October 13, 1943 - the Badoglio Government, sheltered in Brindisi, declared war on Germany.
November 14, 1943 - the Congress of the Fascist Republican Party, held in Verona, approved the 14 points of the Italian Social Republic. Italy was divided into two parts: one in the north occupied by the German army and governed by Mussolini; one in the south occupied by the Allied armies and with a government that maintained the constitutional structure of the Italian Kingdom.
In order to face this new situation, the National Liberation Committee for Northern Italy (C.L.N.A.I.) was formed on January 20, 1944, in Rome, with the joint presence of five parties: Christian-Democrat, Italian Communist Party, Socialist Party of the Proletarian Unit, Liberal Party and Action Party.
During this time, the Allied advance took place very slowly, stopping during the winter 1943-1944 on the Cassino front. In this period the partisan fight in the central regions was particularly active at Lazio, Abruzzo, Marche and Umbria, to the rear of the German front.
In December, 1943, the partisan brigade of Abruzzo, "Maiella's Patriots Group", was formed on the banks of the Sangro River, led by Captain Troilo.
The English made use of this group against the Germans in January, 1944. After having set Abruzzo free, the group became "Maiella's Brigade" and continued the liberation war as far as beyond Bologna. Maiella's Brigades, mentioned many times in the Allied war bulletins, were the only partisan formation awarded with a gold medal for military valor. Its battle flag is kept in the Vittoriano.
The first attempt at a "Partisan Republic" took place in Lazio, more specifically in Reatino, but it had a short life. Remembering the example of the battle of Poggio Bustone at the beginning of April, 1944: when they recognized the danger of the local "bands", the German headquarters ordered a punitive expedition. The town was occupied and put to the torch causing the destruction of almost one half of its built-up area.
Following the allied breakthrough on the Cassino front, the contribution of partisan brigades in the liberation of these cities located in the center of Italy was considerable: Sulmona, L'Aquila, Teramo, Ascoli Piceno, Osimo and Ancona.
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