Operational Zone of the Alpine Foothills
| Operational Zone of the Alpine Foothills |
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| Operationszone Alpenvorland | ||||||||||
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 The Operational Zone of the Alpine Foothills ("OZAV").
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| Capital | Bozen | |||||||||
| Government | Commissariat | |||||||||
| High Commissioner | ||||||||||
| • | 1943–1945 | Franz Hofer | ||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| • | Establishment | 1943 | ||||||||
| • | Disestablishment | 1945 | ||||||||
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| Today part of |
 Italy
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The Operational Zone of the Alpine Foothills (German: Operationszone Alpenvorland (OZAV); Italian: Zona d'operazione Prealpi) was a Nazi German district in the sub-Alpine area created in Italian territory during World War II.
OZAV was established on 10 September 1943 by the occupying German Wehrmacht, as a response to the Allied Armistice with Italy proclaimed two days earlier following the Allied invasion of Italy. It comprised the provinces of Belluno, Bolzano and Trento. The Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral, comprising the provinces of Udine, Görz, Trieste, Pula, Rijeka, Kvarner Gulf and Ljubljana, was established on the same day. Both operation zones formally belonged to the Italian Social Republic (RSI), which governed those areas of Italy administered from Salò at Lake Garda and not yet occupied by the Allies.
OZAV was administered by High Commissioner Franz Hofer. The zone was administered as part of the Reichsgau of Tyrol-Vorarlberg. The capital of the zone was Bolzano. Hofer wanted to amalgamate the operation zone to his Gau and thus bring forth the reunification of Tyrol and the territorial resurrection of the old Austrian crownland of Tyrol. This did not take place, as Hitler wanted to show consideration for Mussolini, although the Salo government had almost zero influence in the region during German rule.
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