The Army Group "Liguria" ( Heeresgruppen Ligurien , or LXXXXVII Army ) is a joint military unit of the German armed forces and the armed forces of the Italian Social Republic . This army group was formed at the end of 1943, Mussolini called it the national army of the Republic of Salo . The group was commanded by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Salo, General Alfredo Guzzoni . In addition to the Italian units directly, the German Liguria army group also included divisions. Formations of "Liguria" took part in the battles with the allied forces in northern Italy in 1944-1945.
| Army Group "Liguria" Heeresgruppen ligurien | |
|---|---|
| Years of existence | 1944 - 1945 |
| A country |  Germany  Republic of Salo |
| Participation in | World War II : |
| Commanders | |
| Famous Commanders | Rodolfo Graziani |
Formation history
After the peace talks between Italy and the allies, on September 3, 1943, the conditions for the unconditional surrender of Italy were signed. However, in the fall of 1943, Italy was occupied by German troops. On September 12, 1943, Mussolini , detained at the Albergo Rifuggio Hotel in the Apennine Mountains, was liberated by German paratroopers under Otto Skorzeny . By order of Hitler , Mussolini created the new state of the Republic of Salo. Many of the fascist institutions of Italy once again resumed their activities, earned the Ministry, the headquarters of the National Republican Guard, the Republican police, the garrison of the Black Brigades. The question of the formation of the Armed Forces also arose. But since the patriotic spirit of the Italians left much to be desired, they managed to recruit only a few thousand soldiers and form 4 divisions, 3 of which (2nd Littorio Infantry Division, 3rd Maritime Division of San Marco, 4th Alpine Division Monte Rosa ") entered the army group" Liguria ". In the summer of 1944, the staffing and training of the divisions ended and they were sent to the front.
Group composition
Composition of the formation for April 1945:
- 75th Army Corps (Commander General Hans Schlemmer )
- 34th Infantry Division (German)
- 5th Mountain Division (German)
- 2nd Littorio Infantry Division (Italian)
- Corps Lombardy
- 3rd Italian Naval Division "San Marco"
- 134th German Infantry Brigade
- 4th Italian Alpine Division "Monte Rosa"