From Archivio Centrale dello Stato (State Central Archive).
cunderthunt69
wow, I did not know that there were any Italians on the eastern front
dg113
I can’t help but sympathize with the Italian/Croatian/Romanian/Spanish soldiers that ended up on the Ostfront, even though their leaders did throw in their lot with the aggressors. The cold alone must have been unimaginable compared to what they were used to.
With that said, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
nichts_neues
My great grand uncle, Lino, was from a small town in Trentino, Northern Italy and was conscripted to work for the Germans during the war. He ended up working on a German military base. There was a German woman there who had some sway, like she was the commandant’s mistress or related to someone high up. One day she beckoned Lino to help her privately and then she took a bath. In the bathtub, seductively, she told Lino “if you work like a dog tomorrow, I will let you help dry me off” and she sent him home for the day.
​
However she told him in German, and Lino didn’t quite grasp the language or understand the idiom, and “arbeit” sounded a lot like “abbaiare”. The next day he went to work on the base and made barking sounds all day.
​
He was never called back to work at the base after that.
Lavrentio
From Archivio Centrale dello Stato (State Central Archive).
cunderthunt69
wow, I did not know that there were any Italians on the eastern front
dg113
I can’t help but sympathize with the Italian/Croatian/Romanian/Spanish soldiers that ended up on the Ostfront, even though their leaders did throw in their lot with the aggressors. The cold alone must have been unimaginable compared to what they were used to.
With that said, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
nichts_neues
My great grand uncle, Lino, was from a small town in Trentino, Northern Italy and was conscripted to work for the Germans during the war. He ended up working on a German military base. There was a German woman there who had some sway, like she was the commandant’s mistress or related to someone high up. One day she beckoned Lino to help her privately and then she took a bath. In the bathtub, seductively, she told Lino “if you work like a dog tomorrow, I will let you help dry me off” and she sent him home for the day.
​
However she told him in German, and Lino didn’t quite grasp the language or understand the idiom, and “arbeit” sounded a lot like “abbaiare”. The next day he went to work on the base and made barking sounds all day.
​
He was never called back to work at the base after that.