European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)
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"Yes, by now everyone is moving.
"Yes, by now everyone is moving.
“Si oramai siamo tutti in movimento. -
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".
Domattina tutto il battaglione e tutta la nostra brigata si deve spostare e portare fino a Ciano”. -
I couldn't sleep that night,
I couldn't sleep that night,
Allora via, io di notte sicuramente non sono riuscito a dormire: o perlomeno -
the perspective of going down was such an emotional thing that ...
the perspective of going down was such an emotional thing that ...
stavi lì a fare un pisolino ma il sapere di andare giù era una cosa tanto emozionante che… -
We reached Ciano
We reached Ciano
Arriviamo a Ciano -
very slowly
very slowly
a tappe lente -
because we knew that there were the anti-rebels squad
because we knew that there were the anti-rebels squad
perché sapevamo che c’era lì il corpo antiribelli -
looking for us, ready to shoot at us from every window.
looking for us, ready to shoot at us from every window.
e sempre in allerta, sempre pronti, da tutte le parti dalle finestre potevano sparare… -
We reached Ciano without shooting.
We reached Ciano without shooting.
Niente siamo arrivati fino a Ciano e non abbiamo sparato un colpo; -
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.
siamo arrivati dentro a Ciano e un deserto continuo, neanche la popolazione -
"What's going on?"
"What's going on?"
abbiamo visto. -
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.
Visto che a Ciano non c’è niente, via andiamo, oramai era vicino a mezzogiorno Falco ci fa “Arriviamo fino all’incrocio di San Polo”, -
We were walking slowly,
We were walking slowly,
“Bon andiamo all’incrocio di San Polo”. -
keeping 10 meters distance between each of us because it was dangerous.
keeping 10 meters distance between each of us because it was dangerous.
Pian piano, alla distanza da uno all’altro di dieci metri perché poteva esserci sempre il pericolo continuo, -
So we reached the church.
So we reached the church.
e siamo arrivati fino alla chiesa. -
We were there, chatting, all the machine guns ready
We were there, chatting, all the machine guns ready
Siamo lì, c’è chi chiacchiera del più e del meno, le due mitraglie, un mitragliatore e una mitraglia piazzate lì: -
and all of a sudden an armoured car turned up.
and all of a sudden an armoured car turned up.
tutto in un momento si vede nella curva di Quattro Castella un’autoblinda: -
We thought it was the Germans
We thought it was the Germans
“Dai dai dai che sono i tedeschi! Dai dai dai che sono i tedeschi!” -
and got ready to shoot but
and got ready to shoot but
allora via ci prepariamo tutti quanti… -
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.
Era un autoblindo con un nero sopra! Aveva un sigarone lungo così, là che lo fumava!