These pages aim to remember our father, Amilcare Caporalini, twenty years after disappeared. Our tribute begins with a photograph taken in 1936 in East Africa. Starting from that document we have tried to reconstruct the events of which he was the protagonist and witness, using his stories, documents that concern him directly (in particular the record of military service kept at the State Archives of Macerata), as well as documentation and evidence that is available from other sources. These are the years between 1936 to 1943, during which my father participated in three campaigns: in East Africa for the conquest of Ethiopia, Albania and then in Libya during the Second World War.
The choice of this period of its existence does not mean that it is particularly representative of his personality (it is not the protagonist of any extraordinary event, neither has made heroic acts), or who are, at least in our eyes, less important or even worse, ignoring other aspects and moments of his experience (such as his civil and political commitment in the postwar period). More simply, it seemed interesting at this stage because it allowed us to cross the "ordinary vicissitudes" of a young Italian man caught in the grip of warmongering and imperialist impulses of fascism with the memories of many who lived through those same events and the same historical climate and morale.
This photograph shows my father in East Africa during the Italo-Ethiopian war. On the back of the photo you can read this handwritten dedication: "To my dearest friend friend Antonio in memory. Amilcare - 25/5/1936 East Africa / "The original image that is reproduced here in fact belongs to Franco Bartolini, the son of quell'Antonio indicated in the dedication as" best friend "and recipient of the dedication. It is not common to the works of kindness that we may make use of this document.
the dedication is apparent then that the photo was taken in the spring of 1936. At that time our father was a young man of nearly 26 years, having been born on August 6, 1910 in Buenos Aires, where his father, Argeo, and his mother Margaret Mezzelani had emigrated in the early nineteenth century. (Note 1 at bottom of page) Hamilcar had arrived in East Africa in February of '36. From the register of military kept at the State Archives of Macerata (Note 2 at bottom of page) is apparent that he had left for Eritrea with the hospital Field 410 and had boarded in Naples February 12, 1935 and landed in the port of Massawa on 21 February.
More than once our father told us his arrival at this Red Sea port of Massawa and the extraordinary feeling that brought him already to see her from the ship on which he was traveling.
We have a witness that can help us to reconstruct the animation that was created in the Eritrean port arrival of a ship from Italy in those months and try to imagine, then, that the same situation was created to ' arrival of ship carrying Amilcare. Major Morosini writes in his diary posted on the blog http://leritreadelmaggioremorosini.blogspot.com/ :
"The arrival of a ship in the port of Massawa, one of the most important of the Red Sea, was always an event. It was enough that any merchant to anchor next to the dock, as he was familiarly called promenade Umberto I, because dozens of people crowd on the pier, jostle to win the front row next to the runway.
The faster you get the kids were Eritreans, seeking a piece of luggage to carry to the nearest hotel in exchange for a few cents. Then it was the turn of the water sellers and Arab traders, and within a few minutes they approached the shore the Italians, from customs inspectors, who were kicked off between urchins and porters in the port.
When he docked from Genoa on the Italian company Transatlantic Postal swift or the monthly Lloyd steamship, the wait was becoming frantic. The ship was still engaged in operations in the port of entry and was preparing to pass the cape of Abd el Cader, towards the docks Salvago Rays and Regina Elena, but already the boardwalk was teeming with people. You could see the soldiers rush
pending mail, messenger of the colonial office that the officer on duty expected from Italy, while the factotum of the city hotels - the Grand Hotel to the Savoy, to the more modest and Ghedém Manetti - birds of prey as passengers peered down from the ship, looking for clients.
dockside There is also the usual dozen idlers, who strolled lazily up and down the pier. For the most part were people who lived by small trades on the edge of the law. Some had moved to East Africa the age-old profession of pimp and careless of glances were leaving the dock for taking women by the arm and the heavy makeup look malicious. So, just to do a little 'advertisement of the merchandise. "
not hard to imagine how this liveliness could impress the soldiers who arrived in those exotic places, after a ten-day journey by sea. In 1935, writes Morosini, is a succession of frantic arrivals, the imminence of war in recognizing the inevitable approach: "In the port of Massawa is interspersed with military convoys and merchant ships that, after a long journey through the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, constantly discharging cargo and passengers bound for the colony. "Those who, like our father, arrives completely unprepared to those places that can not suffer the repercussions of climate heat wave: a difference in Asmara and other cities of the plateau, where the climate is mild, almost constantly spring on the coast the temperature is unbearably high in fact from the early hours of the morning.
Some shots in the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Cinisello Balsamo help us to imagine the environment of Massawa.
This photograph was taken in 1935 by Frederick Pantelani own during his trip to Africa, and portrays the cargo ship "Capitol" in the port of Massawa. Another image, taken from the same report by Frederick Pantelani, showing us instead the boats of local fishermen in the Eritrean port:
Hamilcar remained in East Africa until the beginning of 1937, when embarking repatriated, February 4, from the same port of Massawa to arrive in Naples on February 14 next. The photograph reproduced at the beginning and the others that follow refer to this period of about a year in which he participated in operations of war in Ethiopia.
We are not able to reconstruct the movements of his unit. The pictures show him during moments of rest, alone or with some friends. His attitude seems to indicate a peaceful state of mind. We must not forget that the war was very cruel. Our father always spoke there in a very negative, recalling some incidents that took us kids to the exotic taste of adventure. The most impressive refers to the discovery of dead animals and natives in the river where a department had even stopped and picked up the water. The section, which was part of the disinfection Hamilcar had to provide for the rehabilitation of the area. You can not do without, seeing the almost idyllic picture that shows him immersed in water up to the chest of a stream, to think about that episode and the horror that is lurking in a war.
Discharged in February 1937, Amilcare is called up on August 30, 1939, and from the port of Brindisi for Albania on October 15 of that year. October 17 landed at Durazzo, Albania will remain until January 18 January 1940, when it reaches the port of Bari Again, the invasion of the Balkan country in response to a plan of imperialist prestige of fascism, which would in this way rebalance the relationship with the German ally. Hitler, in fact, had recently completed the annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia.
In this case we do not have pictures of our father during the three months of stay in Albania. We only know that it was part of 31 ^ 6 ^ core surgical health of the company Disttaccamento of Ancona. Since the invasion was completed within five days from April 7, 1939, it is clear that the function of this department was exclusively of logistics. In any case, it was alien to the soldiers, now completed for some time. This is also confirmed that the registry does not mention of military operations between the war that Hamilcar was in the annexation of Albania.
Alinari The photo shows the Italian troops during the invasion of Albania in April 1939.
past few months (we are in May 1940) and our father is again called to arms. Aggregate at the 6th company of Health Detachment of Ancona, Part 4 June with the 17th section of disinfection from the port of Naples to Tripoli, where he arrives on 6 June. Remain in Libya until September 24, 1941, often in the area of \u200b\u200boperations. In that long period of life often reminded the emergence of feelings of distrust and hostility more posters on the war desired by Mussolini. Sometimes these thoughts took the form of ridicule for the fascist rhetoric. An example of this ever-expanding to discredit the fascist propaganda of the shoot occurs during one of the many bombings of Tripoli. The bombs caused panic in a buddy who until then had shown enthusiastic adherence to the watchwords of the scheme, in particular with the war that Mussolini was "widening the Mediterranean" to the Italian people. While the soldier trembles with fear under the British bombs, his fellow soldiers mock him, saying: "Now I'll expand them, the Mediterranean," in the register of military service is not reported any data on the place of embarkation and destination, which could confirm the story of air travel is very dangerous for the looming presence of the British destroyer, now master of the skies.
Then our father follow the story of many other Italians, who later armistice eight in September 1943, will leave the army escaping to the calls and threats of CSR and the Germans.
Rosanna, and Mauro Donato Caporalini
October 2009
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note 1. The family was then forced to return home when Italy entered the First World War. According to the testimony of our father's return to Italy was virtually forced: the Italian government demanded the repatriation because of all those who were fit for military service. The political orientation of our grandfather was anarchicheggiante, however, characterized by traces of nostalgia for the subversion of republican matrix and at the same time, tinged with sympathy for socialism, as evidenced by the decision to call our father Hamilcar as Amilcare Cipriani, the famous "prisoner of Portolongone" and "colonel of the City." We are therefore led to believe that the return of our family was not at all spontaneous and patriotic. On the other hand, our father told us to not just arrived at the port of Genoa, presumably in the autumn of 1915, our grandfather was taken from a boat along with other military men of military age, even before the ship docked. They would just reviewed several months later, when the first license.
note 2. The personal data and marks the registry describe it like this: height: 1 meter, 55 ½, Chest: 0.84 meters; nose: small; chin, oval eyes: brown, color: brown; teeth: sound, art or profession : tailor; can read and write.
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note 1. The family was then forced to return home when Italy entered the First World War. According to the testimony of our father's return to Italy was virtually forced: the Italian government demanded the repatriation because of all those who were fit for military service. The political orientation of our grandfather was anarchicheggiante, however, characterized by traces of nostalgia for the subversion of republican matrix and at the same time, tinged with sympathy for socialism, as evidenced by the decision to call our father Hamilcar as Amilcare Cipriani, the famous "prisoner of Portolongone" and "colonel of the City." We are therefore led to believe that the return of our family was not at all spontaneous and patriotic. On the other hand, our father told us to not just arrived at the port of Genoa, presumably in the autumn of 1915, our grandfather was taken from a boat along with other military men of military age, even before the ship docked. They would just reviewed several months later, when the first license.
note 2. The personal data and marks the registry describe it like this: height: 1 meter, 55 ½, Chest: 0.84 meters; nose: small; chin, oval eyes: brown, color: brown; teeth: sound, art or profession : tailor; can read and write.
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