Radio War Nerd EP #131* [REPOST] — The Italian Resistance in WW2, with Annibale
Guest: Annibale
Originally recorded: April 26, 2018
In honor of the 75th anniversary of Italy Liberation Day from the Nazis, we're reposting open & unlocked this episode on the Italian Resistance Movement in World War II. We know all about the French Resistance in WWII, but nothing about the far larger Italian Resistance movement that emerged in 1943, and the various wars that took place inside Italy from 1943-45. This was our first of many episodes to come with RWN guest "Annibale"...
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Listen to Annibale's popular RWN series: Italy on the Eastern Front (#226, #227) Venetian Empire (#207, #208, #209, #214); The Hundred Years War (#175, #176, #177, #180, #182, #183); Italy's Years Of Lead (#134, #135, #136, #139).
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Comments (4)
Thank you for this wonderful episode
I decided to search about the Marzabotto massacre given Annibale's revulsion and I was surprised to find so little in English. This is unfortunate because it is a heinous, heinous crime that should not be forgotten. (Content Warning) The apparent machine-gunning and use of grenades against men, women and children (aiming low to hit the children), burning babies alive in the scorched-earth flames and unspeakable beheadings along with who-knows what else. It should never be forgotten.
It was organized ritual murder, with the goal to terrify the population living behind the "Gothic Line" into submission and make sure everyone (including fascist collaborators) who was really in charge and that German armed forces meant business. As it happens it partially backfired, as the immediate result was to harden the partisan attitude and (not surprisingly) to scare the fascist puppet government (who knew they would bear the revenge at the end of the war) so much that they officially denied anything had happened at all. Mussolini privately protested with the Germans but of course, nobody paid attention to him. The most important thing about Marzabotto is the sheer change of quality (and quantity) - the most recent studies speak of at least 2000 victims. If you put together Marzabotto, Sant'Anna di Stazzema and all the others massacre done by the 16th Waffen SS "Reichfuhrer" Division, you have something in excess of 4000 people murdered. Nothing like that happened elsewhere in Western Europe, perhaps with the exception of Oradour-Sur-Glane. And it was all accurately washed up / covered up after the war (the "cabinet of shame") to avoid embarrassing our new western Germany allies.
I love the way Annibale says Itler