RSI Navy and Xa MAS
Most of the Regia Marina sailed to Malta as part of the instrument of surrender. What remained with the RSI was a minimal naval force. Four Mas, 2 anti-submarine vessels and various other light vessels. There were 5 submarines stationed at Betsom and 5 in the Black Sea.
The submarines at Betasom remained in RSI hands once Enzo Grossi, Commander of Betasom, reassured the Germans of his loyalty and raised the RSI flag on 12 September 1943.
The story of the submarines in Romania is a revelation of the strange relationship between Axis partners. On 14 Nov 1943, Alberto Tozzi, established a deal with the Romanian government for the transfer of the submarines to Romanian control. Even though Romania recognized RSI as the legitimate Italian government, they protested and stalled for almost seven months in returning the 5 submarines into Italian hands. Even a letter from Mussolini to Antonescu on 14 Jan 44 met with little results. Only 4 submarines would be returned in July 1944, because that was all the RSI could afford to pay Romania after they sent the maintenance bill to Italy.
The RSI navy would have no effect in the remaining years of the war, and by German order, the only naval vessels allowed to carry the Italian flag were those dependent on the X Flottiglia Mas. Because of that, the Black Prince, Borghese, spent most of the war commanding the naval ground forces of the Barbarigo, Fulmine, Freccia, Sagittario, Lupo, and Valanga autonomous battalions.
These battalions were very respected by both German and Allied forces, however, they still felt the sting of German occupancy. To garnish needed supplies, members of the X MAS would meet German authorities at a Beretta manufacturer, get them drunk and steal the needed weapons. In other situations they would trade pigs for German cannons, managing to assemble 4 batteries of 152′s. On another occasion a Xa MAS Lt. was promoted for stealing 5,000 liters of fuel from under the nose of Germans!
The Jewish Question
In the summer of 1943, there were approximately 40,157 Jews living in Italy, of these, 6,500 were non Italians. Italy had laws discriminating Jews as of 1938 after the publication of the Race Manifest, but no substantial actions were placed against them. In fact, in the first few years after Italy’s entry into the war, Adolf Eichman announced that the French, Yugoslav and Greek zones occupied by the Italians had become a Jewish refuge. This all changed after the fall of Italy. On 16 October, 1943, 1,259 individuals were arrested by German authorities. Of these, approximately 200 were released because they were not Jewish. 1,022 were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau. 839 did not meet labor standards and were exterminated. Only 17 of this initial group of Jews would survive the war. Mussolini was aware of Germany’s deportation of Italian Jews. His official position was endorsement, but he was irritated by the fact that these actions seemed to undermine the legitimacy of his government. On 5 December, 1943, the first Italian internment camp specifically for the Jews was opened in Fossoli. On 14 March 1944, the Office of Races was created. By the end of the war, approximately one third of all Jews in Italy were either interned or exterminated.
The End
By January 1945, the Russians had entered Germany and the war was all but lost. Mussolini held hope in Hitler’s “Secret Weapons” to change the balance of war, but he was not convinced. Mussolini was upset that Germany was not giving him the authority he needed to do what he felt was necessary, and Graziani was aggravated that Germany could not trust the Italian military with independent military actions. Mussolini decided to move his government to Milano, where he could initiate contacts with the Allies. If these contacts did not bear favorable terms of surrender, he would establish a final front in Valtellina. This Allies would accept none other than a unconditional surrender and to Mussolini’s dismay, only 2,000 to 5,000 soldiers could be assembled for what he perceived as a “final heroic stand”. On 18 December 1944, Mussolini had moved his office to Milano. German Ambassador Rahn suggested he move to Merano or the Brenner Pass, but Mussolini chose Milano due in part to his wish to distance himself from German authority.
Mussolini, Pavolini and F. Barracu on 25 Apr 45. Three days before his execution
On 25 April 1945, Graziani announced to Mussolini the imminent surrender of German forces in Italy. Mussolini planned a radio broadcast announcing the Germans as turncoats, but events unfolded too quickly. That evening, Mussolini decided to escape. He brought with him documents that could be used as leverage to any war crimes trial. These documents are still a subject of great mystery. Even the details of this escape are sketchy, however, Valtellina, Switzerland or areas still controlled by the Wehrmacht were the most likely areas. On 27 April 1945, his convoy was stopped at Musso, near Dongo, by Partisans. He was immediately recognized with his girlfriend Clara Petacci. On the morning of 28 April 1945, Mussolini and Petacci were shot and killed. Other members of the convoy were killed later that evening. Their bodies were displayed the following day in Milano.
German troops surrendered in Italy on 2 May 1945 and the RSI ceased to exist. In the end, The RSI could not function as a state with the overbearing German occupation and the pressure of Partisan attacks. The last two years of the war was, in reality, an Italian civil war…fascists against partisans. Approximately 12,000 to 300,000 fascists were killed by Partisans in the last few months of war. An unknown, but significant amount of Partisans were killed by the Fascists.
Sources:
Benito Mussolini by Gino Avolio
La Repubblica di Salò by Gianni Oliva
Macchi C.202 in Action by Squadrom/Signal Publications
Italian Aces of World War 2 by Osprey Aviation
La Repubblica di Mussolini by Giorgio Bocca
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