My Great Grandmother Filippa (Siciliano) Imprescia was the oldest of Salvatore and Palma (LoMaglio) seven children. Her youngest sister, Concetta, was 18 years younger than Filippa and only 1 year old when her sister left for America in 1908. Concetta stayed in Italy, married Liborio Meglio and had two daughters, Maria in 1937 and Palma in 1940. This is about the time when the world changed for Concetta, Liborio, and their two small children. Italy entered World War II on June 10, 1940, on the side of Germany, forming the Axis Powers along with Japan. Italy’s involvement required mandatory military service, placing 28-year-old Liborio into the war against the Allies including the United States.
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| Concetta (Siciliano) and Liborio Meglio |
During this complicated time in Italy’s history, several pivotal events unfolded. The fall of Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime occurred in July 1943. Subsequently, Italy switched sides in the war, aligning with the Allies after an armistice that was signed on September 8, 1943. Between 1943 and 1945, Italy became a battleground for fierce fighting between the retreating German forces and advancing Allied troops.
After Italy switched sides, Liborio, like many Italian soldiers, faced tremendous uncertainty. It was unclear what their orders were from commanding officers and military leaders, which led to chaos. Some soldiers deserted while others joined Germany or began fighting alongside the Allies. From this point the family heard nothing from Liborio and he never returned home after the war ended with no explanation from the military about his death. Concetta’s older brother Giuseppe Siciliano and his wife Felicia Meglio who also was Liborio’s older sister stepped up to help the young widow care for her two daughters.
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| Giuseppe Siciliano and his wife Felicia Meglio with their nieces Maria and Palma |
For decades the whereabouts of Liborio's remains were unknown, what battlefield location did he lose his life, when did he die and did anyone witness the story behind his last moments. After the war Liborio’s family reached out to several veteran’s associations to find out what happened to him - no one had any answers.
This mystery continued for over 70 years until Liborio’s grandson Rocco Piccicuto, son of Maria (Meglio) and Filippo Piccicuto went on an internet search to find what happened to his grandfather - I am not sure he was prepared for the answers.
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| Rocco Piccicuto |
In 1943 after the armistice Germany took a proactive approach to disarm the Italian soldiers in Operation Achse. One of those soldiers captured by the Germans was Liborio who was then labeled an “Internati Militari Italiani” or Italian Military Internees which differs from a Prisoner of War who are granted protections and rights under the Geneva convention, instead they were considered traitors. On October 11th, 1943 Liborio was placed on a train and shipped to a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. He was sent to one of the most brutal work camps in Germany, Flossenburg.
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| Flossenburg Nazi Concentration Camp |
There were two industries supported by the Flossenburg camp, the first was a granite mine and later it was to build components for Messerschmitt war planes for the Luftwaffe. The cold Bavarian mountain climate and inadequate food and clothing as well as relentless work conditions led to over 30,000 deaths before the camp was liberated by the US Army in April 1945. Liborio death at the camp was documented as May 4, 1944, which was roughly 8 months after his capture.
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| Ledger from Nazi Concentration Camp Flossenburg #5010 list Meglio, Liborio. This cross symbol notes death and date 4-5-44 (May 4th, 1944) |
His grandson Rocco discovered the documentation through various online groups that assist to identify missing Italian soldiers. He scheduled a trip to visit Flossenburg Camp in Bavaria Germany and to witness the site of the mass grave where his grandfather was most likley buried. When Rocco returned to Italy he applied to the Italian Government for a medal to honor for fallen soldiers in honor of his grandfather. Finally in 2017, based on Rocco's efforts, Liborio Meglio's daughters and grandchildren attended a ceremony to receive an Italian Military Medal of Honor for his service to Italy after 73 years.
I have been corresponding with Rocco since the early 2000's so when my daughter Sophia was studying abroad in Florence we planned a visit that included a stop to visit Rocco in Torino. This was the absolute highlight of our trip to see Rocco, his wife Angela and his parents Maria and Filippo as well as his sister Cinzia and her children.
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| Dinner with Rocco and family |
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| My wife and I with Maria (Meglio) and Filippo Piccicuto November 2016, Torino Italy |
