british army trieste italy

troops must return immediately to their units.' It emerged that Kesselring had his authority as Commander of the West extended to include Italy and had replaced Vietinghoff with General Friedrich Schulz from Army Group G on hearing of the plans. For the service records of individuals from this period go to Veterans UK, a branch of the Ministry of Defence. I asked this before but I didn't get an answer; My grandfather was in the army during ww2 and I was too young (7/8) to really know what he did during the war before he died and my mum doesnt know either, just that he was deployed in Italy. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. I was at his house one evening and one of his daughters was just about to leave to visit another friend. [5][4], As of 9 April, the Axis in Italy had 21 much weaker German divisions and four Italian National Republican Army (ENR) divisions, with about 349,000 German and 45,000 Italian troops. Allied manpower shortages continued in October 1944. The division fought in the battle to secure the bridgehead, sustaining heavy casualties. I cant find any information about In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. The A.M.G. British Element Trieste Force (BETFOR) was the UK organization in the free territory. He was in the RAF, DLI and RAOL as far as I can tell if thats relevant. Best wishes Unit records in the aftermath of the Second World War, A Bibliography of Regimental Histories of the British Army, Friends of The National ostensibly to revisit their families, but always raising the possibility By clicking on the series links (for example,WO 269) you will arrive on the respective series description pages from where you can search the series, using dates/years and keywords, such as: Series description pages also provide information on the arrangement of the records and sometimes some of the historical context in which they were created, as well as suggesting related series you could explore. The Regimental Association was about to hold its first post-war reunion, and as Winston Churchill was the honorary colonel the affair had to be done in style. getting at Gesuiti, couldn't compare to the quality and quantity we experienced [20], Progress against a determined German defense was slow, but ultimately the superior Allied firepower and lack of German reserves allowed the Allies to break through the mountain defenses and reach the plains of the Po valley. On re-checking my personal diaries I now find that after joining the 4th QOH I never went back to Rome, although I clearly visited there twice whilst in the 49th LAA (once on the 21st of June and again on the 10th of July). The division returned to Italy on 15 September 1944. Trieste in May 1945 was a chaotic city filled with cornered German, Croatian and Italian soldiers who continued to fight despite Italy's capitulation in 1943. Gesuiti They had reached the Santerno, 5.6km (3.5mi) beyond, by dawn on April 11. Never trust your memory and don't forget to keep a diary! To find records revealing the decision making behind British Army operations, government policy on a specific conflict and all kinds of other high level thinking around the operations, conflicts and wars involving the British Army, search within Cabinet (CAB) and Ministry of Defence (DEFE) departments. The division left for Greece on 12 December 1944, arriving a day later. The Italian Special Armored Brigade destroys 15 British tanks and pursues the British for an additional 20 kilometers before losing communication with the home base and turning back. In 1948-51, my mother worked in several camps in Austria and Trieste and brought with her to Australia photographs, monthly reports, refugee art and handcraft. It remained in the Anzio beach-head until the breakout. We had just got into the street outside his flat when we literally stumbled over a body in the kerb. After the reform the Trieste Troops Command consisted of the following units: The command stored and maintained the materiel for the 43rd Motorized Infantry Battalion "Forl" and 255th Motorized Infantry Battalion "Veneto", which in case of war would have been activated and filled with reservists from Trieste and the surrounding area. In turn the navy invited some of us back to their own units and I was chosen to spend a day on a mine-sweeper in Trieste harbour. and the fourth is Trieste at night. ''He burned our village. and the hundreds of refugees running for cover to shut themselves in tents, huddle together and try to forget the cold. On 16 April my very good friend Leslie Gilbert and I attended a Passover service at the Marittima ballroom on the harbour front of Trieste. 12,411 British, and Commonwealth, Free French and French colonial, Polish, and Brazilian troops, Italian Service Unit members, and Jewish Brigade volunteers from Palestine (who served under British command) killed 54,700 Italian partisans killed (44,720 Italian partisans in combat, 9,980 in Axis reprisals) Find out how you can use this. [23] Turin was also liberated by partisan forces on April 25, after five days of fighting. It took part in the Second Battle for Cassino and then the advance up the Liri Valley (Cassino III). The river was crossed the next day and they advanced north to Verona which they entered on April 26. The 78th Infantry Division was also held up that same day on the Reno River at Bastia. Album of photographs of the British Military Hospital, Trieste, Italy, on completion of re-organisation | Wellcome Collection Find thousands of books, manuscripts, visual materials and unpublished archives from our collections, many of them with free online access. ''The killings were, unlike Bosnia today, politically motivated,'' said Mr. Valdevit. across the borders from Yugoslavia in 1950. city (Trieste) snapshots that I have found in my research is the following Coat of Arms of the Trieste Troops Command, Last edited on 22 December 2022, at 10:58, 1975 the Italian army undertook a major reform, 1st Motorized Infantry Battalion "San Giusto", "82 Reggimento Fanteria "Torino" - La Storia", "151 Reggimento Fanteria "Sassari" - La Storia", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trieste_Troops_Command&oldid=1128868079, I Field Artillery Group, in Trieste, with, This page was last edited on 22 December 2022, at 10:58. Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Duino-Aurisina, The Erma has this inscription: 'Respect the field of death and glory' in memory of the First World War. locals are considered autochthonous into the border region of Trieste, Almost overnight, stones were whitewashed, flagpoles were erected and 'bull' was the order of the day. In fact, it brought back memories. [12] In Phase I, the Eighth Army would cross the Senio and Santerno rivers and then make a dual thrust, one towards Budrio parallel to the Bologna road, Route 9 (the Via Emilia) and the other northwest along Route 16, the Via Adriatica, towards Bastia and the Argenta Gap which was a narrow strip of dry terrain through the flooded land west of Lake Comacchio. Members of the Slav minority in Trieste, who often deny that the killings took place, and the old Italian Communists who see the massacres as an embarrassment, have been able to block any investigation. [1], On 15 September 1955 the Grouping "T" was reduced to 22nd Zonal Military Command and the 82nd Infantry Regiment "Torino" entered the Infantry Division "Folgore", which was given the task to defend the Yugoslav-Italian border between Gorizia and Trieste. It was withdrawn from Anzio to Egypt on 28 March 1944 to refit. The system for release from the army at that time was based on a combination of age and length of service. From what I remember we were placed in the annex, where we lived for 4 years. Unfortunately my One morning, immediately before roll call, the young lad who was my assistant and who I was training to take over from me came to me in a state of panic. Bear in mind that a search in our catalogue will also search for records in other archives around the country keep your eye on the Held by field to establish whether the records are here or elsewhere. This reduced the Eighth Army, now commanded by Lieutenant-General Richard McCreery, to seven divisions. The division left for Egypt on 3 July 1944. fled into Yugoslavia during World War II and after when the Eastern European This was vital information, as at the drop of a hat the squadron could be called onto the streets of Trieste to keep the peace. countries came under Communist control, they left for Trieste. These used to fetch a fair price on the streets and there was at least one 'scam' that some of our own MPs were said to have practised. 46 Infantry Division (1943-45) Its particularly interesting to me today as it shows Busty, Loopy and Chesty Reed, the RSM. The Free Territory of Trieste comprised an area of 738 square kilometres (285 sq mi) around the Bay of Trieste from Duino/Devin in the north to Novigrad/Cittanova in the south, and had approximately 330,000 inhabitants. British Military History One such possible event occurred because of my position as Tech Corporal in charge of Squadron Technical Stores. Italian and the local venetian Damage to other transport infrastructure forced Axis forces to use sea, canal, and river routes for supply. If it was separate, does Reporter, Trieste. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open Government Licence at the rate of 800 a day. When I arrived in 1950, an internment camp. During the occupation, at least 3,500 residents of Trieste, along with an unknown number of Yugoslavs, Italians and Germans who washed up there, were killed and thrown into the fissures, or foibes, of the Carso mountain range, the eastern end of the Italian Alps. It remained in Greece until the end of the war, and was disbanded there in March 1947. It was handed back to Italy in 1954. Jevtic went on to spend four years in Trieste before emigrating to Quebec (Canada) via France. commerce and culture, and lost influenc--however lately The division took part in the invasion of Sicily, crossing into Italy in 3 September 1943. that they were on a spying mission. I got myself good and early to a vantage point in Whitehall and had the pleasure of seeing a contingent of the 4th Hussars march past in the splendid parade, which included the carriage of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. We can either copy our records onto paper or deliver them to you digitally, Visit us in Kew to see original documents or view online records for free, Consider paying for The audience numbered 12,000 and the performance went on till the early hours of the morning. Old Soldier's Home (TRUST & BETFOR): On Friday evenings my friends and I would come into town and make straight for the YMCA. From July the New Zealanders joined the British 8th Army's march east and north towards the Italian plain. In January 1944, it was involved in the battles for the Garigliano Crossing. [17][18] The 8th Indian Infantry Division, 2nd New Zealand Division, and 3rd Carpathian Division (on the Polish Corps front at Route 9) attacked at dusk. This probably accounted for the fact that I must have volunteered for the job of prisoners escort, of which details now follow. about a few refugees in "San Sabba," "Opicina," and "Gesuiti" who were continually It returned to Italy on 11 April 1945. It was quite common to be sitting in a cinema in town and to have a notice flashed on the screen that said: 'All At the same time the artillery group was equipped with the more powerful and more modern M114 towed howitzers. Just spotted your reply and send you best wishes from an ex-Triestinian. Major General Terence S. Airey was the first Zone Commander and Military Governor, followed by Major General Sir T.J.W. The German Army surrendered to New Zealand army on May 2. International pressure made the Yugoslavs leave the city on June 12. In the meantime, the 24th Guards Brigade, part of the 56th (London) Infantry Division, had launched an amphibious flanking attack from the water to the right of the Argenta Gap. The Italian right wing, which says that 20,000 Italians were killed here -- a figure most scholars dismiss as greatly exaggerated -- is reluctant to see any exhumations that might deflate its figures. the American Military Government had more than 1,000 single boys and men Many old Partisans find it hard to condemn the killings. Warning order received that the Regt will move to TRIESTE to become Recce Regt in 56th (Lon) Div in lieu of 44th Recce Rgt.'. frontier, to Trieste's "San Sabba, then "Opicina" and finally to the newly-constructed "San Sabba Annex," where men, women and children were still crammed to the point of suffocation. Then to Monfalcone for a gunnery course,and later a T.A.R.A.course. From Barnard Castle I travelled by train to York, where my official demob took place. Dear Ron Goldstein, To our shame, the local Jewish Army Chaplain, who was present, wanted to keep them out, insisting that army rations had only been issued for those expected. in what was then Zone A of the Free Territory of Trieste, held by Allied 5. A fair number of German-speakers are native The link is www.displacedpersoncampcollection.org, Thanking you, Katherine Wositzky katherine.w@optusnet.com.au, Hi! Although they managed to breach the formidable Gothic Line defenses, the Allies failed to break into the Po Valley before the winter weather made further attempts impossible. 1946-1950. Upon our arrival, "San Sabba" was I would be more than happy to share my From 1946-1950, quarterly historical records and reports replaced the unit war diaries, which were mostly discontinued after the end of hostilities in 1945. On one occasion the navy decided it would be a good idea if they were to send some of the matelots stationed in Trieste to our barracks for a day's leave. Brief history of Trieste From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The museum located in the village is aiming to become a reference point in Italy for the history of a foreign contingent, namely what we know as the British Campaign in Italy 1917-1918. It remained in Austria on occupation duties until it was disbanded in August 1946. Associated themes British Army 1939-1945 Archives, Open Government Licence If you are looking for war diaries or other records related to specific British Army regiments and other units these are often recorded in our catalogue using abbreviations so try a variety of terms when searching (for example, Regt as well as Regiment, Bn as well as Battalion, Bty as well as Battery), Anthony Farrar-Hockley, The British Part in the Korean War: Official History (HMSO, 1990-1995), Lawrence Freedman, The Official History of the Falklands Campaign (Routledge, 2005), Arthur S White, A Bibliography of Regimental Histories of the British Army (The Naval and Military Press, 1992). It replaced four smaller synagogues that existed previously.. Slowly abandoned after World War I, the 600,000 sq metres of . or the same as the Riseria? The barracks we took over were in a terrible state, particularly noticeable after having lived at Opicina for so long, and it says much for the morale of the squadron that we were able to transform it into something that was at least bearable. From Opicina we now moved to the dockyard area of Monfalcone, just a few miles down the road but still in the Trieste Area. very much if you would include "San Sabba DP camp" as one of your many transit At times, when I found myself signing for half a dozen tanks at a time, I used to say to myself: 'Hold on therethat's 180,000 pounds worth of equipment you've just become responsible for!' In the aftermath of the Scottish referendum, independence movements across Europe are seeking their own media moments. And so I come to the end of this unlikely saga. Sun, Jul 19, 2020 http://www.beyondthebluehorizon.com/triestephotogallery/. It would not be the first time we were led up the garden path by the Recce Squadrons they were quite good at it. The Memorandum gave Zone A with Trieste to Italy for an ordinary civil administration, and Zone B, which had already had a communist government since 1947, to Yugoslavia. From 15:20 to 19:10, five heavy artillery barrages were fired each lasting 30 minutes, interspersed with fighter bomber attacks. in a Jesuit prison appropriated and, almost without facilities, turned into As the older and longer-serving members started to leave there was a frantic effort by those of us remaining to get into a reasonable position so that we would not be obliged to take part in the 'demilitarisation' that was taking place. When Tito broke with the Soviet Union in 1948 the Western allies, no longer wishing to antagonize Belgrade, did not press the Yugoslavs about the killings. [21], By April 19, on the Eighth Army front, the Argenta Gap had been forced and the 6th Armoured Division was released through the left wing of the advancing 78th Infantry Division to swing left to race northwest along the line of the river Reno to Bondeno and link up with the Fifth Army to complete the encirclement of the German armies defending Bologna. From there, it went on to Italy, arriving on 7 December 1943. The division fought in the battles for the capture of Naples, the Volturno Crossing and the capture of Monte Camino, all under command of X Corps. United Kingdom, North Devon Website Design by Really Different. ''As soon as one of them was questioned, four or five women rushed up to them and accused them of having murdered or tortured one of their relatives, or of having burned down their homes. British Element Trieste Force (BETFOR) was the UK organization in the free territory. [23] On all fronts, the German defense continued to be strong and effective, but Bondeno was captured on April 23. The Allied forward formations spent the rest of the winter of 1944 in inhospitable conditions while preparations were being made for a spring offensive in 1945. The territorial remnant was established on September 15, 1947, as the Free Territory of Trieste and was occupied by joint British-American forces as the Allied Military Government, British-United States Zone, Free Territory of Trieste. To the right of Fifth Army on Eighth Army's left wing, XIII Corps crossed the Po at Ficarolo on April 22, while V Corps were crossing the Po by April 25, heading towards the Venetian Line, a defensive line built behind the line of the river Adige. We could hardly Associated places Western Desert, Libya, Tunisia, Sicily, Catania, Italy, Austria. I hasten to explain. On May 1, 1945 the Yugoslav army entered Trieste (see Foibe) one day before before the New Zealand army, in a race to decide who would control the city. It moved onto into Austria on the 12 May. di S. Spiridone), the second is the famed Miramar, the third is Piazza dell'Unita, It was the best meal we'd had in From 1950 onwards, unit historical records and reports are in WO 305. Winterton. For 300 years, Trieste has been where the bulk of Italy's green (unroasted) coffee beans arrive, and it's rumoured that Triestini drink twice as much of the brew as their countrymen. Best wishes, Andronik Kedidjan niclas.kedidjan@telia.com. The 15th Army Group ration strength was 1,334,000 men, the Eighth Army having an effective strength of 632,980 men, and the Fifth Army 266,883. It bordered the new Italian Republic to the north, and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the south and to the east. smallest information would be very helpful to me. For my own peace of mind I asked him to tell me, in all confidence, how hed organised this massive theft, but he merely laughed and said, 'It wasnt me mate !'. During the same reform the Cavalry Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli" was split and the Regiment "Piemonte Cavalleria" (2nd) was used to form the new Armored Brigade "Vittorio Veneto", which took over the defense of the area between Trieste and the Timavo river. into this derelict burned-out rice mill that was a Nazi death camp five years Michael's email to you said it all. The final offensive in Italy commenced on 13 April 1945, with the division involved in forcing the Argenta Gap. Food was at a premium there Here's a website you should like: It has exterior and interior shots of San Sabba. From 9 April 1945 until the end of Operation Grapeshot, thus casualties exclude those suffered during the preliminary operations. Specific operations and campaigns. Operation Roast was an assault by 2nd Commando Brigade and tanks to capture the seaward isthmus of land bordering Lake Comacchio and seize Port Garibaldi on the lake's north side. 331.33 Records of Allied Military Government, British-United States Zone, Free Territory of Trieste 1942-54 (bulk 1947-54) 331.33.1 Records of the Office of the Military Governor 331.33.2 Records of the Directorate General, Civil Affairs 331.33.3 Records of the Directorate of Interior 331.33.4 Records of the Directorate of Finance and Economics The matter was never proven, however, and for about two weeks I sweated on being kept back in Italy as a potential court-martial witness. [28], Secret surrender negotiations between representatives of the Germans and Western Allies had taken place in Switzerland (Operation Crossword) in March, but had resulted only in protests from the Soviets that the Western Allies were attempting to negotiate a separate peace. The next day he saw a group of about 250 prisoners at the mouth of the Basovizza pit. at the American mess hall, needless to say. [29], On 1 May 1945, the Chief of Staff of the National Republican Army, Marshal Rodolfo Graziani, announced the unconditional surrender of the Italian Social Republic and ordered the forces under his command to lay down their arms. On 8 June I was home on leave again, and this time it coincided with the official victory celebrations. The Regiment was visited by the Corps Commander, Lt General Sir John Harding, and the photo in my album brings it all back to me because I was in my office at the time. October 1945: On board a mine-sweeper in Trieste Harbour From the Regimental Diary for 1 October 1945: 'Major JJ O'Brien left to go on a course in UK, also 14 days leave. We were at a rifle range that took your photograph if you hit the target and, much to our surprise, it actually worked! '', See the article in its original context from. We spent all day digging trains out of snowdrifts and as virtually everyone in the camp was on the point of being de-mobbed, rank meant nothing at all. They were left alone.''. In January l947, just three months short of four years from the time I set sail to North Africa, I was posted home to Barnard Castle in Northumberland. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not In early January 1945, the British 1st Infantry Division was sent to Palestine and at the end of the month the I Canadian Corps and the British 5th Infantry Division were ordered to north-west Europe. A search for documents at The National Archives usually begins inour online catalogue. +44 (0)20 7611 2222info@wellcomecollection.org, Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence, Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). BARNSTAPLE The long-awaited day eventually arrived. It was time to go home. The weight of the attack would then switch westward again to break into the Po valley skirting Bologna.[16]. camps of post-World War II Europe. Hi Eric The British and French each envisaged sending an expeditionary force of two Army corps; about 120,000 men and 26,000 horses, to Italy. v3.0, Cabinet Defence Committee minutes and [papers, Chiefs of Staff Committee registered files, Defence and Overseas Policy Committees and Sub-committees minutes and papers, Mediterranean: central Mediterranean forces, Unit historical records including war diaries and records of operational activity, Caribbean: Headquarters British forces Caribbean, Cyprus: Sovereign base area administration, Cyprus, records created by units of the army itself, records created by politicians, top-ranking officers and other high-level personnel, name of operation or campaign (for example, Operation Corporate), name of a conflict (for example, Suez crisis or Korean War) keyword searches like this work best if you put them in inverted commas, name of army unit. My own group number was 48, rather high because I was only 19 when I was called up. From the Regimental Diaries: '8th Oct The Rgt was inspected by the Corps Commander Lt General Sir John Harding.'. V Corps was ordered to make an attack on the salient formed by the river into the Allied line at Cotignola. In 1975 the Italian army undertook a major reform of its forces and structure: the regimental level was abolished and battalions came under direct command of newly created multi-arms brigades. The local Venetian dialect Trieste's City Hall, in the Piazza Unita d'Italia Devon EX31 2PJ My responsibilities were twofold. Best of luck Eric Simmonds ex 31st field regt. I could either go on a skiing holiday at Cortina, or take a course as a technical storeman. 68, Lower Cross Road Opicina Italian Government normally housed 400 prisoners. The Fifth Army was to make a secondary thrust further west towards Ostiglia, the crossing point on the Po of the main route to Verona. Most of them, Slovene-speaking Italians, teach their children in local Slovene schools about the fascist repression, when their language was banned and Slavs were purged from Government jobs.

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