The Operationszone Adriatisches Küstenland (OZAK, Operation Zone Adriatic Littoral) was created by the Germans after the Italian armistice of 8th September 1943. It was a large area that included the north-eastern border regions of Italy and parts of present Slovenia and Croatia.
Although it was a secondary war theatre, separated from the main battlefronts until the last phases of the conflict, the strategic importance of the region and the presence of a strong resistance movement forced the Germans to maintain a considerable military presence in the area, with a fairly large amount of tank units or units supported by armoured vehicles.
It's not a mock up vehicle on Bedford chassis for Z serie WW2 film, sorry
The Cossack National Movement of Liberation, which had the aim of rebuilding an independent Cossack state, fostered the recruiting of Cossacks for the fight against the Soviets. The summer of 1943 saw the formation of the 1st Cossack Division, under the command of the German general Helmut von Pannwitz. The division soon expanded into the 15th SS Cossack Cavalry Corps, which numbered some 50,000 men. Afterwards, two Cossack brigades and 12 Cossack reserve regiments formed, and a number of smaller units became attached to German formations. In all, Cossack troops on the German side numbered about 250,000 men.
Note that the granting of the "SS" status to the Cossack Corps came about through Himmler's policy, quite often applied, of barring the Wehrmacht's influence in the political concerns of non-German formations. The Germans used the Cossacks to fight Soviet partisans, to cover the rear of their armies, and sometimes for action on the front. Later on, some Cossack formations moved to France and to Yugoslavia
Sorry if the camouflage is so psychedelic
