Secret negotiations between the Italian government and the Allies led to the Armistice of Cassibile (3 September 1943) and the defection of Italy from the Axis.

At midnight on 8/9 September, German marines attacked Bastia harbour and captured the Italian ships moored there except for the torpedo boat Aliseo.

Corsica was garrisoned by the VII Corps (Generale Giovanni Magli) which was short of weapons, had inadequate transport and suffered from poor morale.

Magli gave assurances that the Italian garrison would continue to fight against the local resistance and not oppose the arrival of German troops from Sardinia.

[2] Unternehmen Achse (Operation Axis) a German plan to forestall an Italian surrender and defection to the Allies, began on 8 September and included the evacuation of the garrison of Sardinia to Corsica.

Shore batteries at Marina de Pietro and the corvette Cormorano, which had arrived also fired on the MFPs and forced then to run aground.

Aliseo ceased fire at 8:45 a.m. and from 10:00 and 10:50 a.m. rescued survivors and then sailed towards La Spezia before diverting to Elba, arriving during the afternoon.

[6] In 2009, Vincent O'Hara wrote that Italian naval officers were out of contact with Supermarina after it stopped broadcasting on the evening of 10 September and were ignorant of the Armistice conditions.

The skirmishing with German forces at Bastia and elsewhere was conducted under individual initiative and the Italian destroyers Legionario and Alfredo Oriani sailed from Malta on 13 September to carry an American OSS detachment and supplies from Algiers to Ajaccio to assist Free French and Italian troops fighting the Germans.