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Commander Luigi Durand de la Penne
On June 22, 1944 the Italian destroyer Greciale carried British Frogmen, along with Italy’s Commander Luigi Durand de la Penne (the Italian frogman who severely disabled the HMS Valiant) to La Spezia, where the Germans manned the naval installation. They entered the harbor and sank the unservicable cruisers Gorizia and Bolzano . The Germans had planned to use these ships as blockades of the harbor entrance
Mixed results  were achieved with the Allied Italian Air Force. In some instances they would not intercept RSI aircraft during Allied bombing sorties. The main reason was that the RSI Air Force was attempting to prevent the bombing of Italian cities and, although unspoken, most Allied Italian fighter pilots wanted these cities protected as well.
The Folgore Combat Group were deployed at the beginning of 1945 at the front between Senio and Santerno valleys. The Germans prepared a strong defense to bar the entrance and employed their Fallschirmjager of General Ramcke.
Italian Partisans
This battle was fought at Grizzano on 19 Apr 45 and after a day of heavy fighting, the Germans were forced the leave their positions and withdrew. The day after, 255 Italian paratroopers of F Squadron and Nembo Regiment flew on a American Douglas C-47 to take part in the “Herring 1” Operation to bring confusion to the German rear area. They were very successful in assault fighting, sabotages, destruction of vehicles, depots and military installations.
Partisan actions in the North was more Radical than any other place in Italy. The Communists, who were very organized, formed Garibaldi Units. These units, which included special teams such as the Gruppo d’Azione Popolare (gappisti) carried out direct attacks against the Germans and Fascists. One of their favorite tactics was to wire explosives on a road used by Axis trucks. The Communists also formed anti-scorch squads preventing Germans from sabotaging power plants, factories, bridges and dams.
Guerrilla bands raided depots for weapons and used air dropped Allied ammunition to blow up trains, mine roads and ambush German and RSI (Republica Sociale Italiana) troops. In other areas, partisans split up into bands and adopted hit and run tactics, blocking mountain passes and ambushing patrols.
In Bologna, Turin, Venice, Geno and Milan, underground leaders commenced full scale insurrections expelling the Germans hours and even days before Allies were able to arrive.
Italian Partisans receiving OSS briefing
In Turin, citizens drove a truck into a prison and liberated many political and other prisoners. Communists barricaded themselves in factories, throwing Molotov cocktails at passing German convoys. Anti-scorch squads prevented Germans from sabotaging their factories.
In Florence, street fighting lasted a week, until the British 8th Army arrived. Partisan casualties amounted to 300 killed.
In Genoa, 3,100 poorly armed partisans accepted the surrender of 6,000 Germans.
In Venice, partisans rounded up 140, 293 prisoners for the Allies.
Partisan membership grew from some 20,000 in May of 1944 to 200,000 by April of 1945. By April 21, 1945, the partisans attacked in an organized sweep, and took control of all towns and cities not yet reached by the Allies.
Over 35,000 partisans died by the time Italy was liberated in the spring of 1945.
The war ends in Italy on May 2, 1945.
Source: Italy at War, World War II; Time Life books.1982, I Paracadutisti Italiani 1937/45; Giuseppe Lundari, Pietro Compagni. Editrice Militare Italiano-Serie “De Bello”
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