The “Brigata Maiella”

1943: THOSE MARVELLOUS YOUNG MEN

The Partisan Band Began its Story on a Cold February Day in that Hard Winter of Half a Century Ago.

By Antonio Manzi.

5th December 1943, 50 years ago, on a cold day in that hard winter, the story of the Partisans of the “Brigata Maiella” (Maiella Brigade) began. A handful of willing men, survivors of the raids, the violence, the round-ups, the destruction, the massacres and the actions of revolt that had raged through the Sangro-Aventino zone, followed the lawyer Ettore Troilo, exemplary figure of antifascism, and they went to Casoli to ask the Allies for arms and provisions so they could carry on fighting against the Nazis, inexorably cruel devastators of all material and moral goods with an absolute negation of all human richness. The action of the lawyer, Ettore Troilo, in trying to overcome the diffidence towards the Italians of the Allied Command, was obstinate, unnerving, courageous, but he reached his goal of obtaining arms and food in order to organise units of combatants. In a short time the “Patriot Band of the Maiella” was constituted, with 300 personnel, mostly peasants, students and workmen. Later it developed into the “Group” with 1,500 men. Several people worked at lawyer Ettore Troilo’s side, including Dr. Domenico Troilo, who became the Group’s Vice-Commandant, and Dr. Vittorio Travaglini, untiring co-ordinator and organiser. It was from Casoli that the fighters of the “Maiella” undertook their luminous path of sacrifices and victories that led them to crown that sign of rebirth, blocking the disintegration of the Country.

The valour and the faith of the willing men of the “Brigata Maiella”, whose flag has been decorated with the Gold Medal for Military Valour, are now a heritage of inestimable merit.

Their valorous and splendid feats included those at Selva di Civitella, Falloscoso, Pizzoferrato, Cingoli, Apire, Cupramontana, Arcevia, Montecarotto, Pesaro, Monte Castellaccio, Monte della Siepe, Brisighella, Monte della Volpe,Bologna and Asiago. Holocausts, renunciations, courage, martyrdom of individuals and of entire formations, during those bright stages that led to the final victory, have since been consigned to History; let us hope that they have been interpreted and written in exact correspondence to reality, because what has been written about the Patriots of the Maiella was true history, concrete, tangible and not just for convenience. Twenty months of almost uninterrupted fighting, innumerable acts of heroism, had their conclusion in the solemn ceremony at Brisighella on the 15th of July 1945, where the Group disbanded, ending their glorious cycle in the presence of the highest authorities of the State, of the Allied Forces and the Italian Army, with Political, Administrative and Religious representatives, other Partisan Units and an immense crowd of exultant applauding citizens. At Milan on the 9th of May 1965, the Head of State described the acts of the Patriots of the Maiella as being amongst the most important facts of the National Fight for Freedom. Satisfied and aware of the notable contribution needed for the rebirth of Italy, the Willing men of the Maiella then humbly returned to their own functions and jobs, without asking why, satisfied with their usefulness of their undertakings.

The high contribution of valour, of sacrifice and blood that the  Brigata Maiella gave in the Fight for Freedom is documented in these figures: the only Partisan unit to be awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valour; 15 Silver Medals; 43 Bronze Medals; 144 Crosses of War; 1 Polish Cross of Merit with silver sword; 14 Polish Crosses of Merit with bronze sword; 3 |polish Crosses for Valour; 55 fallen; 19 lost; 151 wounded.

In the present climate of deep crisis, therefore, this 50th anniversary must be the occasion to recover the roots of the motivation that pushed those courageous young men to fight to redeem the dignity and prestige of the Italian people and to take back that marvellous democratic vitality.

In this task it is necessary to involve the entire scholastic world for an opportune work of disclosure that will allow young people effectively to enrich morale. We need to discuss with the young the meaning of that National “Identity” which, for the first time in our history, was shown to be both an individual and a collective need, throughout all the Italian territories; we need to involve everybody, men, women, the young, the old, in the same research. Even today we are all called to make choices regarding our National “Identity” and then how attitudes can be different; stay and watch, or go down to the fields with commitment and devotion.

The acts of the Patriots of the Maiella will return and light up if, regaining historic memory, we all unite in our commitment to affirm a new morality and to reaffirm our ideals.

© Amici di Torricella            No 14   December 1994     page 3

Translation courtesy of Dr. Marion Apley Porreca

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