#135
Post
by carlodinechi » 11 Mar 2015, 14:39
Proof the Italian divisions, in their respective areas, were a blessing to the Ukrainian civilian population on the brink of starvation:
"Even in critical moments, Italian soldiers requested very little from the population. General Messe preferred to reduce rations of his own troops rather than exploit local villagers. The Italians asked the Russians to provide shelter for their soldiers, yet even in such circumstances military officials attempted to find suitable lodging in public buildings, schools, or offices rather than in private homes. It was expressly forbidden to requisition homes forcefully from the locals in the German manner. During the winter of 1941-42, the Russian urban population was on the edge of outright starvation. The Germans had requisitioned all local grain, and civilians traveled throughout the countryside searching for peasants who could give them a bit of precious flour. In return, the peasants wanted "things", not money, in exchange for their flour. "One could observe," Messe writes, "a procession of poor people who came from cities with sleds, laden with the most varied objects and then returning from this pilgrimage with a small amount of flour after walking kilometers and kilometers from house to house in the countryside." Hundreds tramped through the countryside in this manner. Italian military truck drivers picked up many of these exhausted civilians on the roads to "alleviate their fatigue," despite German orders forbidding transportation of civilians in military vehicles. The following summer, even the Ukrainian peasants remained without flour ... hungry civilians tramped toward the Don regions where Russian troops had not yet destroyed all of the harvest during their withdrawal, and the Germans had not yet arrived to deplete supplies of grain with their system of requisitions. Italian soldiers picked up many civilians during this period, providing much needed transportation for those moving toward the Don on foot. The Germans were concerned about security to the rear of their lines as masses of civilians entered areas close to the front near the Don River. They ordered civilians without prescribed permits to be interned in prison camps. General Messe writes, "If those orders had been applied, prison camps would have been rapidly populated by the destitute, forced far from their hoomes by hunger." The Italians organized transportation for civilians who lacked documents, using empty trucks returning from the front to their supply bases: "Once more, good sense, pity, and understanding of human needs took precedence over German imperious categorical orders, giving the population more tangible proof of the kindness of the Italians." The Italian military had nothing to do with roundups of civilian workers sent to Germany for forced labor. The Italian Office of Civilian Affairs focused primarily upon assistance to the population. During the winter months, soldiers of the CSIR had more opportunity for contact with the local population. The troops had a period of quiet while in the zone of Stalino in the Donetz Basin, where their main battle was against the frigid weather. Soldiers frequently sought refuge in Russian homes where stoves offered welcome warmth. Women villagers often did the laundry for soldiers in exchange for part of their bread and rations. As villagers came to know the soldiers, they requested medical help for their children. Italian medical officers offered their assistance and even offered medicine. Numerous soldiers even gave blood for necessary transfusions. In Rikovo, officers of the Torino Division established free outpatient clinics, a rest house for the elderly, and even a clinic for pregnant women run by Italians with Russian personnel paid by the Italians. General Messe noted all activities were the result of "spontaneous initiatives by our commanders." ... Italian military justice was carried out "with severity" in cases when soldiers were found guilty of activities against the population. In most cases, folks who suffered any form of damages inflicted by an Italian soldier received support and compensation. Even minor acts were punished and not overlooked, such as stealing a chicken or goose from a peasant family. General Messe was resolute, believing the Russian population should not suffer at the hands of Italian troops." (Sacrifice on the Steppe: The Italian Alpine Corps in the Stalingrad Campaign, 1942-1943, Hope Hamilton, pp. 14-15, Casemate, 2011)
