European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

Luigi was supposed to go with 30 men to blow up the Gatta Bridge

and disarm the garrison guarding it.

The rest of the group had to go to Ligonchio

and neutralize the garrison counting something like 20 or 25 fascists. So we left.

We didn’t even have dinner because we had marched for a long time to make it to Santonio.

We didn’t stop.

Half way between Santonio and Ligonchio, in Cerrè Sologno,

at seven in the morning, we couldn’t move any further during the day

because the German reconnaissance airplanes were flying over the area and would have spotted us.

So we stopped in Cerrè to rest, planning to get moving again in the evening and reach Ligonchio.

At eight one of our sentinels fired a shot and the Germans were there.

We were at south east, taking control of the first houses.

The Germans were coming from the west, and lined up to the west and north.

In some cases fascists, Germans and partisans were mixed up in the same house.

I remember this partisan who was in a house when the door opened and in came a German.

They were both aiming their gun at each other, until the German walked back without shooting.

If he had, they both would have died.

Then what happened?

The battle had started 15-20 minutes before and our commander Miro was hurt badly.

Barbolini too, who was the commander of those from Modena.