Silvio Ortona - The partisan's first conflict with the Germans
Interview
Silvio Ortona - The partisan's first conflict with the Germans
Silvio Ortona - The partisan's first conflict with the Germans
Transcript: The first partisan action was in December 21, 1943. There was a strike in the textile factories in Biellese. In particular, there was a strike in the mill in Tollegno which was a town and the factory was the parent factory of our detail which was called the Fratelli Bandiera detail. So the partisan formations which were then about twenty men with not even that many muskets, model '91. We were asked to handle security... for the strike. So we went to set up at the crossroad of Tollegno to do our part for the strike. All that came up from Biella for the strike was two automobiles in which there were some Germans and Carabinieri, at the crossroad of Tollegno we shot at these two automobiles. We injured someone, killed no one. They jumped out of their cars and there were Germans and Carabinieri and some of them were wounded. the wounded Germans were sent to the hospital in Biella and the Carabinieri came with us, those wounded were sent to the clinic that was in the partisan zone and so the first conflict ended, the first partisan action. After which, the Germans arrived, they carried out a round-up and they shot 21 people in the square in Biella. That was the baptism of our partisan formations.
Transcript: The first partisan action was in December 21, 1943. There was a strike in the textile factories in Biellese. In particular, there was a strike in the mill in Tollegno which was a town and the factory was the parent factory of our detail which was called the Fratelli Bandiera detail. So the partisan formations which were then about twenty men with not even that many muskets, model '91. We were asked to handle security... for the strike. So we went to set up at the crossroad of Tollegno to do our part for the strike. All that came up from Biella for the strike was two automobiles in which there were some Germans and Carabinieri, at the crossroad of Tollegno we shot at these two automobiles. We injured someone, killed no one. They jumped out of their cars and there were Germans and Carabinieri and some of them were wounded. the wounded Germans were sent to the hospital in Biella and the Carabinieri came with us, those wounded were sent to the clinic that was in the partisan zone and so the first conflict ended, the first partisan action. After which, the Germans arrived, they carried out a round-up and they shot 21 people in the square in Biella. That was the baptism of our partisan formations.