Monument built in Salussola, nearby the place where on March 9, 1945, were murdered 20 young partisans in retaliation by a group of Italian fascist soldiers.
In late February 1945, the 109th Garibaldi Brigade, was moving across Piedmont (N.W. Italy) which at the time was occupied by German troops and held by the Italian Black Brigades During the march, a detachment of "Zoppis" made up of 33 partisans, stopped to rest in a farmhouse in the Province of Vercelli.
In the early hours of March 1, they were taken by surprise and taken prisoner by a Command of Italian Fascist soldiers. The thirty-three men were all taken to different places and a group of twenty-one was led towards the small town of Biella. The Fascista soldier then pretended to create an exchange with German prisoners. but in Salussola, after a whole night of torture and violences documented by the only one survivor,[1] the prisoners were killed by machine guns at dawn on March 9, 1945. The massacre was intended as a reprisal to an attack conducted a few days earlier by other Partisans to a column of military trucks of the "Montebello"’s Fascist Command, which were moving through Salussola. A truck was destroyed in the attack and four soldiers killed.
The victims
memorial of the Salussola's slaughter (1945) conserved in the Town Museum. It memorialises the 20 partisans murdered there in retaliation by Italian fascists on March 9, 1945.The authorities deployed during the commemoration of the 74th anniversary of the massacre (10 March 2019)
Note: Alias (noms de guerre) were a very important part in the life of the Partisans. Mainly used to conceal the true identity (it was a clandestine army) the Alias name outlined also in most cases the character and the personality of the owners. It thus enabled at the same time to hide oneself outside, and to be recognized inside among the other Partisans for a personal, moral or physical characteristic.[2]
Buscaglino Francesco alias "Barbera" born in Pray (Bi) in 1902
Costa Luigi alias "Gigi" born in Masserano (Bi) in 1906
Foglia Bruno alias "Ebano" born in Crevacuore (Bi) in 1926
Marchesini Valter alias "Orlando" born in Crevacuore (Bi) in 1925
Menti Gino alias "Colassi" born in Pray (Bi) in 1914
Nicolini Angelo alias "Budda" born in Cureggio (No) in 1925
Ortoleva Giovanni alias "Iacon" born in Isnello (Pa) in 1921
Picco Giuseppe alias "Trento" born in Roasio (Vc) in 1916
Pela Francesco alias "Cirillo" born in Pray (Bi) in 1893
Ronchi Antonio alias "Figaro" born in Lessona (Bi) in 1920
Riboldazzi Guido alias "Pulcino" born in Crevacuore (Bi) in 1923
Rocca Florindo alias "Lince" born in Crocemosso ora Vallemosso (Bi) in 1920
Rocca Giulio alias "Gino" born in Crocemosso ora Vallemosso (Bi) in 1920
Sesia Gaudenzio alias "Sesia" born in Novara in 1925
Salis Gerardo alias "Palmiro" born ind Asigliano (Vc) in 1926
Tempia Valenta Edo alias "Brunello" born in Mezzana (Bi) in 1926
Tondi Enrico alias "Vecio" born in Lessona (Bi) in 1900
Tondi Dante alias "Legnano" born in Lessona (Bi) in 1915
Tugnolo Rolando alias "Dispari" born in Collobiano (Vc) in 1926
Tosin Valentino alias "Bissa" born in Mezzana (Bi) in 1911
^"Zona Libera, 15 marzo 1945" Witness (in Italian) of Sergio Canuto Rosa "Pittore" filed, a few days after the massacre, at the Command of the Free Zone. Preserved in the Museum of Salussola.
