European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)
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"Yes, by now everyone is moving.
"Yes, by now everyone is moving.
"Ja, mittlerweile sind alle in Bewegung. -
Tomorrow morning the whole battalion and our brigade has to move down to Ciano".
Tomorrow morning the whole battalion and our brigade has to move down to Ciano".
Morgen früh soll sich das ganze Bataillon und die ganze Brigade nach Ciano begeben." -
I couldn't sleep that night,
I couldn't sleep that night,
Ich konnte die ganze Nacht nicht schlafen oder zumindest -
the perspective of going down was such an emotional thing that ...
the perspective of going down was such an emotional thing that ...
waren es nur Nickerchen, denn zu wissen, daß wir runtergingen, war zu aufregend... -
We reached Ciano
We reached Ciano
Wir kamen in Ciano an, -
very slowly
very slowly
sehr bedächtig, -
because we knew that there were the anti-rebels squad
because we knew that there were the anti-rebels squad
weil wir wussten, dass die (deutsche) Anti-Rebellen-Einheit dort war, -
looking for us, ready to shoot at us from every window.
looking for us, ready to shoot at us from every window.
immer in Alarmbereitschaft, die hätten von allen Seiten aus den Fenstern schießen können... -
We reached Ciano without shooting.
We reached Ciano without shooting.
Doch wir kamen in Ciano an, ohne einen einzigen Schuss abgegeben zu haben; -
It was a complete desert, we didn't even meet any local person on the street.
It was a complete desert, we didn't even meet any local person on the street.
Der Ort war wie ausgestorben, nicht einmal die Bevölkerung -
"What's going on?"
"What's going on?"
war zu sehen. -
Since in Ciano there was nothing we decided to go further on to the crossroads to San Polo.
Since in Ciano there was nothing we decided to go further on to the crossroads to San Polo.
Da in Ciano nichts war, gingen wir weiter. Inzwischen war es fast Mittag und "Falco" sagte: "Wir gehen zur Kreuzung in San Polo". -
We were walking slowly,
We were walking slowly,
"Ok, lasst uns zur Kreuzung in San Polo gehen". -
keeping 10 meters distance between each of us because it was dangerous.
keeping 10 meters distance between each of us because it was dangerous.
Sehr vorsichtig, in einem Abstand von zehn Metern von einem zum anderen, weil überall Gefahr drohte, -
So we reached the church.
So we reached the church.
kamen wir an der Kirche an. -
We were there, chatting, all the machine guns ready
We were there, chatting, all the machine guns ready
Wir saßen da, die Leute unterhielten sich, die zwei Maschinengewehre, ein schweres und ein leichtes, waren aufgestellt: -
and all of a sudden an armoured car turned up.
and all of a sudden an armoured car turned up.
plötzlich sah man in der Kurve von Quattro Castella einen Panzerwagen. -
We thought it was the Germans
We thought it was the Germans
"Los, los, die Deutschen! Kommt schon, kommt schon, es sind Deutsche!" -
and got ready to shoot but
and got ready to shoot but
Alle machten sich bereit... -
it was a car driven by a black man, smoking a long cigar.
it was a car driven by a black man, smoking a long cigar.
Es war ein Panzerfahrzeug mit einem Schwarzen darauf! Er rauchte eine lange, dicke Zigarre!