Occupying Puglia : the Italians and the Allies, 1943-1946

Abstract

In recent years there has been a revival in the study of the civilian experience of war. Compared to other belligerent countries such as Germany, Italy’s experience of Allied bombing and occupation has been neglected. Such an absence from the historiography is unjustifiable; Italians were bombed intensely and endured a long occupation and reconstruction by the Allies. This led to the development of complex relationships between the two groups. This study hopes to contribute to the revival of interest in the social history of the civilian in war, by focusing on the region of Puglia in southern Italy from 1943 to 1946. The south was the first area to experience direct contact with the Allies with the implementation of operation Husky (the invasion of Sicily) in July 1943. Once the Allies began their occupation of the south, they were unable to alter their attitude toward the Italian civilians despite the fact that Italy became from 8 September a co-belligerent. The study of the Allied occupation at a social level can demonstrate how the perception of the occupier and the occupied was constantly in flux, changing and adapting itself to different situations. By focussing on public health, protest, crime, bombing and reconstruction, this study reconstructs the daily life of Allied servicemen and Italian civilians and demonstrates the multifaceted society that developed during the occupation.