The Four Days of Naples

It is 1943, precisely between 27 and 30 September: this was the span of time during which the people of Naples, exhausted by the bombings (two of which, on 4 December 1942 and 28 March 1943, caused more than 3000 deaths), by a war that seemed like it would never end, and by the German occupation, decided to rise up against the forces of the Wehrmacht.

"Adesso vi facciamo vedere noi chi sono i napoletani!" (Now we'll show you who the Neapolitans really are!)

This is the emblematic phrase that history has handed down concerning the story of Gennarino Capuozzo (awarded a gold medal in memory), a young street urchin who joined the Resistance during the Four Days of Naples, becoming one of the symbols of that historic moment.

But what period are we talking about, and what was the sequence of events?

The anger and exasperation of the Neapolitans, following indiscriminate executions, looting, round-ups of the civilian population, poverty and the destruction wrought by the war, which had brought the whole city to its knees, was reaching a point of no return; the Neapolitans lacked any real organisation, driven only by the desire to free themselves from the German invader. People therefore began to think about acquiring weapons: on 22 September the inhabitants of Vomero managed to seize those that had belonged to the soldiers of the 107th Battery; on 25 September, 250 muskets were taken from a military school; on 27 September some weapons and ammunition depots fell into the hands of the insurgents.

The spark, meanwhile, was struck on 23 September, when Colonel Walter Scholl announced a new repressive measure requiring the evacuation (by 8pm that same day) of the entire coastal strip of the city up to a distance of 300 metres from the sea: in practice, around 240,000 citizens were forced to abandon their homes within a few hours to allow the creation of a "military security zone" that seemed to be a prelude to the destruction of the port. Added to this was a notice from the prefect ordering compulsory conscription for all males between the ages of eighteen and thirty-three; in practice, a deportation to German labour camps. Following the compliance of only 150 men, the colonel sent out military patrols for round-ups and the immediate execution of those who failed to comply.

The uprising, at that point, became inevitable: people from every walk of life poured into the streets to organise themselves and take up arms. For four days, the Neapolitans chose open combat, erected barricades, threw bombs, and set ambushes, forcing the German troops to surrender and flee, not without bloodshed.

In every corner of the city, local figures began to emerge, taking command of operations in the various neighbourhoods, such as Professor Antonio Tarsia in Curia at Vomero, Lieutenant Colonel Ermete Bonomi at Materdei, working alongside detachment commander Carlo Cerasuolo, father of Maddalena (awarded a bronze medal in memory), Captain Carmine Musella at Avvocata, the doctor Aurelio Spoto at Capodimonte, Captain Mario Orbitello at Montecalvario, and the clerk Tito Murolo at Vasto; among the young, Adolfo Pansini, a student at the Sannazaro lyceum, stood out. Officers of the Italian army (who had at first disappeared) and anti-fascists also joined the uprising and put themselves at its head.

The Neapolitans, in the end, achieved their aim: the Germans, at dawn on the first of October, withdrew, and when the first Allied tanks entered the city they did not find a single enemy left.

Naples had freed itself, all on its own.