The Operationszone Adriatisches Küstenland (OZAK, Operation Zone Adriatic Littoral) was created by the Germans after the Italian armistice of 8th September 1943. It was a large area that included the north-eastern border regions of Italy and parts of present Slovenia and Croatia.
Although it was a secondary war theatre, separated from the main battlefronts until the last phases of the conflict, the strategic importance of the region and the presence of a strong resistance movement forced the Germans to maintain a considerable military presence in the area, with a fairly large amount of tank units or units supported by armoured vehicles.
This books deals with the history and the organisation of the tank and armoured units that operated in the OZAK from the beginning of the German occupation to the end of the war. The text (bilingual Italian-English) is completed by 200 photographs, most of them never published before.


Introduction
1. The context: the origins of the Operationszone Adriatisches Küstenland (OZAK)
2. The creation of the Panzer-Sicherungs-Kompanien / Panzer-Einsatz-Kompanie
3. The employment of the armoured units in the OZAK after the 8th September 1943
4. Digression: the 2. Pz.Sich.Kp. (later 1. Kp./Pz.Abt. 208) and the Pz.Eins.Kp. Ligurien in north-western Italy
5. The anti-partisan operations in the OZAK in the Autumn 1943
6. The evolution of the armoured units in the OZAK in the first half of 1944
7. The creation of Panzer-Abteilung 208
8. The evolution of the armoured units in the OZAK in the second half of 1944
9. Tank units in the OZAK during the final part of the war

Explanatory note on the tank identification in the original documents
Camouflage patterns and unit symbols
Units’ organisation charts
The Pz.Abt. 208 (later I. Abt./Pz.Rgt. FHH) on the eastern front in 1945
Photographic section
References to other published photographs
Documents: two “Meldungen” from 1st December 1943
The main Italian armoured vehicles and their German denomination
Glossary of German terms used in the text
List of geographical places mentioned in the text with their present Slovenian/Croatian name
Table of Comparative Ranks
Sources
Dislocation of Panzer units mentioned in the text
Map of the OZAK

 

The 200 photographs (most of them never published before) often show original and little-known subjects. This is a list of vehicles that are pictured in the book:

German - produced vehicles:

Marder III, Flamm-Panzer III, Pz.Kpfwg. IV L/24 e L/48, Pz.Kpfwg. III Ausf. N, StuG III, VK 1601, Pz.Kpfwg. 38 (t), Steyr ADGZ

Italian - produced vehicles:

L 3, L 6/40, Semovente L 40 da 47/32, M 14/41, Semovente M 42 da 75/34, P 40, AB 41, Lince, Lancia 1ZM, camionetta AS 43, autocarro Fiat 665 NM Scudato, other armoured trucks

Vehicles from other nations:

T-34, Hotchkiss H-38, Tatra OA vz 30, BA-64

They are shown while used by Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, Ordnungspolizei or collaborationist Italian and Slovenian units.

 

Wehrmacht:

Panzer-Flamm-Zug / Panzer-Regiment 36
2. Panzer-Sicherungs-Kompanie
3. Panzer-Sicherungs-Kompanie
Panzer-Einsatz-Kompanie 35
Panzer-Einsatz-Kompanie Ligurien
I. Abteilung / Panzer Regiment 1
Panzer-Abteilung 208
Panzer-Abteilung 212
Panzer-Abteilung Adria
Aufklärungs-Abteilung 44
Aufklärungs-Abteilung 171
Aufklärungs-Abteilung 236
Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 46
Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 171
Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 194
Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 236
Panzer-Grenadier (Lehr) Regiment 901
Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 21
Panzer-Zug 24
Panzer-Zug 73

Waffen-SS

Panzer-Kompanie Karstjäger
1. Kompanie / SS-Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 1 "LSSAH"
SS-Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 1 "LSSAH"
SS-Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 16 "RFSS"

Ordnungspolizei

Sturmgeschütz-Zug / SS-Polizei-Regiment 19
5. (verstärkte) Polizei-Panzer-Kompanie
13. (verstärkte) Polizei-Panzer-Kompanie
14. (verstärkte) Polizei-Panzer-Kompanie
Gendarmerie-Reserve-Kompanie (motorisierte) Alpenland 3
I. Bataillon / SS-Polizei-Regiment Bozen
III. Bataillon / SS-Polizei-Regiment 15

Italian units

Gruppo corazzato San Giusto
Battaglione Fulmine (Divisione X. Mas)

Slovenian units

Domobranci

 


Map of the OZAK

Edizioni della Laguna

Website: http://www.babbaiabba.com

NOTE: the volume is currently not available
at the publisher's

All material on this site is copyright Stefano Di Giusto / Edizioni della Laguna

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