In August 1944 the German LXXV Army Corps responsible for the protection of the western part of the Gothic Line experienced increased partisan activity in the Apuan Alps. On 18 August a German officer was killed by partisans. The 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division, commanded by Max Simon who was convicted after the war for his involvement in the Marzabotto massacre, was tasked with an anti-partisan operation to clear out the region of partisans. After meticulous planning, and with the help of the Italian Fascist collaborators Black Brigades, the SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 16, under the command of Walter Reder, as well as other German SS and Wehrmacht support units, began the operation on 24 August.