This book is the first comprehensive scientific reconstruction of the captivity experience of Allied prisoners in Italy. Between 1940 and 1943, around 70,000 Allied soldiers, mostly British, were imprisoned in Italy, that was unable to fulfil its duties as a holding power, and the misery suffered by its citizens also had serious consequences for the prisoners

This work outlines the various camps in Italy and examines prisoners' daily life. It recounts also the largely unexplored topic of violations of international prisoner law by the Italians and, above all, of war crimes perpetrated by them. This book has been endorsed by Bob Moore as "an exemplary piece of scholarship that covers every aspect of the Italian prisoner-of-war regime" and by Paul Corner as "A remarkable story, charting the many aspects of British and Commonwealth servicemen in fascist Italy during the Second World War".

Autorentext

Isabella Insolvibile is an associate professor of Contemporary History at the Universitas Mercatorum (Rome) and a member of the scientific committee of the Ferruccio Parri National Institute. She is the author of several monographs and essays, including Wops. I prigionieri italiani in Gran Bretagna (1941-46) (ESI 2012).

Klappentext

"Isabella Insolvibile’s superb book, elegantly translated by Andrea Hajek, is the first comprehensive survey of the Italian prison network used for captured allied soldiers during World War 2. The book is the product of profound research in a wide range of archives and will become a fundamental point of reference for anyone interested in this complex and fascinating topic. Insolvibile’s work combines academic rigour with accessibility and will appeal to a wide readership in the English-speaking world." – Philip Cooke, Professor of Italian History and Culture, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland

This book is the first comprehensive scientific reconstruction of the captivity experience of Allied prisoners in Italy. Between 1940 and 1943, around 70,000 Allied soldiers, mostly British, were imprisoned in Italy, that was unable to fulfil its duties as a holding power, and the misery suffered by its citizens also had serious consequences for the prisoners

This work outlines the various camps in Italy and examines prisoners’ daily life. It recounts also the largely unexplored topic of violations of international prisoner law by the Italians and, above all, of war crimes perpetrated by them. This book has been endorsed by Bob Moore as "an exemplary piece of scholarship that covers every aspect of the Italian prisoner-of-war regime" and by Paul Corner as "A remarkable story, charting the many aspects of British and Commonwealth servicemen in fascist Italy during the Second World War".   Isabella Insolvibile is an associate professor of Contemporary History at the Universitas Mercatorum (Rome) and a member of the scientific committee of the Ferruccio Parri National Institute. She is the author of several monographs and essays, including Wops. I prigionieri italiani in Gran Bretagna (1941-46) (ESI 2012).

Inhalt

Chapter 1. Capture and first detention.- Chapter 2. The Management of Allied Prisoners.- Chapter 3. The Camps in Italy.- Chapter 4. Hunger, Cold and Diseases. The Material Conditions of Captivity.- Chapter 5. Being a Prisoner in Italy.- Chapter 6. Offences, Punishments and Escapes.- Chapter 7. Going Home, or Not.- Chapter 8. Negligence and Malicious Intent: Violations of the Geneva Convention and War Crimes.