| Surrender at Caserta | |
| Type: | Capitulation |
| Date Signed: | 29 April 1945 |
| Location Signed: | Royal Palace of Caserta, Italy |
| Date Effective: | 1 May 1945 (RSI) 2 May 1945 (Germany) |
| Negotiators: | |
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| Long Name: | Surrender of German Army Group C and Fascist forces of the Italian Social Republic in Italy |
The Surrender of Caserta (Italian: Resa di Caserta, pronounced as /it/) of 29 April 1945 was the written agreement that formalized the surrender of German and Italian Fascist forces in Italy, ending the Italian Campaign of World War II.[1]
Owing in part to Allied air attacks, the German forces in Italy had received no supplies from Germany since the first week of April. Since Allied aircraft had destroyed all bridges across the Po river, the Germans abandoned their heavy weapons and motor vehicles south of it during the Allied spring offensive. What was left of the German infantry was mostly wiped out during the fighting. The remaining troops had retreated across the Po using improvised transports and were reorganized by blocking detachments to man the front line and fight on, but without arms their situation was hopeless.
On 26 April, General Rodolfo Graziani, the Minister of Defense of the RSI (Repubblica Sociale Italiana, the Italian fascist regime) and Commander-in-Chief of the Army Group Liguria, issued a delegation to General Wolff to be given to Major Wenner to announce the surrender of Fascist forces of the Italian Social Republic as well. On 29 April . Graziani handed himself on General Crittenberger's US IV Corps.
German Commander-in-Chief of Army Group C Heinrich von Vietinghoff had noted on 28 April that fighting would cease within one or two days regardless of negotiations, the German troops having neither arms nor ammunition left. Further destruction was thus unlikely, Army Group C having decided already on 11 April not to carry out Hitler's scorched earth policy.
The signing ceremony was signed at Caserta. Major Schweinitz and Major Wenner signed the surrender document on behalf of their commanders (Wolff, Vietinghoff and Graziani), while General Morgan signed the surrender document on behalf of General Alexander. The surrender was on effect on 1 May for the RSI forces, while 2 May for the German forces.
The Soviets were also present in the signing event. The Soviet Military Command send General Aleksei Kislenko to Caserta to witness the signing ceremony. After the Soviets protested of secret negotiations of the Allies and the German and RSI forces in Northern Italy.
British Field Marshal Harold Alexander in statement said that the Surrender of Caserta shortened the war in Europe by six to eight weeks and saved Northern Italy from more destruction along with tens of thousands of lives.
