National Content: Italy
The first bombing on Terni seen from Arrone, a village 10 km far from there.
| Source | Mauro Marini, 70 years old, witness. |
| Event referred to | City Bombing during World War II. |
| Technological characteristics | Type of file: Video Extension: avi Characteristics: 320X240 Dimension of the file:2mb Availability proposed: Downloadable |
| Description of the source | Kind of source: Interview Origin of the source: Interview to a witness Language: Italian Copyright issues: Downloadable |
| Contextualisation of the source | The interview proposes the point of view of a 7 years old child who lived in a village nearby the industrial area of Terni. In this area there were two big industries which produced weapons: the “Fabbrica d’Armi” (Weapon’s Factory) where light weapons were produced and the “Acciaierie” (Steel-Mill) were heavy weapons were produced. |
| Interpretation of the source | Owing to the lack of ways and means of quick communication, the civilians are anguished waiting for their relatives coming back from work. A child observes this situation and fells the pain with the levity due to his age. |
| Original Contents | |
| Original Contents (English Translation) | I was only seven years old when I lived the bombing of Terni. Luckily I was far, in Arrone or on the mountains overlooking Arrone, the place where we used to hide during these air raids never knowing where the load of death would spread. On that day, on August 11th 1943, the massive fighter squadron heading towards Terni suddenly dropped a glittering of bombs that made it clear that Terni was under a horrible and devastating bombing. Obviously the means of communications were not those we have nowadays and nobody could know the fate of family members that, at that time, were still in Terni. Each tram that arrived from Terni, either from the steel factory, the weapon factory or any other work place, would spread panic and sorrow among the family members anxiously waiting to find out what had happened to their loved ones. Unfortunately episodes like the one on August 11th repeated themselves and even Arrone stopped being considered a safe place. Those who could would search for refuge in the surrounding countryside to remain as far as possible from dangerous locations. This was the experience of a seven-year-old boy who lived those moments alternating both joy, for sharing them with many other people, and grief when listening to the older people tell stories about their lives. |