European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

I did not want to go, so I went to speak to my lieutenant colonel.

I explained to him how I knew that I was not entitled to use a weapon anymore, since I had lost all my rights by being arrested.

He replied that he went to fight in Albania with the Blackshirts although he was in the Army,

and that if he had to go, then I would definitely go too.

After I had been in Albania, in Durres, for four or five months,

I received a letter from the Government stating that I immediately had to go back to Italy, since I was not supposed to be there.

I was taken to the port and embarked on a ship whose name was Disentine.

We stayed there three days without setting sail, apparently because there were British u-boats.

Then one evening, from the ship, we saw that there were great celebrations in Durres,

people hugging all around, and we decided to get off.

It was the 8th of September, Badoglio had just declared the armistice.

There were also fifty German soldiers in Durres:

they took off their uniforms and celebrated with us,

and got dressed as Germans again only eight days later.

From that day, nobody was able to correspond with Rome.

Even those in charge of the different services or of the orderly room could not speak to anyone in Rome: nobody would answer.

Maybe it was better this way.

One day, our officers in charge, such as General Mondini, from Parma, who was the Commanding General of my division,

pulled the troops together and deliberately lied to us.

I think they knew from the very start that what they were telling us was a lie,