h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Peter, I read your narrative of growing up during WWII in northern Italy. I am working on a novella for my thesis and am very interested in the living conditions during the war in the lakes regions. Would you say that your experience in the town where you lived was similar to other towns in that area? I've read, for example, that Salo was a refuge for the sons of the wealthy and that Lake Garda was virtually untouched by the hardships of the war. Also, I'm curious about the experiences of young women in the towns... were there any events surrounding girls and their roles or their treatment either by the fascists or the nazis that you might remember... or might you be able to refer me to a person or resource where I could find this information? I'm headed to Bellagio in June to get a firsthand look at Como, Maggiore and Garda, but I have not selected a final place wherein to set my story. I need a backdrop where there is considerable partisan activity and nazi and fascist presence... Anything you have for me will be appreciated. Sorry this is so long. I'd love to be able to e-mail you directly, but I'm sure you have a lot of correspondences already...

Dear misstrish_ann

You ask me about my experience 'in the town' where I lived. I never lived in a town during my time in Italy. I lived in a small village called Musadino a few miles inland from the lakeside small town of Porto Valtravaglia. You say that you are going to lake Maggiore in June, if so you must visit Musadino. I lived in via San Pietro, I think it was No.1; at any event, at the start of via San Pietro, at the intersection of three roads forming a tiny square with a small shrine containing a coloured replica of Michelangiolo's Pietà. If you stand facing that shrine, then the large wooden door to your left leads to the courtyard where I lived; the large wooden door was used by the Germans to post notices threatening death by either shooting or hanging for all sorts of trivial offences. The roads are tarmacked now but were cobbled when I was there.

The Germans were in baracks in Porto Valtravaglia and in Luino (some 8 km distant). A band of partisans, finally routed in November 1944, were in the mountains behind Musadino. The entire area on the opposite bank, the Piedmontese shore, was entirely controlled by partisans by late 1944, having routed the German and fascist forces in a series of pitched battles; after that the villages on the opposite shore were regularly shelled by German guns from Luino, a town slightly larger than Porto and about 6 miles north. I used to go to the mountains for firewood and to look for mushrooms (Monte Penna, Sant' Antonio, San Michele, San Martino), I remember once in early 1944 finding an empty sodden packet of Player's cigarettes amongst fallen leaves. Looking back now it seems odd, but I looked at that packet for quite a while before touching it, then I searched the whole area before going back to it. I remember thinking how utterly stupid and careless someone had been to drop it. I wracked my brains trying to work out who could have dropped it. It seemed unlikely that Italian partisans would have Players cigarettes and I didn't think that an escaped PoW would have any either. I took it home concealed on me and didn't tell my father in case it compromised him, then I carefully steamed open the glued packet seams in case there was a hidden message in it; there wasn't. Had a German patrol found it the entire area would have been combed.

Village women had a hard life tending crops, haymaking, and tending cattle or sheep. I remember that they used to carry huge burdens in 'gerle'; a gerla was a conical basket with shoulder straps worn like a rucksack; those used for hay had open lattice work (you can see them here http://rupestre.net/archiv/cult15.htm ). Men did the really heavy work and the mount of wood a man was accustomed to carry was truly astounding. It was a hard life. There wass no transport during the Saló period and you went everywhere on foot, even if it was 20 miles away.

There were no dances, but there was a cinema in Porto Valtravaglia which kept open for most of the war. They only had one projector, so any film stopped at regular intervals and the light went up while the reel was changed, with loud whistles from the audience if the projectionist took too long. After 1943 the newsreels were all German dubbed in Italian, prior to that we got the Italian Fascist 'Luce'.

Do you speak Italian? If so, you might usefully read "Fausto e Anna" a novel by Carlo Cassola published by Einaudi, although set in the Tuscanese Maremma, Fausto becomes a partisan. Another first class novel is "La storia" by Elsa Morante, the poignant story of a Jewish woman in Rome (part biographical) from 1941 to 1947, also published by Einaudi. There is much about partisans in it too. "La storia" is also available in English, translated by William Weaver, as "History" (Steerforth Press, 2000, ISBN : 1586420046); there is also a Penguin edition. (Morante was the wife of Alberto Moravia).

You might also usefully consult two non-fictionworks by Mimmo Franzinelli, published by Mondadori: "Delatori - spie e confidenti anonimi: l'arma segreta del regime fascista" and " "Le stragi nascoste - l'armadio della vergogna: impunità e rimozione dei crimini di guerra nazifascista 1943-2001".

Good luck with your project,

Peter

Peter-
Thank you so much for your response-- I never replied before because I had to have some unexpected surgery and then I couldn't remember how to get back into the site, so although this post reads Circegirl, I'm really Misstrish_ann. Your message was very helpful and I appreciate the information you supplied. I've orderd La Storia (History)and look forward to reading it. I don't speak Italian and I'm wondering if you know a good resource for finding out about Milan and the lakes region during and before the war before the heavy shelling began-- social life, etc...

Also, any other memories you have of life in the village of Musadino would be helpful... your voice and your stories are very interesting to me; for example the information about the reels being changed at the movie theatre became part of a scene I've written as well as the reproduction of the Pieta...

Would people of the village ever have had contact with the partisans from the Piedmontese shore? Were some of the men from the villages sent to fight and then became partisans? Would someone from a different village or a city in Italy have ended up in a partisan band in northern Italy? Could an Italian with a Jewish father have survived in the villages near the lakes? Or would there have been papers indicating race that the Germans would have required?

If you have time to deal with any of these questions, I would appreciate it. Again, I'm sorry for the delay, but so happy to have found your reply to my original questions.

Sincerely,
Trish

Hi Trish

I hope that you have fully recovered from your surgery. You mention 'heavy shelling' in Milan and the Lakes; there was no heavy shelling that I am aware of, although Milan was heavily bombed several times. The shelling I mentioned of Partisan held villages was from a single gun the Germans brought up.

I have set out your main questions:

1. Would people of the village ever have had contact with the partisans from the Piedmontese shore?

I doubt it, but if any had it would certainly be kept secret. By 1944 you could be shot just for listening to the BBC, let alone contacting partisans. There were plenty of partisans in Lombardy without crossing Lake Maggiore into Piedmont. Partisans themselves seldom took chances with total strangers, it was far too risky. The CLN (Committee for National Liberation) would arrange any contacts.

2. Were some of the men from the villages sent to fight and then became partisans?

By 'sent to fight' do you mean called up? All men of serviceable age were called up into the services before the fall of Mussolini. After Italy surrendered on 8 September 1943 and the Germans occupied the country many joined partisan bands to avoid being sent to Germany as slave labour.

3. Would someone from a different village or a city in Italy have ended up in a partisan band in northern Italy?

Yes, in fact that was normal. All partisans had a 'nom de guerre' and were only know by that name to fellow partisans so if captured they could not reveal any real names under torture. This way too, a partisan's relatives were not placed in danger. Shot partisans were invariably brought by horse and cart and their bodies heaped up in a town or village square to see who came to identify loved ones.

4. Could an Italian with a Jewish father have survived in the villages near the lakes? Or would there have been papers indicating race that the Germans would have required?

No Jew could have identity papers and not having identity papers led to immediate arrest - a catch 22 situation. Most Italian Jews were partisans, but you had to be young and fit to take to the mountains. Italians regard people of a different religious persuasion as being no different form any other Italian, so paradoxically Jews were safer in Italy than they were in 'allied' France.

There is an excellent account of an escaped British PoW, George Evans, who joined a partisan group here A2001141

Hope this helps.

Peter

Peter-
Thanks so much for your answers to my questions... and I found the POW account you provided very helpful as well. Yes, I'm feeling much better and back to work on my writing.

Once the Germans occupied Northern Italy, and the Fascist Militias were established, how did the Militias function? Did they work from a central base-- a village, a town, an "encampment?" Or were they more like a national guard type situation, gathering for patrols and responding to information.

When the writer, the former POW who became a Partisan, mentions the "young lads" who carried messages to the partisans and escaped German notice, how young do you think he meant? Is he talking about fourteen-sixteen year olds? Or younger?

Thanks so much for your help...

Trish

Trish

For the various Republican Fascist formations see my account here A1993403.

One formation I didn't explain there was the 29. Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS (italienische Nr.1). The members were especially chosen fanatical fascists.

This special SS division changed its name several times as it grew. In November 1943 it was formed and designated "Italienische Freiwilligen Verband/ Legione SS Italiana"; in March 1944 it became the "1. Italienische Freiwilligen Sturmbrigade/ 1a Brigata d'Assalto, Milizia Armata"; and in June 1944 "1. Sturmbrigade, Italienische Freiwilligen Legion"; then in September '44 "9. Waffen Grenadier Brigade der SS (italienische Ne.1". and finally in March 1945 "29. Waffen Grenadier Division der SS (italienische Nr. 1".

This SS Division comprised the following units: Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS 81; Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS 82; SS Fusilier Bataillon 29 'Debrica'; SS Panzerjäger Abteilung 29; SS Artillerie Regiment 29; and SS Pioneer Kompanie 29. The Fusilier Battaillion 29 was trained at Debrica in Poland, hence its name.

They first saw action against partisans in February 1944, but as part of the 1st Assault Brigade of Republican Fascists, with two battalions (the 'Debrica' and the 'Vendetta') they also saw action against the Allies at Anzio, taking very heavy losses, in April alone the 'Debrica' battalion lost 340 men out of 650 when fighting alongside Nr.16 SS-Division units facing the American 3rd Infantry Division. In recognition of this, on 3 May Himmler declared that these Italian Fascist Troops were fully integrated into the SS. For the rest of 1944 and early 1945 they were in northern Italy fighting partisans.

On 30 April 1945, to the fury of the partisans, the 'Debrica' Battalion, a particularly nasty bunch, surrendered to the Americans at Gorgonzola and all saved their skin. The rest of the Italian SS were captured by partisans in early May and were swiftly executed.

For a fuller description see "The Waffen-SS (4) - 24. to 38. Divisions, & Volunteer Legions" by Gordon Williamson (Osprey, 2004).

Peter