Armistice with Italy; September 3, 1943
With Italy cast out of Africa, with Sicily invaded and with the industrial areas of Italy coming under increasing bombardment, the Fascist Grand Council on July 24-25, 1943 declared a lack of confidence in Mussolini. Later on July 25, Victor Emmanuel III removed him from office and ordered his arrest. His successor as Prime Minister, Marshal Pietro Badoglio, sought to withdraw Italy from the war. The armistice terms indicate that Italy had scarcely any bargaining power left.

 

    Military armistice signed at Fairfield Camp, Sicily, September 3, 1943
    Entered into force September 3, 1943
 

    FAIRFIELD CAMP
    SICILY
    September 3,1943

         The following conditions of an Armistice are presented by 

         General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 

         Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces, 

         acting by authority of the Governments of the United States and Great Britain and in the interest of the United Nations, and are
    accepted by 

         Marshal Pietro Badoglio 

         Head of the Italian Government 

    1. Immediate cessation of all hostile activity by the Italian armed forces. 

    2. Italy will use its best endeavors to deny, to the Germans, facilities that might be used against the United Nations. 

    3. All prisoners or internees of the United Nations to be immediately turned over to the Allied Commander in Chief, and none of
these may now or at any time be evacuated to Germany.

    4. Immediate transfer of the Italian Fleet and Italian aircraft to such points as may be designated by the Allied Commander in Chief,
with details of disarmament to be prescribed by him. 

    5. Italian merchant shipping may be requisitioned by the Allied Commander in Chief to meet the needs of his military-naval program.

    6.  Immediate surrender of Corsica and of all Italian territory, both islands and mainland, to the Allies, for such use as operational
bases and other purposes as the Allies may see fit. 

    7. Immediate guarantee of the free use by the Allies of all airfields and naval ports in Italian territory, regardless of the rate of
evacuation of the Italian territory by the German forces. These ports and fields to be protected by Italian armed forces until this function is taken over by the Allies. 

    8. Immediate withdrawal to Italy of Italian armed forces from all participation in the current war from whatever areas in which they
may be now engaged. 

    9. Guarantee by the Italian Government that if necessary it will employ all its available armed forces to insure prompt and exact
compliance with all the provisions of this armistice. 

  10. The Commander in Chief of the Allied Forces reserves to himself the right to take any measure which in his opinion may be
necessary for the protection of the interests of the Allied Forces for the prosecution of the war, and the Italian Government binds itself
to take such administrative or other action as the Commander in Chief may require, and in particular the Commander in Chief will
establish Allied Military Government over such parts of Italian territory as he may deem necessary in the military interests of the Allied
Nations. 

    11. The Commander in Chief of the Allied Forces will have a full right to impose measures of disarmament, demobilization, and
demilitarization. 

    12. Other conditions of a political, economic and financial nature with which Italy will be bound to comply will be transmitted at a later date. 

      The conditions of the present Armistice will not be made public without prior approval of the Allied Commander in Chief. The
English will be considered the official text. 
 

From The Avalon Project  at the Yale Law School
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/italy01.htm
 Back to Introduction  Back to Syllabus