A Civil War (50 page)
Authors: Claudio Pavone
87
See Bianco,
Guerra partigiana
, pp. 26, 42.
88
See
Atti CVL
, pp. 41â2, 459â65;
Atti CLNAI
, pp. 136â7. The decision to create the CVL had been taken by the central CLN on 9 January 1944 (
Atti CVL
, p. 538).
89
âDichiarazione del rappresentante del PCI nel CLN' (IG,
Archivio PCI
).
90
Letter of 10 December 1943 (IG,
Archivio PCI
).
91
See the âPromemoria della delegazione del PCI presso il CLN per l'Alta Italia', late December 1943 (in
Atti CVL
, pp. 526-33). On the entire controversy over this question, above all with Parri, who had been dragged along until March 1944, see ibid., documents in Appendix I.
92
Minutes in IG,
Archivio PCI
, âDirezione. Verbali della Delegazione PCI per l'Italia Meridionale'. It is published under the title âIstruzione per l'insurrezione di tutto il popolo', in Togliatti,
Opere
, vol. V., pp. 41â2.
93
See
Atti CVL
, pp. 576â9.
94
The inclusion of the partisans in the army and in the public safety forces was a request that the Action Party pressingly made to the recently formed Bonomi government. See the article entitled âGuerra, Governo e Popolo', which appeared in
L'Italia Libera
, northern edition, 19 June 1944.
95
See Catalano,
Storia del CLNAI
, p. 165, which refers the reader to a June 1944 issue of
Il Partigiano alpino
.
96
âRelazione sullo schema di decreto per l'unificazione delle formazioni partigiane nel CVL', written by the party's Alta Italia executive on 9 January 1945 (INSMLI,
CLNAI
, envelope 10, folder I, s, folder 2). The concepts expressed in the report are amply illustrated in a pamphlet,
L'Unificazione
, published 15 March 1945 by the âEdizioni del Comando delle formazioni partigiane Giustizia e Libertà '. As regards France, the Corsican partisans who were appointed officers in the army â âgli Hoche e i Marceau della Resistenza' â must have come to a thousand, while about 60,000 elements of the FFI (Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur) were included in General Jean Lattre de Tassigny's army deployed on the Rhine (see Michel,
La guerra dell'ombra
, pp. 313, 333).
97
See, as an example of all, the project presented by Longo, 8 January 1945, to the CLNAI, which is in fact entitled âPer la trasformazione delle unità partigiane in formazioni regolari dell'esercito italiano' (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. III, pp. 206â8), as well as Togliatti's speech at the Brancaccio theatre in Rome, 9 July 1944, his declarations to the party's national council, 7 April 1945 (Togliatti,
Opere
, vol. V, pp. 69, 117), and his letter to the insurrectional triumvirate of Emilia-Romagna, 2 March 1945 (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. III, pp. 430â1).
98
See in particular the proposal presented to the CLNAI, 31 December 1944, conserved in INSMLI,
Carte Damiani
, and amply summarised in Catalano,
Storia del CLNAI
, pp. 352â3.
99
A note sent by the Liberals to Under-Secretary Medici Tornaquinci during his mission to the North (or possibly written by the under-secretary himself) contains these words: âCommunisti promotori della unificazione per evitare lo scioglimento delle bande' (âCommunists promoters of unification in order to avoid the dissolution of the bands') (ISRT,
Archivio Medici Tornaquinci
, envelope 4, 5, n. I). For Cadorna's fears, see Catalano,
Storia del CLNAI
, pp. 356â8.
100
See his stances in the CLNAI meetings of 28 January and 5 February 1945 (ibid., pp. 355â6).
101
See L. Valiani, âGli azionisti' in Valiani, Bianchi and Ragionieri,
Azionisti, cattolici e comunisti nella Resistenza
, p. 98.
102
Formazioni GL
, p. 278.
103
Alberto's letter to Pierino, 24 February 1945 (IG,
BG, Emilia-Romagna
, G. IV. 2.11).
104
See Gorrieri,
La Repubblica di Montefiorino
, p. 638. On the difficulties the Matteotti brigades had in finding the necessary men, see a letter sent to Citterio, 10 April 1945, by Gianni (Ridella), vice-commander of the GL formations in the unified zone Command of the Pavese Oltrepò, and by Albero, sector commissar (INSMLI,
CVL
, envelope 93, folder 5).
105
For the poor relations with the Action Party and âa certain major Mauri'), see the âRelazione dell'ispettore B. sulla I
a
divisione Piemonte', 25 May 1944; and, for relations with another group of
autonomi
, the âRelazione del Comando unico di zona brigate Garibaldi e Fiamme Verdi di Reggio Emilia alla Delegazione del CUMER', 5 January 1945 (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. I, pp. 430â2, and vol. III, pp. 201â4).
106
See for example the report by Riccardo, inspector in the Pavese Oltrepò, to the âmilitary delegation', 26 March 1945 (ibid., vol. III, pp. 536â7, n. 6).
107
âHighly confidential' document sent by the Piedmont delegation to âcompagni responsabili di P.', undated, but later than June 1944 (INSMLI,
Brigate Garibaldi
, envelope 2, folder 4, s. file I).
108
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. III, p. 619, and IG,
BG
, 08564, 08584, 08585, 08604.
109
ISRP,
II
and
IV Divisione Garibaldi Piemonte. Carteggio con organi militari superiori
, C. 7 a.
110
Report by Giorgio, 20 March 1945 (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. III, p. 509).
111
Letter to âcompagni responsabili' (IG,
BG
, 056617).
112
See the article entitled âL'Unificazione', April 1945, quoted in Giovana,
Storia di una formazione partigiana
, p. 346, and the balanced judgments that the author expresses on the question (pp. 343â7).
113
âL'Unificazione', 15 March 1945.
114
Report by the âComando della 2
a
divisione Garibaldi Gardoncini Battista' (Piedmont), 4 March 1945, signed by Commander Maggi (IG,
BG
, 04848).
115
Bernardo,
Il momento buono
, p. 162, where the author writes that âle stellette ricordavano il triste periodo dell'esercito' (âthe stars recalled the sad period of the royal army').
116
Michel,
Les courants
, pp. 794â5.
117
Letter of December 1943 (IG,
Archivio PCI
). For Secchia's criticisms of the Rome edition of
L'UnitÃ
, see also his previous letter of 19 December, which partly includes the Milan edition as well (Longo,
I centri dirigenti del PCI
, pp. 127â31).
118
Circular of the Lombardy delegation, 29 September 1944 (INSMLI,
CVL
, envelope 93, folder 4, subfolder a). See Bernardo,
Il momento buono
, p. 143, regarding the Nanetti division.
119
âRapporto da Torino', 6 October 1943, by Giovanni, where the view expressed about
Il Grido di Spartaco
is wholly positive (IG,
Archivio PCI
).
120
Bernardo,
Il momento buono
, p. 144.
121
Exchange of letters between Rossi and Alfredo, 9 and 13 November 1943 (IG,
Archivio PCI
).
122
Letter by the Command of the 1
st
Gramsci division to that of the 118
th
Servadei brigade, 6 February 1945, and by the delegation for Lombardy to the Command of the Valsesia, Ossola, Cusio, Verbano group, undated (IG,
BG
, 07870, and INSMLI,
CVL
, envelope 93, folder 4, subfolder a).
123
Minutes of the meeting of the âComitato esecutivo del PCI presso la divisione Garibaldi Nanetti', held 17 April 1945, which was sent to the political brigade and battalion committees (INSMLI,
CVL
, envelope 34, folder 3, subfolder 2).
124
See Falaschi,
La Resistenza armata
, pp. 14, 11.
125
See the letters by âcompagni responsibili della delegazione per il Piemonte' to those of the Valle di Susa brigades, 12 July 1944; by Neri, vice-commander of the Lombardy group to the âDelegazione Intendenza 52
a
brigata', 7 November 1944; of the Lombard Command of the GLs to the âServizio Stampa' (âPress Service') of the Action Party, 23 December 1944 (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. II, pp. 116â20; IG,
BG
, 01231; INSMLI,
CVL
, envelope 93, folder 5, subfolder a).
126
Letters by the Command of the 1
st
Gramsci division to the Command of the Ossola, Valsesia, Cusio, Verbano group, 7 December 1944. The most enterprising readers were advised as to the possibility of âposting up at least two copies in every village' (IG,
BG
, 07288).
127
âAppunti sull'organizzazione di Genova', undated, but late November 1943, quoted in Gibelli and Ilardi,
Lotte operaie: Genova
, p. 119; circular letter of the Command of the Carnia brigade, dated 25 March 1945 (IRSFVG, Fondo Magrini, envelope CLV, folder I).
128
Minutes of the meeting between commissars and party officials of the 3
rd
Lombardy division (Oltrepò pavese), 20 October 1944 (IG,
BG
, 01519).
129
Letter to Franz, a brigade vice-commissar of the Command of the 1
st
Gramsci division, 11 December 1944 (ibid., 07341).
130
Instructions âa tutti i commissari politici' by the Cuneo brigade commissar, undated (ibid., 04291). Some newspapers displayed the front page of their daily editions on walls around the city, as mural newspapers (
giornale murale
).
131
Circular to the commissars of the Command of the 3
rd
Piedmont division, 4 August 1944, on the subject of mural newspapers (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. II, pp. 198â201).
132
See the circular cited in the previous note; the letter of the Piedmontese delegation to the Command of the detachment of the lower Valle di Susa, undated, but spring (or summer) 1944 (IG,
BG
, 004897); and a further circular of the Command of the Piedmont division, 14 September (ibid., 005003). As one of the many examples of mural newspapers, see the one mentioned in Lazagna,
Ponte rotto
, p. 156.
133
Report to the Command of the Valsesia, Ossola, Cusio, Verbano group, 11 January 1945 (IG,
BG
, 07612). But the French Revolution is a relatively widespread subject: for example, as regards the difference between bourgeois revolution and proletarian revolution, see the plans of the lessons held at the 1
st
Garibaldi Osoppo division, in IZDG, envelope 272b, folder I/A.
134
âIstruzioni per i compagni commissari politici' of the Parma federal secretariat of the PCI, 18 December 1943 (IG,
BG
,
Emilia-Romagna
, G.IV.2.2). The request for books for the formations appears in many documents.
135
Bernardo,
Il momento buono
, p. 255.
136
Ibid.
137
Laura Conti's catalogue (
Saggio bibliografico
), frequently cited, registers (and it is incomplete) 2,357 newspaper titles and 2,623 pamphlets and leaflets. Some partial information can be given regarding their circulation. In Romagna the Communist newspapers would seem to have sold between 1,500 and 3,000 copies (Flamigni and Marzocchi,
Resistenza in Romagna
, p. 191, in which four newspaper titles are recorded). According to the person in charge of the cultural section of the 50
th
Nedo brigade, the newspaper
Baita
had a circulation of 4,000 copies (report of 25 September 1944, in IG,
BG
, 05187). For
Stella Alpina
, Moscatelli, in a letter to Moro (the diplomat Mario Lanza, who was in Switzerland at the time), speaks in terms of 10,000 copies (IG,
BG
, 07850). The Florence edition of
Il Popolo
would seem to have had a circulation of 9,000 copies (Webster,
The Fasces and the Cross
, p. 170). Attention was drawn to the aggregative function of the press, for party ends, from 26 December 1943 by Sandrelli (?), the person in charge of military work for Piedmont, writing to the party leadership (
Le Brigate Garibaldi
, vol. I, pp. 183â8).
The Patriotic War
1. R
EGAINING NATIONAL IDENTITY
Who had been defeated in the Fascist war fought between 1940 and 1943? Only Fascism? Or the Italian state with which Fascism had identified itself? Or even Italy herself, as an historically defined national entity?
For the Fascists the defeat of Fascism and the defeat of Italy were one and the same thing: it was this not least that gave rise to their stubborn refusal to face facts, their continuing to desperately play the losing card. Some Roman youths who immediately after 8 September had presented themselves to the Germans in order to continue fighting alongside them were reminded by the officer that âItaly no longer exists; there is no longer a government, an army', and he asked: âDo you want to become German soldiers?'
1
The anti-Fascists obviously distinguished Fascism from Italy; but the more thoughtful of them realised that merely changing sides was not enough to put to flight all the shadows that had gathered around the nation's identity. Taken in its most elementary sense, the war against Germany, declared by the Royal Army of the South on 13 October 1943, might seem nothing other than the continuance of the preceding war, on the right and, what is more, the winning side; and undoubtedly to a certain number of combatants in the partisan formations, and not only in the âautonomous' ones, it seemed just this. But we have seen how not even to those called to fight in the army of the South did this motivation appear sufficient.