Today΄s memorial for those in the Aqui Division who died
Aqui Division
03 Oct 2018
/ 09:22
CORFU. The traditional memorial service took place this morning for those of the Aqui Division who lost their lives.
The memorial took place at the Hellenic-Italian Friendship Monument in the People's Garden. Representatives from the National Aqui Division Association came to Corfu to attend the event.
The Aqui Division Monument in Corfu
The 33rd Infantry Division, called 'Aqui', was a unit in the Italian Army during the 2nd World War. The Aqui Division took part in Italy's invasion of Greece in October 1940 but from May 1943 guarded the island of Cephalonia. In September of the same year Italy siigned a ceasefire with the Allies. Nearly all of the Italian forces in Greece surrendered their weapons to the Germans apart from the Aqui Division which offered resistance.
Without assistance from the Air Force and the Navy, however, the battle between the Germans and Italians was uneven. The vast majority of the defeated force surrendered, expecting to be treated as prisoners of war, but on Hitler's orders all the men of the Division - about 9,000 of them - were wiped out by execution squads.
On the island of Corfu, which was guarded by a unit of the Division, there is a monument in remembrance of those massacred.
See more photos here.
The Aqui Division Monument in Corfu
The 33rd Infantry Division, called 'Aqui', was a unit in the Italian Army during the 2nd World War. The Aqui Division took part in Italy's invasion of Greece in October 1940 but from May 1943 guarded the island of Cephalonia. In September of the same year Italy siigned a ceasefire with the Allies. Nearly all of the Italian forces in Greece surrendered their weapons to the Germans apart from the Aqui Division which offered resistance.
Without assistance from the Air Force and the Navy, however, the battle between the Germans and Italians was uneven. The vast majority of the defeated force surrendered, expecting to be treated as prisoners of war, but on Hitler's orders all the men of the Division - about 9,000 of them - were wiped out by execution squads.
On the island of Corfu, which was guarded by a unit of the Division, there is a monument in remembrance of those massacred.
See more photos here.
