WWI story

Times Gone By
It all began one summer day, the sunny and cheerful weather outside my humble home making a mockery of what was yet to come. It was a story filled with paradoxes. So I went to my bed and sat beside my grandmother as she told the story ...


It goes back to the time of the First World War

As I sat there listening to grandmother, it seemed the longer she spoke, the mental pictures of what she was saying became even clearer until
It seemed the years fell away and I was there.

Veneto region Italy, somewhere in the Isonzo area


But for the grace of God my father, Clemente, would have been at the front. I don’t recall the unit specifically. His cavalry regiment or battalion got blown away while he was home in Santa Maria a Vico on leave.

My take on what my great grandfather was thinking at the time....

I hear my name get called and say Grazie a dio[1]
Now I can breathe the fresh air of the fields of the countryside
As opposed to the reeking mash of gas cordite and gunpowder that befouled the trenches at the front
I set out on leave to the nearest unshelled railhead ten miles away,
I reach home safely and learn my wife is about to have a son. Everything goes well, at first
however his health suffers soon after I leave for the front as my leave was up
Only to discover upon my return at the front is of consequence.

My cavalry regiment is gone
I find out from others of my brigade just which of Cadorna’s idiotic orders sent the regiment out. I also find out my unit was slaughtered to a man while I was on leave because of those orders. It was so bad no colors survived to be retired. I report for duty to the lowest officer in the chain of command still alive, the general of my brigade.
Hell, since I was the only one left, guess who got the medals, just my luck.
Subsequently I transferred to Tripoli to forget about the war in the African sun
My beloved Italia is in ruins, surely those fascists will turn out to be no good. Mussolini may be content to get the ferrovia to run on time now, but
Should he partner up with our verdamnte German neighbors to the north, I know better than anyone, there will hell to pay, again. Italy holds nothing for me now, much as it pains me to leave the land of my ancestors and the majority of my family behind, I have no choice. I will have to make my bones in the new world like the two plus million peasants und artisans who fled before the war.

[1] Trans. Thank God

History-forums.com link of the day

http://history-forums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2007