Battle of Ovaro

Battle of Ovaro
Part of Italian campaign (World War II), War crimes in World War II and World War II
A photo of Ovaro in the 1920s, as to show the city center at the time in the 40s
Date 1 May 1945 – 3 May 1945 (3 days) Location Ovaro, Carnia, Italy Result See § Aftermath Territorial changes The end of the Kosakenland in Nord Italien
Belligerents
Nazi Germany XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps	Italian resistance movement Stalin Batallion Brigate Garibaldi Canin Battalion Brigate Osoppo
Commanders and leaders
Pyotr Krasnov Timofey Domanov Sultan Klych-Girey Andrei Shkuro Major Nasikov Akaki Uruschadse Helmuth von Pannwitz	Elio Martinis Alessandro Foi Gian Carlo Chiussi Fridonio Zulukidze (Ambiguous) Giorgio Lolua Princess Miriam Akaki Uruschadse †
Units involved
30,000	670 in the Stalin regiment
Casualties and losses
Numerous Cossack soldiers 42 dead civilians and 26 injured civilians	152 dead civilians in Ovaro, Avasinis and Gemona del Friuli 2–12 Georgian partisans At least 3 Italian partisans

The Battle of Ovaro was a battle between the Nazi-backed Cossacks who had settled in Northern Friuli (who had created the semi-independent entity of Kosakenland), and the Italian partisans on 1 May 1945, in Ovaro, with its culmination being on 2 May 1945. ^[1] The battle brought to the end of "Kosakenland in Nord Italien" and the start of the Cossack retreat towards Lienz.

Background

Operation Ataman

Further information: Operation Ataman

During the summer of 1944, Northern Friuli became a major center of partisan activity, culminating in the proclamation of the Republic of Carnia on 26 September. In response, SS and Police leader Odilo Globocnik, based in Trieste, initiated Operation Ataman, which brought about 22,000 Cossacks including soldiers, elders, and families and 4,000 Caucasians to the region using around fifty military trains. After suppressing the partisan republic, the Cossacks established the so-called “Kosakenland in Norditalien”, a semi-autonomous territory promised by the Germans, complete with their own institutions, religion, and lifestyle. Verzegnis became the headquarters of their supreme commander Pëtr Nikolaevič Krasnov, and several local towns were renamed after Russian cities, while Tolmezzo hosting the Cossack's autonomous council. The area was divided between Cossack and Caucasian settlements, the latter under Sultan Klych-Girey. Despite the majority of the Cossacks being aligned with the Germans, some Cossacks and Caucasians defected to the Italian Resistance, forming the so-called "Stalin Battalion". ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

Battle

The Canin Batallion, part of the wider Brigate Garibaldi partisan unit, entered the cities of Chialina and Ovaro at 16:00 CET, 1 May 1945. The Batallion, upon trying to intimidate the Cossacks within the area and demanding for them to lay down all of their arms, was met with fire and even some grenades at around 21:00 CET. The batallion was forced to retreat to Chialina in order to reorganize. ^[8] A night of planning followed, ^[8] during which various partisan-aligned Georgian units started to mobilize from Comeglians towards Clavais and Barc in order to join with the partisans. The total number of Georgian troops is estimated to be around 670 troops, with princess Miriam and Giorgio Lolua leading 600 and 70 troops respectively. ^[7]

In the first hours of 2 May 2025, it was decided by partisan commander Alessandro Foi that an explosive had to be put in the proximity of Ovaro's barrack, occupied at the time by the Cossacks. Soon after the plan was pursued by the Georgian partisans who blew up the barrack where numerous of the Cossacks' wives and children were hiding, killing 42 of them and injuring 26. ^{[8] [9] [10]} The attack by the partisans, including the Brigate Garibaldi, the Osoppo Brigade and the "Stalin batallion" (the Georgians) had begun. ^{[6] [8]} On that day the Cossacks had already decided to retreat from the town with their families and head towards Austria, however, despite being taken by surprise by the partisan assault, they reacted with fire and even repealed the attacks. ^[9]

Upon getting news of incoming reinforcement and experiencing significant losses, including Georgian commander Akaki Uruschadse, the partisans retreated. The Cossacks then pursued reprisal on the local population before retreating, ^{[7] [8] [9] [11]} killing up to 89 civilians (including Gemona del Friuli) and setting the town on fire. ^{[11] [12]} In response to the attack, other reprisals took place in nearby communities still occupied by the Cossacks, such as Avasinis, where up to 63 additional civilians were killed. By the start of the next day, the Cossacks had left. ^[10]

Aftermath

On 3 May 1945, the CLN in Tolmezzo tried to intimidate with small military standoffs and political pressures for the Cossacks to surrender, however, the Cossacks stated they'd only surrender to an Anglo-American military commander as they headed towards the border crossing with Austria, with the partisans unable to stop them. ^[10]

The population in the affected areas was divided. Some of them wanted harsh consequences on the Cossacks, whilst some assumed an apologetic attitude towards them, stating that the one's at fault were the partisans due to their attack on the barrack where civilians were located. ^[10]

With the Allied offensive in Italy advancing, the Cossacks of Carnia started to withdraw from the region and relocated to the Plöcken Pass, where on 9 May 1945, they surrendered to British troops upon crossing the border into Austria, in Lienz. Most of them were sent to the soviets for trial, which in turn deported them to the gulags. ^[13] Most of them would die. ^[5]

Bibliography

1. Le due giornate di Ovaro – Friuli: cosacchi partigiani e civili in un paese in fiamme 1-2 maggio 1945. Aviani & Aviani Editore.
2. Vassallo, Barbero primo (2020-10-24). "Quando il Friuli si trasformò nel Kazakistan (Kosakenland)". Vassalli di Barbero (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-11-12.
3. Pieri Stefanutti. "1944-45: l'occupazione cosacco-caucasica della Carnia e dell'Alto Friuli". Carnia Libera 1944.
4. Pieri Stefanutti. "Quando il Friuli divenne terra cosacca". Carnia Libera 1944.
5. Muratore, Andrea (7 November 2021). "Cosacchi, nazisti, partigiani: la storia segreta della guerra in Friuli". il Giornale . Retrieved 12 November 2025.
6. Zanier, Leonardo (2010). CARNIA KOSAKENLAND KAZACKAJA ZEMLJA (22nd ed.). Udine. ISBN   978-88-8420-635-0.
7. Raimondo Cominesi, Luigi. "ANCHE LORO, SÌ, ANCHE LORO!" (PDF). ANPI.
8. Matelda Puppini, Laura (14 July 2016). "Storia. Quel maledetto 2 maggio 1945 ad Ovaro. Ricostruzione dei fatti dai documenti originali". Non Solo Carnia. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
9. Biscarini, Claudio (27 January 2015). "Carnia 1945, la morte di Rinaldo Cioni, ingegnere empolese – di Claudio Biscarini". Della Storia D'Empoli.
10. https://www.straginazifasciste.it/wp-content/uploads/schede/Ovaro%20e%20Comeglians,%2002.05.1945.pdf
11. Bettoli, Gigi. "Ovaro per non dimenticare. Con un pizzico di revisionismo storico, che non guasta". La Repubblica Partigiana. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
12. Source [10] also mentions http://www.nonsolocarnia.info as a source for information
13. Respinti, Marco (6 June 2020). "Maggio-giugno 1945: il rimpatrio forzato di cosacchi e altri crimini di guerra «eccellenti»". Alleanza Cattolica. Retrieved 12 November 2025.