As the Germans were preparing to retreat from the little Italian town of Civitella, Italian Partisans shot three German soldiers.
That evening, a few hours after the shooting, a German commandant issued an ultimatum: Civitella would be burned to the ground by seven next morning, unless the villagers surrendered the culprits. The natives did not take the threat very seriously. No informer appeared.
At seven next morning, many of Civitella's women & children were still in bed. A German tank, mounting a flamethrower, rumbled slowly through the village street. As it passed each...
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