According to his journal and his foglio, in september 1939 he was drafted once again to serve with the Alpini, I've recontructed his order of battle:
Gruppo d’Armate “Est” – Scacchiere orientale
2a Armata
11o Corpo d’Armata
Raggruppamento Alpini “Alto Isonzo”
1° Gruppo Alpini “Valle”
8° reggimento Alpini
Battaglione Val Natisone
216a Compagnia
In February 1940 he did the so-called "campo invernal", or basically a winter training march, he went to monte Nero, better known as Krn in Slovenian, they were guided by a Roman officer who, according to my grandfather, knew nothing about mountaineering, after a while, one Alpino who enjoyed hiking in the Julian Alps leaded them down to Krn village, they were saved by a Guardia di Finanza and a Mountain Artillery detachment that were sent in a search and rescue mission. Most of them ended up being frozen in hypothermia and hospitalized first in San Pietro al Natisone (near Cividale del Friuli) and then to Udine. My grandfather was frozen in both feet and suffered until his last days of "cold feet".
1 September 1939: Udine, Braida Bassa
15 September 1939: marching to Tarcento
6 November 1939: on leave
10 February 1940: Winter training camp
11 February 1940: Tarcento, Zaga, Plezzo, Tolmino
16 February 1940: monte Nero, lago Nero, snow storm
16 February 1940: San Pietro al Natisone
17 February 1940: Ospedale militare di Udine
In June he was drafted again, but had the right for military-service exemption because most of his brothers were servining (there were ten of them and all came back from the war: Ethiopia, Corsica, Sardegna, Libia, Jugoslavia). However he did the Summer training cap, and marched from Tarcento to Sonzia, Tarcento is just a few km from Udine where I live, then they marched north to the Torre valley, then through Uccea to the Soca/Isonzo valley near Plezzo, modern day Bovec, and from there to Sonzia, at the base of the Vrsic pass (it's the highest Alpine pass in Slovenia).
I'll try to write some more about his late war experience. He was recalled the 25th of August 1943 in Cividale and sent to southern France by train from Udine, he reached Antibes the first of September. I've reconstructed the order of battle:
1o Corpo d’Armata
223a Divisone Costiera
166° reggimento alpini costiero
Battaglione alpini monte Arvenis
725a Compagnia
So he was in one of those low-quality "coastal" divisions. He said that instead of being enlisted in the army, he was enlisted in the "Armata dell'Amore" "the Army of Lovers". As the armistice day arrived, it was decided, too lately, that they should immediately retreat to Italy, but while he was packing his backpack the Germans arrived and all the Alpine were taken prisoners. How do you translate "rastrellare"? Then they were taken to Cannes and Grasse to disarms bombs and mines. In October, November or December, my granddad's journal is quite vague here, they were taken first to Koln, then Normandy, lastly to Saint-Brieuc to Brittany. In January 1944 taken to Lanquetot to build Rommel's asparagus and bunkers, he wrote they were placing even fake airplanes.
Then June 1944 arrived, he was still in Normandy, but in the meanwhile he had an armband with "deutsche Heer" written on it, I think probably he refused to fight for the RSI (until his last day I remember he spoked ill of Mussolini), instead choose to collaborate with the Germans. He wasn't armed at all, but could freely roam. As the Allies begin their bombardament, the 6th of June some of the German units retreat from Lisieux, the code-word to identify friend or foe was "Don". The seven of June, 150 Alpini troops rebelled, they didn't wanted to march to Caen, a German officer tooks two Alpini as interpreters, then.. he shoots them. Their names were: Lovisa and Degan. Degan is a tipical surname from Carnia (the mountainous part of northern Friuli, my paterna grandmother was a Degano). Probably this two were Friulians from Carnia where there are many german-speaking communities and generally speaking many went to Germany searching better living conditions (they are called cramars in Friulian). Anyway, the Alpini obviously decided to move to Caen. July came and in August the Allies liberate Paris.
Last days of August 1944: The Germans retreat from Rouen and want to reach the other side of the Seine river. In the meanwhile the Allies were bombing, during one of those bombing my grandfather together with some of his friends (Vittorio Papinutti and Arrigo Beinat, which I had the opportunity to meet while I was still a child) escape to the woods. During the night a German patrol came, but they were lucky. The commander was "Maresciallo Feitbelle", I think my grandfather mistook the rank Feldwebel for a name so "Feitbelle", anyway the Alpini made some friends and this platoon commander was one of them. The three friends decided to move along the Germans but during the march another bombardement came and they decided to scatter in the countryside. The Allies knew there were many Italians in Normandy, my grandfather said and wrote that during the night some Italian-written fliers were "raining", it was basically written that the italians should not oppose resistance to them. There were still hiding, that an English-speaking patrol came but couldn't find them, during the night the three firiends decide to move about 500 meters away from the English-speaking soldiers. I think they were Canadians. The English-speaking find them and start suppressing them, but the three friends manage somehow to escape once again. They reached a farm, they ate and drank something, after three days they reached again the Germans, my grandfather decided to gain some informations and decided to approach them, once again he found one of his German friends, he called him "Giacinto", after a while he escaped once more in the woods. Two days the three friends were taken prisoners by some Canadians, I think they were from the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. Taken back to Caen, then to the beaches, England and lastly yo Edimburgh. My grandfather immediately said he was against Mussolini, so he was mostly free, he even wore the British Battledress with the patch Italy on his left shoulder. I think he was asked if he wanted to fight with the Esercito Cobelligerante Italiano but I think he refused and preferred to remain in the UK helping the Allies with their struggle against Germany and the Axis. I have is POW ID dated 30 July 1945, he was prisoner of war number 126738 in Eden Vale Camp, Westbury, Wiltshire. At first it was a site occupied by housing POW camp, listed as Italian working camp / labour battalion to at least 1945 by the International Red Cross, then a German Working Camp. By the way, there is a telefon number written on the ID, it's Westbury 235, probably the local Police station. He was basically free in England and worked in the brewery.
Finally the was has ended, the 15 March 1946 he was taken on board of the SS Queen of Bermuda from Liverpool to Naples, the 25 March 1946 finally he came back home in Udine but the next May he was hospitalized again, the 20 August 1946 he was on leave, and finally the 15 November 1946 his war has ended.
My grandfather has never been a Fascist and never has enjoyed war, many of his friends has died because one single man had too many personal ambitions, he always taught me to be respectful of the others and to never use any kind of violence against the others. He died the 4 April 2014 at the age of 98. Oh, and obviously he handed down to me the love for the Alpini corp, whenever he had the opportunity he enjoyed to unite with the Veci at the many "Adunata Nazionale Alpini" that were and still are organized yearly.
Unfortunatly I never knew the other nonno, Guerrino died the 11 September 1995 and I was born just a little more than a year before.
