Drawing the Curtain on the Occupation

This chapter describes the period that unceremoniously ended the Italian military occupation in France during World War II. Starting in late July 1943, the Italians set in motion their gradual disengagement from southeastern France. In theory all units, with the exception of a few coastal divisions, were supposed to return to Italy by midnight on September 9. Officially the Italians were moving their troops from France in order to shore up Italy’s defenses. The end of the occupation matched its beginnings in June 1940 and September 1942, both in its strategic improvisation and utter disorganization. This chapter explains how the disorganization of the Italian Army, combined with the sudden announcement of the Franco-Italian armistice, changed what should have been a gradual disengagement from southeastern France to a complete rout back into Italy. It shows that the Italian Army commanders in the French Riviera, caught completely unaware by the declaration of the armistice, had to make a hasty and disorganized retreat, with entire units ending up captured by the Germans.