Interview with Benito Colonna

Interview with Benito Colonna

Benito Colonna recalls the bombings of Rimini and other wartime experiences. He was with his mother when he witnessed the 1 November 1943 bombing: he saw aircraft approaching and bombing the town, targeting the railway station. People were unprepared, unaware of the danger and many did not manage to reach a shelter. He recalls the noise of the explosions, smoke and fires everywhere - nearly 60 people died that day. Another subsequent strike involved nearly 50 aircraft, but this time with less casualties and more damage. He stresses the strategic importance of railway lines. Benito explains how they were forced to leave their home when Germans established a military zone. He recalls German troops searching his home, where his father and a friend were hiding.

2016-10-08

01:01:51 audio recording

This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.

AColonnaB161008

PColonnaB1601