Cassibile, Sicily (near Syracuse). General Castellano, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Italian Army, signs the armistice with the Americans. The Americans wanted a general, but Badoglio had replied that he didn’t know one, and so he named Castellano, who didn’t speak English. Castellano. Before leaving, Castellano was unable to meet Badoglio and therefore didn’t receive precise instructions. Castellano also had to travel to Rome by train. The Italians’ limited technical resources and disorganization made a bad impression on the Allies. The ministers, especially the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of War, were unaware of the armistice. In effect, the military initiative was left to the Germans. Finally, Badoglio forgot to leave the Cavallero memo on his desk, which summarized the general’s anti-fascist and anti-Nazi stance. The memo was promptly discovered by the Germans, who took Cavallero away, who was later found dead with a gunshot wound to the head.
