against the civilian population in retaliation for partisan attacks, including measures such as "aerial bombardment and heavy artillery fire", the "pillaging of their food supplies", and "the deportation to concentration camps of the village chiefs and all of the men who made up the community council". That order led to a series of atrocities over the following months, such as the Domenikon massacre. At the same time, Geloso's relations with the Germans became increasingly strained, as he jealously guarded the Italian prerogatives in Greece against German encroachments, particularly after the appointment of Colonel-General Alexander Löhr as the German Commander-in-chief Southeast in December 1942. The appointment came as a result of the worsening situation on the North African Front, which made an Allied landing in Greece increasingly likely. The Germans, who did not trust the Italians' ability to withstand such an attack, began moving more of their own troops into Greece, sought to supplant the Italians in certain strategic areas including Athens and the Athens–Thessaloniki railway and justified the move by thereby making additional Italian troops available to defend western Greece. Geloso vehemently refused to consider that and, in a later meeting, ounterproposed for any additional German forces in Greece to be placed under his command. With the backing of the Italian high command, the situation remained unresolved, with Geloso even proposing setting up an "Army Group East" under his command, comprising all Italian forces in the occupied areas of the Balkans, as a counterpartbans counterweight to Löhr's command, with himself at its head. Despite being highly praised by the chief of the Italian General Staff, Ugo Cavallero, as "perhaps the best of our generals, technically prepared, energetic and tactful", Geloso was dismissed on 3 May and placed under the disposition of the Ministry of War. The likely reason was his final disagreement with Löhr in a meeting a few days earlier. Löhr demanded from the Italians a series of measures to curb the growing Greek Resistance, including the arrest of the officers of the Greek army, the confiscation of all radios and the handover of all Jews in the Italian zone to German control. An Italian investigation, headed by Admiral Domenico Cavagnari, into his tenure in Greece ended up absolving him of all charges brought against him for malpractice and corruption. Imprisonment and release On 20 June 1943, he was placed in the reserve because of his advanced age but