Background
The Kingdom of Italy on 8 September 1943 signed a truce with the Allies. In response, the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) and the Waffen-SS disarmed Italian troops unless they were fighting for the German cause. The new Italian Social Republic was founded on 23 September 1943 under dictator Benito Mussolini and this allowed Italians to be recruited for Waffen-SS. On 2 October 1943, Heinrich Himmler and Gottlob Berger devised the Programm zur Aufstellung der italienischen Milizeinheiten durch die Waffen-SS which was approved by Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
Read more about this topic: 29th Waffen Grenadier Division Of The SS (1st Italian)
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