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Italian occupation of Corsica

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File:Corsicaterraitaliana.jpg
Image of Italian Corsica promoted by the Gruppi di Cultura Corsa of Petru Giovacchini, who was named in December 1942 as the possible "Governor of Corsica" if the Kingdom of Italy would have annexed the island of Corsica

Italian-occupied Corsica was the military occupation by the Kingdom of Italy of the island of Corsica during World War II. It lasted from November 1942 to September 1943.[1]

History

On November 8, 1942 the Allies landed in North Africa and fascist Italy replied on November 11, occupying some parts of France up to the Rhone river plus the Italian dialect-speaking island of Corsica. The Italian occupation of Corsica (strongly promoted by the Italian irredentism during Fascism) was made initially by 30,000 Italian troops and gradually reached the huge number of nearly 85,000 soldiers, while the islanders were less than 300,000.

The VII Army Corps of the Regio Esercito peacefully occupied Corsica, still under the formal sovereignty of Vichy France. Because of the lack of partisan resistance and to avoid problems with Marshal Philippe Pétain, no Corsican units were formed under Italian control (except for a labour battalion formed in March 1943).

In Corsica went 2 Italian Army Divisions (the "Friuli" and the "Cremona"), 2 coastal Divisions (the Italian 225 Coastal Division and the Italian 226 Coastal Division), 8 battalions of Fascist Militia and some units of Military Police and Carabinieri. Only in July 1943 12,000 German troops were added as support (after Mussolini's fall) to the Italian VII Army.

These troops were commanded by General Mondino since the occupation until the end of December 1942, then by General Carboni until March 1943 and later by General Magli until September 1943.

Some Corsican military officials collaborated with Italy, as the retired Major Pantalacci (and his son Antonio), colonel Mondielli and colonel Petru Simone Cristofini (and his wife, the first Corsican female journalist Marta Renucci).[2] The famous Corsican writer Petru Giovacchini was named as the possible "Governor of Corsica" if the Kingdom of Italy would have annexed the island of Corsica.

The French Resistance initially was practically nothing, but in april 1943 Paul Colonna d'Istria was sent by De Gaulle from Algeria and created the first guerrilla groups (Maquis). In June and July 1943 the OVRA (Italian fascist police) and the fascist Black Shirts paramilitary groups started a huge repression. According to general Gambiez 860 Corsicans were jailed and deported to Italy [3] On August 30, Jean Nicoli and 2 French partisans of the communist-oriented Front National resistance group were fusiladed in Bastia by order of an Italian Fascist War Tribunal.

After September 9, 1943 the Italian occupation was substituted by the German occupation, but most of the Italian troops remained loyal the Italian King Victor Emmanuel II and fought (mainly at Teghime, Bastia and Casamozza[4]) with the French Resistance against the nazi troops until the liberation of Corsica on October 4, 1943.

Indeed, after the armistice between Italy and the Allies on 8 September 1943 the Italian 44 Infantry Division Cremona, 20 Infantry Division Friuli and the French Partisans engaged in heavy combat with the German Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SS and 90th Panzergrenadier Division (supported by the Italian 12 Parachute Battalion of the 184 Parachute Regiment),[5] which came from Sardinia and retreated through Corsica towards the harbor of Bastia in the island's north. On 13 September elements of the Free French "4th Moroccan Mountain Division" were landed in Ajaccio to support the Italian efforts to stop the 30,000 retreating German troops. But during the night of 3 to 4 October the last German units were evacuated from Bastia leaving behind 700 dead and 350 POW's.

Characteristics

In Corsica, the native collaborationists (mainly linked to the irredentism) supported the occupation and even reassured the population, stressing that this was a precautionary measure against a possible Anglo-American attack. In the first months of 1943 these irredentists, under the leadership of Petru Giovacchini and Bertino Poli, did a huge propaganda inside the Corsican population in order to promote the unification of Corsica to Italy in a similar way to what has been done in 1941 with Dalmatia (where was created by Mussolini the Governatorate of Dalmatia).

The occupation of Corsica was related to the nazi Germany dominion of Europe and Hitler had absolute control of any decision-making: Mussolini postponed the unification of Corsica to Italy to a "Peace Treaty" to be done after the dreamed Axis victory in World War II, mainly because of German opposition to this possibility wanted by Corsican irredentists.[6]

Social end economic life in Corsica was administered by the original French civil authorities: that is the Prefect and four Sub-Prefects in Ajaccio, Bastia, Sartene and Corte[7]

After the war, nearly one hundred collaborators or autonomists (including the intellectuals) were put on trial by the French authorities in 1946 and found guilty. Eight of them were sentenced to death, but only colonel Cristofini was executed. Indeed Cristofini was put on trial for treason and sentenced to death. He tried to kill himself, and was executed while he was dying in November 1943.[8]

Petru Giovacchini was forced to hide until 1945. Prosecuted by a French tribunal in Corsica, he received a death sentence in 1945 and so went in exile to Canterano (near Rome): on September 1955 Petru Giovacchini died, as a consequence of former combat wounds, and since his death the Italian irredentism in Corsica is considered finished.

Notes

  1. ^ Rodogno, Davide. Il nuovo ordine mediterraneo - Le politiche di occupazione dell'Italia fascista in Europa (1940-1943) Chapter: France
  2. ^ Vita e Tragedia dell'Irredentismo Corso, Rivista Storia Verità
  3. ^ Général Gambiez. Liberation de la Corse. Hachette, Paris 1973, p. 128.
  4. ^ "Regio Esercito - Divisione Friuli". {{cite web}}: Text "work" ignored (help)
  5. ^ "Esercito Italiano: Divisione "Nembo" (184^)".
  6. ^ Marco Cuzzi: La rivendicazione fascista della Corsica (1938-1943) p. 57 (in Italian)
  7. ^ Rodogno Davide: Italian occupation of Corsica p. 218
  8. ^ Il Martirio di un irredento: il colonnello Petru Simone Cristofini. Rivista Storia Verità

Bibliography

  • Jean-Marie-Arrighi et Olivier Jehasse. Histoire de la Corse et des Corses Colonna édition et Perrin. Paris, 2008
  • Mastroserio, Giuseppe. Petru Giovacchini – Un Patriota esule in Patria. Editrice Proto. Bari, 2004.
  • Rainero, R. Mussolini e Petain. Storia dei rapporti tra l'Italia e la Francia di Vichy. (10 giugno 1940-8 settembre 1943) Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito-Ufficio Storico, Roma, 1990
  • Renucci, Janine. La Corse. Presses universitaires de France. Paris, 2001 ISBN 2130371698.
  • Rodogno, Davide. Fascism's European empire: Italian occupation during the Second World War. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, 2006 ISBN 0521845157
  • Vergé-Franceschi, Michel. Histoire de la Corse. Éditions du Félin. Paris, 1996 ISBN 102866452216.
  • Vignoli, Giulio. Gli Italiani Dimenticati Ed. Giuffè. Roma, 2000
  • Vita e Tragedia dell'Irredentismo Corso, Rivista Storia Verità, n.4, 1997

See also

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