Corbatti, Sergio/Nava, Marco 29e division SS Italienne

29. Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS (ital. Nr. 1)

The Italian SS division, officially called the 29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (Italian No. 1), was formed in the chaotic context of the end of the Second World War in Italy. It all began on 8 September 1943, when the Kingdom of Italy signed an armistice with the Allies, leading to the German occupation and the establishment of the Italian Social Republic (RSI) under Mussolini, sealing the division of the country. To counteract the massive desertion of Italian soldiers (almost 600,000 disarmed men), the Germans developed a recruitment programme, which Mussolini approved on 2 October 1943. The recruits came mainly from former fascist Black Shirts, repentant deserters and other pro-Axis militants. On 18 October 1943, the Italian SS Legion was officially founded in Münsingen, Germany. Thirteen battalions of Italian militiamen took their oath on 23 November 1943 and were then transferred to the SS training school in Italy. The legion initially numbered about 15,000 men. In March 1944, it was renamed the 1st Italian Volunteer Assault Brigade and deployed in April on the Anzio-Nettuno front, then in front of Rome. It fought fiercely against the Allies, repelling attacks by the 3rd American Infantry Division in particular. Its bravery even impressed Himmler himself, who on 3 May 1944 granted the Italians permission to wear the SS runes on a black background (instead of the insignia on a red background), sealing their full integration into the Waffen-SS. On 7 September 1944, the brigade became the Waffen Grenadier Brigade of the SS. It operated in northern Italy against the partisans and attempted to halt the Allied advance. In February 1945, in view of the collapse of the front, it was elevated to the rank of division. In the spring of 1945, it fought against French units in Lombardy and against partisans in Piedmont, but suffered heavy losses due to a lack of equipment and desertions. On 30 April 1945, its last units surrendered to American troops in Gorgonzola in Lombardy. This formation illustrates the desperate collaboration of some Italians with the Third Reich against the backdrop of the bloody Italian Civil War. It symbolises the ideological division of Italy; after the war, some veterans were even involved in illegal anti-communist networks during the dark period of the Strategy of Tension.