Reading post 25432 in main thread: Favorite Commanders
June 26th, 2004  
Marksman
 
 
I yhink it goes like this

Compton captain assembled the Italians who had surrendered. They will have been more than forty. Then it asked: "Chi it wants to participate all' esecuzione?". It collected two dozens of men and made fire all with on the Italians ". "the West petty officer first class carried the column of Italian prisoners outside from the road. Churches a mitra and said its: "E' better than you do not watch, therefore the responsibility will be only mia". Then it killed them all ". E' one small Cefalonia: the victims are Italian soldiers who had fought with determination. The executioners are not neither of the SS neither of the Wehrmacht: they are makes Americans you. That one happened in Sicily between the 12 and the 14 July 1943 is the blacker page of the American military history. A page on which the historians in the United States discuss from a lustro, while in our Country the vicissitude almost is disowned. In the university of the America North there are run dedicates you to these eccidi, like that holding to Montreal on the topic "From the slaughter of Biscari to Guantanamo". And in the USA in these weeks the experts of military right estimate the responsibilities of the jailers of Abu Ghraib also on the base of the martial courts that judged the "shooters of Italians". Because - as he turns out from the actions of those processes - the soldiers Americans defended themselves supporting of only to have executed the orders of George Patton. "it had been said - they declared - that the general did not want captive". The FACTS - Nobody knows the exact number of men dell' Axis killed after the yield. The at least five main episodes, with approximately two hundred died. Of two, those happened nell' airport of Biscari, in the Ragusano, knows every detail. In the secret maximum, nell' autumn ' 43 the martial court USA celebrated two processes: the petty officer first class Horace T. West killed 37 Italians, the platoon d' execution of captain John C. Compton at least 36. The actions of the court recite: "All the prisoners were disarm to you and collaborated to you". Others two eccidi have been described from an eyewitness, British journalist Alexander Clifford, in talks and letters hour disclosed. They happened nell' airport of Comiso, that one become famous average century after for the Euromissiles of the NATO. All' age was a base of the Luftwaffe, contesa in an bloody battle. Clifford said that sixty Italians, captured in front line, came made to come down from a truck and massacres with one machine-gun to you. After little minuteren, the same scene would have been repeated with a group of Germans: they would have been crivellati in fifty. When a colonel, called of race from the reporter, stopped the slaughter, solos three still breathed. Clifford denounced all to Patton, than it promised it to punish the guilty. But not there was never a process and the reporter has refused until death to place against the general. Finally l' last massacre in the Saponeria Narbone-Garilli to Canicattì against the population that was plundering it. According to in those days confused the stilati reports of the ' 43, the military police USA after to have intimato l' exploded stop and of the blows in air, shot one squall on the crowd killing six persons. But the oral discoveries in the 2002 from university professor Joseph Salemi of the New York University - whose father was eyewitness dell' eccidio - they bring back the story of some of the soldiers present Americans: "As soon as he arrives to you, the colonel urlò to talk nonsense on the crowd that had entered in the plant. We remained firm, we were a chilling order. Then it appealled the gun and exploded 21 blows, changing loader three times. Many civilians died: I saw a child with the stomach smashed in from the bullets ". L' ORDER - But the proceedingses of the trial for "the facts of Biscari" credit the possibility that the victims have been many more. All the crimes have been work of 45ma the division of Patton, the "Thunderbirds": coming from units from the national Guard of Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. They come described like cow boy, with elements d' origin pellerossa. But they took part with courage to some of the harder battles of the conflict. That one on the coasts sicialian was their baptism of the fire: they had l' order to conquer within 24 hours the three airports nearer the coast, strategic in order to transfer from the Africa North the flocks allies to you. Instead the deprived of hope resistance of two Italian divisions and little German units it stopped them for four days. Many G.I. lost the control of the nerves. And they were all convinced that general Patton had ordered not to make prisoners. Tens of soldiers, graduate to you and official they testified to the process: "it had been said that Patton did not want to take you live them. On the ships that transported to us in Sicily, from the loudspeakers it has been read the speech of the general. "Se they surrender when you six to due-trecento meters from they, not to attend to the up hands. Sight between the third and quarter rib, then talks nonsense. Fottano, no prisoner! E' ended the moment to play, it is hour to kill! I want a division of killer, because the killer they are immortali!". L' HORROR - the first one to discover and to denounce the eccidi was the chaplain of the division, colonel William King. Some soldiers Americans, upset, called it and the stack of the bodies crivellati from the West petty officer first class indicated it: "E' a madness - they said -, is killing all the prisoners. We have come in war in order to fight these brutalities in order not to make these porcherie. Us vergogniamo of what it is happening ". King runs to try the commando of the regiment. But along the road for l' airport sees a stone fencing, probably a ovile, full load of captured Italians. It recites the report of the chaplain: "When they are approached to me, the guard corporal has greeted to me: "Padre, six come for seppellirli?". "Cosa you are dicendo?", I replied. The corporal answered: "Loro they are lì, I I am with mine mitra Thompson here, you six lì. And they have said not to make to us prigionieri"". To that King point it knows them on a masso, it calls all the present Americans and unexpected one foretells in order to convince them to save those men: "you cannot kill them, the prisoners are one precious news source on the enemy. And then their comrades could be revenged on ours that have taken. It does not make it you!". Equally dramatic the testimony of captain Robert Dean: "I came stopped from two stretcher bearers disarms to you. They said to me: "Abbiamo two hurt Italians, sent someone to ammazzarli". I urlai it to cure those soldiers, otherwise gliela I would have made pagare"". The SENTENCE - It was just the will of the King chaplain to make to be born the two processes on the slaughters of Biscari. King told all all' inspector dell' armed - figure similar to our prosecuting attorneies -, that it made relationship to Omar Bradley. The martial court against the West petty officer first class was opened to september. L' accusation: "premeditated voluntary Homicide, for having murdered with its mitra 37 prisoners, deliberately and in full conscience, with a behavior disdicevole". It makes you Italian - little less than 50 - had been captured after along combat in one a cavern around all' airport of Biscari. The commander delivered them to the petty officer first class with an order thought "vague" from the judges: to remove them from the track where he still went off himself. Nine witnesses have reconstructed l' eccidio. West puts the Italians in column, after some kilometers of march five or six separate from the rest of the group. Then it is made to give a mitra and it leads the others outside from the road. Lì kills them, chasing those that they try of scappare while it changes loader: one of the bodies has been found to 50 meters. In front of the court, the petty officer first class defense invocando stress: "they have been four days in front line, without never to sleep". It declared of to have assisted all' killing of two Americans captured from the Germans, what that it "had rendered furious in uncontrolled way". Its lawyer spoke about "temporary mental illness". Finally, West said the judges: "We had l' order to take prisoners single in extreme cases ". But its defense did not convince the court, that it condemned it all' life imprisonment. The pain but never did not come executed. Washington in fact terrorizzata from the possible repercussions of those slaughters. It feared the damage d' image on the Italians - with which it had been as soon as concluded l' armistice - and the risk of ritorsioni on allies inmates to you in Germany. Decided not to send West in one prison in the USA but to hold it to the arrests in one base of the Africa North. Then the sister began to write to the ministry and to speed up l' participation of the parliamentarian of its county. The apex dell' army fears that the vicissitude can end on newspapers. 1° February 1944 the head of public relation of the ministry of the prompt War to the ally commando of Caserta a "action of clemenza" for West: "we cannot - it is the text of the letter published from Stanley Hirshson in 2002 - allow that this history comes pubblicizzata: it would supply aid and support to the enemy. It would not come understood from citizens that they are therefore far from the violence of the crashs ". Therefore after solo six months, West comes rilasciato and sent to the forehead. According to some sources, it died to the fine August in Bretagna. According to others, it has concluded the undamaged war. L' ACQUITTAL - Instead 23 October ' 43 captain John C. Compton did not try excuses: in front of the martial court he only said of to have obeyed to the orders. In the process the battle for the base of Biscari, fought for all was reconstructed the night. C' it was an emplacement hidden on a hill that continued to shoot at the track. E' one feracious fray, with shooting of machine-guns and mortars, without one line of the forehead. L' unit of Compton had had twelve fallen in little hours. To a sure point, an American soldier sees an Italian in uniform and an other in "bourgeois" dresses that exit from one reduced: they wave one flag white woman. L' American approaches itself and from the trench they raise the hands approximately forty men. Five have civil jackets and meshes over the military pants and boots. The soldier them delivery to the petty officer first class but arrives the captain. Compton does not lose time: it says to kill them. Many of its offer volunteers: they talk nonsense in 24, exploding hundred of bullets on the heap of the Italians. The exact number of the victims remains uncertain but l' inquiry is concluded with l' indictment of the single official for 36 homicides, scagionando its subordinates to you. And Compton in classroom declares that l' order was that one, that it had to kill the enemies who continued to resist at a distance drawn near. Moreover it specifies that those Italians were "sniper", traducibile term like "sharpshooters" or "franchi snipers", and therefore they went shoots to you: a defensive line that would have been suggested from the same Patton. "I have made Them to kill because this was l' order of Patton - concluded the captain -. Just or mistaken, l' order of a general to three stars, with un' experience of combat, me enough. And I l' I have executed exactly ". All the witnesses - between which various colonels - confirmed the phrases of Patton, that terrible "if they only surrender when the six I lean, kills them". Some reported also that Patton had said: "More we take some, more food us servants. Better to make some less ". Compton was acquitted. The responsible dell' inquiry William R. Cook was tried to introduce appeal: "Quell' acquittal was therefore far from the sense American of the justice - it wrote - than an order of the sort had to appear illegal in lampante way ". But in the Cook meantime it had fallen to the forehead. Irony of the fate, believes that it has been hit from a sharpshooter while it tried to approach itself of the Germans with the flag white woman. Its acquittal but has become a legal case, that circular between the staff of the American military justice has begun after the end of the war. Previous "a classified one" also in order to avoid that it influences on the processes the nazi criminals of war. Then in the ' 73 one trace in the per diem ones of Patton publishes to you from Martin Blumenson and nell' 83 the first complete description nell' autobiography of general Omar Bradley. Today some historians Americans - absolutely not sospettabili of revisionismo - think that on the base of the Compton sentence they went acquitted the SS gunshots for the homicides of prisoners Americans. And while in the United States from 25 years studies are published on the "slaughter of Biscari" and its repercussions - the first one in 1988 was of James J. Weingartner, l' last in 2002 it has been of Hirshson - in our Country the vicissitude has been substantially ignored. Vent' years ago in the volume of the American Carl d' Este on the disembarkation in Sicily, translate from Mondadori, the issue was relegated in a paragraph. Then, lately two unavailable written of historians sicialian one and one page in the documented volume of Alfio Caruso. Never but un' initiative in order to remember those soldiers, remained without name. While Biscari does not even exist more: today the country calls Acate. Gianluca Di Feo (1-continues) the war. the 10 dates July 1943 the DISEMBARKATION the disembarkation allied in Sicily, coded name "Husky operation", begins all' dawn of the 10 July 1943. The WAYS Armed American, guided from general George Patton, lands to Freezes, l' VIII British he disembarks Pachino and Siracusa. Supreme commander dell' operation is general Dwight D. Eisenhower, future president of the USA 12-14 July the ECCIDI In three days the USA soldiers talk nonsense to cold blood against Italian and German prisoners in five various occasions. To Biscari the petty officer first class Horace West kills 36 soldiers, the platoon of captain John Compton others 37. To Comiso 60 Italians and, little after, 50 Germans come killed. To Canicattì the Americans talk nonsense against the crowd: at least 6 died 17 August the LIBERATION To 38 days from the disembarkation nell' island, the ally troops guided from Patton enter to Messina, received dall' enthusiasm of the population. L' German army has been withdrawn in Calabria. Little weeks before, the 25 July, had fallen the regimen of Mussolini. To the guide of the Italian government c' the marshal is hour Peter Badoglio 1 February 1944 the DENUNCIATION Three months after the eccidi, Compton and West comes proceeded to you from the martial Court. 23 October, Compton is defended therefore: "I have only obeyed to Patton". This, second many witnesses, l' order of the general: "If they only surrender when the six I lean, it kills them". The captain comes acquitted the West LETTER instead is condemned all' life imprisonment. But the sentence does not come executed. For six months it comes withheld in a jail in the Africa North. Then the ministry of the War American sendes to the ally commando of Caserta one sollicitation: "This history cannot be pubblicizzata". And the petty officer first class comes rilasciato GENERATES THEM To the L' FOREHEAD; offensive the SENTENCE "the West petty officer first class carried outside the captive Churches a mitra, then killed them all" West was the condemned, but it did not discount l' L' life imprisonment; ACQUITTAL "Compton captain assembled the surrendered soldiers Collected two dozens of men, made fire against the Italians". Compton was acquitted


 
 
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