The last day in Fiume... (GJ-Rgt 901)

[90th Light]

Hallo Chris

I agree with you that Freyberg fought his war with varying fortune for the interests of his coalition and that the New Zealanders have behaved in general in a more chivalrous way than others in the clashes with Italian troops and also towards the civilian population. As you can read in the book of Geoffrey Cox, The Road to Trieste, initially there was some confusion and even some active collaboration with the Yugoslavs (and also some notes of contempt for the eyeties italians who were receiving only what they deserved and some lack of interest for the treatment of the prisoners at the hands of the partisans). Certainly, I do not deny that the situation was chaotic and it was difficult in those moments correctly orient their behavior, from which could immediately derive an international clash. After all, the Yugoslavs were allies yet and the Italians were the enemies. Of course, this also resulted from the ambiguous British policy towards Tito. Subsequently, of course, in the light of the conduct of Yugoslavia, they developed some distinguished understanding and sympathy for the people, also in relation to the evolution of the overall political situation and the received orders.

Best regards

Hello enorepap,

I can see you are well read and have a good intelligence in this matter.

The New Zealand soldiers seem to have been intolerant of of Nazi or Fascist die-hards. I remember my uncle telling me of a German sniper who shoot the NZ driver of the lead truck and the driver of the rear truck. The convey was then stuck and he could pick off NZ soldiers at will. The New Zealand soldiers charged him and got him down from the tree he was using for cover. Even though he tried to surrender, he was beaten to death. After the event, his body was searched for information and an HJ badge was found pinned on his tunic. Uncle said, many felt it was right he was done in because Germans wearing HJ badges were seen as really bad and always trouble.

On the other hand a Maori veteran with tears in his eyes told me of a group of young Germans taken prisoner. Initially they were terrorized that they would chopped up for dinner. Instead they were feed and even given a blanket or two to sleep. The next day a 28 Battalion commander arrived and said they had to go fast. the Germans were advancing quickly. The soldiers asked, what about the German POW's ? The commander promptly took his pistol and shoot each one in the head. The old Maori soldier cried and told to me that was wrong. You do not share Kia at night then kill a man the next morning in cold blood,

A lot comes down to who is there at the time, what just happened and who is in command,

Chris

[enorepap]

The mine shaft of Basovizza has a sad story because his first victim was the engineer who had designed it and committed suicide by throwing himself in as he could not find the mineral that he was looking for. The contents of the well is still historically uncertain, but it is well established that it still contains, in addition to the artillery thrown in by the Austrians in retreat in 1918, many citizens of Trieste, almost all the Italian staff of the Police, the bodies of dead Germans and horses of the last battle and, it seems but it is not clearly shown because the allied authorities almost immediately interrupted the recovery operations) even some New Zealand soldiers (it is not clear, if it is true, if they were deliberately threw into the well by the partisans). In the vicinity of its opening were carried out the so-called popular processes that included clubbing and mutilation of the victims; the parish priests of the place refused the last rites to the morituri. This is not western propaganda but it was historically ascertained. The well was (and still is) the center of a great controversy and it has only recently been declared a national monument. In the Italian territory there are few natural cavities, since the bulk is in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Another cavity enough known , but more hidden, is the foiba no. 149, where in the '50s, a crew of German speleologists clambered down and retrieved some tattered uniforms from which it was possible to establish that a lot of german wounded of the Trieste military hospital had been thrown in it. Also it is now covered with a reinforced concrete slab and ... forgotten. Then there are many smaller caves where smaller groups of soldiers and civilians were found. Finally a lot of mass graves, such as the yet to be discovered in Divaccia, ten kilometers from the border, where was massacred and buried half of the Legion of the Finance Guard. As for the acts of war, I remember an episode in Tunisia of wounded soldiers' suppression, but during the military operations this may happen especially during the most fierce fighting and I have to say that this has never been the rule for the New Zealand and Italian soldiers, who have always respected the defeated enemy.

Best regards

[enorepap]

In the chaos of the battle, anything can happen and acts of revenge, especially when death strikes some friends, are understandable and popular in all armies. Also, a rearguard sniper already knows that his fate is sealed. Even the Italian troops have committed many acts of violence, especially during the counterinsurgency in the Balkans. Many incidents have also occurred during the First World War, although it is thought that it was a more chivalrous war than the second one.

Best regards

[90th Light]

The mine shaft of Basovizza has a sad story because his first victim was the engineer who had designed it and committed suicide by throwing himself in as he could not find the mineral that he was looking for. The contents of the well is still historically uncertain, but it is well established that it still contains, in addition to the artillery thrown in by the Austrians in retreat in 1918, many citizens of Trieste, almost all the Italian staff of the Police, the bodies of dead Germans and horses of the last battle and, it seems but it is not clearly shown because the allied authorities almost immediately interrupted the recovery operations) even some New Zealand soldiers (it is not clear, if it is true, if they were deliberately threw into the well by the partisans). In the vicinity of its opening were carried out the so-called popular processes that included clubbing and mutilation of the victims; the parish priests of the place refused the last rites to the morituri. This is not western propaganda but it was historically ascertained. The well was (and still is) the center of a great controversy and it has only recently been declared a national monument. In the Italian territory there are few natural cavities, since the bulk is in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Another cavity enough known , but more hidden, is the foiba no. 149, where in the '50s, a crew of German speleologists clambered down and retrieved some tattered uniforms from which it was possible to establish that a lot of german wounded of the Trieste military hospital had been thrown in it. Also it is now covered with a reinforced concrete slab and ... forgotten. Then there are many smaller caves where smaller groups of soldiers and civilians were found. Finally a lot of mass graves, such as the yet to be discovered in Divaccia, ten kilometers from the border, where was massacred and buried half of the Legion of the Finance Guard. As for the acts of war, I remember an episode in Tunisia of wounded soldiers' suppression, but during the military operations this may happen especially during the most fierce fighting and I have to say that this has never been the rule for the New Zealand and Italian soldiers, who have always respected the defeated enemy.

Best regards

Very interesting and information I did not know.

It is hard to express the sadness of such incidents. My mother was a nurse and she always said, German solders and even Waffen SS they might have been. However, at the end of the day they are always someone's son, father or brother.

Of course one has to also ask, what have the ones who commit such crimes been through. What had happened to their families to make them want such revenge ? Not all that was done was a mob mentality but a lot was.

I can not explain it but I am fascinated by Trieste and the Italian campaign. A part of history some times wrongly over-looked.

Thank you for posting'

Chris

[90th Light]

In the chaos of the battle, anything can happen and acts of revenge, especially when death strikes some friends, are understandable and popular in all armies. Also, a rearguard sniper already knows that his fate is sealed. Even the Italian troops have committed many acts of violence, especially during the counterinsurgency in the Balkans. Many incidents have also occurred during the First World War, although it is thought that it was a more chivalrous war than the second one.

Best regards

The horror of certain aspects of WW1 might even be seen to be worse. However, it is the Concentration Camps and Iron Squads that separates WW2 from WW1, in many people's minds A form of mindless, deliberate killing as opposed to a sense of death from duty that can not be explained.

Either way, many never got over WW1 or WW2. To this day, many still do not forget or forgive such horror,

Chris

[enorepap]

Hallo Chris

I completely agree with you. A very complex topic. If i have any free time I will post some interesting links (I hope from various sources and not only in Italian language and from the Italian point of view exclusively) about the final phase of the war in the north-eastern region. As far as I'm concerned, a lot of worst episodes occurred in a very larger scale in northern Jugoslavia and Southern Austria. Just a couple of examples, the anti-tank ditch of Maribor (Marburg) or the Kocevje pitch (about them a lot of newspapers' articles appeared in the last years on the international press). Count Tolstoy also wrote two books about the forced repatriation of the Cossacks, who fought alongside the Germans, and their families. (Victims of Yalta in 1977 and The Minister and the massacres of 1986). A very conspicuous part of this contingent was stationed in North-Eastern Italy and the other main part was composed by the XV Cavalry Corps led by v. Pannwitz and which fought in Eastern Croatia. I remember that the second of these books was banned in UK (and in fact it is very scarce to find and also quite expensive) and there was also a trial against the Count and his co-workers which ended (at least in its first phase) with the declaration of their guilt.

Best regards

[90th Light]

Thank you enorepap,

I would welcome any links or information that you have the time to provide. My primary area of interest has been the SS and Police units in or around Trieste at the time of the surrender. However, I am now going to extend this to the KM & WH units encountered in April & May 1945. Even though Trieste was occupied and surrendered by the start of May 1945. There were still things happening in Austria and Croatia that some New Zealand soldiers have noted, or acquired items from.
The KM are a particular interest because I have a lot of KM items picked up in Italy in 1945. When it comes to GJR 136 & 901, I have Soldbuch and Wehrpass from those units taken at this time,

Appreciate the interest in the matter,

Chris

[enorepap]

Hallo Chris

Just the time to gather my books, OoB, etc.
I hope to be able during next week-end.
The situation in the OZAK at the end of the war is also one my main historical interest. As a note I have a waffenrock (I acquired it in Innsbruck more than thirty years ago) of a 2nd lieutenant of GJR 136 (unfortunately it lacks one of the shoulder straps).
Finally, but only for tonight, an historical anecdote (just as an appetizer for more structured information): the commander of the defense of Opicina was Lieutenant Colonel Laurin that at the time of the surrender committed suicide near the obelisk, which I passed hundreds of times. In the same place there is still an old hotel, now decadent, where it is said that even the families of some German officers killed themselves to avoid falling into the hands of the partisans, but I have no proof of this and these are just rumors that I have picked when I lived in Trieste:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ghlight=laurin

As you see, unfortunately no response so far.

Best regards and I promise you that I will begin to write my information between Saturday and Sunday

Marcello

[90th Light]

Thank you again Marcello (enorepap),

This matter in a different way is also being discussed on this thread and some interesting information is now being shared;

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=881589

Thanks for your help Chris, there are so many contradicting stories, but I believe I figured it out with your help. On route the ANZACS took 615 POW at Miramare and many small POW groups, at San Giusto castle they took another 182 POW, they too had a lucky postwar time. At the Tribunale the WSS (including the SS men of Globocnik?))had a last stand refusing to surrender so with the help of the ANZAC tanks the Jugoslav Partisans stormed it, took 200 POW but surely there was no mercy on them. Genmaj Linkenbach (north of Trieste HQ)with 824 men also made it safely to the ANZAC Montcalfone POW cages. At Villa Opcina the ANZACS were surrounded by hostile partisans themselves and handed over their German POWs due to the danger of an inter-allied battle (after a night of guarding eating and talking together). A further 6.000 Germans made it across the sea into ANZAC captivity (Latisania cages) and the rest had the grim fate of being Jugoslav POWs. So all in all there weren´t so many hand-overs as I heard. The Germans didn´t really resist the ANZAC offensive at Trieste in order to become POWs in the West.

Hello
Abteilung R managed to retreat to Austria with Globocnik and disbanded there.
The fate of the SS-Wachmannschaften (which were mostly made up of local personnel) is not very clear, as far as it is known some disbanded in Trieste, some along the way to Austria.
Stefano

However, I am now wondering if it needs a whole new thread started which is dedicated to this topic in the "Order of Battle, Unit History" section of WAF ?

Chris

[enorepap]

Hallo Chris

These information are substantially correct. The German sources are obviously numerically very limited about whereas the Italian ones are quite numerous as well as the Yugoslav, for which of course I have the last obstacle of the language barrier because I do not know the Croatian/Serbian language, and so I have great difficulty in translation, without prejudice to the military terminology in the strict sense.

The German sources are good, especially some specific studies, such as those of Kaltenegger, who have a purely operative approach and not an high strategic vision, as in the cases of Schraml (partially), Rendulic, Schmidt-Richberg and Hnilicka. Here is a link to a wide Slavic online library where you can freely view and back up the volumes that I mentioned you in german language mainly, as well as thousands of others in slavonic on the entire Yugoslav national liberation war:

http://znaci.net/

Another reliable source is the specific book of the big serie Zur Geschichte der Deutschen Kriegsgefangenen des Zweiten Weltkrieges, Wissenschaftliche Kommission für deutsche Kriegsgefangenengeschichte, by Kurt W. Böhme & Erich Maschke, printed by Verlag Ernst & Werner Gieseking, Bielefeld 1962 bis 1974, that sometimes appears on eBay at a not exactly affordable price. Also Der jugoslawische Kriegsschauplatz (Januar 1943 bis Mai 1945) by Klaus Schmider (who was also the author of another book about the period 1941-1944, that therefore goes beyond our specific time frame) in: Karl-Heinz Frieser (Hrsg.): Die Ostfront 1943/44 – Der Krieg im Osten und an den Nebenfronten, printed by Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 2007.

In the same above link there are also some books in english language.

I hope this will be helpful at the moment.

Best regards

Marcello

[enorepap]

At first, this very interesting source:

http://www.vicosanlucifero.it/

You have to search on Excalibur (on the right side), after no. 24 and finally the special article about the Sardinia’s Volunteers Battalion G.M. Angioy (from the name of a famous independist hero of Sardinia), which fought (but was also affected by a lot of desertions) in the OZAK. This is a very obscure formation but unfortunately the article is only in Italian language.

It is useless for me to quote you the New Zealander bibliography by W. D. Dawson, Robin Kay, etc., that I possess entirely (in electronical format) for both the WW1 and WW2, because you know these books better than me.

Well, now the German OoB in the last defense of Trieste. According to my sources:

- C.O. Gen.Maj. Hermann Linkenbach (1889-1959) with his staff in Villa Geiringer. I once saw a picture of his jacket that he gave at the act of surrender as a final gift to a famous person of Trieste (Diego de Henriquez, see the link), taking for himself as a remembrance of his active duty only a shoulder strap and a collar patch.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_de_Henriquez

- 1st sector (coastal defense) Miramare-Muggia, C.O. Fregattenkpt. Hermann Riegele, who held the last lucky resistance in the Castle of San Giusto
- 2nd sector (urban defense), probably but not sure, Major der SchuPo Matz
- 3rd sector (advanced defense) General LInkenbach himself

From these sectors depended these units:
- Some parts of GJR 901 in Opicina
- Festungs-Pionier-Stab 30 + a Coy of Geb.Pi.Btl. 1088 in Opicina
- Nachrichten Kp./GJR 901 in Aurisina
- Pi.Kp./GJR 901 in Doberdò
- Sich.Btl. 901 from Sistiana Bay to the mouth of the Isonzo River
- II/GJR 901 from Barcola to Sistiana
- I/GJR 902 + some parts of Art.Rgt. 1088 in Muggia
- Marine-Fest.Pi.Btl. 313; Marine-Art.Abt. 626; Marine-Flak Abt. 730 and 821; Heeres-Kusten-Art. Abt. 1109; liaison command of the Italian artillery no. 9; considerable forces of the Navy (including some field units) and some units of the SS Polizei reinforced by tanks, including some T34 of the 5th Polizei Panzer Kompanie (of which exist some images that testify their use by the Germans and subsequent capture by the partisans in the Opicina-Basovizza area).

In the urban area the main resistance points were located, besides the aforementioned castle and villa, in the courthouse of Foro Ulpiano (on whose surrender negotiations, instead concluded with the resistance to the bitter end by a few SS barricaded within, there is an interesting photographic series) and in the Old Port area (from the Bersaglieri – sharpshooters - pier to the Barcola’s beach), supported by the fire of some small war vessels.

As I recall, the partisans who came down from Opicina-Basovizza had many losses by the fire of a resistance nest, hidden near the road of the University.

I also recall the bulbs factory Elba, whose garrison was completely machine-gunned and the area of the Lantern and Campus Martius from which were also picked up many members of the italian Finance Guard Legion (for the precision 97 officers, Nco’s and enlisted which are still officially registered as MIA), falsely accused of having opened fire on the partisans while they were fighting against a few scattered groups of Germans. Some days later, they were stripped of their uniforms and massacred in Basovizza but, in my opinion, much more likely in Divaccia. The same fate had almost the entire italian police personnel on duty at the police headquarters in Trieste, who were thrown alive in the mine shaft of Basovizza.

Also the Muggia garrison was offhandedly massacred during the attempt to retreat and reach the urban area of Trieste. Instead, the coastal defense's forces north of the city, from Sistiana to the Castle of Miramare, surrendered to the New Zealand troops, advancing along the coastal road.

The advanced defenses were concentrated in the Karst road junction of Opicina, on the Karst edge just above the town of Trieste. Initially the defenders numbered about 3000 men (probably this is an inflated calculation by the Yugoslavs to magnify their sweaty victory). C.O. was the commander of the Festungs-Pionier-Stab 30, who had at his disposal for the fighting the Heeres-Kusten-Art. Abt. 1109, some Navy soldiers and parts of the garrison evacuated from Pula, as well as likely some parts of the Geb.Pi.Btl. 1088 and of the GJR 901. At the end of the fighting the survivors numbered about 1200, but only a few dozen escaped their mortal destiny in the partisan captivity, following the New Zealander column that fell to Trieste from north-east. The fighting took place also in the adjacent area of the obelisk where it happened the episode of the suicide of Lieutenant Colonel Laurin that I have already mentioned. Around 8,000 Germans, including an officer (the Commander?) of the Marine-Art.Abt. 626 managed to escape by sea and surrendered to the New Zealanders at the mouth of the Tagliamento River, west of Lignano, and in the Grado coastline. Only some parts of the italian San Giusto Battalion of the X MAS Division managed to escape by sea to Venice as well as the Slovenian domobranci, who reached the mouth of the Tagliamento, but lost their commander, MIA on the route to Gorizia.

In the next days I will try to keep up with the other sectors. (Istria, Pula, Pazin, Fiume, Gorizia, etc.)

Best regards

[enorepap]

Fortress of Pola

Konteradmiral Georg Waue (1901-1945) C.O. of the Festung Pola, shot with his HQ staff by the partisans after the surrender. In some sources there is some confusion about the real commander of the fortress because the 1047th Regiment was led by an Oberst Franz Bauer. (I have no information about him and about his fate). The similarity of the two names may have risen to some doubts, but the fact that Waue not left the city is now certain, at least according to my sources. Surely some units, including the Marine-Art. Abt. 621 (C.O. Korvettenkpt. Fichtner), the Italian divers School of Portorož and some members of the Brioni East Operational Base, abandoned Pola by sea; some parts of the 1047th Rgt. tried to reach Trieste but were involved in heavy fighting along the way and almost destroyed.

So, the Pula garrison in the last fights was composed as follows:

- The remains of a battalion of the 1047th Regiment
- A single battery of the 237th Artillerie Regiment.
- Unspecified troops of the Navy and anti-aircraft units
- The remains of the Nazario Sauro Coy. of the Italian X Mas Division (Corvette Captain Baccarini) with about 60 men
- The remains of a Company of the 2nd Regiment of the Territorial Defence Militia (Captain Carlo Bacchetta) with about 100 men
- Unspecified Italian artillery units and a detachment of the Republican Navy.

On May 5, 1945, the Germans retreated in the ancient fortifications of the peninsula of Musil. They were roughly 1500/2000 men at most, who surrendered on May 8, 1945. From some sources it is noted that most of them were killed on the spot within the old fortress or by drowning in the sea.

Best regards

[enorepap]

Undoubtedly the Yugoslav pincer movement was very clever and the German troops remained substantially inert, defending themselves on the spot until their complete destruction. The Korpsgruppe Rosener was too weak and scattered throughout the area in order to bring them some relief. Composition as for April 26, 1945:

- SS Pol. Rgt. 17, I and III/SS Pol. Rgt. 28 Todt (C.O. Heinacker), 1st and 14th Pol. Panzerkompanien in Gotenica-Kocevje-Krka river
- III/ SS Pol. Rgt. 19 in Velike Lasce-Ribnica-Kocevje
- I/ SS Pol. Rgt. 25 Cholm (C.O. Dippelhofer) in Novo Mesto
- SS Sonder-Rgt. 1 Waraeger in Podhosta
- I and II/ SS Pol. Rgt. 19 + a Polizei Horse Squadron, covering the austrian border
- two battalions of the SS Pol. Rgt. 6 in Maribor-Dravograd
- I/ Reserve GJR 18 in Ankenstein
- II/ Reserve GJR 18 in Monsberg
- a Polizei Horse Squadron for security duties on the road Ljubljana-Celje
- some units of the Division 438 z.b.v. for railway security duties
- some detachments of the Slovenian domobranci
- three SFK regiments south-east of Postojna.

The main thrust was launched by the partisans, even using their armored troops, against the line San Pietro del Carso (Sent Peter na Krasu) - Villa del Nevoso (Ilirska Bistrica) that was manned by the following units:

- remnants parts of the SFK (the 5th Rgt. was almot destroyed)
- IV/ GJR 904 in Postojna
- III/ SS Pol Rgt. 9 Alpenvorland which was destroyed
- some chetnik units of the Dinara Division which were almost destroyed
- a single Coy. of the Volunteer Polizei Btl. Triest

To revive this situation Rosener needlessly used on April 29, 1945 his last reserves trying unsuccessfully to regain Postojna:

- a single border police Btl.
- an assault Coy
- a tank-hunters Coy

Consequently, the last attempt to reestablish the connection with Fiume (Rijeka) and Trieste, using the IV / GJR 904 and the staff and personnel of the SS Unterfuhrerschule Ljubljana aborted. At this point, the small advanced detachments around Trieste retreated on the capital town, such as the italian Finance Guard security company of Castelnuovo (Podgrad). There was such a confusion that the I/GJR 902 (Hpt. Schwarz KIA) was ordered to move from Muggia in the opposite direction to reopen the communications with Fiume but it was almost immediately defeated in Erpelle (Hrpelje-Kozina) and then, as mentioned above, definitely in the defense of Opicina. Same fate, if the movement actually started, for the GJR 901, which partly retired to the north (along with some men of the Geb.Pi.Btl 1088 and Pi.Kp. 901 of Doberdò) and partly was destroyed in Opicina.

[90th Light]

Thank you Marcello (enorepap),

This is proving to be both an informative read and fantastic amount of detailed information. I am going to go through my Soldbuch and Wehrpass to see which of these units I have items from. This will extend this request to other New Zealand collectors as I alert them about this thread.

Just yesterday, I was told of where there are some photos of some KM personal surrendering at this time. I will follow up on this lead.

Plus I am going to ask a New Zealand historian for more references that are located here about this and the prisoners taken.

At this stage, all I can do is thank you for your hard work so far. It is really appreciated

Chris

[enorepap]

You're welcome Chris and many thanks for your kind words

I have to say that I'm very in debt about these information mainly with the encyclopedic work (807 pages with a lot of documents and maps attached) in italian language Operationszone Adriatisches Kuestenland by Stefano di Giusto (who is really in my opinion the main and most profound scholar and expert on this subject), printed in 2005 by the Friulano Institute for the History of the Liberation Movement. Another big sources of information are the Corbatti - Nava books about the Karstjaeger, first edition printed by MADM-Brianza Viva Asociation in 2005 and later expanded with a second edition (in my opinion really a new and wonderful book) by Heimdal in 2009. It would take too long to quote the other Italian sources, but I can not forget the books of Pier Arrigo Carnier over Nazi domination in Eastern Veneto (Mursia, 1988) and about the Cossack Army in Italy in 1944- 1945 (Mursia, 1993), the books by Mario Dassovich and Oddone Talpo, the memoirs of General Esposito (1952), Coceani (1948), Perich (1966), Pagnini and many other officials, ambassadors and prefects, the Francesco Fatutta, Teodoro Francesconi, Veterans of Alpine regiment Tagliamento, Gaetano La Perna, Luigi Papo de Montona, Marco Pirina of the Studies Center Silentes loquimur, Alessandro Politi, Gino Bambara (Mursia 1988), Poprzeczny (2004) and Pucher (2011) about Globocnik, Adriano Bolzoni The Damned of Vlassov (Mursia 1991), Giorgio Rustia about the Militia Territorial Defense regiments (printed by Aviani & Aviani in 2011) and many, many others to whom I apologize, even posthumously, not to mention them individually for reasons of space. I have also consulted a lot of primary documentation in the Historical Office of the Army Staff, the diplomatic Archive of the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Central Archives of the State Archive of Rome and, albeit to a lesser extent, some historic diaries and documents of German units.

I will try, tonight, to continue

Best regards

Marcello