Italians III.

This is coolbert:

 Yet one more aspect of World War Two [WW2] I was not aware of.

IMI!! Disarmed, detained, deported!!


One million Italians soldiers taken prisoner by the German in the aftermath of the armistice between Italy and the allied powers [1943] first designated as POW and later as IMI [Italian military internees]. That category of IMI eliminating the status of POW and any degree of protection thereof under conventions, the Italian being compelled by the German to work as forced labor, a significant number sent to Germany proper, treated in a shabby and often brutal manner unremitting and cruel!

 "Italian military internees ( Militär-Italienische Internierten - IMI) was the official name given by Germany to the Italian soldiers captured, rounded up and deported in the territories of the Third Reich . . . in the days immediately following the Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces"

"After disarmament by the Germans, the Italian soldiers and officers were confronted with the choice to continue fighting in the ranks of the German army, or, otherwise, be sent to detention camps in Germany. Only 10 percent agreed to enroll."

"The Germans disarmed and captured 1,007,000 Italian soldiers . . . approximately 710,000 Italian soldiers deported into prison camps of the Third Reich with the status of IMI . . . between 600,000 and 650,000 soldiers refused to continue the war alongside the Germans."

"The Nazis considered the Italians as traitors and not as prisoners of war. The former Italian soldiers were sent into forced labor in war industries (35.6%), heavy industry (7.1%), mining (28.5%), construction (5.9%) and agriculture (14.3%)."

Conditions for the forced laborers uniformly bad across the board. Hard physical toil without mercy for ANY injury or weakness, food and housing minimal at best, THOSE ITALIAN SOLDIERS HAVING FOUGHT FOR MUSSOLINI AND THE FASCIST CAUSE TREATED WITH A PETULANCE, VINDICTIVENESS AND ANGER MOST PRONOUNCED!!

coolbert.