Page 39 - NONOSTANTE IL LUNGO TEMPO TRASCORSO…Le stragi nazifasciste nella guerra di liberazione 1943–1945

ENG It’s been almost 80 years since the end of the
Second World War, a time span of three genera-
tions. A time in which the war events, especially
the War of Liberation experienced and fought
from 1943 to 1945, have been the target of con-
tinuous research, reports, memories and lite-
rary and cinematographic narrations, as well as
desperate political and journalistic controversy.
It could not be otherwise, considering what tho-
se events meant for the rebirth of our Country
and the constitution of our democratic Repu-
blic, chosen by the Italian people after 20 ye-
ars of totalitarian and liberticidal fascist regime,
which culminated in a tragic war and the suffe-
ring caused by it. Despite the constant focus on
the years 1943-1945, we still have the sensa-
tion of partially knowing what happened in tho-
se crucial moments for Italy, of being scarcely
aware of their ethical and political meaning, and
how they contributed to our Country’s redemp-
tion and the establishment of democracy. The
exhibition Despite the long time…the Nazifascist
crimes during the War of Liberation 1943-1945.
History, Justice, Memory deserves credit for
having drawn the public attention to the massa-
cres committed by the German soldiers and the
Italian fascists between the Armistice (Septem-
ber 8th 1943) and the National Liberation (April-
May 1945), by documenting the blood tribute fa-
ced by soldiers and civilians in Italy and abroad.
Created and curated by Marco De Paolis,
Military Public Prosecutor at the Military Court
of Appeal in Rome, organised and promoted by
the Defence Staff under the High Patronage of
the President of the Italian Republic, the exhi-
bition was shown for the first time in 2021 in
Rome at the Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fa-
therland) and then in many Italian cities: in 2022
in La Spezia, Florence and Palermo, in 2023 in
Naples, Milan and Bari, in 2024 in Bologna. The
project will also tour the cities of Cremona, Pa-
FILIPPO dua and Monza, as well as Germany, in Fran-
kfurt, thanks to the contribution of the Land of
FOCARDI Hesse and the German government.
The exhibition gathers many documents,
pictures and audiovisuals using two main sour-
Historian and writer ces: judicial sources, as the outcome of Military
Courts’ investigations and proceedings against
German war criminals (with an important section
dedicated to Italian war criminals); general sour-
ces, collected thanks to the collaboration of nu-
merous public and private (both civilian and mi-
litary) associations and institutions, that made
their archives available. We hereby mention,
without claiming to be complete: Rai’s archives,

STORIA GIUSTIZIA MEMORIA HISTORY JUSTICE MEMORY 39

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