The “Scheda Personale P.G.” Italian personal identification card for my father, Sgt. Armie S. Hill. Greg Bradsher describes these prisoner of war cards, now held at the U.S. National Archives, in his research below.
Last month, I received an excellent paper written by historian Greg Bradsher of Silver Spring, Maryland.
He has generously allowed me to share his research on this site:
Stories of American Escapers from Prisoner of War Camp 59, Servigliano
Greg Bradsher, Ph.D.
At the time of the Italian Armistice on September 8, 1943, there were almost 80,000 Allied prisoners of war in Italian prisoner of war camps. Among these prisoners of war were 1,310 Americans; many were soldiers captured in North Africa and airmen shot down over Italy. (1)
Most of the American prisoners of war were confined at Camp 59, at Servigliano. This camp, 15 miles north of Ascoli, in the foothills of the Apennines, held perhaps as many as 3,000 prisoners, mostly Allied enlisted personnel. Although the camp was well-guarded and thorough searches were frequent, numerous tunneling projects were continually in progress. There were quite a few escapes, but most of the prisoners were recaptured. (2)
When the Allied prisoners of war learned of the Armistice, most were in a quandary as to what action to take. Under orders received earlier in the summer, most remained in their camps under the mistaken impression Allied forces would soon liberate them. Italian camp authorities also faced their own quandaries. Without clear orders as to what to do, many simply opened the gates to allow the prisoners to leave their camps. During the first days after the Armistice, perhaps as many as 50,000 prisoners remained in their camps and quickly became prisoners of the Germans. Another 30,000 left their camps. Some 16,000 were recaptured and 4,000 found safety in Switzerland. The remaining 10,000 found safety in hiding with the help of Italians, and many found their way back to Allied lines.
Continue reading →
Camp 59 Survivors 