Fragheto massacre

Fragheto massacre
Part of World War II
The central street of Fragheto after the massacre; traces of flames are visible above the windows of the house on the left
LocationFragheto, Casteldelci, Italian Social Republic
Coordinates43°48′35.64″N 12°8′50.96″E / 43.8099000°N 12.1474889°E / 43.8099000; 12.1474889
Date7 April 1944 (1944-04-07) – 8 April 1944 (1944-04-08)
Attack type
Massacre
DeathsFragheto:
  • 30 civilians
  • 15 partisans
Ponte Carrattoni:
  • 1 civilian
  • 7 partisans
Injured3 civilians
Perpetrators
MotiveReprisal for an ambush on German soldiers by partisans and regional partisan activity

The Fragheto massacre (Italian: Eccidio di Fragheto or Strage di Fragheto) was the massacre of 30 Italian civilians and 15 partisans in Fragheto,[1][2] a frazione of Casteldelci in central-northern Italy,[3][note 1] on 7 April 1944, during World War II, by soldiers of the German 356th Infantry Division.[1][7] After partisans belonging to the Eighth Garibaldi Brigade ambushed troops approaching the hamlet,[1] fourteen soldiers of the Sturmbattaillon OB Sudwest conducted house-to-house searches and summarily killed civilians.[1][2] Representing 40% of the hamlet's population,[8][9] many of the victims were elderly people, women, or children.[1][8] A further seven partisans and one civilian were shot the next day at Ponte Carrattoni, at the confluence of the Senatello and Marecchia.[10]

The Fragheto massacre was among the first massacres perpetrated by the Wehrmacht and collaborating Italian fascists in central-northern Italy.[3] For years after the massacre, some local opinion held partisans responsible for the massacre, accusing them of attempting an impossible ambush and leaving the hamlet's residents open to reprisal.[1][9]

An initial investigation into the massacre was archived in the 1960s, the files being lost in the Armadio della vergogna.[1][11] In 2013, a trial in absentia acquitted the only two surviving German soldiers, who had been charged with multiple homicide aggravated by trivial reasons.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "7 aprile 1944 – 80 anni fa la strage di Fragheto" [7 April 1944 – 80 years ago, the Fragheto massacre]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). 6 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Eccidio di Fragheto: Rimini presente alla commemorazione a 74 anni dalla strage" [Fragheto massacre: Rimini present at the commemoration 74 years after the massacre]. Comune di Rimini. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b ""Vittime e colpevoli. Le stragi del 1944 a Fragheto e in Valmarecchia": presentazione del libro a Casa Saffi" ["Victims and perpetrators. The 1944 massacres in Fragheto and Valmarecchia": Presentation of the book at Casa Saffi]. ForlìToday (in Italian). 14 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  4. ^ Ripamonti, Natale (18 July 2007). "N. 1723 Disegno di Legge d'iniziative del senatore Ripamonti" [No. 1723 Legislative bill by initiative of Senator Ripamonti] (PDF). Senato della Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Legge 3 agosto 2009, n. 117" [Law of 3 August 2009, no. 117]. Italian Parliament (in Italian). 3 August 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Decreto Legislativo 6 marzo 1992, n. 252" [Legislative Decree 6 March 1992, no. 252]. Gazzetta Ufficiale (in Italian). 6 March 1992. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Eccidio di Fragheto, rinviati a giudizio 3 soldati tedeschi" [Fragheto massacre: 3 German soldiers sent to trial]. RiminiToday (in Italian). 30 November 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Strage di Fragheto" [Fragheto massacre]. Paesaggi della memoria (in Italian). Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Fragheto di Casteldelci". Istituto Storia Marche (in Italian). Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  10. ^ Susini, Daniele. "Episodio di Ponte 8 Martiri (Ponte Carrattoni), Rimini, 08.04.1944" [Case of the Eight Martyrs Bridge (Carrattoni Bridge), Rimini, 08.04.1944] (PDF). straginazifasciste.it (in Italian). Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  11. ^ Tordi, Martina (22 June 2012). "La strage a processo: il paese attende" [The massacre on trial: The town awaits]. Il Ponte (in Italian). Retrieved 7 April 2024.


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