Marzabotto massacre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Marzabotto massacre was a World War II massacre that took place in the small Italian village of Marzabotto and in the adjacent Grizzana Morandi and Monzuno, in the area of the massif of Monte Sole, part of the Apennine range, in the province of Bologna. It was the worst massacre of civilians committed in Italy during World War Two.

In reprisal of the local support given to the partisans and the resistance movement, between September 29 and October 5, 1944, soldiers of 16.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Reichsführer-SS, led by Sturmbannführer Walter Reder, killed hundreds of people in the territory of Marzabotto, Monzuno and Grizzana Morandi, in the largest civilian massacre perpetrated by Nazis in Western Europe.

Some confusion regarding the number of victims arose during the years: some sources report up to 1830 victims, others estimate 955 people killed. Today the Peace School Foundation of Monte Sole reports 770 victims. This number is quite close to the official report written by Walter Reder stating the "execution" of 728 "bandits". Among the victims, 45 were less than 2 years old, 110 less than 10 years old, 95 less than 16 years old, 142 were more than 60 years old, 316 were females, 5 were priests.

In January 2007, 10 former SS members of 17 suspected were found guilty in absentia by an Italian military tribunal, in the North Italian town of La Spezia, and sentenced to life imprisonment for the massacre. Italian media reported that the 10 were also ordered to pay roughly € 100 million to the survivors and relatives of the victims. 7 were acquitted.^[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Marzabotto: The Crimes of Walter Reder - SS-Sturmbannführer by Christian Ortner (Vienna, 1985)
Silence on Monte Sole by Jack Olsen (New York, 1968, ISBN 0-213-17794-3)