The SS-Polizei-Regiment Bozen was formed in October 1943 in Italy as SS-Polizei-Regiment Südtirol but was soon renamed to Bozen. It was stationed in Italy until the end of the war and was used to fight the partisans.

Known war crimes

On 23 March 1944 a column from III/SS-Polizei Regiment Bozen was attacked on Via Rasella in central Rome by partisans from the Gruppi d'Azione Patriotica (GAP). 32 soldiers were killed in the bombing as well as two civilians but all the partisans involved escaped. In retaliation a total of 335 Italian hostages were killed at Fosse Ardeatine (known as the Fosse Ardeatine massacre), after the massacre the bodies were placed inside the caves that were sealed using explosives. (1)

Commanders

Oberst der Schutzpolizei Alois Menschik

Order of battle

I/SS-Polizei Regiment Bozen
II/SS-Polizei Regiment Bozen
III/SS-Polizei Regiment Bozen
Polizei Ersatz Bataillon Bozen
Polizei Panzer Zug (Fian Ansaldo AB 41)

Suspects are rounded up following the Via Rasella bombing by soldiers from SS-Polizei-Regiment Bozen and Italian soldiers

(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Germany)

Suspects are rounded up following the Via Rasella bombing by soldiers from SS-Polizei-Regiment Bozen and Italian soldiers

(Courtesy of Bundesarchiv/Wikimedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Germany)

Footnotes

1. "Forgotten Battles: Italy's War of Liberation, 1943-1945" by Charles T. O'Reilly, "Mussolini's Rome: Rebuilding the Eternal City" by Borden W. Painter Jr., "The order has been carried out: History, Memory, and Meaning of a Nazi Massacre in Rome" by Alessandro Portelli and "Nationalsozialistische Besatzungs- und Annexionspolitik in Norditalien 1943 bis 1945" by Michael Wedekind.

Sources used

William Fowler - The Secret war in Italy: Special forces, partisans and covert operations 1943-45
Phil Nix & George Jerome - The Uniformed Police Forces of the Third Reich 1933-1945
Charles T. O'Reilly - Forgotten Battles: Italy's War of Liberation, 1943-1945
Borden W. Painter Jr. - Mussolini's Rome: Rebuilding the Eternal City
Alessandro Portelli - The order has been carried out: History, Memory, and Meaning of a Nazi Massacre in Rome
Werner Regenberg - Armored Vehicles and Units of the German Order Police
Georg Tessin, Hans-Adolf Neufeldt & Jürgen Huck - Zur Geschichte der Ordnungspolizei 1936-1945
Michael Wedekind - Nationalsozialistische Besatzungs- und Annexionspolitik in Norditalien 1943 bis 1945

Reference material on this unit

- None known at this time -