https://cicmuseum.org/files/original/e2e2c241b1df2567275dfb7dcd6de10b.jpg 82d281fedd9a70c9cd20103226692208 https://cicmuseum.org/files/original/607350714450dc1643e10fd9f0f0770f.jpg 3c53531dc12385ca5fa8aeda852b9fd3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Italian WWII Letters Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Postcard featuring Italian fascist martyrs Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 25 1942 Subject The topic of the resource The front of the card features two unarmed Italian soldiers who are about to be executed by a group of armed partisans in Soviet equipment. One of the partisans is Costantino Marini. He was a high school teacher, born in 1911 in Darzo di Storo, in the Giudicarie region, and came from a poor farming family. Commissioned as a Reserve Lieutenant, Costantino Marini left for Greece to accompany the Bolzano Battalion , 11th Alpine Regiment. During one of his many missions, on December 2, 1941, he was on the return journey with a squad of eight Alpine soldiers: near Varos, not far from Podgorica, the group of Italian soldiers was surrounded and overwhelmed by a formation of Slavic partisans, who were taken prisoner and searched. And it was at this point that a bread ration card was found in Lieutenant Costantino Marini's wallet, a card distributed to millions of Italians, but which turned out to be indispensable for every elementary school teacher who wished to continue teaching. His protests over that small piece of paper were to no avail: when the Slavs later ordered him to tear it up to save his life, as an officer, he categorically refused. For over two weeks, Costantino Marini was held, interrogated, and subjected to hardship: he could only be saved if he renounced possession of that card. The other Alpini, later released, testified: on December 18th, after yet another refusal, Lieutenant Marini was led before the firing squad and shot. While he became a Hero of Mussolini's war for Fascism, so much so that the headquarters of the Fascist Party in Trento was named after him, after the conflict he was awarded the Silver Medal of Military Valor in his memory: "Returning from a recovery mission, attacked by rebels, in much superior forces, with only eight men, he defended himself fiercely and held his ground for more than an hour. Captured, during fifteen days of captivity, he faced hard labor, torture and humiliation, with dignified and austere demeanor, arousing the admiration of the other prisoners, despite knowing that this represented a certain death sentence. For his proud and inflexible conduct as a soldier, he was barbarously shot. Nova Varos, Montenegro, 18 December 1941. " This handwritten message sent to Genova is likely referencing the British area bombing raids from October 22nd-24th. The first area bombing raid on Genoa, carried out by the Bomber Command with a hundred Avro Lancaster bombers (out of 112 that had taken off from bases in England) which dropped 179 tons of bombs on the city (Piazza De Ferrari was the aiming point). The old city centre, the harbour, the shipyards, and the eastern suburbs were hit; among the damaged buildings were the Genova Brignole railway station, the Pammatone hospital, the churches of Santa Maria in Passione and Sant'Agostino, the medieval "portico" of Sottoripa, Palazzo Spinola, Palazzo San Giorgio and the Doge's Palace. Thirty-nine civilians were killed. This was the first area bombing raid on an Italian city, with ample use of incendiary devices, causing damage and fires on an unprecedented scale (some fires were still raging after twenty-four hours) and deeply impressing the population. On the following morning, Genoa was visited by the King and Queen; Victor Emmanuel III visited the hardest hit districts, while Queen Elena visited the wounded in the hospitals. The second area bombing of Genoa, carried out by 95 Short Stirling and Handley Page Halifax bombers, that dropped 144 tons of bombs. Bad weather dispersed many of the 122 bombers that had originally taken off from England (three of which were lost), with many erroneously attacking Savona (mistaken for Genoa), killing 55 people, Vado Ligure or Turin; in Genoa, material damage was relatively light (among the damaged buildings were the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata, the Gio Vincenzo Imperiale Palace and the Paganini Theatre [it], which was destroyed and never rebuilt), to the point that the Bomber Command considered this raid a failure (unlike the previous and following ones, all of which were considered as successful and well concentrated) The panic caused by the previous night's attack caused a mass stampede at the entrance of an air raid shelter near Porta Soprana, in which at least 354 people (according to the official toll; others estimate 500) lost their lives. Description An account of the resource The fascist oath on the upper right corner of the card says "In the name of God and of Italy, I swear to carry out the orders of the Duce and to serve, with all my strength and, if necessary, with my blood, the cause of the Fascist Revolution." The handwritten message is transcribed and translated below: Roma, 25.10.1942 Caro Carlone, Siamo in attesa delle vostre notizie che speriamo quali da voi desiderate. Siete anche voi combattenti di prima linea e date il contributo di sangue per la vittoria. Vedi che anche alla tua venerata eta’ si possono vivere cose importanti. Inglesi e maericani dovranno ben pagare tanta vigliaccheria. Con buoni auguri ed affettuosita’. Dear Carlone, We are waiting for news from you, which we hope will be as you wish. You too are a front-line combatant and are giving your contribution of blood for victory. You see that even at your revered age, one can still experience important things. The English and Americans will certainly have to pay dearly for such cowardice. With best wishes and affection. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Acquired from Mercatino dell'usato da Pagnoc Rimini, Italy. Transcription and translation provided by Alessia Fazakas. Information on Costantino Marini obtained from National Association of Combatants and Veterans (ANCR)