1 25 2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Italy--Aulla Description An account of the resource This page is an entry point for a place. Please use the links below to see all relevant documents available in the Archive. Title A name given to the resource Aulla [entry point] https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/999/11892/isrlaspezia_AMb9f2_1177.2.jpg e00b9255fed7bfa44caf638d912ce04f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lett, Gordon Gordon Lett Ernest Gordon Appleford Lett E G A Lett Description An account of the resource 56 items. The collection concerns Major Ernest Gordon Appleford Lett, DSO (1910-1989, 50112), a British Army officer and partisan leader in Italy. He was taken prisoner after the fall of Tobruk and detained in different camps in Italy. After the September 1943 armistice, rather than re-joining Allied forces, he took to the mountains and established contacts with Resistance forces active in the Apennines between Liguria and Toscana. Lett founded and led the Battaglione Internazionale, a multinational unit that successfully engaged Black Brigades and German units. Later, when reliable lines of communication were secured, supplies were dropped by air and the Battaglione was supplemented by Special Operations Executive personnel. Gordon Lett was relieved by Major John Henderson in March 1945. After the war, Lett was awarded the DSO and received the Medaglia Argento al valor militare. The collection consists of a selection of Gordon Lett's papers and official correspondence with key figures of the local Resistance movement. They include Colonnello Mario Fontana (‘Cossu’, or ‘Turchi’), Comandante Luciano Scotti (‘Vittorio’ or ‘Gonzaga’), Commissario Politico Anselmo Corsini ('Ambrosio', or ‘Max’) and Mario Fortelli, a lawyer acting as liaison officer with the local Allied Military Mission. Documents consist of military assessments, notes on air drops, a ciphers book, a draft of a radio message sent via clandestine radio operators, and a request for tactical bombing. The collection contains notes on an aircraft crash, the military funeral and the subsequent burial of the aircrew. A specific subset includes correspondence, plans and reports about the construction of an improvised landing strip for Allied aircraft operating behind enemy lines. All documents were deposited at the La Spezia City Council and then re-housed in 1972 at the Istituto spezzino per la Storia della Resistenza e dell’Età Contemporanea, where they have been preserved ever since. The selection published here has been curated by Tiziano Vernazza. Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document VOLONTARI DELLA LIBERTÀ COMANDO 1° DIVISIONE LIGURIA 9/11/1944 Al Magg. Gordon Lett Caro Gordo[n], Mi sono recato a colloquio con il comandante la compagnia alpina dislocata al santuario di Valva e non ha potuto parlare col comandante della I° Divisione principalmente col comandante [indecipherable words] perché già al fronte per ricognizione. L’esito del colloquio è in sintesi questo: gli uomini di truppe ed alcuni [undecipherable words] vi li sarebbero già disposti a venire con noi. Il comandante la compagnia certo tenente Bernardi è invece nettamente contrario perché in perfetta malafede. Occorre quindi a parte le misure militari che sono state concordate [ 2indecipherable words] e Vingola, richiedere per XXX martedì p.v. ( 14 c.m.) un bombardamento [2 indecipherable words] di Velva a mezzo del seguente messaggio “compagnia alpini M. Rosa [indecipherable word] caposaldo santuario Velva est in procinto passare nostre file stop Necessita però [indecipherable word] celeramente tale movimento a mezzo azioni militari stop Richiede azione aerea seguita immediata(m)ente da nostro attacco stop Orario azione tempo permettendolo tra [indecipherable word] le (8) et 8.30 antimeridiane stop Cessazione bombardamento data da fumata lanciata [3 indecipherable words] che dovranno continuare a volare per pochi minuti su c(i)elo località [2 indecipherable words] (cento): conferma stop Comandante 1° Divisione Colonello Turchi(”). Potete contemporaneamente comunicare vostro quartier generale che alpini divisione Monte Rosa sono in via trasferimento su zona fronte Castelnuovo et che comandante 2° Regg. alpini è già partito per ricognizione linee. Necessita quindi intensificare sorveglianza traffico su via Aurelia e in particolare che qualche apparecchio sorvoli zona anche di notte perchè [sic] tale movimento avviene normalmente in tale ore. Comando Divisione M. Rosa trovasi attualmente a Pallerone anzi tra Aulla e Pallerone in una villa situata a Nord del cimitero. Località di transito e di sosta per formazioni dirette al fronte sono Aulla Villafranca. Itinerario Aulla, Fivizzano Equi, Castelnuovo Garfagnana. Si rammenta la n(e)cessità intervento aviazione su Borghetto Vara. Bombardamento effettuato su Linea Spezia Chiavari ha interrotto la linea a Monte_ Rosso e Chiavari. La prego voler far presente l’opportunità di evitare bombardamenti su località che non hanno importanza militare. Cordiali Saluti Col. Turchi Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Italy Italy--Borghetto di Vara Italy--Aulla Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Correspondence Language A language of the resource ita Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant British Army Civilian Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Title A name given to the resource Military assessment and request for aerial bombing Description An account of the resource Report from Colonnello Mario Fontana to Major Gordon Lett with a military assessment of the Liguria region detailing the positions of enemy units. Requests aerial bombings to support partisan forces in action. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Italy. Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale. I Divisione Liguria Mario Fontana Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-11-09 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One-page typewritten letter Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1944-11-09 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tiziano Vernazza Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is property of the Istituto spezzino per la Storia della Resistenza e dell’Età Contemporanea which has kindly granted the International Bomber Command Centre Digital Archive a royalty-free permission to publish it. It has been published here ‘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. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context isrlaspezia AMb9f2 BIS 1177 Resistance