PG 85 - Tuturano

Sheet by: Isabella Insolvibile

General data

Town: Brindisi

Province: Brindisi

Region: Puglia

Location/Address: Tuturano - Brindisi

Type of camp: Transit camp; Sorting camp; Quarantine camp

Number: 85

Italian military mail service number: 3450

Intended to: NCOs – Troops

Local jurisdiction: IX Army Corps

Railroad station: Brindisi

Accommodation: tents, huts

Capacity: 6500, including 50 officers

Operating: from 05/1941 to 07/1943

Commanding Officer: Col. Evaristo Armani (April – August 1941); Captain. Giuseppe Favia (February – May 1942); Lt. Col. Angelo Albanese (June 1942 – summer 1943)

Brief chronology:
Spring 1941: the first Allied PoWs were assigned to the camp.
March 1943: first inspection by the neutral delegates.
Spring 1943: many PoWs were assigned to work outside the camp.
18 May 1943: PoW Phini, assigned to a detachment, was killed by a carabiniere.
9 August 1943: PoW Madalane, assigned to a detachment, was killed by a sentry.
1 September 1943: the camp was closed.

Allied prisoners in the Brindisi camp

Date Generals Officers NCOs Troops TOT
1.3.1942 52 726 778
1.4.1942 110 1452 1562
1.5.1942 109 1443 1552
1.6.1942 33 348 381
1.7.1942 4 87 922 1013
1.8.1942 260 3366 3626
1.9.1942 7 200 1858 2065
30.9.1942 14 158 172
31.10.1942 9 118 127
30.11.1942 221 2678 2899
31.12.1942 293 3291 3584
31.1.1943 291 3259 3550
28.2.1943 291 3254 3545
31.3.1943 514 4305 4819[1]
30.4.1943 465 4557 5022
31.5.1943 313 3838 4151
30.6.1943 357 3625 3982
[1] Including 1 American NCO and 2 American Privates.

Camp’s overview

PG 85 Tuturano was established in the Tuturano district of Brindisi, near the Paticchi farm («masseria»), in the spring of 1941. International inspectors were able to visit the camp only in 1943, and therefore the documentation on this camp is limited. Nonetheless, it is apparent that conditions in PG 85 violated the international laws on the fair treatment of PoWs. Many of them requested, in April 1942, an increase in their daily ration of at least 100%, the installation of warm baths, pest control services, a military shop, payment for their work, inspections by representatives of the International Red Cross Committee, and the delivery of Red Cross parcels. These requests confirm the very precarious living conditions in the camp, as the PoWs were deprived of essential services. A PoW, transferred to Tuturano in mid-July 1942, noted that:

Conditions in regard to food, water and hygiene were similar to when I arrived in Benghazi. After the Benghazi experience, I, together with several others, proceeded to organise the camp in which we were placed. Camp 85 consisted of three separate camps, Campo Grande (5000 Europeans), Campo Picolo [sic] (2000 Europeans) and Campo Negri (1000 South African Coloureds, Blacks and North African Blacks). I took over the position of Camp Sgt. Major, Campo Grande. […] The position, after a month, became intolerable, and I advised the Italian Colonel in charge that under the present arrangements, I was not prepared to carry on in my capacity of Camp Sgt. Major. Asked to state my reasons, I told him that (a) the prisoners were not in a fit condition to stand for hours on parade twice daily. (b) that the Italian N.C.O.’s working in the Camp were causing a considerable amount of confusion, and thirdly, that the guards on patrol inside the camp were raiding the men’s kit.


Despite the efforts of the PoWs, the situation did not improve in the following months. Hygienic conditions, for example, remained critical. Moreover, the camp was located in an area where malaria was endemic. The food situation was also difficult, as the PoWs could often eat only what they received in the Red Cross parcels, which were not delivered regularly. These issues were compounded by the behaviour of the guards, who, according to some witnesses, seemed «to take pleasure in annoying the prisoners» . Punishments were often disproportionate and violent. A former PoW recalled that:

The P.O.W. in the camp used to trade Italian articles of clothing with the Italian Guards. The clothing was full of lice and not worth putting on. P.O.W. used to trade such articles for food. One day in the camp, I managed to get hold of an Italian pair of underpants; they were issued to me. A Sgt. H.S. Lee also had a pair of these pants. The two of us decided to trade our pants with some Italians who were building in the camp. I approached an Italian near the camp Infirmary. I had the underpants under my overcoat. Before I could speak to the Italian, a Cyprian P.O.W caught hold of my coat and held me. […] When I was trying to get away, the Italian Lieut known as the “Yank” arrived on the scene. I understand the Cyprian P.O.W. was used as an informer. […] The underpants were bulging out of my overcoat. The Lieut then pulled them out and took them away. After the Lieut took the pants from me, he turned around and hit Sgt. Lee in the face. […] The Italian Lieut. gave the Carabinieri instructions to tie the two of us to poles near the cookhouse. Both of us were tied up with rope and left there. The Italian Lieut tested the rope with which our hands were tied and then ordered the rope to be made tighter. This was done after we had been tied up for some time. We were tied up for about three or four hours when we were released. […] We were deprived of our rations for the day. [TNA, TS 26/95]


Lt. Pappi, the interpreter, was among those responsible for mistreating the PoWs. Despite a long list of denunciations, Pappi was never put on trial or investigated. Moreover, his first name is still unknown as it was not reported in the Italian or British documents (only his surname was registered). Pappi was responsible for various acts of violence and torture against the PoWs, as testified by Sergeant Boult, who was the camp leader for a while:

One morning towards the end of March 1942, I went out on to the camp parade ground and observed two prisoners chained back to back with a tree between them. They were chained to each other. I went up to them, and I saw that they had been beaten up. One of these men had fainted, and his weight was supported by the other man. I spoke to the man who was conscious, and he told me that he and the other man had tried to escape the previous night at 2230 hours, that they had been seen and taken, and as a punishment, they had been chained up in the way in which I found them and that they had been there all night – a matter of eight hours. They were in a very distressed condition. This man told me he and his friend had been knocked about the chest and head with rifle butts by the Italian carabinieri because they had attempted to escape. I went at once to the Italian orderly officer. He was a lieutenant by the name of Papi [sic]. I knew him fairly well as he was the interpreter of this camp. I demanded that the two men be released as the action of tying them up in this manner was contrary to the Geneva Convention. He emphatically refused to release the two men. I warned Lieutenant Papi that I would fall out of the parade if the men were not released and as he still refused to let them go, I did fall out of the parade. As the carabinieri threatened to shoot, I fell in the parade again and was given ten days of solitary confinement for my action. I learnt afterwards that the two men were released about seven o’clock that morning. [TNA, WO 311/320]


In March 1943, finally, neutral inspectors were allowed into the camp. By this point, PG 85 was no longer a transit camp but a base camp for several work detachments (between 13 to 23) located in the surrounding farmlands in the provinces of Lecce and Brindisi (in the farms duca Battista Guerrini in Serrano, ammiraglio Granafei in Castel Acquano, Colosso brothers in Ugento, principe Dentice di Frasso in Carovigno, conte Balsamo Giovanni in Cellino S. Marco). Some PoWs still in the camp were housed in wooden huts, but most were in tents. Living conditions were still poor, as the camp lacked lighting and the ground was muddy. The delegates of the Protecting Power also noticed these violations of the Geneva conventions. Nonetheless, the Italian authorities decided, from 1942, not to build more huts (the few already built housed up to 600-700 PoWs) and to leave the PoWs in tents. This decision was motivated by two factors: the Bari military command disliked the idea of building permanent structures near the city, and tents allowed for a much larger number of PoWs to be housed in the camp.
The PoWs’ health conditions were concerning; many were malnourished, and others got sick because of the cold. Moreover, malaria was not appropriately treated, as the camp lacked a proper supply of quinine. Between December 1942 and January 1943, seven PoWs died from malaria infections.
Clothing was another issue, as the PoWs did not have any spare clothes and remained in their worn-out summer battle dresses, which they wore when captured.
In the spring of 1943, many PoWs were assigned to work detachments in the countryside, but many were also used as roadbuilders and in the Foggia airport. In June 1943, some 300 PoWs were sent to San Pancrazio Salentino to work at the local airport. This was, evidently, a job supporting the Italian war effort (and therefore prohibited), but it was possibly ordered by the Germans (the sources are discordant), while the Italians provided the surveillance. In San Pancrazio, the PoWs often quarrelled with their captors: they went on strike and sabotaged the place in order to fight against being forced to help their enemies. Meanwhile, the guards systematically pilfered the Red Cross parcels delivered to the PoWs. The PoWs also worked at the airport and seaplane base in Brindisi, San Vito dei Normanni (Brindisi), and Grottaglie (Taranto).
On 18 May 1943, South African Private Johannes (or Joseph) Madalane of the Native Military Corps was killed in a detachment. The soldier was queuing, with others, for a pair of boots, but a sentry, annoyed at the PoWs pushing at the camp’s gates, fired into the crowd, wounding Madalane, who died a few hours later. After the war, there was no investigation, as the British authorities believed the Italian version of the events: that the guard had fired in self-defence.
Another incident happened before the camp’s closure. On 9 August 1943, South African PoW George Phini, who worked in a detachment, was killed by a carabiniere. According to the Italian sources, he was standing, with other people, in a vineyard at the limit of the Brindisi seaplane base. The carabiniere, who was guarding the base, thought he had the «duty of guarding the nearby private properties as well» and supposed they were there to steal grapes; he ordered the PoW (only him) to join his comrades, who were eating their lunch nearby. Apparently, Phini refused rudely, threatening the carabiniere. The two fought until «facing the rebellious negro», and in self-defence, the carabiniere «shot […] from two metres away […] against the PoW, and the madman fell to the ground». Phini arrived at the hospital already dead. The Italian investigation ended with the usual conclusions: «the carabiniere acts were more than legal considering the threatening attitude of the PoW, who belonged to an inferior race, meaning that the carabiniere almost had the duty to protect the Corps’ honour and demonstrate its authority» [ACS, MG, CGCC, Miscellanea, scatola 1]. After the war, carabiniere Giovanni De Vito, who killed Phini, was put on trial and acquitted thanks to a fellow carabiniere who testified in his favour, claiming the PoW had attacked him.
The general behaviour of the guards in Tuturano was also investigated regarding the mistreatment of the PoWs, some specific episodes of violence, and the forbidden work in the San Pancrazio Salentino airport. A different investigation was opened on the theft of the Red Cross parcels by Italian officers. The Court of Inquiry opened in Lecce between 7 and 10 July 1944, proved that in November 1943, the Allied troops had found, inside the former camp and in the houses of its personnel, a grand total of 2,100 Red Cross parcels containing food, clothes, cigarettes and leisure goods such as musical instruments. Evidently, these goods had been taken away from the PoWs who lived in the camp. Commander Albanese was convicted for this, but there is no information on what kind of sentence was imposed on him.
In August 1943, the camp became a transit camp run by the Wehrmacht, and many PoWs were transferred elsewhere. It was officially closed on 1 September 1943. After the Armistice, it was occupied by British troops who used it to house German PoWs. The Italian commander, Col. Angelo Albanese, remained in charge until the camp was finally closed at the beginning of November.
Today, only a few ruins remain, and few traces in the popular memory. The PoWs printed and distributed a newspaper in the camp, the «The Tuturano Times», but its frequency is unknown.

Archival sources

Bibliography

Online resources

Stories linked to this camp