Army Group C

Instead, he stated that he would withdraw from Northern Italy.

Through this proposed move, the Western Allies would effectively allow Wolff, with Army Group C, which he was de facto in control of in Northern Italy, to retreat through the Brenner Pass over the Alps into the Tyrol in Austria.

He would then lead his forces to Vienna to protect the Austrian capital from the advancing Red Army.

Wolff also hoped these negotiations might help to sunder the alliance between the Western Allies led by the US and Britain and the Soviet Union.

He was executed the following day and strung up in Milan.

That same day, Wolf, who had been considering unequivocal surrender for several days, met with his German and Italian colleagues, during which meeting they agreed that defeat was inevitable within a few days, with the Allies advancing ever further north into the plain of Lombardy and the partisans everywhere.

Thus, the following day, the 29th of April 1945, Wolff signed the surrender at Caserta, whereby Army Group C agreed to officially lay down their weapons, bringing the Italian campaign to an end.

In doing so, Wolf directly disobeyed Hitler's orders to engage in scorched earth tactics and to fight to the end.