What Happened to Italian Soldiers After WW2?

[@TheArmchairHistorian]

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[@pyeitme508]

RAD!

[@Fighting994]

​@@pyeitme508???

[@the2wheelsnowman]

Since your discussing Italy you should talk about the assistance the catholic church provided to the nazis during and after world War 2

[@weird134]

Also could you do Battle of Malaya next time since I want to see a video about the Japanese taking Singapore and the whole Malay Peninsula.

[@itsblitz4437]

​@@weird134I would like to see Griffin cover more battles in the Pacific War of WW 2.

[@Gusararr]

To sum up the video: Getting captured by the allies: 😊 Getting captured by the Germans: 😢 Getting captured by the Soviets: 💀

[@panzerivausfg4062]

Literally

[@Randomn_Polandball]

Literally

[@claudiocalabrese3865]

The leader of the PCI, (italian communist party) Palmiro Togliatti (that would later become a very important political figure) took refuge in the Soviet Union during WW2, where he was put in charge of indoctrinating captured POWs, he not only did nothing to aid them, as they were left to starve with every kind of sickness in those prison camp he said in a letter: “The other issue I disagree with you about is the treatment of prisoners. I’m not at all fierce, as you know. I’m as humanitarian as you, or as a Red Cross lady can be. Our position of principle towards the invading armies in the Soviet Union was defined by Stalin, and there is nothing more to be said. In practice, however, if a good number of prisoners will die, as a result of the harsh conditions of fact, I find absolutely nothing to say, on the contrary and I explain why. There is no doubt that the Italian people have been poisoned by the imperialist and brigandist ideology of fascism. Not to the same extent as the German people, but to a considerable extent. The poison has penetrated among the peasants, among the workers, let alone the petty bourgeoisie and intellectuals. It has penetrated the people, in short. The fact that for thousands and thousands of families, Mussolini’s war, and especially his expedition against Russia, ends in a tragedy, with personal mourning, is the best, the most effective antidote. The more widely the people will be convinced that aggression against other countries means ruin and death for their own, it means ruin and death for each individual citizen taken, the better it will be for the future of Italy. The massacres of Dogali and Adua were one of the most powerful brakes to the development of Italian imperialism and one of the most powerful stimuli to the development of the socialist movement. We must ensure that the destruction of the Italian army in Russia has the same function today”. As further proof of the treacharous nature of commies, useless to say this letter was hidden, and was only discovered in 1992.

[@giuseppebadolato4996]

My grandpa dad got enslave for 10 years from the brithis

[@FlagAnthem]

the soldiers captured at Cephalonia might have appreciated being seized by the soviets instead...

[@alphamikeomega5728]

I've heard of Italian and Japanese prisoners of war in Australia. Many of the Japanese were killed trying to escape, whereas the Italians generally enjoyed farming (rather than fighting) in Australia, which now has a sizeable Italian community, including the Prime Minister.

[@shadiafifi54]

Japanese troops were incredibly indoctrinated, so they kept trying to resist the enemy. The Italians weren't really big on Mussolini's ideas, so they were friendlier to their enemies. Plus there was a big issue of mutual racism; Italians were European, the Japanese weren't.

[@danielefabbro822]

Italians always integrate peacefully in the welcoming countries where they emigrate. Usually where there are Italian communities, economy fluorish and society become at least more civilized. While we can fight well, sometimes even better than others, we prefer to build, not to destroy.

[@Sceptonic]

​@@danielefabbro822just like your forefathers who built the millennia long enduring Roman architecture

[@danielefabbro822]

@@Sceptonic Romans have built a lot, but they also conquered a lot. History of Italia, while rich of wars (400), is kinda less aggressive. I wonder if our successors will be more wise than us. More able and skilled than us in avoid wars and build better.

[@ajbro6428]

me when i lie ​@@shadiafifi54

[@CatastrophicDisease]

Many Italian soldiers were also imprisoned in India. In fact, accounts from Indian soldiers show that those who were imprisoned in Italy were treated very well, since the Italians knew their own countrymen were in India. As an aside, Indian soldiers involved in the Italian campaign also reported that front as being by far the most pleasant to fight in. Whereas Indians who fought in other parts of Europe or North Africa faced a lot of racism (and those in the Pacific obviously did not have a good time), the people of southern Italy treated Indians even better than they did the white Brits according to some accounts. Source: "India's War: World War II and the Making of Modern South Asia," Srinath Raghavan.

[@Wkumar07]

Interesting. As an Indian I was not aware of this story.

[@scockery]

But the real question is, did this lead to some Italian-Indian fusion cuisine?

[@CatastrophicDisease]

@@scockery Not sure about cuisine, but I would guess that there were probably some suspiciously Indian-looking kids growing up in Sicily and Calabria in the years following the war.

[@antonellogiannuzzi6609]

My grandma remembers Indians in southern Italy. she cites them as the reason they stopped going to school

[@Wkumar07]

@@antonellogiannuzzi6609 why would they stop going to school?

[@rafaelgustavo7786]

Italy is the ultimate proof that its soldiers can be brave, but if their logistics are bad. If your technology lags behind your enemies. If your leaders do not know how to recognize your limitations in the war effort: your nation will be an eternal joke in military historiography.

[@madeofgrease9220]

It’s a little like the French, they also suffered a similar fate.

[@ThePilot1984]

​@@madeofgrease9220 I honestly forgot why the French are known for their cowardice and constant surrenders like if you look at their pre modern history record it's pretty stacked

[@changingpeopleslivesmoon2993]

​@@madeofgrease9220True

[@Darklordnl]

just like the netherlands

[@danielp8433]

@@Darklordnl nah netherlands is saved by "small country"

[@sergiopiparo4084]

My grandpa served in the Italian military and was captured by the British in N. Africa he was sent to Alexandra Egypt he worked as a chef 😊

[@jimmysundberg2376]

Lol

[@Jambouda]

He was lucky

[@jimmysundberg2376]

@@sergiopiparo4084 on semi related note, my grandfather was a lieutenant in South Vietnam Army. He was spared from “re-education” camp because a Vietcong spy imbedded to our family spoke out for him.

[@RyanKeogh-b7r]

British cooking was so bad they used pows as cooks

[@unclepear]

"si guarda, hai combattuto contro di noi, probabilmente hai ucciso alcuni nostri compagni, ma cazzo, la tua carbonara è devastante uomo"

[@DottorHealer]

"Hei Johnny, where are we eating today" "At the italian POW camp"

[@stefanodadamo6809]

Pow Camp Ital-erm, Eatery

[@thanakonpraepanich4284]

And those who migrated to the US rather than went home is the reason American Italian cuisines has surpassed its master in the Old Italy today.

[@alifarahani878]

Lol

[@carloduroni5629]

@@thanakonpraepanich4284 LOL, as if "Italian" food made in USA was actually resembling Italian food.

[@loreCarbonell]

@@thanakonpraepanich4284 literally never happened, only in your personal mental canon

[@stefanzo501]

One Nonno served in Africa as an artillery man and later joined the partisans after Italy surrendered. my other Nonno was sent to Russia where he was captured and after the war they opened the gates and said go home to which many died marching home. he almost did but after collapsing in a snow bank was taken in by a family for they found his cross and picture of Mary and were Catholic too. He would later recover and return to Italy.

[@dianatralli4099]

Why did you write nonno? Just use grandfather.

[@pietd4781]

​@@dianatralli4099missed the point

[@carsonm7292]

@@dianatralli4099 It's common for multilingual people to refer to their parents or grandparents by the word they call them by in their mother tongue. Don't be a prick. OP, thanks for sharing their story. Your grandfather was very fortunate to be found by such a sympathetic family in Russia, considering how rare their shared faith is in that part of the world (and how much the Russians despised anyone they saw as fascists).

[@libulb]

@@dianatralli4099have you seriously never met anyone who speaks another language even a tiny bit? youve never heard anyone call their grandparents by their native language? its a respect thing you dont call your dads mom who grew up and spent 40 years in italy "Grandma"😂you call your grandparents by there native language.

[@lovelylavenderr]

Italy's story during the Second World War is kind of tragic to me. Being led by incompetent fascists into a war they knew they weren't ready for, being thrust into a civil war and forced to fight your countrymen, Germans invading and occupying your country, and the country being turned into a warzone for the next 2-3 years.

[@riccardomallardo7779]

60.000 italians were captured in Russia and sent to gulags, only 15.685 made it back to Italy, and they were released only in 1954 following Stalin's death

[@alexandersmall7380]

“Those who were in Russia were not taken seriously by local communist youths when they told their stories of suffering” It seems that the , “Um actually it is a paradise”, aspect of communist youth hasn’t changed

[@angelcabeza6464]

well what do you expect when the right wing keeps losing wars they start

[@SkullEaterUK]

Those who are ignorant of the past are doomed to repeat it

[@GenesisProgressive72]

Born and raised in Italy, with lots of far left acquaintances: the main reason why we (at least when I grew up) had/have tons of communist USSR sympathizers is that we're the only european Axis member to have been solely invaded by the Western Allies, and the commies never touched us. That's why many people managed to preserve their myth/fantasy of the golden land somewhere else, while bad-faithfully turning down any account that would claim otherwise. A common phrase right after the war was "adda venì baffone" (Mustache man will come), implying Stalin would come and bring peace and wealth to Italy, once subjugated to the eastern bloc. No one had any idea of the crimes commited by the regime (or if they did, they'd act like the three monkeys), and the Italian Communist Party worked hard to give a heroic and deeply dignified human picture to the life in the USSR. I think most people never realized how lucky they were not to end up like Poland. After the fall of the the USSR, many of the old red guard, hardliner communist voters were easily eaten up by the far-right as it happened in many european countries, and much of the deluded share of the population one way or another sympathizing for Putin's Russia belongs to such demographic, carefully groomed by the Tsar's online trolls through their century old love and admiration for the Soviet Union.

[@thekaiser1156]

​@@GenesisProgressive72Poland, the country liberated by the Soviets and who had their entire critical infrastructure which they rely on to this day be used by them? operation Gladio basically turned Italy into Russia post fall of the USSR for decades and Italy just elected another fascist. There's worse faiths than being taken over the Soviets, ie being a part of the American empire

[@brandonlyon730]

@@thekaiser1156 Ignoring that the USSR had collaborated with the Nazi’s in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact to take over Poland together. Also ask the Ukrainian people how they felt being under Soviet rule after Holodomor with a the head of the secret police being ran by a monster like Beria.

[@MCL003]

The Italian army is an army during these conflicts that I find truly embodies the saying “lions led by sheep”

[@Heylanda-fb9xb]

So does the Finnish Army. The men themselves and a regional commander were extremely competent in fighting the Soviet. But then comes the Corp Commander and Politician.

[@HexDrone9637]

just immagine italy whit a good leader, someone the level of Giulius Cesar, it will be perfect, add a good logistic and allies...

[@natebox4550]

@@Heylanda-fb9xbThe Finnish army performed pretty damn excellently? Especially compared to the Italians.

[@natebox4550]

@@HexDrone9637Same could be said of any country, and even then the industrial base of Italy doesn’t compare to America, Germany, France, the U.K. or the Soviet Union.

[@Heylanda-fb9xb]

@@natebox4550 They are. But I'm talking about their high command. Some of them were "less competent" than other.

[@johnbradbury8610]

It's fucked up that P.O.W.S were treated better than black u.s. soldiers when they returned

[@TheGuy-cf2rg]

Dude, I wanted to write a comment just like this! U took the words right out of my mouth.

[@TheNinjaCoby]

Free food, comfortable housing, and education is wild to give to former enemy combatants. American civilians till this day are not even guaranteed that.

[@igcsestudent6756]

@@TheNinjaCoby crazy....

[@thelordofcringe]

​@TheNinjaCoby youre right, we should get rid of the Geneva convention so we can all be equal.

[@user-dr3tj8zz9f]

​@@thelordofcringe worst way to balance it out, the americans should reform their economy to actually take care of their residents

[@johandebruin8288]

My grandfather has told me about the Italian POW they had as a farmhand in South Africa. He only had praise for the Italian, adding that he sang very well.

[@NESOGaming-ec5ln]

So glad this vid came out, my grandpa told me about how his father hid from and evaded the Nazis in Milan after returning from Sicily in 1943. One involved him being chased, having to hide in a barrel half-full of whiskey. they would move to America in ‘51

[@TristanOlea-Rivera]

Finally. I’ve been waiting for you to do a video on the Italian prisoners of war. The Italian front and Italy’s time in the war is an underrated topic. Most people only focus on Italy’s African campaign.

[@serpent645]

My family comes from Sicily, Calabria, and Naples, living in Chicago upon arriving in the US. My Dad had a cousin, captured by the Allies in N. Africa. This cousin was housed in a POW facility in Wisconsin and was allowed passes to visit family in Chicago.

[@Evemeister12]

This is why the town of beford in england has a massive Italian community

[@MTTT1234]

Italy wasn't even truly occupied after the war, not even speaking of having any large-scale removal efforts of Fascism in the larger society, unlike in Japan or Germany, which lead to decade long strive and tensions between post-fascist parties, resulting in the so called 'Years of Lead' from the 1960s to 1980s. Only in more recent years has the Italian state started to digg deeper and reveal more details about certain people, even putting a handfull on trial for their deeds. Also, sidenote: The deposed family of the monarch once tried to sue the Republic of Italy for injust treatment, like confiscating their property etc. To which the Italian state replied that if the family of Savoy would truly sue them, then the state of Italy would counter-sue them in return, for not upholding their constituational duty in the 1920s, by permitting fascism to come to power and thus in turn also leading to the rise of fascism in Japan and Germany and ultimately them being indirectly responsible for WW2. The house of Savoy quickly renounced their intent to sue Italy.

[@ilikedota5]

That's just hilarious. And the funny part? It's not even taking present day values or laws and imposing them on past figures who were simply ignorant from being in the past, its just a simple observation that the Victor Immanuel III was at least partially complicit (while he did order the arrest of Mussolini, he also told Bagdolio to make sure the new government had no liberals, and depending on interpretation, ordering the arrest might have been him simply removing Mussolini now that he finally had a chance to eliminate the tumor, self preservation of the state of Kingdom of Italy, or simply wanting to continue empire building under someone more competent.) He also gave Mussolini power, and that has various interpretations (agreement vs survival). I think the reason why Italy didn't go through de-fascistization is probably because of pragmatism, but that's a negative cynical answer that I think is incomplete. Mussolini's hold on power wasn't as strong as Hitler's, since he had to negotiate a lot more rather than simply getting his way because I said so. Both had allies that shared interests, but I think in Germany, there was more genuine sympathy and agreement because of the wave of fascism taking over. IE, Germany did things because people were true believers. Italy did things because they wanted to keep their heads. We know that Germany had much stronger brainwashing going on compared to Italy, because we have evidence showing there was more internal dissent (resistance, soldiers choosing to not fight because they just want to go home). Germany was reshaped in Hitler's image a lot more than Italy being shaped in Mussolini's image.

[@kingofcards9]

I wonder if the monarchy will ever return to Italy?

[@Alias_Anybody]

The Hohenzollern heir also implied a similar plan a few years ago, wanting all of his Imperial era stuff back. I think that quickly died down when people mentioned that by that logic, everyone who was damaged in German colonial holdings (cause it had the Kaiser's blessing) as well as any civilians around the western front of WW1 would have grounds to sue for damages then.

[@fiorino4554]

​@@kingofcards9no

[@deez8202]

honestly it is kinda unfair being mad at the italian monarchy given the fact that Mussolini just walked in and pretty much gave them no other choice besides he also fired and arrested him later. Isn't it kinda ironic?

[@Adam.S271]

Two Italian POWs were sent to work on my great grandfathers farm in South Africa. One of them carved a wooden model of a bomber and gave it to him as a gift. We still have it in our house

[@RyanKeogh-b7r]

Laconia incident. Much talked about, but overlooked is the fact that 1,400 Italian POWS were locked in the ship while it sank.

[@Sss25865]

Yeah I heard about it

[@chapinud73]

.... e ci sono tanti altri esempi...i Francesi godevano nel maltrattare i prigionieri italiani ...

[@vincy958]

"Early worm gets the bird"

[@GoofyTron]

wait a minute...

[@Menckenperson]

In Boston, the north end was overwhelmingly Italian and civilians would regularly go where POWs were fenced to give them Italian cheeses and cold cuts. The guards wouldn’t interfere.

[@rhjorgsohn6728]

My conscripted Grandfather was a WWll POW in France. Worked on a farm. He has not a single pleasant thing to say. He went with three others. He was the only to survive. Can't wait to talk to him again.

[@big_dro1713]

Why was he treated so poorly by the French?

[@guths5847]

@@big_dro1713 when you occupy a country, don’t expect to be treated well by the local population when you are a prisoner. USA and UK were cool with Axis prisoners because their country didn’t got invaded.

[@aviator9316]

some italians that were captured by the germans were used in Normandy to build the atlantic wall and some were captured by US troops

[@stefanodadamo6809]

Others (few, it seems, possibly in the hundreds or so) fought there, enrolled in Wehrmacht units. There was for example famous comedian Walter Chiari, then a 20 years old.

[@abradolflincler726]

There were even a few Koreans captured at Normandy.

[@joegordon5117]

An interesting sidebar story to this is the famous Italian Chapel, which Italian POWs held in the Orkney Islands of Scotland built after being captured during the North African campaign. Created using meagre available resources (like the standard Nissen Huts), they then decorated them cleverly to create a beautiful piece of work, which fortunately has been restored several times and is now an A-listed historic building, so protected en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Chapel

[@AlbertKelway]

My great great grandfather fought for Italy during World War II, he was captured by the Americans in North Africa he was brought back to America and and a lot of money from cooking for the prisoners and soldiers and eventually visited Niagara Falls

[@lordMartiya]

Correction: the Monarchy wasn't seen as a Fascist institution, but as what could and SHOULD have stopped it from the start and instead refused to do so. Umberto Il was a different kind of king from his cowardly father, but he rose to the throne too late.

[@FlagAnthem]

if not fascist at least colluded

[@lordMartiya]

@@FlagAnthem The collusion is obvious, thanks to Vittorio Emanuele III's cowardice and belief he could control him. And by the time he realized Mussolini couldn't be controlled, his cowardice kept him from dismissing the Duce from his post as premier until even the Grand Council of Fascism had turned against their leader.

[@zx921]

I wish you had mentioned the tens of thousands of Italian soldiers left behind in Albania after 1943. Many offered their labor to civilians for food, were shot by partisans due to their atrocities, disarmed by germans, escaped to Italy and even volunteered for the NLA forming the "Antonio Gramshi" battalion. However, the majority were left to starve. There are casualty estimates that reach hundreds in the daily of italians during the winter of 1943-44. Ismail Kadare wrote a very famous novel called "General of the dead army" that dealt with the retrieval of italian bodies in post-war Albania

[@stefanodadamo6809]

I've read it in my teens. Poignant in it's way. My home address, a "largo" (non exactly a square, a smaller space, in our case occupied by a car parking) was named after one of the unfortunate young officers of lesser rank shot by Germans in Albania. He was a second lieutenant, 23.

[@theoutlook55]

Nice

[@goofygoobah9395]

​@@theoutlook55 "that's awesome sauce!" ass response 😭

[@colinwine-tq1zl]

Your my favorite history KZbin channel thank you so much for making this video

[@tommasostevanato8038]

My great-grandfather was an italian soldier during WW2. After almost being sent to Russia, he was stationed in Syracuse (his hometown) to defend the city from the Allies. As many italian soldier in Sicily, he didn't even get a chance to fire a single shot since they were so outnumbered and outgunned that they simply surrendered. He was an English pow's and worked for them for a long time, my grandad told me that the english officials kept lying to the prisoners about when they would have gotten home and kept posticipating the date of departure. He returned home (if I remember right) 5 years later. There where voices that he made a family in Lybia after he got released because he took so much time to get back, but we don't know for sure.

[@flavius5722]

The dramatic wish of the "romanians at the end of the second world war was to be occupied by the anglo-americans and not by the russians " - Traian Basescu the fourth president of Romania

[@stefanodadamo6809]

After invading the Soviet Union they even pretended to choose a victor of their liking!

[@faxista]

a significant percentage of Italian prisoners, held in allied concentration camps all over the world (USA, UK, Middle East, North Africa, South Africa, India etc), called "non-cooperators" refused to collaborate with the allies and were repatriated to Italy in 1946, almost a year after the end of the war. My uncle was one of them, from the Hereford camp (Texas)

[@Wookieherder]

The husband of my mother's friend was a US citizen from Italy who went to visit family before WWII. While there he was conscripted into the Italian army against his will. When the Italians switched he was take prisoner by the Germans. He told me when he was walking to the POW camp anyone who fell out of line was shot on the spot!

[@theravingtimes9582]

POWs in the US: "Dang, I've sustained obesity. These Americans will pay for this *looks at clock* ... next meal once I finish this last task. Maybe I'll join the Nazi officers ... for that football game after work." POWs in the Soviet Union: "Dang, I've sustained frostbites. Looks like I'll have to unearth the graves of my comrades so I'll join them."

[@Spearfisher1970]

My Italian grandfather (self-described as intelligence or secret service for Italy, understood seven languages and admitted to doing interrogations) spent about two years in 'jail,' in Italy, directly after the war. They were from the Northeast region. Then he brought his wife and two daughters here to the USA (1946 iirc). We have never been able to figure out or find out what he spent about two years in jail for.

[@fatblackjoe1]

After the war the Mafia held a lot of control in Italy. Many people in Italian intelligence during WW2. Were focused on bringing down the mob. So after the war, these intelligence officers were usually not trusted and sent to prison. My grandfather actually also worked for Musolinis intelligence services. Luckily for him, he was able to escape to the states after the war and because of this didn't end up in jail. So my grandfather, LOVED the United States and I want tell you guys my favorite quote by him. "There's no place in the world really like America. Where they truly accept you as one of their own. You can't go to France and become a Frenchman. You can't go to Japan and turn japanese. But you can always come to America and become an American and that's why it's the best country on earth."

[@CL-ss7gg]

My grandpa was a captain of the Italian anti-air units. He served in Pozzuoli near Naples. He was from Sicily and after Italy surrender and the army had been disbanded, he had to return home ON FOOT with the constant fear of being captured or, even worse, killed by the Germans who were retreating north. I actually don't know how he survived that, and it kinda scares me the fact that if he didn't survive the voyage back home, I wouldn't be here.

[@ThePalaeontologist]

Also: the fatality rate of German POW's in WWII in British custody, out of 3 million soldiers, was 0.03%.

[@timman19]

Great video. My wife’s family is from Sicily and her grandfather was drafted into the Italian Army. He was captured by the British Army in North Africa in 1941 and was sent to a POW camp in England. After Italy switched sides, he was released and sent to work on a farm in Scotland where he spent the rest of the war. He was with a family that took care of and provided for him. After the war, he was allowed to return home to Sicily.

[@GustavoRodriguez-qr5po]

I don’t blame the Italians tbh The Japanese knew they were unprepared but they had half of Asia under control and were guided by ultra nationalism The Italians didn’t want anything as ambitious nor were they as mighty as the Japanese Rommel himself states that the Italian were fine soldiers but upper command waged a war they couldn’t fight Mussolini knew this too

[@giorgio9731]

it's simple spoken when are all the world vs two nations, but remeber tath two nations at 1942 may be can win the war when the wind of histry is changed.....................Italy fougth for 5 years , thelast unite fougth after two mounth the berlin fall. Trance and all euope fought not more 50 days, and the UK withouth the hel pa of USa and after URSS lost the war in two mounths.............

[@FlyAndWire]

My grandfather was one of the unlucky ones who ended up in Nazi hands. Once a tall, muscular man, he returned after the war looking like a ghost. He never recovered and died a few years later, when my father was just a kid.

[@avatara6470]

It was the same with every other opponent

[@FlyAndWire]

@@avatara6470 No, not really. Look up some accounts online, and you will notice some marked differences, especially compared to prisoners from other western countries.

[@avatara6470]

@@FlyAndWire LOL imnagine believing anglos propaganda

[@FlyAndWire]

​@@avatara6470 LOL thanks for confirming you are a 12y. Coglionazzo, impara a leggere.

[@tipvs]

My great grandpa was a machine gunner on the greek front; at the armistice in 1943 he hitchhiked all the way through the balkan coast but got captured by the germans in trieste he got home “fine” after captivity and lived a relatively long life after

[@Donkster371]

Good to say animation quality improved as time goes by

[@TheDgamesD]

the story of the Luigi Torelli submarine is wild, serving under all 3 major axis navies is a crazy story id love to see you guys cover.

[@williamrocchia2728]

I am Italian and about the armistice i want to say this,for Who doesn't know there is the ciano diaries,written by Galeazzo ciano Italy's prime minister and son in law of Mussolini,in the diaries when discussing about the war,ciano made clear that no one had sympathy for Germany or Hitler in any way, especially the air force pushed that italy wasn't ready for a war,but Mussolini never listened,he was jealous of hitler conquest and wanted to join, disregarding that everyone in Italy disliled the german and if they were forced to enter war they would prefer the allies, basically, Italy WW2 can be summarized as Mussolini wanting to show hitler and the allies who has the longest dick,spoiler he lost

[@williamrocchia2728]

Ciano was foreign affair minister,my bad I just realized I mistyped

[@kmarks97236]

I think the Greeks may disagree as well as the Albanians. The Italians were quite brutal to them and massacred a number of civilians.

[@williamrocchia2728]

@@kmarks97236 as I said I based my opinion on Ciano's diaries,when they were discussing only about entering in the war on the German side, about Greece and Albania, Ciano said that Mussolini planned the war with greece since 1937 if i remember correctly,same for Albania,but I don't deny what you said, people were quite happy when the fascist did the coup d'etat in Albania and invaded it,or when they invaded greece thinking it was a easy target,and then lost,but,the thing that makes my blood boil is that sadly Albanians and Greek never got justice,as a lot of Italian war criminal managed to escape justice with loopholes or in some case helped by the new government formed after the war

[@pyromike7237]

Soviet and Nazis once again proving how much they have in common

[@GAarcher]

*Until the pact was broken, Hitler and Stalin were the power couple of the XXI century*

[@Sleve_McDichael1]

Authoritarian/Totalitarianism 🥳

[@storm___]

Narrative from ww2 and cold war propaganda written by victors.

[@Theanimeisforme]

Soviets were killing prisoners even before the war. The germans could not sustain anything later into the war.

[@alessiocataldi2434]

It's not so strange that they were pissed off by nazis and their allies

[@ClovisPoint]

Some came to Australia ,they were good workers ,my father had one working on the family farm during the War,he was nice enough to make one of those ships in a bottle for my father ,which we still have ,on the side of the ship it has ''POW'' ,as its name

[@alansmithee8831]

My uncle was a British soldier captured behind the lines in North Africa. After escaping POW camp he had his teeth knocked out by a rifle butt on recapture. There was so little food they were "eating the dogs, eating the cats". He later got away from the Germans through the eastern front and back to UK in time to celebrate VE day. He came across Italian POWs. After a "discussion" several of them were unfortunately injured. He was not demobolised but made an MP and sent to "look after" captured "Nasties".

[@legacyvaultchannel]

I lived in Italy for about 7 years. And I love Italian history.

[@unitariansavage8513]

It's shocking how many euphemisms for "forced labor" there are on this video.

[@RasVoja]

Very good review of all Italian POWs destiny. Waiting for Blackshirts video to come to free YT!

[@victoreagle9927]

My grandpa was captured by the British in north Africa, cause he was a doctor he worked on a hospital ship in India

[@Poznan__]

I live in Poznan, never heard about Italian POWs! And I considered myself a history geek. Thank you for inspiring me for further studies!

[@interestinglife934]

There's a movie about a pow camp for Italians in the USA where conditions went way down and even rations were cut back after the allies discovered concentration camps. Movies name is "the good war".

[@changingpeopleslivesmoon2993]

What about what happened to Croatian solders after ww2

[@tylermorrison420]

They got shot by Americans because we don't know the difference between Croatians and Germans:source saving private Ryan

[@SteveInLava]

Titoist partisans killed them

[@SteveInLava]

Titoist partisans already dealt with them.

[@erkutkoksal1913]

You mean fashist war crimanals ?

[@gamer_0261]

Who? Partisans or Collaborators?

[@thealmightymoron7237]

My great-great grandparents were Italian immigrants, and knew the language well. According to stories from my family, my great-great grandmother would go talk to Italian POW’s that were kept nearby since she knew the language.

[@seanmatto2258]

What if Turkey and Argentina Joined the axis in 1942 and operation eisenhammer happened in early 1943 and Hitler prevented Italy from switching sides?

[@jimtalbott9535]

My Grandpa arrived in Britain from the US in 1942, on one of the early troop ships. He told me that you could alway know where the Italian POWs were, because if they were working outside, they were often signing. Absolutely every one he met there were absolutely delighted to be alive, and out of any fighting.

[@wifi_soldier5076]

Italian captured by the west 😊 Italian captured by the Soviets 💀

[@caseclosed9342]

Fun fact: Several of Mussolini’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren are active in Italian politics today. His granddaughter Rachele (was named after her grandmother who was Benito’s second wife) is a member of Rome City Council.

[@theoutlook55]

What party, or do they switch it up a lot??

[@federicoprosdocimi9212]

@@theoutlook55 Both in the Right sides. Alessandra Mussolini has the stranger "curriculum". She was a model (on Playboy too), an actress, a singer (a pop music in Japan) and in the 2019 Jim Carrey "roasted" her.

[@FlagAnthem]

​​@@federicoprosdocimi9212 you forgot painter like her father

[@French_officer_of_1e_Regiment]

Two of My GreatGrandpas fought in WW2, one was sent to russia where he never returned while the other fought the regime and got sent in a concetration camp where he was later saved by the americans

[@carsandcigarsautoreviewsan9073]

Thats a bold move putting that in your pocket upside down. Thats great advertising just for the quality of container. Let alone they spray.

[@TheColombiano89]

My grandfather came to Colombia with other veterans. They formed a massive Italian fast casual food chain here. We still have family in Italy 🇮🇹 but Colombia is our home now 🇨🇴

[@mwworldhistory23]

11:58 Studio Ghibli mentioned rahhhhhh

[@FlagAnthem]

Miyazaki love for Italian culture, aviation and his libertarian leftist ideas are common themes in his movies.

[@michaelman957]

"Communist youths didn't believe the POWs who'd suffered in Soviet captivity." Cubans in the US: "Sounds familiar."

[@FlagAnthem]

they were the same who spit on the Istro-Dalmatian refugees, cheered for the invasion of hungary and who still go around teaching how Stalin "did nice things as well"

[@questionmark05]

Some Italians were captured by the japanese when the IJA attacked the italian trading concessions in china. Some were allowed to work with the german submarine based in penang after siding with Mussolini's new regime, others who chose not to were sent to the same horrid POW camps as allied POWs.

[@pierluigiadreani2159]

There was an Italian submariner (I think from the Cappellini) that stayed in Japan after the war and married a local. He was angry by the way the Italians behaved with veterans.

[@LegioXXl]

My grandpa was sent to Russia, escaped a POW Soviet camp with a spoon and walked home

[@blaisechalmers1464]

Please do an episode on South Africa and Rhodesia in WWII

[@jaydincole3116]

You should learn the Italian in Russia between 1941 to 43

[@hankw69]

In the late 1980s I was stationed at the now defunct, Upper Heyford RAF. When I went to the NCO preparatory course, our class room buildings were renovated Italian POW barracks

[@franzjoseph2809]

My grandpa was an Italian soldier in WWII (he also went to Spain and Ethiopia before), after the war he felt betrayed by his country because he ended up in jail for about two years before his cousin (who was a judge) had him released. After he was released he immigrated to Chile and lived there for the rest of his life.... He ended up loving Chile more than Italy, even asking to be buried in Chile

[@stefanodadamo6809]

He must have loved Pinochet

[@franzjoseph2809]

@@stefanodadamo6809 he did, he was a fascist to his death (not that I approve, just saying the truth)

[@stefanodadamo6809]

@@franzjoseph2809 I had presumed right. Extreme(ly) right.

[@franzjoseph2809]

@@stefanodadamo6809 LMAO

[@stefanodadamo6809]

@@franzjoseph2809 Ethiopia plus Spain = Fascist volunteer. Most of them never changed their views for life.

[@scottb8434]

I was raised in a town in Australia that has a very high percentage of Italian Aussies. The presence is directly related to Italian POWs who were imprisoned in Australia after being captured in North Africa. Their imprisonment was pretty relaxed and many assisted on farms and grew to love Australia. After the war a huge number emigrated back to where they had been POWs. In our town they set up wineries, started citrus farming and of course bought wonderful food to the Aussie palate. They had Italian Regimental associations in town that also marched on Anzac Day.

[@RainintheBrain]

11:52 I understood that reference 🐷

[@kuzeydemir910]

Studio ghibli?

[@MrAdamArce]

Is this where it comes from?

[@RainintheBrain]

@@kuzeydemir910 yes Porco Rosso

[@RainintheBrain]

​@@MrAdamArce Porco Rosso. An anime about a pig who flies a plane and fights air pirates staring Michael Keaton and Cary Elwes

[@dimashatta6238]

"Better Pigs than fascist" while casually eating my snacks.

[@GuyInBlackClothes]

Thank you for making this video Griffin. Too many Italian soldiers and royal guards lost their lives fighting a war on the wrong side. Especially ones forced to do so. Partisans and soldiers who defected or surrendered thanks to the Armistice, never stopped fighting against fascism. It's important to show proper history when it comes to this.

[@cristianvigano3520]

Im Italian and my Father's cousin fought in Russia and was captured there and when he came home he brought home a Russian woman to wich he would get married to.

[@ToMoOhKa]

I cant find any videos not in Italian about Mario Roatta that is not a few seconds/minutes long. Could be interesting to know more since he keeps popping up here and there.

[@FullMetalBaldo]

One of the biggest italian war criminal, especially in Yugoslavia where he got mad with his officers because "They kill too few people "

[@FlagAnthem]

Roatta was the Italian heydrich, he got the nickname "butcher of the balkans" not by accident

[@stefanodadamo6809]

A sinister character, already infamous when he headed the SIM, the military secret service, during the Spanish Civil War. War criminal in Yugoslavia. Shifty fellow. Escaped to Spain from jail before sentencing.

[@JavierCR25]

Watching this is actually kinda heartwarming. Amongst all that madness and evil, the allies tended to this prisoners with care and dignity, so much that many actually stayed in their captors country voluntarily.

[@jokodihaynes419]

"But the thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies"-Lawkeeper Equity Mlp Ace Attorney EOJ

[@mr.archivity]

Considering your comment I suggest you to read some actual history books instead of propaganda. I suggest reading James J. Sadkovich or Prof. Richard Carrier of the Department of History, Royal Military College of Canada

[@llcoolr5679]

my great grandfather was in the Italian Army, stationed in the homeland during the allied invasion. His regiment surrendered, and he went home to his town in Caserta. A few days later he was arrested, along with the rest of his comrades, but was eventually freed.

[@adriansiu7342]

Please do one for about the Japanese POWS in China

[@SeanBZA]

South African POW's, mostly stayed, I had 3 Italian POW's who stayed, and brought out their wives/girlfriends as well. Last survivor is the wife of one I know, now 92, and still sprightly enough. Comes from a half glass of watered down wine with lunch every day according to her. The husbands had built bridges, built buildings and made roads, and after the war they became engineers, machinists and such, and did well in it. Still an Italian club around, though mostly composed of the children, not many of the original members left.

[@AquafarYT]

still my favorite historian on yt

[@Maaroooon]

11:53 appreciate the subtle porco rosso reference :)

[@chincheDB]

I love your animation videos, they keep getting better by better everytime I watch them.

[@watchdogsgarbagetruck8324]

Are we going to talk about Yugoslavia? *cough* Foibe *cough*

[@SamThesillyStuka-bo4qu]

Honestly this channel is amazing so many things to learn and the meme thumbnails are hella funny

[@jakukuja7736]

I love this series but id love for the "Evolution of..." series to return. I want more uniforms, tanks and especialy aircraft or maybe even ships

[@alfrancisbuada2591]

What about Chinese Soldiers after World War 2?

[@legacyvaultchannel]

I find it interesting how Italian POWs in Allied countries contributed to local economies and even built new lives there after the war. It’s a reminder that even in dark times, people can adapt and thrive.

[@powerdriller4124]

It is a remainder that good luck can make an enormous difference. No Italian prisoner "thrived" in Rusisa, only 20% survived, wasted but kind of surviving.

[@AGamesAYT]

Very interesting

[@brokenbridge6316]

So basically your saying that is depended on who captured you on how you were treated as a POW. Nice to know. Great video.

[@paolosciarpuccio]

I.M.I. (Interned Military Italians) is one of the worst betrayals ever in Italy. Mussolini let almost a million italian soldiers to be sent to lagers while he screamed about patriotism and sh1t

[@Foxrich99]

They were offered a choice and chose to remain traitors

[@paolosciarpuccio]

@@Foxrich99 noting that the traitors are the one who chose Mussolini, of course

[@storm___]

​@@paolosciarpuccioliterally all those people chose mussolini initially. They only betrayed him after things got tough. So they really only have themselves to blame

[@ahnafusaid8028]

The betrayers were the Italian government that signed the armistice without thinking what would come later. Mainland Europe including Italy was still in firm German hands. Many Italian soldiers under German command all throughout the continent. What did they think would have happened? What did they believe Germans would just accept everything? Allies only controlled a small Island while 99% of the country was still in Germany’s reach far from the allies

[@paolosciarpuccio]

@@storm___ lol chose him? When?😅😅 When he was given the government powers for having marched toward Rome? When they held fraudulent elections (Matteotti's last speech)? When they held "yes or no" elections for the PNF? Man, chose? They didn't chose Mussolini as they didn't chose king VE3, as they didn't chose aristocracy, as they didn't chose anything before. LOL It was a dictatorship, not a democracy lol That's why fascism sucks. It was like USSR without the syberian gulags

[@PaulMags-x4w]

My grandfather, the child of Italian immigrants, fought for the 45th division and fought in Sicily and Italy. His cousin, who he had never met, was captured by Americans in North Africa and shipped to Texas as a POW. A bit of family trivia I always found fascinating.

[@dorianblue4229]

Many Italian soldiers pow in the uk just stayed there for life, many in Scotland... i discovered this only when i moved to the uk...

[@Jin-uu5he]

Here there is truly an absurd bias when you refer to the Italian prisoners of the Germans: those who refused to take up arms in the new republic of Salò did not do so because they were antifa but rather because they felt great resentment for the Germans, many of them were fascists but they felt betrayed. Furthermore the "Italian government" did not see the soldiers of Salò as criminals, it is full of testimonies from soldiers of the cobbeligerant army who say that the soldiers who chose to fight again in the axis fought for Italy itself if you know what I mean. Eugenio Corti in one of his interviews on KZbin states precisely this concept. Those who did not respect the Geneva convention on prisoners of the RSI were only the communist partisans and the latter were often guilty of murders even against the royal soldiers of the South. Btw in addition to the soldiers who fell into prison in the Soviet Union there were also those who fell in the Communist Yugoslavia captured between 1944-1945 (5000 prisoners)

[@benjorob1]

This is such a sweet video for Italians captured by the allies

[@Lautiiltoro]

17:45 it’s not socialist, it’s social

[@FlagAnthem]

Italian "Social Right" "red-brownism" and 3rd position are concept unfamiliar with american audience

[@stephenLarson-vs7fu]

I had friends who had German POWs who worked on their farm. The farmer, my friends´ father, would pick them up and bring them home on his hay wagon. The only thing they asked for was for him to go through town on the way home, so they could look at the girls. The father was unarmed, and never had any problems with the POWs.

[@Helate-g5g]

I love it mate I absolutely love it and your quality in videos is somehow still getting better.

[@mattiavicentini3592]

My grandfather was in the "Bersaglieri" and fought in El Alamein against the english, he return to home and in 1943 he finished his military service and begin to work in the railway. The other one at 8 september 1943 was in the "carabinieri" a sort of military police, and was captured by the german and internated in Mathausen camp for 2 years. He told me that the germans give him to eat only the wrap of the potatoes and the rain to drink. A lot of his friend died.