**In October 1944, the retreating partisans clashed with German and fascist troops in the Formazza valley near the Swiss border. Some resistance fighters were able to flee to Switzerland.** Archivio fotografico Istituto storico / Piero Fornara / Fondo Resistenza

The Ossola Republic

In autumn 1944, partisan groups liberated a sizeable territory around Domodossola from the Nazis and founded their own republic. But the resistance fighters were at odds with one another and after just over a month the dream of an independent state came to an end. The story of a tragedy on the border with Switzerland.

Andrej Abplanalp

Historian and communications chief of the Swiss National Museum.

On 25 July 1943, fascist Italy decided to depose Mussolini, thus bringing his over 20 years in power to an end. Following the August defeat in Sicily, Pietro Badoglio’s interim government signed a ceasefire with the Allies, which came into force on 8 September 1943. The Third Reich’s response was immediate as German troops began to occupy Italy and disarm its soldiers. This prompted parts of the Italian army to form a resistance movement. This reaction mainly stemmed from the tough stance adopted by the German armed forces, known as the Wehrmacht. They broke the promise given to send Italian soldiers home, and instead imprisoned them and shot dead any who resisted. The Germans deported over 600,000 soldiers to labour camps in the German Reich and its occupied territories. This led, in autumn 1943, to the creation of strong guerrilla cells in northern and central Italy, who subsequently engaged the Germans in numerous battles.

**Italian prisoners of war in Barletta in 1943. German paratroopers in the forefront.** Wikimedia / Deutsches Bundesarchiv

In the Ossola region, between Valais and Ticino, there were five active partisan groups in the summer of 1944: the Monarchists (around 1,100 men), the Christian Democrats (around 800 men), two autonomous groups (around 500 men each) and the Communists (around 900 men). In September 1944, the various guerrilla cells began to conquer the territories around Domodossola until they finally had the town and its 10,000 inhabitants completely surrounded. There were about 400 German and Italian soldiers there at the time. While these soldiers were well trained and even better armed, they massively overestimated the partisans and were war-weary. Although the attacks appeared to have been planned, they had been neither discussed nor coordinated among the factions. This brings us to one of the biggest problems of the north Italian resistance movement against the German and Italian occupying forces in the Second World War: the various guerrilla cells had contrasting political views, which also means they had different political objectives. So, while there were indeed joint operations, there was also repeated rivalry and at times dangerous competition.

**Partisans of Ossola in action.** Archivio fotografico Istituto storico / Piero Fornara / Fondo Resistenza

The internal power struggle among the partisans

Hostilities between the various partisan groups in the Ossola region increased in 1944. On 9 September, the German-Italian troops surrounded in Domodossola signed a ceasefire with the resistance fighters. However, the communist guerrillas were not a party to this treaty. The other groups stressed that this was due to time constraints. However, the real reason was more probably because the other groups wanted to divide the captured weapons among themselves. They also knew that the communist resistance fighters would never go against the order from their High Command, the Corpo Volontari della Libertà (CVL), not to negotiate with the enemy. That would have jeopardised the desired ceasefire. The tactic adopted by the non-communist groups was risky, but it didn’t go against the rules, strictly speaking. In autumn 1944, there was no regional CVL command in the Ossola region, so the orders from Milan did not apply there. At least, that was one possible interpretation. This led to several heated encounters between the various partisan groups, and it was only thanks to considerable luck and not inconsiderable negotiating skills that armed conflict was avoided. Finally, the German and Italian soldiers withdrew in the direction of Lake Maggiore early in the morning on 10 September. The Ossola Republic was proclaimed on the same day.

**The government of the Ossola Republic comprised seven men. President Ettore Tibaldi became mayor of Domodossola and a national politician after the war.** Photo: Archivio fotografico Istituto storico / Piero Fornara / Fondo Resistenza

**The Ossola Republic was slightly over one month old in autumn 1944.** Archivio fotografico Istituto storico / Piero Fornara / Fondo Resistenza

Communists go it alone

But the communist resistance fighters were still not prepared to just fall in line with the other groups. They showed that by launching a unilateral attack on 13 September on the workers’ town of Gravellona just over 30 kilometres to the south of Domodossola. Their intention was to repair their tarnished image with a glorious victory and thus play a greater role in governing the Ossola Republic. Under different circumstances it could have worked, as Gravellona was a major transport hub and basically the southern access point to the republic. However, it was not to be as the opposition proved too strong. It only took two days for the communists to realise they were outgunned. Only then did they approach the other resistance groups for support. The non-communist factions did send a few men, although they were slow to do so. This half-hearted support ultimately ensured defeat. 13 September 1944 is a good example of how the actions of the resistance fighters in the Ossola region were often determined more by self-interest than by the notion of freedom. The partisans were mainly concerned about exerting their own influence on the current and future politics of the territory under their control.

**The approximate borders of Ossola Partisan Republic in autumn 1944.** Map: swisstopo / Montage: Swiss National Museum

A republic!

However, the ongoing rivalry between the various partisan groups should not detract from the achievement of founding the Ossola Republic. Until the territory was recaptured by German-Italian forces between 9 and 14 October 1944, the statelet on the Swiss border progressed at an astonishing pace. The provisional government, in which the communists were also represented despite all their differences, introduced a joint military command, established a supra-regional police force (Guardia Nazionale), reintroduced freedom of the press, issued its own stamps and reorganised the school system. In addition, it dissolved the fascist trade union and revived public transport with Switzerland. The first trains arrived at Domodossola station as early as 11 September.

**The nascent republic even had its own flag.** Wikimedia

In post-war Italy, the Ossola Republic was repeatedly referred to as a model democratic state – a model which had produced a functioning civil administration in next to no time. Who would have thought that it would be possible to call Switzerland by telephone just days after the proclamation of the republic.

The end of a dream

Around the end of September, once the Germans realised that the Allies were stuck at the Gothic Line, they reorganised their forces to bring down the Ossola Republic. Fascist Italian soldiers who had been trained in Germany were positioned near the Republic. In addition, the Wehrmacht and SS assembled around 30 units. Some 3,000 Ossola partisans were faced with several thousand heavily armed and battle-hardened soldiers. But the guerrillas were unconcerned as they fully expected to receive help from the Allies. And not without reason. On 25 and 26 September, allied fighter-bombers had bombed German positions in Gravellona and Baveno, and Radio London had already twice broadcast the signal to drop weapons and ammunition. The resistance fighters had created several drop zones and even two airfields in the Vigezzo valley as well as between Domodossola and Villadossola. They had every confidence that help was at hand. However, at the last minute the Allies changed their plans and focused on Poland, where the Polish Home Army had risen up against the occupying German forces on 1 August 1944. About 40,000 fighters attempted to take Warsaw before the rapidly advancing Soviets. It was only through massive support from the western Allies, particularly in the form of supply and weapon drops, that the Polish Home Army was able to maintain its relentless campaign for a number of weeks. But it was ultimately in vain and the Poles capitulated on 2 October 1944. The Warsaw uprising prompted a U-turn in the Allies’ strategy, with fatal consequences for the partisans in the Ossola region and the resistance throughout Italy. Practically all the supplies were diverted to Poland at a crucial juncture. Urgently needed resources for the defence of the small republic simply were not there.

**The partisans had to pay a high price in October 1944 for their brief taste of freedom. Nurse Maria Peron tending to all the wounded resistance fighters.** Archivio fotografico Istituto storico / Piero Fornara / Fondo Resistenza

On 9 October 1944, German and fascist troops began to take the region back. The partisans managed to hold out for a few days, but the superior power of the opposition was too great and the cooperation between the various guerrilla cells was too uncoordinated to prevent the recapture of Ossola. On 14 October 1944, German-Italian troops marched into Domodossola, and, on 23 October, the republic was dissolved and over 10,000 people fled to Switzerland. Two thirds of the partisans were killed or also fled across the border. The adults were housed in refugee camps, while the children were placed with host families all over Switzerland. The fact that Switzerland opened its borders in autumn 1944 without much bureaucratic fuss is still remembered to this day by the population of Ossola valley.

**Refugees from the Ossola region at the border crossing in Gondo (Valais), 1 October 1944.** Staatsarchiv Aargau / RBA

Although pockets of resistance remained in the Ossola region, it was no longer at the level that had led to the founding of the republic in the autumn of 1944. Nonetheless, cooperation between the different resistance movements improved markedly in the last year of the war.

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