A Civil War (49 page)

27
See the ‘Decisione' of the CLNAI of 29 March 1945 (
Atti CVL
, p. 463). There was to be no difference in the command badges (‘distintivi di commando'); see the ‘Regolamento interno del CVL', 18 April 1945, already cited (ibid., pp. 490–2).

28
See Battaglia,
Un uomo
, p. 129.

29
See R. A. Webster,
The Cross and the Fasces
, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1960, pp. 166, 210.

30
Among the many documents along these lines, see the letters sent by the delegation for Lombardy 15 November 1944 to the Command of the 1
^st
and 2
^nd
division group, and 2 November 1944 to the Command of the ‘13 Martiri di Lovere' brigade (INSMLI,
CVL
, envelope 93, folder 4).

31
See M. Legnani, ‘Documenti della guerra partigiana: le ‘Guide del commissario', in
Il Movimento di liberazione in Italia
XVII: 81 (1965), pp. 61–74. Comparison with the party texts, conserved in ISRP, was suggested to me by Gianni Perona, to whom I give my thanks. See G. Perona, ‘Le forze della resistenza e l'insurrezione', in
L'insurrezione in Piemonte
, Milan: Franco Angeli, 1987, pp. 311–43, esp. pp. 335–46.

32
Bernardo,
Il momento buono
, pp. 63–4.

33
‘Relazione sulla visita fatta da me il 14–15 agosto [1944] alla formazione 13 Martiri' (Bergamasco), signed Lesia (?) (IG,
BG
, 010560).

34
INSMLI,
CVL
, envelope 93, folder 4 (November 1944).

35
It is curious that this proposal was made in a report to the provincial CLN of Udine, 31 January 1945, which advocated unification with the Osoppo (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. II, p. 319). For the tasks entrusted to commissars in the brief period of the ‘Comando Coordinamento GOF' (Garibaldi – Osoppo Friuli), see order of the day no. 7 of 2 November 1944 (IZDG., envelope 272b, folder I/B).

36
‘Relazione sulla mia ispezione in Valtellina', signed Domenico, 4 August 1944 (IG,
BG
, 0540).

37
Such was the case with Remo, transferred to a post other than that of commissar of the 51
^st
Capettini brigade. See ‘Relazione dell'ispezione alla 3
^a
divisione Lombardia Aliotta', 12 October 1944, signed Giorgio (IG,
BG
, 01492). For Remo's intemperance in his articles in
Il Garibaldino
, see the document cited in
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. II, pp. 529–30, n. 9.

38
See Fogar,
Le brigate Osoppo-Friuli
, pp. 330–41, which gives a balanced reconstruction of the activities performed in the Osoppo formations by the commissars or, as they preferred to call them in that environment, political delegates. During the brief period of Garibaldi–Osoppo unification, the Christian Democrats had been concerned that the positions of command did not all remain in Communist hands.

39
See Webster,
La Croce e i Fasci
, p. 228.

40
Tersilla Fenoglio Oppedisano's testimony, in Bruzzone and Farina, eds,
La Resistenza taciuta
, pp. 153–4. The commissars referred to by Fenoglio ‘had studied in jail'.

41
See the text of Giorgio Agosti's account
Formazioni GL
.

42
See the ‘Memoria per generale Valenti' (Cadorna) by General Trabucchi, 28 February 1945 (INSMLI,
CLNAI
, envelope 10, folder I, subfolder 2) and R. Cadorna,
La riscossa
,
Dal 25 luglio alla Liberazione
, Milan–Rome: Rizzoli 1948.

43
‘Informazioni sul movimento partigiano nel Veneto', February 1945, anonymous (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. III, p. 423).

44
See the complaints against this evolution expressed in a letter by Michele, political commissar of the 1
^st
Gramsci (Ossola-Valsesia) division, to Marco, commissar of the 82
^nd
Osella brigade, 16 November 1944 (ibid., vol. II, pp. 598–9), as well as the report on the ‘visita alla 47
^a
brigata Garibaldi' (Parmense), 29–30 December 1944. Signed Pini (?) (IG,
BG, Emilia-Romagna
, G. IV.2.6). See also the pamphlet ‘Funzioni del comandante e del commissario politico', edited by the Command of the 8
^th
Asti division (IG,
BG
, 05816).

45
See the report by Ferrarini (Enzo Costa) on the inspection at the forces of the Parma Apennines, July 1944, in which it is added that ‘only two commissars are proletarian and old comrades' (‘solo due due commissari sono proletari e vecchi compagni') (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
vol. II, p. 121).

46
This occurred, for example, in the Modena division in the period of unified Command: see the ‘relazione sull'attività del commissariato' (undated, but attached to a report to the CUMER dated 2 January 1945), quoted in ibid., vol. III, p. 187, note 2.

47
This reticence is observed in the report on an inspection of the Ateo Garemi brigade group (Vicentino), 20 February 1945 (ibid., p. 381): perhaps the brigade's name suggested particular prudence.

48
Report by Andreis on the inspection of the 6
^th
Langhe division, 12 October 1944. As a remedy, Andreis had organised a school for commissars (ibid., vol. II, pp. 434–5).

49
Pajetta,
Il ragazzo rosso va alla guerra
, pp. 127–8.

50
See order of the day no. 3 of 5 January 1945 of the 9
^th
Cuneo division (IG,
BG
, 04490).

51
This is what Cino and Ciro wrote in their ‘Osservazioni e proposte' for the Communist project for ‘the transformation of the partisan units into regular formations of the Italian army' (‘la trasformazione delle unità partigiane in formazioni regolari dell'esercito italiano', 21 January 1945 (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. II, p. 264).

52
See the edict of 24 July 1944, attached to the letter of 8 October to Lieutenant Colonel Vanni quoted later, (INSMLI,
CVL
, envelope 27, folder 2, subfolder I.)

53
See
Atti CVL
, pp. 235–7.

54
The delegation to ‘comandante Gufo', 1 November 1944 (INSMLI,
Brigate Garibaldi
, envelope 2, folder I., subfolder I).

55
Report by Pierino, commander of the 46
^th
brigade, to Piedmont delegation, 11 March 1945 (IG,
BG
, 05051).

56
Circular of the (unified) zone Command to all the dependent formations, 3 February 1945 (ibid., 04504).

57
See for example the letter by Andrea, political commissar of the group of Liguria brigades, to the General Command, 3 August 1944, and the circulars of the Piedmontese and Ligurian GL Commands of 8 July and 25 August 1944 (respectively in
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. II, pp. 192–4, and
Formazioni GL
, pp. 106–8, 147–8).

58
IG,
BG
, 04504.

59
For example, Sciabola (Lionello Santi), the GL representative, who was parachuted with an allied mission protested (late October 1944) against attempts to disarm him by the Garibaldini of the Biella area (INSMLI,
CLNAI
, envelope 6, folder 3, subfolder 9), who, according to one of their documents, felt denigrated (report by inspector Gigi, 15 December 1944, in
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. III, p. 79). For the significance of this whole affair, see the section entitled ‘I rapporti tra garibaldini, giellisti e missioni alleate', in Poma and Perona,
La Resistenza nel Biellese
, pp. 220–4.

60
The letter, of 31 December 1944, is in
Le Brigate Garibaldini
, vol. III, p. 165.

61
See in this regard a reference, rather too emphatic, in Gorrieri,
La Repubblica di Montefiorino
, p. 72.

62
Letter to the delegation for Piedmont, 9 November 1944 (INSMLI,
Brigate Garibaldi
, envelope I, folder 4, partly published in
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. II, p. 607, n. 2). See also, in ibid., the same General Command's' letter to the Piedmont delegation, 17 November 1944, pp. 604–7.

63
Letter of 17 November 1944, in
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. II, p. 607.

64
See the report, signed Antonio, on the ‘ritirata [retreat] della 2a divisione Garibaldi Liguria “F. Cascione” in Piedmonte', late October 1944 (IG,
BG
, 010247).

65
See the report by Nestore, political commissar of the 8
^th
Asti division, to the delegation for Piedmont, 18 February 1945 (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. III, p. 374). For Nando (Ferdinando Pagliassotto), see
Formazioni GL
, p. 408.

66
Circular of 8 November 1944, in ‘Bullettino' n. 2, p. 35.

67
Minutes of 11 January 1945, in P. Rugafiori, ed.,
Resistenza e ricostruzione in Liguria. Verbali del CLN ligure, 1944/1946
, Milan: Feltrinelli, 1981, p. 190.

68
Letter by the delegation for Piedmont to the Command of the group of Langhe divisions, 9 April 1945 (Le Brigate Garibaldi vol. III, p. 590). On this point, see in general Pajetta,
Il ragazzo rosso va alla guerra
, p. 47.

69
See Bianco,
Guerra partigiana
, pp. 63–5.

70
Letter by the General CVL Command to the CMRP, 18 August 1944 (
Atti CVL
, pp. 162–4) and Martini Mauri,
Partigiani penne nere
, p. 229.

71
A minor, but very clear example is given by Colonel Marenco's SIMAR band in Tuscany,
Partigiani penne nere
, p. 229.

72
Cerri (Norberto Duzioni), one of the organisers of the GL in the province of Bergamo, abandoned them when he realised that, instead of working for the
patria
, he was working for the Action Party. See his letter of resignation, 15 September 1944, in
Formazioni GL
, pp. 158–60. For the anti-partyism of Tuscan band chief tied to the GLs, see the minutes of the executive committee of the Florence Action Party, 7 April 1945 (ISRT,
Carte Carlo Campolmi
, envelope 2).

73
See the letter to the Regional Command for Lombardy, 16 August 1944 (
Atti CVL
, pp. 151–2).

74
This seems to have been the case with a Parma province formation that distanced itself from the CLN (also accused of inefficiency). See the report by ‘Dario' (Luigi Marchini) titled ‘al compagno federale e al compagno commissario', 7 June 1944 (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. II, p. 21). See also the report of the Nanetti division Command to the General Command, 10 August 1944 (ibid., pp. 245–7).

75
See Mautino,
Guerra di popolo
, pp. 34–5. For similar views of the CLNs of the provinces of Mantua and Biella, see the report to the Lombardy delegation by the Command of the group of lower Po Sap brigades, 8 January 1945, and the letter to the Biella federation, 27 November 1943 (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. II, p. 212, and vol. I, p. 141).

76
See Bernardo,
Il momento buono
, p. 109.

77
This is the CLN of Cassolnovo in Lomellina. See Ballone,
Una sezione, un paese
, p. 445.

78
See the letter by Michele, commissar of the 1
^st
Gramsci division, to the commissar of the 124
^th
Pisio Greta brigade, 1 April 1945 (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. III, p. 555).

79
‘Situazione delle bande nella zona preappenninica a est e a ovest della via Emilia', signed Emilio, undated (November 1944?) (INSMLI,
Brigate Garibaldi
envelope I, folder 4).

80
Asdrubale's letter to Matteo, in Casali,
Il movimento di liberazione a Ravenna
, vol. II, pp. 283–4.

81
Letter by the Command of the group of northern brigades of the Friuli Garibaldi division to the Carnia CLN, 18 March 1945, after the end of the free zone (IRSFVG,
Fondo Magrini
, envelope CLV, folder I).

82
See Celso Ghini's report ‘sul movimento della zone di confine umbromarchigiano', 16 August 1944 (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. I, p. 256); the protest of the commander of the 2
^nd
Cascione division to the Cuneo, Imperia and Mondovì CLNs, 6 December 1944 (ibid., vol. III, p. 33); the letter by the Lombardy delegation to the Regional Command, 18 May 1945, inspector Giorgio's report on the 3
^rd
Aliotta division, 6 March 1945 (ibid., pp. 247–8, 443); the report by the PCI ‘Comitato federale bis' of La Spezia on the ‘situazione militare e politica della 4
^a
zona operative', 28 March 1945 (ibid., pp. 543–4).

83
This is what the Command of the group of Lombardy divisions wrote to the Command of the Nanetti battalion, 24 December 1944 (IG,
BG
, 01326). For a Nanetti detachment of the Certosa-Rho zone, see ibid., 011055 (5 September 1944).

84
See battaglia,
Un uomo
, pp. 134, 197–8. The criticism is addressed to the Apuania CLN.

85
‘This is a warning: just words. If you don't change your attitude you will learn very quickly what our habitual style is: facts', 12 October 1944 (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. II, pp. 437–8).

86
Regarding the free zones see Legnani,
Politica e amministrazione nelle repubbliche partigiane
. For the general problem, dealt with in all histories of the Resistance, here I shall just mention G. Quazza, L. Valiani and E. Volterra,
Il governo dei CLN
, Turin: Giappichelli, 1966, and Quazza,
Resistenza e storia d'Italia
, Chapter VII, entitled ‘I CLN direzione giacobina'.