A blog from World War 2 | Un Blog dalla Seconda Guerra Mondiale

March 18, 1944

Saturday, today is the eve of San Giuseppe’s feast day (translator’s note: San Giuseppe’s feast day is Father’s Day in Italy). As usual we left work at midday. Agostino, Ciccillo, and I bought some meat with the Marks we saved up and we go eat at the hotel where I live. While we’re eating, the siren goes off so we quickly pay and rush to the usual bunker, which is very sturdy. While we’re in the shelter, Ciccillo says, “Hope the meat we bought doesn’t end up buried in Munich”. They’re frightened because they aren’t used to air raids since they live 12 km outside of the city. But I reassure them, telling them this shelter is very sturdy. 10 minutes after we get inside, the attack begins. The ground shakes, we hear shouts that make us shudder. After a few hours, the siren has stopped, we go outside and realize a large bomb had fallen right beneath the wall of our shelter, but the shelter is unscathed, while the houses all around are demolished. Yet again, the good Lord saved us. We walk around the city but not for long because the streets are filled with rubble, even the butcher shop where we bought our meat has been destroyed and all the meat has been buried. We say goodbye and agree to meet up the next day to cook some macaroni and meat at Fasanerie-Nord. I go to the Fascist Headquarters in regards to the theft. I explain what happened to one of the workers, a man named Porri, husband of Mrs. Porri who visited me twice in the hospital. He tells me to wait for Mr. Donato Ruggero, the head Fascist, to file a report. This man arrives and I tell him what happened. He asks “Are you a registered Party member?” I reply “What does this have to do with the Party? I am an Italian”. He tells me they only assist Fascists. So I leave and will never go back again. So I decided to put an end to it, I lost my stuff but I don’t want to lose any more time over it.

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