In a period in which Italy and abroad 'referred only to tease, thanks to the nauseating performance of our beloved Prime Minister pocket always, I want and I want to refresh the spirit of an episode during which we were the protagonists World War II. Episode
that filled me with pride and I had never heard of until a few months ago, when, thanks to the wonderful program and 'The History We Giovanni Minoli, I am aware.
In June 1940, with France already 'virtually defeated by the Germans, Italy is' a small area that stretched from Switzerland to the Mediterranean, including Grenoble, Mentone and Nice.
In November 1942, when the Allies occupied parts of the French territories in Africa (Algeria and Morocco) demonstrating the unreliability 'of the French Vichy government, Hitler ordered' the occupation of territory under the jurisdiction of that government and Italy expanded control in the whole of Corsica and France almost to Lyons, including the city 'as Toulon, Aix En Provence and Chambery.
While the Seventh Army controlled the Corsica, southern France was under the jurisdiction of the Fourth Army made up of 6000 officers and 136,000 soldiers.
 |
| Esercito Italiano in Francia 1940-1943 |
La IV Armata comandata dal Generale Mario Vercellino,Monarchico ma non Fascista , ebbe il merito di instaurare un regime tollerante e illuminato,portando nelle zone occupate una ventata di pace ,allontanando i clamori della guerra ,tanto che la resistenza Francese opero' molto blandamente nei nostri confronti sino all'Estate '43 quando,alla caduta del Fascismo in Luglio, i sentori della nostra imminente resa li portarono ad accellerare i tempi per anticipare i Tedeschi ,cosa che non gli porto' ad alcun risultato.
 |
| Generale Mario Vercellino |
Il motivo per cui gli Italiani della IV Armata mi hanno inorgoglito e' stato l'aperto sprezzo delle leggi razziali Italo/Tedesche ,mai applicate.
Nei territori Italianizzati infatti gli Ebrei non dovevano portare segni di riconoscimento (la Stella di Davide) rendendoli anonimi e non venivano perseguitati ,al contrario dell'accanimento dei funzionari di Vichy.
 |
| Bandiera Francese sotto il governo Vichy |
Il Governo Vichy mal tollerava l'ingerenza Italiana che in molti casi sottraeva dei prigionieri gia' in loro possesso come a Lione quando un distaccamento Italiano sotto diretto ordine di Vercellino circondo' una caserma collaborazionista liberando decine di ebrei pronti alla deportazione.
Il sentimento che attraversava i petti dei nostri ragazzi in Francia e' mirabilmente espresso dalle parole del Maresciallo d'Italia Ugo Cavallero « Gli eccessi contro gli ebrei non sono compatibili con l'onore dell'esercito italiano. » e certamente Cavallero non era quello che si dice uno stinco di Santo, ma al contrario un fanatico Fascista della first hour, loyal to Mussolini.
 |
| Marshal of Italy Ugo Cavallero |
Our Jewish policy did hoist the then German foreign minister, General Joachim Von Ribentropp that protest 'which sent directly to Mussolini' Police Inspector Guido Lospinoso to solve the "Jewish problem".
 |
| General Joachim Von Ribentropp |
Fortunately Lospinoso, arrived in France on track 'to the behavior of Vercellino and his officers also helping the Jews.
Quseta Italian line meant that about 80% of the 300,000 Israelites are still present in France, migrated to the areas of our influence and at the time of mobilization of the Fourth Army to Italy, followed by the .
Unfortunately for the local French and the Jews, the Fourth Army, in anticipation of the surrender, begin 'to demobilize to Italy in August 1943.
Advent armistice signed on September 8 by short-sighted management of the Badoglio government, surprises still 60,000 men, including officers and soldiers, in France, who were immediately attacked by overwhelming German forces.
 |
| Italian Marshal Pietro Badoglio |
Few of them managed to escape and join the French resistance acting on the western border French / Italian, the rest were killed or deported to labor camps Germans.
Since then, the Southern France really knew the meaning of the word occupation, as he knew the horror generated by the ferocity of Klaus Barbie "the Hangman of Lyon" responsible for the roundup of Jews and partisans in France ....
 |
| Klaus Barbie "the Hangman of Lyon" |
... but this is' another sad story.
0 comments:
Post a Comment