Italian SS Legion

Italian SS Legion formed in October 1943. In April 1944 three battalions fought against Allied bridgeheads of Anzio and Nettuno with surprisingly good results, for which Heinrich Himmler on 3 May 1944 allowed them to wear SS-Runes on black rather than red and be fully integrated into the Waffen SS. They distinguished themeselves in defeating a determined effort by the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division to overrun their positions and capturing a number of prisoners. On 7 September 1944 renamed to Waffen-Grenadier-Brigade der SS. New recruits allowed the unit grow in December 1944 to 15,000 men. In Spring 1945 the Division under command by SS-Oberführer Ernst Tzschoppe as Kampfgruppe Binz fought against French units and Resistenza in Piemont. On 30 April 1945 they surrendered to US troops in Gorgonzola, Lombardy.