German troops from Livorno influenced the choice of the sailors. The few land engagements did not delay the fall of the city. When a more serious battle broke out at the gates of the city in the early afternoon between Italian reinforcements from Pisa and a German column marching towards Livorno, all bets are off.
The only failure - relative - of Borghese is at the Odero-Terni-Orlando shipyards: he does not succeed in convincing Carlo Dessì, commander of the light cruiser Caio Mario, whose construction is well advanced (it has no weapons but its machinery is partly functional) not to scuttle his ship. But some of the scuttling charges are not successful: sunk, the ship leans to the side of the quay from which it had just been moved and its tops come to rest on it, which prevents it from capsizing completely and could facilitate its possible recovery... On the other hand, Borghese i able to save the corvettes Alce, Camoscio, Capriolo and Renna, finishing afloat.
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Gran Sasso, noon - Pieter van Vessem's men attack the lower station of the funicular railway and seize it without great difficulty. It is simply by this way that Van Vessem then climbs up to the Campo Imperatore hotel where Mussolini is being held. He has a conversation with Inspector Gueli, who decides to follow the advice given to him by Senise earlier: "Don't make a fuss, not on Christmas Day, eh!" Van Vessem takes Mussolini in charge without violence. At 14:00, the two men are down the funicular and Mussolini was taken to Pescara, from where, at 15:30, a plane takes him to Munich. From there, he leaves immediately for Vienna, where his family had taken refuge.
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Bay of Gaeta, 12:40 - A Ju 88 reconnaissance plane manages to dodge the allied fighter patrols and is able to inform the patrols and was able to inform the German command about the landing in progress in the north of Naples.
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Rome, 12:40 - Sixteen P-38F of the 1st Fighter Group of the USAAF fly over the capital - they were the first Allied planes to do so without aggressive intent.
12:45 - Colonels Gavin and Glaizot transmit a message to General Clark indicating in substance that the situation is very serious but potentially promising and that it is absolutely urgent to reinforce the defenses of Rome, where the fighting is fixing a number of German units.
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Rastenburg, 13:00 - Hitler and his staff take stock of the situation in Italy, but also in the Balkans and in France. Very firm instructions were given to the German forces in Yugoslavia and Greece, while the army of occupation in France was ordered to enter the Italian occupation zone and to disarm the troops there as quickly as possible.
In Nice, the 48th DI Taro is disarmed without resistance, especially since General Ollearo, chief of the XXIInd CA, to which the 48th ID belongs, has just affirmed his support to the government of Vittorio Mussolini. The 7th ID Lupi di Toscana is caught in Ventimiglia, in the middle of boarding the trains that were to take it to Rome. On the other hand, in Grenoble, the German coup de main fell into a vacuum - the main part of the 5th DI Alpine Pusteria, as soon as Badoglio's message was broadcast, interrupted their activities and moved to the Italian side, where the division scattered many of its elements, under the authority of General Lazzaro Maurizio De Castiglione, and created armed resistance groups in the Valle d'Aosta and the Italian Alps.
"Could the treason of certain Italian generals give ideas to potential traitors in Germany?" Hitler asks Goebbels. The latter exclaims: "Obviously, No! It is unimaginable!" The same evening, he writes in his diary: "With Mussolini goes the last of the Romans. Behind him, it is a people of Bohemians who are finishing to decompose."
Apparently satisfied with the answer of his main propagandist, Hitler gives the order to "punish Rome by all means".
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Guidonia, 13:30 - The 10. Panzer launched about fifty tanks and a battalion of Panzer-Grenzers in the direction of Rome, supported by a motorized battalion of the Das Reich. The attack is repulsed by what remains of the Ariete tank regiment, reinforced by the AA 90/53 guns of the 132nd Motorized Artillery Rgt or borrowed from the Ariete II division (used as anti-tank guns, they are as good as the German 88s), as well as by American and French paratroopers units. The weight of the German threat greatly facilitates the collaboration of the enemies of the day before and after two hours of fighting, the attack is broken. Thirty-four panzers remain on the field.
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Syracuse, 14:00 - General Clark and General de Lattre, noting the slowness of the operations, decide to give priority to the 2nd Regiment of Algerian Spahis, an organic cavalry unit of the American-French Corps.
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Rome, 14:30 - The city is bombed again by 18 Do 217 E4, then by 9 Ju 88.
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Montecello, 15:00 - Forty-eight B-26s (24 of the 11th Bombardment Wing, 24 of the 17th Bombardment Group), escorted by 32 P-51B (79th FG) and 16 Mustang-II (5th EC) bomb German troops on the road between Avezzano and Montecello.
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Approaches east of Rome, 15:30 - Sixteen Mustang IA/Cs escorted by eight Mustang IIs of the 5th Squadron appear over the battlefield at the gates of Rome. As the Mustang ICs chase the tanks of the 10. Panzer (they destroye eleven of them), 16 Fw 190 Jabos of II/JG 2 escorted by 16 Fw 190 fighters of III/SKG 10 (ex-ZG 2) appear. A fight begins; 5 Mustang IC, 3 Mustang IA and 3 Mustang II are shot down in exchange for 9 Fw 190 A4. If the tank hunters pay a heavy price, the Jabos cannot intervene in the battle and areforced to drop their bombs at random. Eight French pilots (including three wounded) are recovered by paratroopers.
Rome, 16:00 - In view of the deteriorating situation, General Ambrosio decides to evacuate the King and his family. However, as the Lido di Roma seems to be unsafe, Their Highnesses have to be taken in charge at Anzio by the Palestro and the San Martino, which are again diverted. At the last moment, Colonel Arena recalls that Marie-José and her children are in the convent of Genazzano. Victor-Emmanuel would let his daughter-in-law rot in the convent, but he wants to ensure the safety of his grandchildren (including his grandson and heir). We try to reach Genazzano by telephone, but to no avail: the lines have been cut. Prince Umberto wants to go to look for them, but his father orders him to leave with him, because he does not want any danger to come to his heir: "Beppo, if the Germans catch you, they will kill you!" For the first time, the son opposes the will of his father and ruler: "I must stay, Father, to defend Rome and save my wife and children. And if I lose my life there, I will have at least saved the honor of Savoy!" Then, the queen Elena begs her son to accompany them and Arena volunteers to go to Genazzano to ensure the safety of the Princess and the children. Ashamed, Umberto obeys, once again... He was right: the honor of the Savoys will definitely sink in the affair and the dynasty will not resist it***.
Arena leaves immediately, but he will never arrive to Genazzano. The whole region of Rome is plunged in the most total confusion and the multiple military barrages of various nationalities don't care about a colonel who is looking for the family of the crown prince of Italy. The unfortunate Arena is lucky in his misfortune - he is neither shot on the spot nor even imprisoned by the groups of paratroopers, infantry squads and armored platoons that block his way. It is true that all have other concerns!
Meanwhile, as the royal family packs up, Umberto's sister, Princess Jolanda, suddenly realizes that her husband, General Calvo di Bergolo, who is in Greece at the head of the Centauro Division, is probably in even more danger in the Peloponnese than they are in Rome. "Colonel Arena has gone to look for Marie-José, but who will go to look for Calvo?" she exclaims. In panic, she bursts into tears, asking that they send a plane, to warn him at least by radio, in short to do something! Her family tries to calm her down, telling her that being the King's son-in-law protects her husband, but it is necessary that the doctor attached to the royal entourage gives her a sedative so that she can be taken to Anzio. Jolanda does not know it, but it is useless to try to alert her husband, Bergolo is already a prisoner. Fortunately, her worst worries are vain: the Germans have no intention of executing such a precious hostage.
South outskirts of Rome, 16:15 - The dropping of the third wave of parachutists begins over the fields between Albano and Rome. No less than 45 Horsa gliders loaded with heavy weapons and ammunition accompany the paratroopers. As soon as they are informed, Ambrosio and Glaizot organize a shuttle of trucks to pick up the paratroopers and bring them to Rome as soon as possible.
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Genoa, 16:30 - The fighting is over, but the winners do not feel in the least obliged to apply the laws of war. The Germans are all the more furious because the fighting in La Spezia continues; they summarily shoot 218 Italians (166 sailors and 52 arsenal workers). About 600 workers are deported - very few will return.
returned.
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Reggio Calabria, 16:30 , Operation Bedlam - The leading elements of the 6th British ID leave Reggio Calabria by coastal road 18, towards Salerno; the three brigades must progressively follow the same route north, towards Salerno; the three brigades are to follow the same route progressively. But the operation is far from being completed. The barges, probably too few in number for the scale of the operation, continue to move back and forth across the Strait. They transport now the organic elements of the 6th ID, which will be followed by the first elements of the 5th Indian Division.
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Rome, 17:00 - Sixteen Bf 109F Jabos escorted by as many Bf 109G of the II/JG 77 bomb the city. They are followed by eight Mustang II of the 7th EC and then by 16 P-38F of the 82nd FG. After a fierce fight over the roofs of Rome, nine Bf 109s are shot down, against a Mustang II and three P-38.
17:20 - As soon as the air battle is over, a convoy of 14 cars takes the King, the royal family and members of the government to Anzio.
Eastern outskirts of Rome, 17:30 - The Germans of the 10. Panzer, reinforced by elements of the Das-Reich who had arrived by road, go back on the attack. They clash violently with the Italian defenders, as well as American and French paratroopers. In the uncertain light of the winter twilight, the fighting is very violent. The German tanks break through the first lines, but are stopped by the heavy anti-tank guns of the Italians and the recoilless guns of the parachutists' "tank-killer teams". General Baldassare is killed as he is coordinating a counter-attack by a group of Semoventi. There are nearly 500 dead among the Italian defenders and more than 250 among the parachutists, but the German losses are at least as heavy.
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Ajaccio, 17:45 - At the bishop's palace, therefore "on neutral ground", General Magli met in Llosa's office a smiling man who introduced himself as "Mr. Hector".
The bishop made Magli understand that the man named Hector was one of the main representatives of Algiers in Corsica. He is charged to negotiate with Magli the extension of the truce and the evacuation of the Friuli and Cremona occupation divisions as soon as the Allies could relieve them. The meeting takes place at first "in the spirit of Christmas" (as the bishop recounted), especially since Magli told his visitors that the men of his two divisions, informed of the events of the last twenty-four hours, were in a hurry to go and fight to chase the Germans out of Italy.
There are, however, a few problems. If Monsieur Hector has no problem with the Lavalists being handed over to the authorities as soon as legality is restored, the SS of Campo dell'Oro are not entitled to his leniency. But Magli is very firm: "These men are in practice prisoners of war. I am not going to storm Campo dell'Oro to disarm them, nor will I let you do so. When the allied troops arrive, I will put the matter in the hands of their command."
This does not please Hector, who has another reason for displeasure: "You have among your men individuals who have committed acts of violence worthy of the SS. You have heard about the hamlet of La Maddalena?"
Magli is very upset. He is perfectly aware of it - moreover, if La Maddalena is a symbol, the whole of Corsica has paid a high price during these twenty months of occupation and Resistance****.
But he does not give in. "Signor Hector, if all goes as I hope, my men will soon go fight the Germans. Let those who have had the misfortune to obey shameful orders to redeem themselves by being killed against the common enemy. As for the responsible, Signor Carlo Scorza, I bet you know better than I do where to find him."
At that moment, Bishop Llosa's secretary asks to pass him an urgent communication. It is the parish priest of the village of Vivario, near Corte: "Monsignor, you must be aware of the terrible scene I have just witnessed. A hundred SS men had to spend Christmas night in the village, we would have done without these guests..."
- But I thought that they had all gone to Ajaccio?
- Alas, Monsignor, the snow blocked the Vizzavona pass, through which they had to pass. This morning, an Italian unit arrived from Corte to disarm these men, in application
orders given by Governor Magli, it seems. But the SS coldly shot the Italian commander, who had come to ask them to surrender - on the church square, on Christmas day, Monsignor! But instead of retreating, as the Germans had probably hoped, the Italian soldiers rushed at them. Monsignor, I was a young chaplain during the Other War and I assure you that I saw nothing more savage then! Everyone seemed to have gone mad. The Germans fought with the energy of despair, but the Italians were more numerous - your Eminence, I don't think they left a single one of them alive! It's horrible, there are dead people even in front of the altar. It will be necessary to purify and reconsacrate, Oh God, God, forgive me, forgive me God!
The affair will remain in the local history as "A tumbera di Natale" (the tumbera is the slaughter of the pig).
The bishop, very moved, passes the phone to Hector. While the priest repeats his story (transmitted with delay because of the cut of the telephone lines during the fight),
Magli's orderly enters the room with a message for his chief - in fact, it is the confirmation of the priest's story.
After a moment of silence, the bishop sighs: "I wonder why that poor priest Garneri was asking Heaven to forgive him...".
To his great astonishment, General Magli has the answer: "Well, Monsignor, who do you think warned my troops in Corte of the presence of the SS in Vivario?
"An angel passed by, literally I think - a sorry angel" will tell Bishop Llosa.
After a new silence, Hector accepts Magli's conditions, with one reservation: the Italians would provide the Resistance with a list of the men involved in the bloodiest law enforcement operations. "And if, after the war, they felt like evading French justice," adds Hector, "they should know that I have friends who will not hesitate to render justice without judges or lawyers and that something as pesky as a border will not intimidate."
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Beaches of Gaeta, 18:00 - While the fighting rages near Rome, 170 km to the south, the French form a combat group from one of the reconnaissance squadrons of the 2nd Spahis and its anti-tank and fire support squadrons.
18:45 - The combat group leaves the Neapolitan beaches in the direction of Rome. At its head, squadron leader Castries is determined to be the first French cavalryman to enter Rome.
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Taranto, 19:00, Operation Slapstick - The port and the city of Taranto are now in the hands of the British paratroopers of the 1st Airborne Brigade, who have taken control without firing a single shot and have deployed defensive positions at the northern exits of the city.
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Rome, 19:00 - Ambrosio receives a message addressed to the King and Badoglio by Gen. Antonio Basso, commander of the Italian forces in Sardinia. Sardinia is occupied by a powerful garrison: the two divisions destroyed in 1940 (30th DI Sabauda and 31st DI Calabria) were reconstituted, the 1st Mountain DI Superga , which had participated in the reconquest in 1941, remained in the island and the 47th DI Bari was sent there as reinforcement following operation Mincemeat, which had made believe that Sardinia would soon be invaded. It also has the 204th and 205th Coastal Divisions and other local units. The whole group forms the XIII and XXX CA.
General Basso (who had been informed of the tipping of Corsica in favor of the Badoglio government and the Allies) declares that he supports the King and his government "with all his heart", as does Major Admiral Bruno Brivonesi, who commands the Regia Marina in Sardinia. But Basso suggests that their position would be very weakened if the hated French would want to put back the hand on the island... Ambrosio takes the initiative to answer that the only allied troops that will come to settle in Sardinia will be American.
In Cagliari, Basso immediately embarks the German liaison officers and some of Mussolini's Italian supporters (including General Sozzani, head of the Sabauda) in a trawler, which is lucky enough to reach Genoa the next day without having attracted bombs, missiles, torpedoes or shells.
The very next day, Clark confirms Ambrosio's initiative, after a "lively but cordial" discussion with Frère. The French finally agree that the Army would not set foot in France again, in exchange for American support for the recovery and supply of Corsica on the one hand, and the use of a naval base for light units in the archipelago of La Maddalena and airport facilities in the future American bases in Sardinia. Everyone will have saved face.
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Eastern outskirts of Rome, 19:30 - The fighting ends, but part of the population, taken by panic, begins to leave the city.
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Anzio, 19:45- The King, the royal family, their suite and the government embarks on the two torpedo boats that are waiting for them. The ships leave the port in all haste and sail towards Naples.
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Naples, 20:00 - To the cheers of a small crowd, General Ritchie arrives in front of the Municipio. He simply conveys to Clark, "Naples is ours."
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La Spezia, 20:15 - The submarines Acciaio and Platino are finally ready and try to leave the port. But the port is now beaten by German artillery, and their escape is not going to be easy. As they have just cast off, two 88 mm shells hit the Acciaio in succession: the first one hits the "bathtub", killing three of the men in it and wounding three others, including Commander Beltrami; the second hits the stern, damaging the rudder. Under the late protection offered by the smoke devices of small auxiliary ships, the Platino of Commander Patrelli Campagnano takes the risk of coming alongside the wounded Acciaio and recovering the crew, including LV Beltrami and the engineer-mechanic, who is the last person on board to open the drains and scuttle the ship. Having succeeded in its escape, the Platino, before surrendering to the Allies, calls at the nearest safe port, Bastia, to disembark the wounded from the Acciaio, of which only the commander Beltrami***** survives.
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Rome, 20:30 - Generals Ambrosio and Carboni receive the delegates of the National Action Front, which has been transformed into the National Liberation Front. After a hot discussion, they agree to distribute to the volunteers of the Front, who started to gather in front of the Ministry of the Interior, weapons taken from the barracks' stocks. These men will be supervised by officers and non-commissioned officers. The gesture is very symbolic; it marks, in the Italian conscience, the creation of the "Giustizia e Liberta" divisions.
21:00 - Ambrosio and Carboni met again with colonels Gavin and Glaizot. In view of the situation, they decide to send a battalion of paratroopers, taken from the third wave, to reinforce the defenses at the northern gates of Rome.
21:30 - Ambrosio receives a telephone call from General Clark (whose services had found, not without difficulty, a working aircraft). The American tells his interlocutor that Combat Command A of the 1st Armored Division (1st AD-US) is ready to leave the beaches for Rome - it will leave around 22:00.
22:00 - The German artillery begins to fire on the capital. They are mainly harassment and demoralization but some of them are precise enough to make Ambrosio and the other officers leave the Ministry of the Interior. The Italian artillery responds sporadically.
23:00 - A new bombing raid hits the city. It is a formation of 15 Heinkel 111 H6 and 9 Dornier 217 E4 that struck at random. A bomb hit the nave of Saint John of Latran. This bombing creates a moment of panic in the city.
Shortly before midnight - The combat group of the 2nd Spahis arrives at the southern gates of Rome. In indescribable chaos, a radiant Castries makes its way to the positions of the defenders of the eastern gates.
* Farinacci, still in October, could have been a possible replacement for the Duce - for lack of anything better - for some German services. But he lost all credibility when he was received in November by Hitler and his main lieutenants. Far from being saddened by the Duce's fate, Farinacci spent the interview openly criticizing the former head of state - but still a friend of the Führer! Thus ended the great projects that some nourished for him...
** Giuseppe Bottai (1895-1959), an early Fascist, was for a long time a faithful follower of Mussolini. Minister of Education for many years (one of his laws remained in force until 1999!), he gradually distanced himself from the Duce and was part of the rebellion in the fall of 1942 that led to his dismissal. Nevertheless imprisoned by Badoglio for a few weeks, he was released in January 1943, thanks to certain Vatican connections. After being interrogated by a French intelligence officer, he was exfiltrated to North Africa and, under a false identity, joined the Foreign Legion! He will do all the Second Campaign of France, then the one of Germany and was even part of the Legion elements sent to Asia for the end of the war against Japan. Demobilized in 1948 with the rank of sergeant, he returned to Italy, where he was pardoned.
*** According to many political scientists, if Umberto had stayed in Rome and run around the countryside looking for his wife and children, the outcome of the post-war referendum on the continuation of the monarchy would probably have been different. Even (and especially, some cynics would say) if Umberto had been killed...
**** NOA - There is no hamlet in Corsica named La Maddalena. The authors wished to use this name to make it a symbol of the Corsican sufferings and to preserve the anonymity of certain characters and villages.
***** Ottorino Beltrami will however lose a leg in the affair. That will not prevent him from joining the service of the Regia Marina and then of the Marina Militare before making a beautiful career in the private industry.
