NORTHERN ITALY AND THE ITALIAN SOCIAL REPUBLIC
In 1943 as a reaction to Mussolini's overthrow and the landings of the
allies in Southern Italy, the Germans occupied Italy.
They divided it into two areas :
- for strategical reasons the Northern and North Eastern provinces were
put under direct German rule and were organized as "Operations Zones"
Adriatisches_Küstenland and Alpenvorland.
- the remaining became the Italian Social Republic, under tight German
controle.
____________________________________________________________________________
GERMAN ADMINISTRATORS IN ITALY
The German administration of northern Italy - except the Operation Zones -
was de facto divided between three officeholders.
General Plenipotentiary and Ambassador in Italy
General Bevolmächtigter und Botschafter in Italien
(responsible for general political issues and for relations with
the Mussolini-regime)
1943 - 1945 Rudolf Rahn 1900 - 1975
Plenipotentiary and Highest S.S. and Policeleader
Bevolmächtigter und Höchster S.S. and Polizeiführer
(responsible for the military administration, the security and
the fight against the resistance, also for both Operation Zones)
1943 - 1945 Karl Wolff 1900 - 1984
Head of the Military Administration
Leiter der Militärverwaltung
1943 - 1945 Otto Gustav Wächler 1901 - 1949
Commanders in Chief of the South Western War Zone
Oberbefehlhaber der Kriegsschauplatze Sudwest
(responsible for the war against the Allies ; held some
administrative functions in the war zone)
1943 - 1945 Albert Kesselring (1) 1885 - 1960
1945 Heinrich Gottfried von Vietinghoff-Scheel 1887 - 1952
1945 Friedrich (Fritz) Schulz, deposed by Wolff
after his refusal to surrender to the Allies. 1897 - 1976
(1) Together with Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel (1891 - 1944),
Commander of Army Group B (Befehlhaber Heeresgruppe B )
for a brief period in 1943.
____________________________________________________________________________
Provisional Head of State
Capo provvisorio dello Stato
1943 - 1945 Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini,
assassinated 1883 - 1945
____________________________________________________________________________
MINISTERS
Head of the Government and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Capo del Governo e Ministro degli Affari esteri
1943 - 1945 Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini s.a.
Undersecretaries of State (Foreign Affairs)
Sottosegretari di Stato (Affari Esteri)
1943 - 1945 Serafino Mazzolini
1945 Filippo Anfuso 1901 - 1963
Minister of Defence (1944 : of the Armed Forces)
Ministro di Difesa (1944 : delle Forze armata)
1943 - 1945 Rodolfo Graziani 1882 - 1955
Undersecretary of State (Army)
Sottosegretario di Stato (Esercito)
1944 - 1945 Carlo Emanuele Basile 1885 - 1946
Undersecretaries of State (Navy)
Sottosegretari di Stato (Marina)
1943 Antonio Legnani
1943 - 1944 Ferruccio Ferrini
1944 - 1945 Giuseppe Sparzani
1945 Bruno Gemelli
Undersecretaries of State (Air)
Sottosegretari di Stato (Aeronautica)
1943 - 1944 Ernesto Botto
1944 Arrigo Tessari
1944 Manlio Molfese
1944 - 1945 Ruggero Bonomi
Ministers of the Interior
Ministri dell'Interno
1943 - 1945 Guido Buffarini-Guidi 1895 - 1945
1945 Valerio Zerbine
Minister of Grace and Justice (1943 : of Justice)
Minitri delle Grazia e Giustizia (1943 : della Giustizia)
1943 Antonino Tringali-Casanova 1888 - 1943
1943 - 1945 Pietro Pisenti
Minister of Exchange and Currency (1943 : of Finance)
Ministro degli Scambi e Valute (1943 : delle Finanze)
1943 - 1945 Giampietro Pellegrini
Ministers of Economic and Social Affairs
Ministers of Corporative Economy (1945 : of Industrial Production)
Ministri dell' Economia corporativa (1945 : della Produzione Industriale)
1943 Silvio Gai
1943 - 1945 Angelo Tarchi
Minister of Public Works
Ministro dei Lavori Publici
1943 - 1945 Ruggero Romano
Minister of Communications
Ministro delle Comunicazioni
1943 - 1945 Augusto Liverani
Minister of Labour
Ministro del Lavoro
1945 Giuseppe Spinelli
Ministers of Education and Culture
Minister of National Education
Ministro della Educazione nazionale
1943 - 1945 Carlo Alberto Biggini 1902 - 1945
Minister of Popular Culture
Ministro della Cultura popolare
1943 - 1945 Fernando Mezzasoma 1907 - 1945
____________________________________________________________________________
LEADER OF THE REPUBLICAN FASCIST PARTY / PARTITO FASCISTA
REPUBLICANO
The National Fascist Party was renamed after the proclamation of the Republic
National Secretary of the P.F.R.
Segretario Nazionale del P.F.R.
1943 - 1945 Alessandro Pavolini 1903 - 1945
____________________________________________________________________________
In 1943, even before the fall of the Mussolini-regime, delegates of non-
Fascist parties assembled in Rome and founded the Anti Fascist United Freedom
Front, renamed Committee of National Liberation/Comitato di Liberazione
Nationale (C.L.N.) after the German occupation of Italy.
Similar committees were also set up in most other cities. In the course of
the following months they regrouped into three regional committees, acting
independently of the Italian government :
- the Central Committee of National Liberation / Comitato Centrale di
Liberazione Nationale (C.C.L.N.), centred at Rome and recognised as
the leading committee.
- the Committee of National Liberation of Toscania / Comitato Toscano
di Liberazione Nationale (C.T.L.N.), centred at Firenze.
- the Committee of National Liberation of Upper - Italy / Comitato di
Liberazione Nationale per Alta Italia (C.L.N.A.I.), centred at Milano.
The first two committees lasted until the taking of Rome and Firenze by the
allies in 1944 and the subsequent restoration of the authority of the Italian
government.
The third committee - the most independent of the three - lasted until 1945.
In 1944 it staged a general revolt which resulted in the establishment of a
number of free zones - also called Partisan Republics - which were however
destroyed by the Germans before the year was over.
A new revolt in 1945 was more succesfull as it resulted in the destruction
of the Italian Social Republic and the end of German authority in most of
Northern Italy.
After this liberation the C.L.N.A.I. acted as a de facto government for North
Italy until an agreement was reached with the central government, the
liberated territories then being handed over to A.M.G., the Allied Military
Administration for Italy.
President of the Central Committee of National Liberation
Presidente del Comitato Centrale di Liberazione Nationale
1943 - 1944 Ivanoe Bonomi, before president of the
Anti Fascist United Freedom Front 1873 - 1951
Presidents of the Committee of National Liberation of Toscania
Presidenti del Comitato Toscano di Liberazione Nationale
1943 Gaetano Pieraccini
1943 - 1944 Carlo Ragghianti
Presidents of the Committee of National Liberation of Upper Italy
Presidenti del Comitato di Liberazione Nationale per Alta Italia
1943 - 1945 Alfredo Pizzoni "Longhi"
1945 Rodolfo Morandi
Back to ITALY HOME