European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

which was a small house near Canossa, an isolated peasant's house.

That was where the partisans were staying,

they were waiting to get in touch with the commanders up there.

We were quite a few, though: when we started there were 45 of us

and to the time we arrived at the Villa Minozzo

and at some other village in the province of Modena, I can't remember the name now,

there were seven more partisans.

All together, we had only nine rifles and one hunting rifle ... for 45 persons ... crazy.

We had to be very careful because we didn't know the people,

you couldn't know if one was with you or against you,

or it could be a weak guy, weakened by fear,

one who might run away and tell this and that if he got arrested ...

September 8th, 1943

In Yugoslavia we surrendered, we went to the pier,

they brought us there and we stayed there for two days and one night,

with no food, nothing, no arms, without knowing what to do or where to go.

Then a big boat passed by and the Yugoslavians used megaphones

to call them to come and get us,

they even shot at it to make the boat come to the beach.