Category Archives: Michael Rotunno

“Michele” and “Beo” Rediscovered

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In my 2020 post A Haven in Smerillo, I shared a story about the sheltering of two escaped POWs by a remarkable woman, Letizia Galiè in Del Gobbo, a widow with six children.

The story of Letizia Del Gobbo’s heroism came to me from her grandson Marco Ercoli. When Marco contacted me, he recalled that the family simply referred to the two escapees as “Michele” and “Beo.”

Letitia Del Gobbo carrying gathered firewood

Marco recalled that “Beo” had years ago returned to Smerillo with his wife, Nadine. The 1990 homecoming was deeply emotional for both the American couple and everyone in Smerillo—both family and older neighbors. In relaying the story, Marco described the event best as he could from memory—taking a degree of creative liberty to enliven it with recreated conversations and detail.

The only evidence of the visit was a photograph of the American couple with Marco’s uncle Antonio and Antonio’s wife Viola, with a notation on the back: “Nadine and Bill.” That made it clear that the man they called “Beo” was Bill, or William.

“Michele” in English would be Michael, and Marco’s uncle Antonio, who was a teenager when his mother sheltered the POWs, confirmed that “Michele” was American serviceman Michael Rotunno.

Since then, in spite of delving into archives, no further information about Bill and Michael came to light until last March, when I discovered that after the war Letizia had submitted a claim to the Allied Screening Commission requesting compensation for sheltering POWs. From the U.S. National Archives (NARA) I ordered a digital copy of Letizia’s helper claim.

The claim turned out to be a goldmine of information.

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A Haven in Smerillo

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an old Italian woman carries a bundle of sticks on her head

Letizia Galiè in Del Gobbo

This story has a remarkable heroine—Letizia Galiè in Del Gobbo, who lived during the war in the Marche comune of Smerillo, roughly 10 miles from Servigliano. Days after the prison camp breakout from P.G. 59, she was approached by two ragged, hungry American soldiers.

Widowed just seven years earlier, Letizia was left alone to provide for and raise six children. Yet she did not hesitate to welcome the escapees into her home.

Marco Ercoli shared the story of his grandmother’s courage and humanity with me.

He wrote, “My grandmother, Letizia Del Gobbo, hosted in Smerillo two American prisoners escaped from Camp 59 in Servigliano. She remembered just their names: Michele, whose his parents were Italian emigrants, and Beo.

“They arrived in Smerillo on September 1943 and remained there until June 1944, when the U.S. Army moved into the Marche region.

“The family Del Gobbo in 1943 was made up of my grandmother Letizia, widowed in 1936, and three sons—Antonio, Giacomo, and Giuseppe—and three daughters—Maria, Chiarina, and Palma (my mother). Antonio had lost a leg in 1940, when he was 17, and they were very poor.

“Yet they had the strength to host—at great risk—the two Americans.

“Only Antonio, 96 years old, lives still in Smerillo. The others have all died.

“Two years ago, Ian McCarthy [of La Casa della Memoria] gave him a filmed interview.” Also, Pasquale Ricci, an Italian with an interest in the escape stories, has written about the Del Gobbo family in his book 9 Settembre 1943: Lo Sbando e La Fuga.

“I am writing a short story about the experience,” Marco said. “When I finish it, I will send you an English version. And I’ll send you photos of Antonio (called Ntontò) and my grandmother Letizia (“nonna Litì”).

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