RSI veterans after the war.

[Leonardo]

This is a question for GLADIVM and Gabriel:

In general, how were those who served in the RSI armed forces percieved after the war?

I know that some units, like X MAS were percieved as die-hard Fascist, so after the war, those veterans kept a low profile for a few years (exept, of course Valerio Borghese!). Those who were in the GNR and the Brigate Nere must have been hated after the war, and kept their wartime exploits to themselves.

Gabriel: I belive that the ANR had a better reputation because it was not used as much against the partisans, but defended Italy from the streams of allied bombers. After the war, many ANR pilots got to help create the AMI. I know that the ANR's top pilot Visiconti was shot in the back by partisans right after the fighting stopped, but he was a high-profile committed Fascist.

GLADIVM: What about the ENR and units like the Guardia Finanzia, that your dad was in. I know Graziani wanted to preserve the Army and use it to keep the Germans from completely controlling Northern Italy. Did veterans of the four ENR divisions have to explain themselves to other Italians after the war?

[GLADIVM]

I believe that in fact the men wich fought on the RSI side did not have to do any explaning as till the 90's in Italy there was not a debate about the civil war and simply the Partisans were the good guys and the Fascists the bad ones .

In fact in order to lower the standing of the RS soldiers , the left coined for them a term "Nazifascisti" which meant they were only servants of the Germans and traitors of Italy . Of course such a definition was totaly unfair as the soldiers of RSI woud only fight with Italian uniform and under the tricolore . Very few would have been happy to wear the German uniform and fight under the swastika .

But the Left in Italy after WWII had the upper hand on propaganda and if anyone dared to disagee with them was immediatly branded as a Fascist .
Therefore the mayority of movies , books , articles all followed the official lines and portrayed the Fascist always in a bad light as traitors and murderers of patriots .
In the 60's some literature from RSI side started to come out but was read only by the ones who were likeminded and therefore had no impact on the overall picture .

In fact for a long time no explanations were requested from the fascists and many had to remain in jail till early 50's and when got out were mostly interested to start their lives again and not to dwell into the past .

The motivations of both sides in the civil war have never been fully researched because the comunist and the left were interested only in the glorifications of partisans and no other voice could be heard .
Also the other political parties , like DC and so wanted to show they were not less antifascist tan the comunists , therefore the RSI was always depitced as a time of horror .
All this was orchestrate mostly by the comunist which wanted to cover up the fact that they fought a civil war for the appropriation of power after the war , as they hoped to establish comunist rule , and not a national war of liberation as they pretended later .
Now the debate has started but unfortunately many of the RSI veterans hava already passed away and cannot explain their motivations .

Yours

GLADIVM

[gabriel pagliarani]

You just have touched a tough matter! If Cap. Visconti was a fascist ( ..and I am not sure as you are of His own political position...Visconti first of all was a noble knight), surely Drago was not fascist (..as dad too..) When Drago was desbanded in Bologna during October 1943 (after the escape of the King) he entered in the Resistance between socialist volounteers. But as the Allied bombers were still coming over Italy, he decided "motu proprio" to accept the desperate radio appeal of "Iron-leg" Botto. And dad followed him... During "Phoenix anschluss" in Autumn 1944, all them fired their planes then reached partisan troops: only when Mussolini assured them and all desbanded pilots will never fight under Nazi flag, they returned to their ANR units. But this evenience was not painless: the bosses of partisan units warned all the ANR pilots that the next time they will contact partisans surely all the pilot prisoners will be executed as fascists...because the war was surely lost for all them, this verdict was a clear sentence of death! And all pilots returned to the units... with the clear feeling to survive not till war end. This was the main reason because Visconti was killed as a lot of pilots turning home. My far cousin Minardi was brutally executed when reached home, for example. Dad was hidden by monks as a lot of italian and german soldiers, then escaped in Argentina on a boat.

[Leonardo]

Gabriel, GLADIVM:

Thank you both for your replies. I found them to be very insightful.

[gabriel pagliarani]

I omitted to say you that RSI veteran pilots could not join the AMI: with a law of 1947 they were "pardoned" for their presumed fascist crimes, but they couldn't join any public service. The few veterans still in Italy joined Alitalia directly (...Zuccarin, Moretti, Galli and few others..): the others were exileds and served as "soldiers of fortune" spread on the all world, especially in Argentina. Dad was lucky because he was born in Albania during the Kingdom of King Zogu, a little before the Italian Empire.(I have a gold coin on which the King has been impressed, an historical value). The war destroyed all documents about his birth: the Italian Embassy in Tirana, previously closed during Empire was completely shot down. So when dad went back home without any italian document, he showed at the customs a passport released in Paraguay in which there was written 1930 as year of birth instead of 1925: so he could restart his own career in AMI from zero as Complementary Officer till end of military flight service in 1953, as Flight Captain. After he joined Alitalia as First Officer (or 2nd pilot). Back among his own old comrades, and 2 years later he turned in Command as Flight Captain (1st Pilot or 3 Stripes and Greek). And so on...

[Leonardo]

I was unaware that ANR pilots were banned from the AMI after the war. I'll have to check, but I think the Osprey book about Italian aces has one or two ANR pilots who were in the AMI.....maybe I forgot and they were Aeronautic Co-Belligerante pilots.

[JLEES]

Hello,
I thought I’d add some imagery to your discussion on postwar Italy and how they viewed the RSI period. Geno Boccasile was one of Italy’s best propaganda artists and when the RSI was created he went north and produced images for Mussolini’s last government. After the war, Boccasile attempted to reestablish his career as an artist creating a few images before him death in the early fifties. He produced two cards: one called “The Miracle” in 1949 and the other for the “Division Monterosa.” I believe the first card deals with the Marshal Plan. There was a number of cards produced throughout western Europe from 1948-1950 with this theme. But, of course, I could be wrong about this. Looking at the imagery someone may have other ideas about the card’s meaning. Meanwhile, I believe the second card produced for the Division Monterosa in 1950, might have been a reunion card for members of this unit. Could this be correct? Since it depicts a member of this alpine unit with an amputated left leg, I was wondering if this veteran has just returned from a POW camp. Was the Division Monterosa captured by the Germans, Soviets, or an RSI unit? What I find interesting about both cards is that they were produced after the war and Geno Boccasile was the artist in postwar Italy. While many German artists who drew images for the Third Reich were banned after the conflict, Boccasile was able to reestablish his career. Furthermore, I’m also amazed the partisans didn’t shot him after Milan was taken like many other RSI officials and their supporters were and his postwar images seem to be neutral unlike most anti-fascist depicts. Boccasile’s survival in 1945 must be an interesting story.
Thanks,
James

[JLEES]

An after thought: Does anyone have an idea what the child is kissing on the uniform of the alpine soldier?
James

[Leonardo]

JLEES:

I belive that the Montarossa division was an RSI unit. It was one of the divisions formed in Germany in early 1944.

[Lupo Solitario]

The alpine division "Monterosa" was a unit of RSI army. It had been formed in first months of 1944 and trained at Munzingen camp in Germany. Its OOB included 1st and 2nd Alpini Regiment and 1st Alpine Artillery Regiment. The unit came back in Italy in summer 1944.
It was never employed as a whole but divided in battlegroups. It fought aganst partisans in Liguria and western emilia, had an important role in the late german counteroffensive on italian front (operation winter storm, december 1944), and fought against French in western alps. Its last units surrendered to allies in Piedmont at the end of April 1945

bye
Lupo

Ah, the position kissed by the kid is that occupied on RSI italian uniforms by the symbol of "gladium" indicating the military condition but the image is unclear and it seems to me there's something more. I'll look for a better defined image for a definitive answer

[Lupo Solitario]

The alpine division "Monterosa" was a unit of RSI army. It had been formed in first months of 1944 and trained at Munzingen camp in Germany. Its OOB included 1st and 2nd Alpini Regiment and 1st Alpine Artillery Regiment. The unit came back in Italy in summer 1944.
It was never employed as a whole but divided in battlegroups. It fought aganst partisans in Liguria and western emilia, had an important role in the late german counteroffensive on italian front (operation winter storm, december 1944), and fought against French in western alps. Its last units surrendered to allies in Piedmont at the end of April 1945

bye
Lupo

Ah, the position kissed by the kid is that occupied on RSI italian uniforms by the symbol of "gladium" indicating the military condition but the image is unclear and it seems to me there's something more. I'll look for a better defined image for a definitive answer

[Lupo Solitario]

I've posted the same letter two times...sorry
I add some element for better comprehension about the first card "the miracle":

- the flame burning over the lamp is the same taken as symbol by the fascistizing party "MSI" (movimento sociale italiano) after its organization in late '40s

- the little blue sign on the breast of the old woman indicates the italian medal for military bravery. It can be showed by mothers or widows of fallen soldiers

bye

Lupo

[JLEES]

Lupo,
Is the symbol of "gladium" on the uniform a symbol that indicates he is fighting for the RSI? Could thew child then be kissing the symbol of the RSI?
James

[Blackshirt]

image result for gladium.

[gabriel pagliarani]

Obviously Boccasile was not a RSI veteran.