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Too Little, Too Late

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Title
Too Little, Too Late
Description
Late on 8 September, the same day the armistice between Italy and the Allies was announced, elements of the 433rd Medium Tank Battalion in Fidenza were ordered to move east to Parma. There, in an attempt to keep the Germans from occupying key positions in the city, they were …
Publisher
Date
1943-09-09
Scenario#
52
Scenario Description
Late on 8 September, the same day the armistice between Italy and the Allies was announced, elements of the 433rd Medium Tank Battalion in Fidenza were ordered to move east to Parma. There, in an attempt to keep the Germans from occupying key positions in the city, they were to link up with another force coming north from Langhirano. Early on the morning of the 9th the column from Fidenza was working its way through the city to the bridges spanning the Parma River, hoping to establish a bridgehead east of it. Suddenly a group of German motorcyclists appeared – but the tankers declined to open fire on them. After a few moments the cyclists roared off, increasing the anxiety of the Italians who felt a confrontation was now imminent. Nevertheless they proceeded on toward the bridges. As the Ponte Emberto bridge came into view, the column commander spotted an AT gun on it.
Location
Parma, Italy
Battle Name
Battle Narrative
Operation Achse, originally called Operation Alaric, was the codename for the German operation to forcibly disarm the Italian armed forces after Italy's armistice with the Allies on 3 September 1943. The Germans disarmed over a million Italian troops within a matter of days, annihilating the Italian military and state. Several German divisions had entered Italy after the fall of Benito Mussolini in July 1943, while Italy was officially still an ally of Germany, despite the protests of the new Italian government under Pietro Badoglio. The Armistice of Cassibile was made public on 8 September. German forces moved rapidly to take over the Italian zones of occupation in the Balkans and southern France, and to disarm Italian forces in Italy.
Narrative Source
Combatants
Italian
German
Additional Information
Scenario Type = Standard
Collection:

Geolocation