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Salvo D'Acquisto
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Salvo D'Acquisto was born in Naples on October 15th, 1920. In 1939, during the Fascist epoch, he voluntarily enlisted in the Carabinieri, which was at the time the first corps of the Italian army in addition to military/federal police (Gendarmerie).
A year later, shortly before the start of the Second World War, he was dispatched to Libya with the 608th Police Section. During his tour he was wounded but remained with his division until contracting malaria. In 1942 he returned to Italy, was sent to officer school and graduated as a vice brigadier (deputy sergeant).
After this Salvo was assigned to Torrimpietra, near Rome. In September of 1943, shortly after the remnants of the Italian government officially rescinded their alliance with the Axis, a German SS division was stationed near a derelict military installation in an area under the jurisdiction of Salvo’s outpost. This occurred during a very difficult time in Italy, their government was effectively useless and the country was under the direct control of either the German or Allied invaders. On September 22 two of these German soldiers were caught in an explosion while inspecting boxes of abandoned munitions. One was wounded and the other killed.
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The German commander, Field Marshall Kesselring, was furious about the incident and blamed the deaths on “unnamed locals.” The next day he ordered his men to conduct searches and eventually detained 22 Italian men, all of who maintained their innocence through their interrogations. Salvo conducted an investigation, which led him to believe that the explosion was accidental, but Kesselring refused to listen. Later, the Italian military policeman was forcefully removed from his station on Kesselring’s orders and once again asked the names of those responsible for the “bomb.” Salvo responded that the explosion was accidental and none of the locals were responsible for it. This answer wasn’t good enough for Kesselring and he had Salvo beaten.
The 22 detainees were given shovels to dig their own mass grave. After a time it became obvious that the unreasonable Field Marshall was serious about his threat to execute them.
At this point 23-year-old Salvo D'Acquisto, military police officer and son of Naples, came to a decision. He knew that the Germans would not be satisfied until they killed someone, so he lied to them. He confessed to planting the "bomb" himself, took sole responsibility for it and demanded the release of the other men. The Germans in turn freed the 22 detainees, but only after Salvo voluntarily stood before their firing squad. Kesselring, his bloodlust finally given a “proper” target, then had his soldiers execute the brave Carabinieri.
No doubt some of the Germans had realized what Salvo had done, and his murder was poor payment to the Italian soldier considering that they were allies only a short time before.
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Salvo D'Acquisto Memorial on the Via Toledo at Piazza Carità , Napoli
Photo by New York Scugnizzo
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In true heroic tradition Salvo D'Acquisto voluntarily sacrificed his life to save the lives of 22 innocent men from Lazio. For this selfless act he is honored by the Carabinieri and is even a candidate for sainthood within the Catholic Church.
There was a popular quote used in the Italian war propaganda of that period:
“Better to live one day like a lion than a hundred years as a sheep”
Men were repeating variations of this sentiment for centuries, but Salvo D'Acquisto did more than repeat it, he lived it. In a world of lions and sheep, there is no doubt that this loyal and courageous son of Naples was a lion.