| “Original caption: “Four attacks isolated the battlefield from this direction.” Castelnuovo di Garfagnana emerged in the provincial area as the main location for the internment of foreign Jews in the period 1941-1943. About 70 people, placed in private homes or hotels, without the possibility of leaving the town, or going out at night, and with the obligation to sign with the local public security authority on predetermined days. After September 8, 1943, the area was occupied by the Germans, and fascist authority was restored. The Nazi occupation was characterized by the issuance of a series of ordinances, the transformation of production for war, and the development of voluntary or forced labour under the Todt organization, which was involved in the construction of fortifications, trenches, and roads along the Gothic Line. In December 1943, the foreign Jewish families interned here were transferred to the concentration camp in Bagni di Lucca, with few exceptions. From there, they were moved 1st to Florence, then to Milan, and finally deported to Auschwitz. In August 1944, during the German retreat towards the Gothic Line and the advance of the front, the 36th Black Brigade “Mussolini”was stationed in several villages in the Garfagnana, including Castelnuovo at the Capuchin monastery. There, they were attacked by a group of partisans from the Garibaldi Lunense Division. A fierce roundup followed on September 23, 1944, resulting in the killing of 7 civilians and 1 partisan at the hands of the Fascists. On November 6, 1944, German soldiers shot 4 more civilians at the cemetery in Castelnuovo Garfagnana. The area from the 2nd half of 1944 was characterized by intense Allied bombardment and violent fighting along the Gothic positions. The 1st Allied air raid, on July 2, 1944, resulted in the death of 6 civilians. The population was displaced over the months. The people who remained lived in extremely precarious conditions. On February 13, 1945, an Allied fighter-bomber hit a makeshift air raid shelter near the cemetery, killing 30 people. Castelnuovo di Garfagnana was liberated on April 20, 1945, by partisans, followed by the immediate arrival of Anglo-American troops. At the end of the war, 70 air raids and the destruction of 80 percent of the buildings were recorded. Castelnuovo was awarded the Gold Medal of Civil Merit on October 13, 2009, together with 16 municipalities in Garfagnana, for the roundups, reprisals, and bombings suffered by the population near the Gothic Line, which was able to face these events thanks to the solidarity and courage in the name of freedom. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2041.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.23 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 2478 x 2892 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | July 2, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Castelnuovo |
| State or Province | Tuscany |
| Country | Italy |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NRE-338-FTL(EF)-2802(1) |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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