Place:

Poppi

Province:

Arezzo

Region:

Toscana

Assistance provided:

Food, shelter, clothing

Prisoners helped:

Lte. T. Meletiou (Greek) and other PoWs escaped from PG 38 Poppi

Start date:

September 1943

End date:

30 December 1943 (arrested)

Description:

Local farmer. Immediately after the armistice, he offered shelter to numerous prisoners who escaped from PG 38 Poppi, despite the family’s precarious economic conditions (they were 11 people). Among the rescued prisoners was the Greek Meletiou, who went on to form a partisan group active in the area, also assisting Allied prisoners. In December 1943, he was arrested and tortured but did not reveal anything about the escaped soldiers. He was later released.

Bibliography:

B.G. Lett, Italy’s Outstanding courage. The Story of a Secret Civilian Army in World War Two, Independently published , 2020.

Archival sources:

NARA, Records of Allied Operational and Occupation Headquarters, World War II Claim, Series (RG. 331), Claim n° 25.995