| Bombing of Grosseto | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Strategic bombing during World War II | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 United States USAAF |  Kingdom of Italy | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| 48 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (97th and 301st Bombardment Group) | |||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| none | 134 civilians | ||||
The bombing of Grosseto took place on 26 April 1943, day of Easter Monday, during World War II. Aimed at disabling the city's air base, it resulted instead in heavy damage to the city itself and at least 134 civilian casualties.
The Grosseto Air Base was considered by the Allies to be of strategic importance for operations in North Africa, since the attacks on British ships in the western Mediterranean Sea departed from there. The base was also the site of a torpedo-bomber training school of the Luftwaffe's Kampfgeschwader 102 unit and the arrival of the Messerschmitts Me 323 employed in the defense of Tunisia. This led to several Allied air raids aimed at its destruction. [1]
The first raid took place on 26 April 1943, day of Easter Monday, when 48 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress of the Twelfth Air Force of the United States Army took off from airfields in Algeria and reached Grosseto, Tuscany. [1] For unknown reasons, 19 of the 48 military planes dropped 2,000 cluster bombs on the city of Grosseto, instead of on the targeted airport. [2]
The raid began at 2 PM, when most of the people were in the streets celebrating the holiday. The air raid sirens didn't sound and the population did not go to the air raid shelters which had been set up in the ramparts of the city's walls. [1]
At least 134 inhabitants of Grosseto were killed, mostly children aged between 5 and 14 who were playing at a funfair in the Porta Vecchia suburb. [1] [2]
The Grosseto airport, objective of the raid, was hit but slightly damaged; at the same time, however, the suburbs of Grosseto located around the historic centre suffered heavy damage. The raid also hit care buildings such as the Red Cross hospital set up in the diocese's seminary and the House of Mother and Child.
The following day, 27 April, King Victor Emmanuel III went to Grosseto to pay homage to the fallen and to visit the wounded in the Misericordia hospital. [1]
The raid was condemned by the Italian national press and the Catholic Church for its involvement of civilians, especially children. The newspaper Corriere della Sera published an article on 5 May 1943 entitled No Italian will forget the children tortured by gangsters. [1]
After this attack, Grosseto suffered further heavy raids by both the USAAF and the Royal Air Force from May 1943 to June 1944. All these raids were aimed at either the airfield, which was destroyed on 20 May killing 1,600 German soldiers, or the railway station, destroyed on 9 September, but caused further damage and casualties to the city as well. [3]
Several historical buildings were also hit, such as the Palazzo Mensini, home to the Chelliana Library and the Archaeological Museum, the Episcopal Palace, and the Art Museum of the Diocese of Grosseto. [3] The 16th-century Casino delle Palle was completely destroyed. [4]
The city's reconstruction began after the proclamation of the Italian Republic, with the Piano parziale di ricostruzione implemented by the Comune in 1948. [5] The massive destruction of an area of the historic centre led to the creation of a new square, Piazza della Palma.
Bishop Paolo Galeazzi commissioned the construction of a basilica to pay homage to the fallen in the bombings. The Basilica of Sacro Cuore di Gesù was consecrated on 26 April 1958, anniversary of the Easter Monday massacre. The church's crypt is also decorated with the names of the civilians died in the bombings. [6]
Lorenzo Porciatti was an Italian architect and architectural restorer, active mainly in his native Tuscany.
Giardino is a rural area in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Capalbio, province of Grosseto. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 15.
Palazzo Tognetti is an Art Nouveau building in Grosseto, Italy. It was designed by Giuseppe Luciani and completed in 1910. The building is located on Corso Carducci, the city center's main street, and is considered one of the best examples of Liberty style in southern Tuscany.
Piazza Dante is the main public square in Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy.
The Misericordia Hospital is a hospital located in Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy.
The Teatro degli Industri is a theatre and opera house in Grosseto, Italy. It is the historic theatre of the city and one of the two municipal theatres together with the Teatro Moderno.
Ennio Barberini was an Italian military and politician, who served as member of the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations, and Deputy Secretary of the National Fascist Party. He then fought for the Italian Social Republic and was appointed commander of the National Republican Guard of Grosseto, Vicenza and Cremona in 1944–1945.
Medaglia Miracolosa is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Grosseto, Tuscany. It is located outside the city walls, in the suburb of Porta Nuova, with the facade overlooking Via Roma. It is the first church in Italy dedicated to the Miraculous Medal, a Marian devotion of French origin.
San Giuseppe is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Grosseto, Tuscany. Located in the western part of the city on Via Sauro, in the Barbanella neighborhood, it is the first parish church built in Grosseto outside the historic center.
San Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo is a Roman Catholic church in Grosseto, Tuscany. It is dedicated to St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, the founder of the Little House of Divine Providence. The church is situated in the eastern part of the city's urban area, on Via Scansanese, in the Alberino neighborhood.
Palazzina Tempesti is a building in Grosseto, Italy. It is located on Viale Goffredo Mameli, the street leading from the historic center to the railway station, and was designed by the architect-engineer Corrado Andreini in 1913.
Villino Andreini is an Art Nouveau villa in Grosseto, Italy. It is located on Viale Goffredo Mameli, the street leading from the historic center to the railway station, and was designed by the architect-engineer Corrado Andreini in 1909 as his own personal residence.
Villino Panichi is a Liberty-style villa in Grosseto, Italy. It is located on the corner between Piazza Fratelli Rosselli and Via Oriana Fallaci, just outside the historic center in the suburb of Porta Nuova.
The Cassero del Sale is a 13th-century building in Grosseto, Tuscany. It is located in Piazza del Mercato, also known as Piazza del Sale, and was built to store the salt collected from the wetland areas of the region. The building currently houses several commercial activities.
The Episcopal Palace, formerly Palazzo Ariosti, is a building in Grosseto, Tuscany. It is located on Corso Carducci, the main street in the city center, and houses the Bishop's residence, the diocesan offices, and the curia of the Diocese of Grosseto.
Porta Corsica is a gate located along the south-western section of the city walls of Grosseto. Its name is derived from the geographical reference point in that direction, across the sea, towards which the gate faces. It is situated along the stretch of the city wall that connects the Cavallerizza Bastion to the Molino a Vento Bastion.
The former Casa del Fascio, also known as Palazzo Littorio, is located in the center of Grosseto, in Piazza del Popolo.
The Grand Hotel Bastiani is a hotel in the Piazza Gioberti of Grosseto, Tuscany, bordered by Via Daniele Manin and Via Giuseppe Mazzini, not far from Grosseto Cathedral's square. It was designed by architect Vittorio Mariani and opened in 1912.
The Grosseto Prison is a correctional facility located in the historic center of Grosseto, Tuscany.
The Cinema Marraccini is a former movie theater located in the historic center of Grosseto, in Tuscany.