European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

At that time paratroopers were starting to be dropped in the area,

and they had set up the English command with radio transmitters in Secchio.

They asked the Central Headquarters to provide them with around 25 skilled partisans,

who had been there for a while and were well trained.

You have to realise that at the beginning there were all sorts of people in the mountains,

but the English only wanted experienced men, so 25 partisans were chosen to join them.

Then they had to set up a dispatch-carriers unit,

and I was the only one assigned to Reggio, at the local headquarters.

I was told to go see a group of men I already knew. There was Grandi, a lawyer, Piccinini, an architect, and the Count Calvi.

They were six initially, then Mattia told me that one was killed.

Still, at the beginning there were these six antifascists who were in charge of things in Reggio.

I had to go home to my mother’s and uncles’ house. They were staying in Davoli’s house,

or I should rather say Kiss, the one in charge of the dispatch-riders, who had set up quite a few things.

However I was the only one who would go to Reggio.

They realised I would remember things and take care of everything properly.

I often didn’t write things down, although sometimes I did, in order to remember the names of the Germans for example.

I would have eaten the slips of paper if I was caught.

To give you an example, when they told me to go and inform the others that a mop-up was scheduled, lead by Dolmann or Surmann,

who were in charge of these things, I would write down the most important names and information.

At first they had given me the battle name Libertà (Freedom). Later I was called Giorgio, but at the beginning it was Libertà, or maybe Volontà.