Operational Zones
After the overthrow of Benito Mussolini, the Italian government secretly began negotiations with the Allies about Italy switching sides to the Allied camp. In retaliation the Germans occupied large parts of Italy, freed Mussolini, and re-installed him as the puppet ruler of a new fascist state in those parts that were occupied by the German army. While officially in control over all the areas held by erstwhile Fascist Italy, large parts in the northeast located between Switzerland and the Adriatic were re-organized as Operational Zones (Operationszonen). These were informally annexed by Germany, and attached to adjacent Gaue of the Reich. There were two such Operational Zones:
| English name | German name | Headquarters | Established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral | Operationszone Adriatisches Küstenland (OZAK) | Triest | 1943 | Formed out of the Italian-occupied areas of Yugoslav Slovenia, the Istrian peninsula, and Friuli and Gorizia provinces. Attached (not incorporated) to Reichsgau of Carinthia. |
| Operational Zone of the Alpine Foothills | Operationszone Alpenvorland (OZAV) | Bozen | 1943 | Formed out of former South Tyrol, Italian Trentino, and adjacent smaller parts of northeastern Italy. Attached (not incorporated) to Reichsgau of Tirol-Voralberg. |
In a supplementary OKW order dated 10 September 1943, Hitler decrees on the establishment of further Operational Zones in Northern Italy, which were the stretch all the way to the French border. Unlike Alpenvorland and Küstenland, these zones did not immediately receive high commissioners (oberster kommissar) as civilian advisors, but were military regions where the commander was to exercise power on behalf of Army Group B. Operation zone Nordwest-Alpen or Schweizer Grenze was located between the Stelvio Pass and Monte Rosa and was to contain wholly the Italian provinces of Sondrio and Como and parts of the provinces of Brescia, Varese, Novara and Vercelli. The zone of Französische Grenze was to encompass areas west of Monte Rosa and was to incorporate the province of Aosta and a part of the province of Turin, and presumably also the provinces of Cuneo and Imperia.
Read more about this topic: Administrative Divisions Of Nazi Germany
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