I am profoundly grateful to several individuals who have made possible access to the information for this post.

First, a hearty thanks to my friend Gian Paolo Ferretti of Ascoli Piceno, Italy. Paolo contacted me last November about his great grandfather Antonio Ferretti who, on his property in Falciano, sheltered several American POWs who had escaped from PG 59. 

In emails with Paolo, I shared a few details about my father’s time on the run after his escape from PG 59. I explained that Angela Bianchini had protected my father (Armie Hill) and his friend Ben Farley in Roccafluvione. 

In 2010, I had visited Roccafluvione hoping to learn more about Angela, and I wrote about that visit afterward (see “In Search of Armie’s Italian Angels”). It was during the trip to Roccafluvione that I learned the name of Don Giuseppe Ciabattoni.

Paolo surprised me with news that he had arranged a meeting with Guido Ianni, deputy mayor of Roccafluvione, to discuss our quest. The deputy mayor was eager to help us learn more about Angela and Don Giuseppe Ciabattoni, and during Paolo’s meeting with him he was introduced to Antonio Ferretti, a young man working on a research project in the comune archives. 

Antonio immediately began to hunt for information.

In taped interviews, my father described being helped by Don Giuseppe Ciabattoni when he and Ben were being threatened by fascists in Roccafluvione:

“ … a young man walked up to us and gave us the Nazi salute, mistaking us for Germans. Another said, ‘They are not Germans—they are Americans.’ The young man flushed red and turned away. Several men moved close to us—close enough to grab us. One huge man stepped onto the threshold of his shop. His arms and hands were covered with blood and in one hand he held a large butcher knife.

“He said, ‘We’ll get you. Other Americans have been through here before and we’ve gotten them, too.’ My hair stood up straight on my head.

“But they didn’t grab us, so we shot off down the street in a mad run.”

“We ran a block or so and left them behind,” my father explained, “and then suddenly there was a priest [Don Giuseppe Ciabattoni] standing right in the middle of the street. He opened his gown and he put his hands around us. He said a prayer. He talked to some of the Italians. One of the Italians could speak English, and he said that the priest wanted us to follow the children—they would lead us away and hide us.”

The children led them to the home of Angela Bianchini.

Antonio told Paolo that the priest, who was very popular in the town, was affectionately called Don Peppe by his parishioners (“Peppe” being a diminutive of Giuseppe). 

Over several weeks, Antonio—ever dedicated and generous—has sent us photographs of Don Peppe, accessed church records, and transcribed handwritten documents. 

Part of a priest’s duties is to keep a record of activities in his parish in a journal that‘s called a “chronicon.” 

I am grateful to Don Francesco Mangani, the current priest of the parish of Santo Stefano Protomartire in Marsia, Roccafluvione, for allowing me to share excerpts of Don Peppe’s chronicon. The document attests to the the priest’s key role in the protection of the escaped POWs in his parish.

Don Francesco Mangani was not yet the parish priest of Roccafluvione when I visited the church in 2010—he arrived in 2016. The priest I had spoken with in 2010 was Don Vincenzo Tassi.

Don Peppe’s niece, Teresa Luciani, whom I met in 2010, passed away several years ago; however, before her death she was interviewed about her uncle. That interview is archived.

Translated into English, here is Don Giuseppe Ciabattoni’s account of the sheltering of POWs in Roccafluvione:

From the CHRONICON of the PARISH OFFICE OF THE PRIEST of S. STEFANO the FIRST MARTYR of ROCCAFLUVIONE (Ascoli Piceno). 

Written by the parish priest Don Giuseppe Ciabattoni

Period of Nazi-fascist oppression—from 8 September 1943 to liberation on 17 June 1944. Rescue work for prisoners of war; the center of assistance in [the village of ] Marsia.

The coup d’état of 25 July 1943 and the Armistice of 8 September of the same year had thrown poor Italy into chaos. Internal and external enemies—fascists and Germans at home—civil war. From nearby and distant internment camps, prisoners from all over the world, especially Anglo-Americans, fled into the mountains. To these we must add the young [Italian] men conscripted or recalled who went “into hiding.” Everyone needed help, advice. The parish priest had to be everyone’s man. Acting with great circumspection, prisoners and patriots were received [in the community and were given] not only food, but also accommodation. They were dressed, provided with shoes, treated [for illnesses], et cetera. The “Prisoner Assistance” society arose out of necessity. There were around a hundred [POWs] scattered around the Roccafluvione area, and many remained in the houses for months and months waiting for [a change in] events or else clandestinely [transferred for coastal rescue to the port towns of] Grottammare, Cupra [Marittima], or Porto Martin Sicuro. And many [in spite of the difficult period and] fascists and Germans on the alert, were taken aboard [rescue boats]. Captain Jobs and the Colonel of Bari, through Adolfo Coccivera [who was] appointed by Ascoli, who had [himself been transported by boat] to Termoli with some prisoners, appointed the parish priest “Assistant Chief of the Prisoners of War in the Area.” And in that period of oppression, in the evenings, Radio Bari repeatedly praised the priests of Italy who helped the prisoners, especially [priests] from the Marche, making a clear allusion to the mountainous Marche. And, for this reason, the Nazi-fascist struggle against the clergy was intensified. It can honestly be said that almost every house in the parish helped the prisoners, but the most beneficial and direct work was carried out by the parish priest and by the fractionists of Vetoli, Monestino, Marese, and also Casacagnano, who risked their lives and homes. Outside the parish, Valcinante, Olibra Incinante, Meschia, Ronciglione, and Scalelle also stood out. “Marsia” power center [assisted] with orders, medicine, cigarettes, clothing, shoes, et cetera. Among the prisoners in the parish priest’s house, the English geologist Maggre Klaiton Patrice [very likely Pat Clayton] was sheltered for 15 days. An important episode was that of communication through “clandestine radio” news of prisoners and major living African stations. [A] radio was installed in the house of the parish priest; [it was provided by] Ezio Paolini, a well-known English spy. Someone [who] was keeping watch in the night reported to Ascoli “Federazione Repubblichina” what was being done in Roccafluvione. 

The parish priest had been warned, but charity burns hotter than lead [assisting is perilous, but passionate resistance surpasses even the threat of death], there was no calculation, one [just] continued the work fearlessly. And on the night between 4 and 5 December 1943, around midnight, a mob of republican fascists armed to the throat with machine guns, revolvers—machine guns which were under the command of Marshal Vannozzi, a criminal the likes of Merighi and Roscioli—surrounded the town and this church, eager for blood. They forcefully knocked on the rectory door, and their shouting “Police, open up!” was followed by revolver shots. The parish priest, in only his robe and with bare feet, fled through the dark into the warehouse beneath the great sacristy. The robbers searched the house, the church, the confessionals, the cupboards, et cetera, after having taunted the priest’s relatives with insults and threats—demanding “Where are the prisoners?” “Where is the Priest?”—but they accomplished nothing. A small glass of cognac—used on occasion to revive the priest’s old mother—calmed the anger of the unfortunate thugs …. “Where is the priest?” [He is assisting the] the dying in Vetoli. In fact, there was a sick person in this village. Dr. Cariglia, a local doctor, had informed him on the evening of 4 December  at the parish priest’s house of the illness of Caterina Livi, a widow of Vitali.¹ The punitive expedition with their tools of the night—lights and weapons—headed towards Vetoli in search of the priest and the prisoners. The parish priest left the under-sacristy, [where he had been] curled up, trembling in a pile of corn, and took the path to the woods, spending the rest of the night in the house of Martelli Annibale’s friend in the village of Marsia and then heading towards Agelli. On this night, four Anglo-American prisoners were captured in Vetoli—tied to a rope and mistreated—and four prisoners in Aletta and Guandali di Valcinante. They were taken to Ascoli. And [those in] the city still remember the feat of the fascists under the orders of Menghi Adriano—on that misty morning of 5 December 1943—when the eight prisoners, tied together and mostly in summer clothes, teeth chattering from the cold, each with a card on their backs [that read] “Guests of the Parish Priest of Roccafluvione,” [were paraded] around the main streets of the city.

(See the fascist press of December 1943 from Ascoli Piceno.) And Klaiton? Warned that same night by a messenger sent by the parish priest’s family, he was saved, together with 17 other prisoners, closer to the capital. He then moved with the priest to Spinetoli.² Once things were clarified and the parish priest was defended by the bishop after escaping to Spinetoli, [the priest] returned to the parish. However, he did not resume sleeping in the rectory until 17 June 1944. (I) The work of “Prisoner Assistance” did not fail. The prisoners were helped in various ways with shrewdness. They were no longer made to sleep in the houses, but caves were prepared for them. And so during the day they stayed and refreshed themselves with the host families and at night they [slept] in the caves. We also had the good fortune of seeing the eight prisoners captured on the night of 4 to 5 December 1943 returned to us. Many of these—despite fear of the Nazi-fascists—remained until the liberation of this area and presented themselves to their Allied comrades as soon as they were in Ascoli Piceno. Charity and charity alone made the moments of oppression less harsh. For everyone [there was] bread, a bed, and any help. The Lord reciprocated with the salvation of our lives, sparing us from any blood reprisal. (I) The first hospitable house for four nights, during the escape of the parish priest, was in Vallicella “Casa Emidio Angellozzi.” The second hospitable house for about six months was that of Emidio Cicconi of Marsia, [who] lives always in the thoughts and hearts of those who write this.

1 Caterina Livi later survived the illness, so much so that she died in 2004 at the venerable age of 101. Her precarious state of health, on the evening of 4 December 1943, was used by the parish priest’s relatives as a pretext to justify the fugitive’s absence to the fascist police.

2 Spinetoli is the town of origin of Don Giuseppe Ciabattoni.

Here is Don Peppe’s chronican account in Italian:

Dal CHRONICON della PREPOSITURA di S. STEFANO PROTOMARTIRE. MARSIA di ROCCAFLUVIONE (Ascoli Piceno).

Redatto dal Parroco Don Giuseppe Ciabattoni

Periodo di oppressione Nazi-fascista – dall’8 Settembre 1943 alla liberazione 17 Giugno 1944. Opera di soccorso Prigionieri di guerra. Marsia Centro propulsore.

Il colpo di Stato del 25 luglio 1943 e l’Armistizio dell’8 Sett. dello stesso anno avevano gettato la povera Italia nel caos. Nemici interni ed esterni – fascisti e tedeschi in casa – guerra civile. Dai vicini e lontani campi di concentramento, Prigionieri di ogni terra, in modo particolare anglo-americani passavano, fuggivano tra i monti. A questi si devono aggiungere i giovani di leva o richiamati che si davano “alla macchia”. Tutti avevano bisogno di aiuto, di consiglio. Il Parroco doveva essere l’uomo di tutti. Agendo con grande circospezione si ricettavano prigionieri e patrioti non solo per il vitto ma anche per l’alloggio. Venivano rivestiti, calzati, medicati etc. Sorse per necessità l’Opera “Assistenza Prigionieri”. Nella Zona di Roccafluvione ne erano sparsi un centinaio e molti per mesi e mesi rimasero nelle case stesse in attesa di eventi o meglio di essere clandestinamente imbarcati a Grottammare, Cupra o Porto Martin Sicuro. E molti durante il brutto periodo, fascisti e tedeschi all’erta, furono imbarcati. Il Cap.no Jobs ed il Col.llo di Bari, tramite Coccivera Adolfo incaricato da Ascoli che si era portato a Termoli con dei prigionieri, nominarono il Parroco “Assistente Capo Zona Prigionieri di guerra” ed in quel periodo d’oppressione la radio di Bari, a sera, più volte elogiò i Sacerdoti d’Italia che aiutavano i Prigionieri, specie quelli delle Marche facendo allusione chiara alla Marca montana. E per questo fu intensificata la lotta nazi-fascista contro il clero. Può dirsi sinceramente che quasi ogni casa della Parrocchia ha aiutato i prigionieri, ma l’opera più benefica e diretta fu fatta dal Parroco, dai frazionisti di Vetoli, Monestino, Marese ed anche Casacagnano che arrischiarono la vita e le abitazioni. Fuori Parrocchia, si distinsero anche Valcinante, Olibra Incinante, Meschia, Ronciglione, Scalelle. Centro propulsore “Marsia” con ordini, medicinali, sigarette, indumenti, scarpe, etc. Fra gli ospiti prigionieri in casa del Parroco fu trattenuto per 15 giorni il geologo inglese Maggre Klaiton Patrice. Episodio importante quello della comunicazione attraverso “Radio clandestina” notizie prigionieri e Maggiore viventi stazioni Africane. Radio installata casa Parroco, proprietario Ezio Paolini nota spia inglese. Qualcuno vigilava nelle tenebre e riferiva ad Ascoli “Federazione Repubblichina” quanto a Roccafluvione veniva fatto. 

Il Parroco ne era stato avvertito, ma la carità brucia più del piombo – non si dava calcolo, si seguitava nell’opera intrepidi. E nella notte dal 4 al 5 dicembre 1943, intorno alla mezzanotte una ciurmaglia di fascisti repubblichini armati fino alla gola di mitra, rivoltelle, mitragliatrici che sotto il comando del Maresciallo Vannozzi – criminale dei tipi di Merighi e Roscioli, circondarono l’abitato e questa Chiesa, avidi di sangue. Ai colpi prepotenti alla porta della Canonica ed al loro vocio “Polizia aprite” seguirono colpi di rivoltella. Il Parroco con la sola veste et pedibus nudis fuggiva alla luce dei suoi occhi nel magazzeno, sottostante la grande Sagrestia. I masnadieri perquisivano la Casa, la Chiesa, i confessionali, le credenze etc dopo aver spiritato con insulti e minacce i congiunti del Prete ‹‹dove i prigionieri? dove il Prete?››. Nulla di fatto. Un bicchierino di cognac – preso nella circostanza per rinvenire la mamma vecchia del Prete – calmò la rabbia dei disgraziati energumeni… ‹‹Dove il Prete?››. Assistenza moribondo a Vetoli. Di fatti in questa Frazione c’era un’ammalata. Il Dott. Cariglia, medico del luogo, la sera del 4 dicembre in casa del Parroco lo aveva reso edotto della malattia di Caterina Livi ved.va Vitali.¹ Al possiamo lasciare questa casa di una sentinella rispose il Vannozzi “Possiamo”. La spedizione punitiva con gli arnesi della notte, lumi ed armi, verso Vetoli in cerca del Prete e dei prigionieri. Il Parroco uscito dal sotto-sagrestia, raggomitolato e tremante in un mucchio di granturco prese la via del bosco, soffermandosi nel resto della notte nella casa amica di Martelli Annibale della Frazione di Marsia e poi verso Agelli. In questa notte furono catturati 4 prigionieri anglo-americani a Vetoli – legati ad una fune e maltrattati e 4 prigionieri ad Aletta e Guandali di Valcinante. Furono condotti ad Ascoli. E la città ricorda ancora la prodezza dei fascisti all’ordine di Menghi Adriano – in quel mattino brumoso del 5 dic. 1943 – quando gli 8 prigionieri, legati insieme e quasi in tenuta estiva, battendo i denti dal freddo, con un cartellino alla schiena ciascuno, “Ospiti del Parroco di Roccafluvione”, girarono le vie principali della città. 

(Vedere la stampa fascista del mese dic. 1943 di Ascoli Piceno) E Klaiton? Avvertito nella notte stessa da un messo inviato dalla famiglia del Parroco fu salvo insieme ad altri 17 prigionieri, più vicini, al Capoluogo. Passò poi col Prete a Spinetoli.2 Chiarite le cose e difeso dal Vescovo il Parroco – questi dopo la fuga a Spinetoli, tornò in parrocchia – ma non dormì più in canonica fino al 17 Giugno 1944. (I) L’opera “Assistenza Prigionieri” non venne meno. In varie forme e con accorgimento furono aiutati i prigionieri. Non furono fatti dormire più nelle case, ma si prepararono per loro delle grotte. E così durante il giorno stavano e si rifocillavano nelle famiglie ospitanti – di notte nelle grotte. Si ebbe ancora la ventura di veder ritornare presso di noi quegli otto prigionieri catturati nella notte dal 4 al 5 dic. 1943. Molti di questi – nonostante la fobia dei nazifascisti – rimasero fino alla Liberazione di questa zona – e si presentarono ai compagni alleati appena in Ascoli Piceno. La carità e solo questa rese meno duri i momenti dell’oppressione. A tutti un pane, un letto, un qualsiasi aiuto. Il Signore ci ricambiava con la salvezza della vita risparmiandoci ogni rappresaglia di sangue. (I) La I casa ospitale per quattro notti, durante la fuga del Parroco, fu a Vallicella “Casa Emidio Angellozzi”. La II casa ospitale per circa 6 mesi fu quella di Emidio Cicconi di Marsia, sempre viva nel pensiero e cuore di chi ha scritto.

¹ Caterina Livi, in seguito, sopravviverà alla malattia, tant’è che morirà nel 2004 alla veneranda età di 101 anni. Il suo precario stato di salute, nella sera di quel 4 dicembre del 1943, fu usato dai parenti del Parroco come pretesto per giustificare, alla polizia fascista, l’assenza del fuggitivo.

² Spinetoli, è il paese di origine di don Giuseppe Ciabattoni.