Difference between revisions of "Battle of Cephalonia (Massacre of Italian soldiers, 1943)"

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==Background==
 
==Background==
  
On the night of 9/10 September, fighting between the former Axis allies erupted in Bastia, the principal port of Corsica . German naval infantry seized the harbor at midnight but Italian troops counterattacked early that morning and drove the Germans from their newly-won positions.
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On the night of 9/10 September, fighting between the former Axis allies erupted in Bastia, the principal port of Corsica . German naval infantry seized the harbor at midnight but Italian troops counterattacked early that morning and drove the Germans from their newly-won positions.<ref>"Elsewhere, fighting between the erstwhile allies had already erupted. At Bastia, in Corsica, German navy troops seized the harbor at midnight ... Italian troops counterattacked early that morning and drove the Germans from their positions." Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean Theater, 1940-1945, Vincent O'Hara, p. 220, Naval Institute Press, 2009</ref>
  
With the German invasion force defeated, a small German flotilla consisting of eight ships fled the harbor. However, the Italian destroyer escort ''Aliseo'', supported by a corvette and Italian shore batteries sank all eight with heavy loss of German lives.  
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The fighting intensified, but the Italian defenders knew the territory well, ambushing German columns on the main roads, capturing 800 Germans in the process.
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With the German invasion force defeated, a small German flotilla consisting of eight ships fled the harbor. However, the Italian destroyer escort ''Aliseo'', supported by a corvette and Italian shore batteries sank all eight with heavy loss of German lives.<ref>"After the Armistice many small unit surface actions occurred in the western Mediterranean beginning on the morning of 9 September 1943. The German navy launched a surprise attack to capture the port of Bastia in northern Corsica. When this failed, a small flotilla consisting of UJ2203, UJ22119, five MFPs, and a rescue launch fled the harbor. The Italian torpedo boat Aliseo engaged them and sank all eight (with belated help from shore batteries and a corvette). Italian corvettes had several other skirmishes with German coastal craft and shore batteries at Piombino sank TA11 before the Italian navy withdrew south in accordance with the terms of the armistice." The German Fleet at War, 1939-1945, Vincent O'Hara, Naval Institute Press, 2013</ref>
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In all, the fighting in Corsica resulted in the deaths of 245 Italians, 75 French and around 1,000 Germans.<ref>"The Nazis were eventually chased to their bridgehead at Bastia, where, with air support and far superior numbers, they were able to embark for Italy. In total, the liberation of Corsica left 75 French soldiers dead, 245 Italians and around 1,000 Germans." The Resistance: The French Fight Against the Nazis, Matthew Cobb, p. 193, Simon and Schuster, 2009</ref>
  
 
== Notes ==
 
== Notes ==

Revision as of 22:49, January 17, 2017

Following the Italian Armistice of 8 September 1943, there was heavy fighting in the island of Corsica between the Italian defenders in the form of the Friuli and Cremona Divisions, and the German invaders in the form of the 90th and 91st Panzergrenadier Divisions. The Italian defenders of Corsica saw themselves as having to abide by the orders of the new Italian government of Marshal Pietro Badoglio and defeated the Germans in the Battle of Corsica. Despite several Italian units electing to fight alongside the German forces, particularly the Regia Aeronautica and Nembo Parachute Division, the Germans were determined to ruthlessly punish any further Italian attempts to resist German units taking over Italian-occupied territories.

Background

On the night of 9/10 September, fighting between the former Axis allies erupted in Bastia, the principal port of Corsica . German naval infantry seized the harbor at midnight but Italian troops counterattacked early that morning and drove the Germans from their newly-won positions.[1]

The fighting intensified, but the Italian defenders knew the territory well, ambushing German columns on the main roads, capturing 800 Germans in the process.

With the German invasion force defeated, a small German flotilla consisting of eight ships fled the harbor. However, the Italian destroyer escort Aliseo, supported by a corvette and Italian shore batteries sank all eight with heavy loss of German lives.[2]

In all, the fighting in Corsica resulted in the deaths of 245 Italians, 75 French and around 1,000 Germans.[3]

Notes

  1. "Elsewhere, fighting between the erstwhile allies had already erupted. At Bastia, in Corsica, German navy troops seized the harbor at midnight ... Italian troops counterattacked early that morning and drove the Germans from their positions." Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean Theater, 1940-1945, Vincent O'Hara, p. 220, Naval Institute Press, 2009
  2. "After the Armistice many small unit surface actions occurred in the western Mediterranean beginning on the morning of 9 September 1943. The German navy launched a surprise attack to capture the port of Bastia in northern Corsica. When this failed, a small flotilla consisting of UJ2203, UJ22119, five MFPs, and a rescue launch fled the harbor. The Italian torpedo boat Aliseo engaged them and sank all eight (with belated help from shore batteries and a corvette). Italian corvettes had several other skirmishes with German coastal craft and shore batteries at Piombino sank TA11 before the Italian navy withdrew south in accordance with the terms of the armistice." The German Fleet at War, 1939-1945, Vincent O'Hara, Naval Institute Press, 2013
  3. "The Nazis were eventually chased to their bridgehead at Bastia, where, with air support and far superior numbers, they were able to embark for Italy. In total, the liberation of Corsica left 75 French soldiers dead, 245 Italians and around 1,000 Germans." The Resistance: The French Fight Against the Nazis, Matthew Cobb, p. 193, Simon and Schuster, 2009