by J. R. Sharp
“What is going on?” asked Catherina.
“They are here to fight the Allies and put down the partisans resistance. I want everyone to stay here in case we have any more visitors. Do not leave the driveway.”
Pietro walked towards the barn so he could get on the roof to see if there was a better view of what was happening. As he emerged on top of the barn, he could tell that half of the paratroopers were headed towards town and the other half were headed towards the wooded area at the base of the mountain range. He looked south to make sure there were no more paratroopers headed in their direction and noticed something odd about one of his corn stacks about a hundred feet from the house. There was a German paratrooper hiding behind one of them so as not to be noticed. Then Pietro could hear the planes coming again from the south, but these were not the paratrooper planes. He looked over the horizon to see that the sky was full of fighters and bombers headed towards the mountain range. As the planes flew over the farm, Pietro yelled back to everyone to get back into the main house. Then the bombing started at the base of the closest mountain range, which lit up the sky like a morning sunrise. Mortar shells, machine gun fires, and more bombings followed this. It lasted no more than thirty minutes, but Pietro could tell that the Germans knew exactly where the partisans were located. There was some isolated small arms fire but as the sun finished its decent, he could see most of the paratroopers headed back towards town from the mountain range. Pietro moved from the rooftop and headed towards the paratrooper with a pitch fork at the ready.
Pietro walked very slowly towards the soldier so as not to make matters any worse. He could hear something as he got closer but couldn’t make it out, and then he realized the soldier was sobbing like a child. Pietro moved in front of the soldier who was holding his head with both of his hands over his ears. His rifle was on the ground next to him with a bayonet attached to one end of it. Pietro reached for the rifle just as the soldier raised his head to look at the farmer. The soldier did not try to stop Pietro from taking his rifle, but instead curled up in the fetal position and continued to cry. Pietro noticed that the soldier could not be older than fourteen years old.
“Wait here until I get back,” replied Pietro in his best German.
Everyone was in the kitchen when Pietro walked in the side door towards the barn carrying the rifle.
“Make me a plate of dinner and some water,” ordered Pietro. Everyone looked in horror as they noticed what he was carrying.
“What do you need with a plate of food?” asked Anna. Pietro was working the bayonet off the tip of the rifle when he answered his wife.
“There is a boy on our farm who is scared as hell and needs something to eat.” Anna was defiant and refused to get up and get a plate of food ready.
“He is the enemy and I am not going to feed him!” she barked back. She just sat there looking at her grandchildren and children who were sitting and holding each other.
“If this was one of your sons, wouldn’t you want him to be fed?” asked Pietro. Anna looked at her husband and got up to get the plate of food ready for their enemy visitor.
Pietro walked out to the soldier with the plate of food in one hand and the water in the other. The bayonet was at the ready in his front belt just in case, but he left the rifle back at the house.
When he approached the boy, he was still sobbing like a child that lost his mother. Pietro put the food and water down in front of him and left without saying anything. Pietro grabbed the rifle that was leaning against the house and proceeded towards the barn. He went inside the barn with the rifle and grabbed the tree axe. He leaned the rifle against the main post of the barn and then raised the axe to break the rifle into two pieces. Pietro emerged from the barn with both pieces of the rifle. He walked towards the fields and threw both pieces in different directions before he headed back to the main house.
Throughout the evening Pietro could hear gunfire coming from the distance. There were no more bombings from planes or mortar shells, which meant the Germans were finishing up what they started earlier in the evening. Pietro hoped that Gino wasn’t anywhere close when they started to bomb, but only time would tell if he made it out. He was up all night sitting in the kitchen with the bayonet beside him just in case they had any visitors, but none came. The morning sun rose like it had every morning of Pietro’s life, but this morning he was exhausted from the previous day’s events. He made himself some coffee before anybody came to the kitchen. With his coffee in his hand he walked out of the house, into the morning dew and the smell of burning woods and war. The smell of war was one he had hoped he wouldn’t have to experience again, but here it was at his doorstep. He headed towards their visitor to check on his status. Pietro walked very slowly so as not to disturb him but just as he was getting closer he could see that the plate was empty and so was the cup of water. Their visitor had departed, but Pietro could see that he headed in the opposite direction of the Germans from the look of the bent crops. He bent down to get the plate and cup before heading back to the house. Catherina was outside with a cup of coffee looking in the direction of the bombing. She shifted her attention towards her father as he approached her.
“So I guess he was hungry?” asked Catherina.
“Yes, it looks like he was. He also left in the opposite direction of his fellow soldiers, so be careful for the next couple of days just in case he comes back for another meal,” responded Pietro as both of them started to laugh. It had been a long time since they enjoyed a laugh, just the two of them. Pietro grabbed his daughter and gave her a hug as best he could with the dishes and his coffee in his hand.
“Let’s go inside and tell your mother that our visitor has departed and get something to eat,” replied Pietro as they both started to walk towards the house, and Catherina grabbed the dishes from her father. Catherina stopped just short of the house and turned to her father to ask him a question.
“Do you think Gino was anywhere near that bombing area yesterday?”
Pietro looked deep into his daughter’s eyes. “No, dear, he is in Yugoslavia. Now let’s go inside.” Pietro held the door open for his daughter as he scanned the mountain and forest for any signs. Just as he was turning towards the door he could see the familiar flashing mirror just west of the area that was bombed. He smiled as he turned his attention towards breakfast and the possibility of some sleep.
Chapter 19
NERVOUS
AS THE MORNING sun began to rise, Betty was starting her day like so many others. She would ensure that Francisco’s uniform was in perfect condition and that all of his seams were ironed straight. The evening coals from the fireplace were used in the iron for heat. She always refreshed and buffed the polish on his tall, black leather boots so another person could see their reflection. His leather belt and holster for his Beretta pistol also glimmered. The feather’s in his hat were bright red and black and needed the occasional fluffing. She would lay out his uniform every morning to ensure he was the best dressed Fascist supporter of Mussolini.
Her dream of becoming a member of the royal family was a lost cause. But Betty stayed with Francisco for love and survival, for she knew that her life was in jeopardy if she left him. With no other family members that would help her, she worried what might happen if Francisco was killed or taken prisoner. Every time she brought up the possibility of Mussolini losing the war, he assured her that there was no way that was going to happen as long as the Germans were their allies.
Francisco was in the kitchen having his morning coffee and reading the latest propaganda newspaper about how the Axis Powers were holding off the Allies invasion of northern Italy when Betty entered.
“Would you like some breakfast this morning?” she asked as she looked around the kitchen to see what she could make him. There was only some old bread, honey, and a couple of cookies given to her by one of her friends. Francisco nodded that he wasn’t hungry and that he needed to get going because today there was a rally that his uncle would be
at in the city. This rally was going to lay out the plans for the Axis Powers next move towards fighting the Allies. Francisco went into the bedroom to finish dressing, distracted by his worries. Francisco didn’t know who to trust, and for the first time since he joined the Fascist movement, he was scared that he may be killed by the Allies, or worse, by one of his own countrymen fighting for the Allies. He finished dressing and left the apartment without even saying goodbye to Betty.
She watched him leave the apartment while drying her hands with the kitchen towel, noticing that he had lost a lot of weight lately as he opened the door of his sedan. She looked down the road where he was headed and saw Germans standing at the roadblock. They had been there for about six months and were at least some protection from the people who wanted to end Francisco’s reign over them. She watched Francisco take off in his sedan before she closed the window and went about her day as Francisco’s live-in girlfriend.
As he drove past the roadblock and headed towards the Pordenone for the rally, Francisco noticed that the Germans were starting to load their trucks with their personal gear. They must be ready to start their drive towards the south and defeat the Allies, thought Francisco.
As Francisco drove into the town, he could see that there were a lot people from all over the region gathered. He smiled knowing that this was the start of turning the Allies back south and eliminating these pesky Alpine fighters from this area. He parked his car away from the crowds and started looking for his uncle. Francisco worked his way towards the podium like he had done dozens of times. The crowd didn’t move away from him to allow access towards the front, instead there was a different element to the crowd one that caused him to be more cautious about his surroundings for the first time since joining the Fascist movement.
“So what is going on with all the other people here?” asked Francisco to the other Fascists in uniforms. They both looked at him and then themselves with a look of disbelief.
“You’re kidding right?” answered one of the supporters who looked like he had not slept in a week. “Most of the Germans are leaving and going back to Germany because the Allies are getting ready to invade. We will be left here to defend ourselves against the Allies and any other anti-Axis Powers supporters,” replied the supporter.
Francisco looked at him in disbelief and then started to look around to see the faces of the crowd. What he noticed made his neck hair’s stand up; the fear in the eyes of the people was gone. Francisco started to look for his uncle more intensely, but he was nowhere to be seen. Just as he was getting ready to start his movement towards the front again, one of the supporters whispered, “Your uncle was taken prisoner by the Allies on his way here.”
A German major walked up to the podium to start talking to the crowd. “We are here to celebrate our latest victory over the rebels to the north and the Allies to the south, both of which are on the run.” The crowd started to celebrate and cheer for the Axis Powers but it wasn’t as loud as previous rallies. The major waited for the crowd to settle down before he continued his speech. “I need all the ll Duce leadership members to come to the stage so we can all see the future of this great country of Italy,” the major continued. Francisco and the other members wearing their uniforms worked their way up to the podium. As the members finished mustering in order behind the major, he started to shake each member’s hand until he was in front of Francisco. He took Francisco’s hand and leaned into him to whisper. “Stay on stage after I have all the other’s leave so we can talk afterwards; we have a special assignment for you.” The major finished shaking everyone’s hand and went back to the podium.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, these are your leaders and will need your support in the near future to continue the hard work of the Axis Powers and complete the victory for ll Duce’s Northern alliance with Germany. The Fuhrer has granted all the German soldiers in this region an extended stay back to the homeland to spend the upcoming winter months with our families. These great men behind me will be leading the small contingent force we will leave behind and, of course, follow the orders of ll Duce’s higher command and control his forces in this region.”
As he stood there listening to the major’s propaganda, Francisco looked straight into the crowd. Instead of seeing rows of supporters, he saw crowds of confused masses who were doing more whispering than listening. The major finished his speech with the traditional salute in celebration to the Fuhrer, which was greeted with mixed audience participation. All of the II Duce leaders had left the stage. The major was talking with a mix of German and Italian soldiers, when he waved for Francisco to join them.
“Gentlemen, this is our new regional commander who will ensure that the local families and farmers are in compliance with our directives and supporting our industry as best as possible,” said the major as he introduced Francisco to the military leaders, some of which he had already known from previous encounters. “Make sure you support him in his endeavors, especially with military personnel if he needs your assistance. Right now he will be escorted to his posted duties with my personnel. Thank you for coming out to the rally, and we will be in touch real soon about your uncle and further directions.”
As Francisco pulled up to the auction house he could see that most, if not all, the Germans were gone. He stopped his sedan just short of the main office and could see that there were people inside and they looked like German soldiers. As he opened the door, he was startled by what he saw in the office. All the paperwork and books were missing from the shelves and every draw was opened and emptied. There were four soldiers sitting in the office. Three were privates and one a sergeant.
“Are you the new commander of this region?” asked the sergeant.
“Yes, I am. I was just told by the major that I would have some personnel available to help me,” replied Francisco.
“Where do you live?’ asked the sergeant.
“Just down the road, why?” asked Francisco.
“Take two of these privates and show them where you live and then come back tomorrow in the morning like you normally would and we will go from there,” answered the sergeant.
The two privates looked like they couldn’t be older than sixteen. “Okay, see you in the morning, Herr Sergeant,” replied Francisco as he headed out the door with the two young German soldiers. Francisco got into his sedan and headed towards his apartment with the two soldiers following him in their military sedan. As he pulled up next to the entrance of his apartment complex, the soldiers pulled up behind him, exited their vehicle, and approached Francisco.
The eldest looking of the two asked him, “Where do you live?” Francisco pointed at the window on the second floor. “Is there another entrance into this building other than that one?” asked the soldier as he pointed at the main entrance.
“Nope, that is the only way into and out of this building,” replied Francisco knowing there was another entrance but wanted to keep his options open just in case he needed to make a quick escape.
“We will set up our post here, and if you need anything just let us know ahead of time.” Francisco smiled and headed into the building not sure if they were bodyguards, supporters, or if he was their prisoner. As Francisco walked the flight of stairs to his apartment, he concluded that it was time to have an exit strategy, which included Betty.
Chapter 20
VISITORS
THE SUMMER HAD PASSED and fall was around the corner. There had been little activity on the farm since the paratroopers raided it earlier in the summer. The days would begin with bombings and shootings from all sides of the farm. The fighting also spilled over into most nights. Pietro wouldn’t allow any lights or fires at night for fear that the house or barn would be a target of an air bombing. No one was allowed to leave the farm, with the exception of Pietro who wouldn’t even go to the town or city anymore for fear of being taken prisoner and sent to one of the slave or concentration camps. He was the only male on the farm and if he was taken the farm was sure to fall into the wr
ong hands. The Germans were getting desperate and started to take the elderly and the very young to be used as slave labor.
Pietro was looking at what few crops he had and knew it was time to start harvesting them. This would be a difficult period without any help from his sons. The Germans or Fascists hadn’t even come out to check on the crops like they had in the past. Anna approached her husband as he looked into the crops from the front porch of the main house.
“What is on your mind?” asked Anna.
“Even when I get the fields harvested how am I going to get the crops to the auction house?” asked Pietro. “The cart is gone and so is the horse.”
“How about we get the crops harvested first and then figure out a way to get them to town,” answered Anna.
“You’re right, the crops need to be harvested first, and then we will work on getting them to town. I will check with the other farmers to see what they are going to do about getting their crops to town. We probably will need to pool our resources together or pray for some type of help,” Pietro said as he started to walk towards the barn to get his gear ready for the cow.
That evening Anna was serving dinner with most of the family in the kitchen. Catherina was upstairs feeding her grandmother and getter her ready for bed. She also had Maria with her to help her out if she needed some assistance. As Anna served Pietro he remarked, “I have some farmers coming over this evening to discuss what we are going to do with our crops. It won’t take long and everyone should stay in the house.”
“Which farmers are coming over so I can get some food ready for them?” asked Anna.