Author: Milan Spindler

In spring 1944, the military situation was shaped by the fighting along the Gustav Line and the Battle of Monte Cassino. Despite the Allied landing at Anzio on 22 January 1944, which had been intended to achieve a swift breakthrough towards Rome, the front remained largely static for several months. This delay enabled the occupation forces to carry out a series of combing operations, particularly targeting partisan groups in the Alpine regions. From late December 1943 to mid-January 1944, German units succeeded in dispersing numerous groups and significantly curtailing partisan activities, though they did not succeed in eradicating resistance in the region entirely. Simultaneously, the occupying troops sought to intimidate the civilian population through acts of violence against villages and suspected supporters of the Resistenza, aiming to break local solidarity.

That the partisan movement nevertheless continued to grow was also due to the weaknesses of the RSI. In spring 1944, the government under Benito Mussolini made another attempt to recruit an army. After the first call-up in autumn 1943 had met with limited response, the pressure was stepped up in February 1944: a decree issued on 18 February threatened draft evaders with execution and reprisals against their families, while at the same time offering amnesty to partisans who surrendered. These measures prompted many young men to abandon the poorly equipped barracks and either join armed groups or seek to avoid RSI control altogether.

The RSI’s self-styled image as a ‘social republic’ increasingly lost credibility: even basic goods such as salt, cigarettes, or milk were no longer reliably available. Worsening poverty further fuelled public discontent, even among those previously shaped by fascist ideology.

After the harsh winter of 1943/44, the Resistenza began to mobilise new forces. Despite ongoing shortages of weapons, training, and supplies, the number of fighters grew. While relations with local communities remained tense in some areas, shared backgrounds, family ties, or common dialects often led to tolerance or even active support.

Following the Allied breakthrough at the Gustav Line in May 1944, hopes rose for further German retreats and the impending liberation of Italy. The unopposed entry into Rome on 4 June 1944, the first European capital to be liberated, was a symbolic success, though it was quickly overshadowed by the Allied landing in Normandy two days later.