In that position Wolff shared responsibility for standard police functions like security , maintenance of prisons , supervision of concentration camps and forced labor camps as well as the deportation of forced laborers with Wilhelm Harster , who was the Commander in Chief of the Security Police . When Wolff became Plenipotentiary General of the German Wehrmacht in July 1944 , he also became responsible for antipartisan warfare in occupied Italy . By now Wolff commanded the police and the entire rear army in Italy . So far Wolff 's involvement in war crimes in Italy remains largely unclear , partially because source material on the degree to which SS units participated in antipartisan warfare is lacking . Although it seems as if U.S. investigators were in possession of incriminating material in 1945 , that indicated Wolff 's approval of the executions that became known as the Ardeatine massacre , this evidence was deemed not sufficient for criminal charges . On 9 December 1944 , Wolff was awarded the German Cross in Gold for using Italian units , with secondary German units to destroy partisans and for the " maintenance of war production in the Italian territory " . During this period he approved the project of the Marnate 's Bunker , close to the German command of Olgiate Olona . By 1945 Wolff was acting military commander of Italy
Ardeatine massacre
Ardeatine massacre
Karl Wolff