Italian Instrument of Surrender
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (September 2024) |
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Armistice of Cassibile. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2024. |
| The Additional Conditions for the Armistice with Italy and the Instrument of Surrender of Italy | |
|---|---|
 Marshal Pietro Badoglio (at left) and General Dwight D Eisenhower (at right) escorted by Allied officers aboard the British battleship HMS Nelson prior to the signing of the surrender document at Malta. | |
| Type | Capitulation |
| Signed | 29 September 1943 |
| Location | Malta, aboard the British battleship HMS Nelson |
| Condition | Signed |
| Signatories | |
| Parties | |
| Ratifiers | |
The Additional Conditions for the Armistice with Italy as referred in Italy, or the Instrument of Surrender of Italy referred by the Allies, was a legal document which was signed between Italy and the Allies at Malta on 29 September 1943.[1]
It was signed by Marshal Pietro Badoglio for Italy, and General Dwight D. Eisenhower for the Allies, at Malta aboard at the British battleship HMS Nelson. The term Additional Conditions for the Armistice with Italy was coined by the Italians as they had already signed the Armistice of Cassibile, an armistice ending the hostilities between Italy and the Allies signed in 3 September.[2] The agreement signed at Malta is considered to be the 'longer' version of the armistice. But for the Allies it was considered as the Instrument of Surrender of Italy.
Background
[edit]
Following the Fall of the Fascist regime in Italy, which saw Benito Mussolini ousted and arrested by King Victor Emmanuel III and replaced by Badoglio. The Italians had began to contact the Allies to cease hostilities between them. On 3 September, the Armistice of Cassibile was signed by General Giuseppe Castellano on behalf of Badoglio and General Walter Bedell Smith on behalf of Eisenhower. The armistice had to take effect on 8 September along with the Badoglio Proclamation.[citation needed]
Before the armistice. Germany had been distrustful of Italy as it believed that Italy was secretly negotiating with the Allies for a separate peace. After the Badoglio Proclamation and for the armistice to take effect on 8 September. Germany began to launch Operation Achse, a campaign to disarm Italian forces and occupy Italy. On September 23, the Italian Social Republic was established by the Germans with Mussolini as the head of state, after the Germans led by SS Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny rescued him at Campo Imperatore.[3]
Signing
[edit]The surrender document was signed by Badoglio and Eisenhower respectively aboard HMS Nelson, with both Allied and Italian officers witnessing the signing ceremony. The article includes that all Italian land, air, and naval forces must surrender to the Allies unconditionally, the Fascist organizations must be dismantled throughout Italy and the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini along with his high-ranking Fascist officials must be handed over to the United Nations. The surrender instrument was immediately on effect.
References
[edit]- ^ Garland & Smyth, Sicily and the Surrender of Italy, Volume 11. Part 2, p. 559.
- ^ Howard McGaw Smyth, "The Armistice of Cassibile", Military Affairs 12:1 (1948), 12–35.
- ^ Di Michele, Vincenzo (2015). The Last Secret of Mussolini. Il Cerchio. ISBN 978-8884744227.
See also
[edit]- Armistice of Cassibile
- Badoglio Proclamation
- German Instrument of Surrender
- Japanese Instrument of Surrender
- Kingdom of the South
Bibliography
[edit]- Ivan Palermo, The Story of an Armistice , Le Scie, Mondadori, Milan, 1967