About "Associazione Nazionale Famiglie Caduti e Dispersi della Repubblica Sociale Italiana"

19/5/2020

Eugenio Battaglia writes:

Commenting on a previous post, our esteemed moderator asked for more information on the "Associazione Nazionale Famiglie Caduti e Dispersi della Repubblica Sociale Italiana."

After the savage slaughter following the Italian Civil War, the combatants and followers of the RSI on 26 December 1946 founded the party "Movimento Sociale Italiano." It was not a revival of Fascism, as its motto was "No restoration, No repudiation," but then with the Cold War it became a right-wing but socialist-leaning party. After some initial doubts, it supported NATO and had a pro-US position. The Movement was fairly successful until 1995, when the party under the disastrous leadership of Fini became the "Alleanza Nazionale" and abandoned its original ideas. This was the reason why it disappeared.

Also, non-political associations of combatants were founded by veterans of the various army groups, all united under the National Federation of Combatants of the RSI. Now, due the passing of time, the most important group is the "Raggruppamento Combatants RSI and Ideal Continuity," including the sympathizers from the younger generations.

Already in 1947, there was an organization, Families of the Fallen and Missing of the RSI. The first leader was Mario Arillo of the elite X MAS, who received 1 gold medal, 2 silver medals, 1 bronze medal and 1 Iron Cross.

This group offered assistance to the families reduced to poverty by purges, confiscations, and the loss of breadwinners. They also searched for the burial places of the killed. The latter mystery has never been completely solved. A friend of mine never found the burial place of his father, who was taken away by the Reds and never found.

Supposedly he lies somewhere in the hills not far from my house. We went looking for the grave with a good metal detector, but the device is useless if the guy had been stripped and beaten to death. There is a suspicious place, a cemented picnic area, in the middle of the woods but, of course, we cannot get permission to look there. It is an old trick to hide corpses under cement; in this place, according to unconfirmed rumors, there may be 8 soldiers of the San Marco Division. Savona, Vado Ligure, and Quiliano became another terrible Triangle of Death.

On 25 April 1950 the journal L'Ultima Crociata started publication, and proudly continues today as a witness to the RSI and its men/women.