Rome – City in Terror: The Nazi Occupation 1943–44: Victor Failmezger: Osprey Publishing

Rome – City in Terror

The Nazi Occupation 1943–44

Rome – City in Terror

The Nazi Occupation 1943–44

Description

This is the compelling story of an Eternal City brought low, of the terror and hardship of occupation, and of the disparate army of partisan fighters, displaced aristocrats, Vatican priests, Allied POWs and ordinary citizens who battled for the liberation of Rome.

In September 1943, following wave upon wave of Allied bombing, Italy announced an armistice with the Allies. Shortly afterwards, the German army disarmed Italian forces and, despite military and partisan resistance, quickly overran Rome. Rome – City in Terror is a comprehensive history of the nine-month-long German occupation of the city that followed.

The Gestapo wasted no time enforcing an iron grip on the city once the occupation was in place. They swiftly eliminated the Carabinieri, the Italian paramilitary force, rounded up thousands of Italians to build extensive defensive lines across Italy, and, at 5am one morning, arrested more than 1,000 Roman Jews and sent them to Auschwitz. Resistance, however, remained strong. To aid the thousands of Allied POWs who escaped after the dissolution of the Italian army, priests, diplomats and escaped ex-POWs operating out of the Vatican formed a nationwide organization called the 'Escape Line'.

More than 4,000 Allied POWs scattered all over Italy were sheltered, clothed and fed by these courageous Italians, whose lives were forfeit if their activities were discovered. Meanwhile, as food became scarce and the Gestapo began to raid on homes and institutions, Italian partisan fighters launched attack after attack on German military units in the city, with the threat of execution never far away.

List of Maps
Acknowledgements
Author's Introduction
Dramatis Personae
Prologue

1 Bombing the Cradle of Christianity
2 The Frantic Effort to Leave the Axis
3 The Former Allies Square Off
4 War in a Museum – The Battle for Rome
5 The Gestapo in Rome – Kappler, Espionage, and Sabotage
6 First They Take the Jews
7 The Vatican Nest of Spies
8 Unexpected, but Welcome Help
9 Allied POWs Seek Freedom
10 Knocking on the Gates of Saint Peter's
11 Official Military Resistance
12 Ciao Bella, Ciao – The Partigiani
13 The Rome Escape Line
14 Life under the Gestapo Boot – Raids, Roundups, Food, and Art
15 An American Boy Scout OSS Spy in Rome
16 A Stranded Whale
17 No Roman Holiday
18 The Order Has Been Carried Out
19 The Roman Spring of 1944
20 Prelude to Liberation
21 At Long Last, Liberation

Epilogue
Endnotes
Acronyms
Appendices
Bibliography and Resources
Index

Product details

Published	17 Sep 2020
Format	Ebook (PDF)
Edition	1st
Extent	496
ISBN	9781472841254
Imprint	Osprey Publishing
Illustrations	32pp plate section in colour and b&w
Series	General Military
Short code	GNM
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

In Rome - City In Terror, Victor Failmezger retells the story of the harrowing days leading up to the Allied liberation of Rome in 1944. Between partisan warfare against the hated Nazi occupiers and the constant stream of escaped Allied prisoners-of-war, scrambling towards freedom along the Escape Line, Failmezger vividly reveals that Rome was far from the quiet Open City it was purported to be. If you want something to read while waiting for the COVID lockdown to end, this is the book!

Leo Barron, author of, Patton at the Battle of the Bulge
Victor Failmezger's passion for the city of Rome is matched by his extensive knowledge of its dark recent past.

Joshua Levine, author of, Dunkirk: The History Behind the Major Motion Picture
Throughout, Failmezger presents fascinating stories and characters from a dramatic period of the war on the Italian front. Highly recommended for anyone interested in World War II history.

Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
A fine piece of history telling and a very good read.

Gunmart