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Roland Rakow’s Story—An Update
Since I posted Roland Rakow’s story to this site on July 30, 2008, I’ve gained access to additional information about the crash and outcomes for the crew of Roland’s B-25 bomber. The plane was shot...
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British Escapees from Camp 59—New Names
Below is a list of 24 British servicemen who escaped from Camp 59 in September 1943. Of these names, 22 are new to this site. I felt great satisfaction in adding them to the master Prisoner List page...
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A Heroine Recognized
Giovina Fioravanti, circa 1940s, and a more recently photo on the Isle of Wight I received an e-mail late last month from Isabelle Burberry on the Isle of Wight on the south coast of England. She...
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More on Giovina Fioravanti
After I added the post on Giovina Fioravanti to the Camp 59 Survivors site this week, I heard from Joely Carter. Giovina is her husband’s grandmother. On her blog, iwishiwasalandgirl.wordpress.com, she...
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Felice “Phil” Vacca, Part 1—Off to War
Private First Class Felice Vacca I first heard about Felice “Phil” Vacca when his son Mario wrote to me last January: “My father, Felice Vacca, escaped from PG 59 along with Peter Calvagno, Edmond...
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Felice “Phil” Vacca, Part 2—Camp 59 and Escape
Phil Vacca escaped from Camp 59 with four other prisoners, shown in this photograph. At rear (left to right) are Peter Calvagno, Edmond Petrelli, and Joe Mandese. In front (left to right) are Tony...
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Italians—Resist by Every Means!
Mario Vacca shared the following leaflet with me. His father, Felice “Phil” Vacca, an escapee from Camp 59, later described distribution of the leaflets over the Italian countryside: “…American planes...
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Felice “Phil” Vacca, Part 3—War’s End
This post is the third and final installment of the story of Camp 59 survivor Felice “Phil Vacca, which began with “Part 1—Off to War,” and “Part 2—Camp 59 and Escape.” “We landed at Boston,...
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Vacca Brothers—Tracing Their Father’s Trail
Felice “Phil” Vacca attended services at this church with the Virgilis, even while the area was controlled by the Germans. The church was the landmark that Tony used to find the Virgili family in...
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J. Keith Killby’s Memoir in Print
J. Keith Killby, in his London flat, holds a copy of his memoir on the day the books arrived from the printer The initial plan for publication of In Combat, Unarmed: The Memoir of a World War II...
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Post-war Letters from the Virgili Family
Above left, Adele Virgili—also known as Lelena, or Lena Above right, Virgili siblings Luigia (also called Gigetta) Sergio, and Adele (Lelena) After his return from captivity in Italy, Felice “Phil”...
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Escapee Edmund Petrelli—An Obituary
Several years ago, Mario Vacca attempted to discover what happened to the four men with whom his father, Felice “Phil” Vacca, escaped from Camp 59. He sent one inquiry to New Haven, Connecticut. Mario...
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B-24 Bomber Crash Commemorated
Frammenti di Storia poster—courtesy Matteo Pierro, Salerno 1943 Air Finders Tomorrow in the commune of Pietragalla, Italy, community members will gather for a memorial service in honor of the crew of...
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Lost U.S. Military Records
Official letter concerning Armie Hill’s destroyed military records An inquirer to this site wrote to me last fall that in his search for military records concerning his father, he had come up short....
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On the Sheltering of Tom Ager
Above left: the formerly identified Italian, now revealed to be Romano Maglioni, who lived in Premilcuore, Italy Above right: Tom Ager, after war and imprisonment See “Thomas Ager—Escapee from Italian...
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The Virgili Family
A few days ago Mario Vacca, one of Phil Vacca’s sons, sent me this information on the Virgili family during WW II. The information, provided by Egisto Virgili, is below in both Italian and English....
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Peter Grillo—Surgery “Sans Anesthetic”
This article is from Peter Grillo’s son Roy. He explained, “Digging through lots of papers, I found another item which is very interesting. This is the story my dad used to tell me as I grew up and...
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Stourton Escape Documentary on BBC
The BBC yesterday broadcast the first episode of a two-part documentary on the WW II breakout of Allied prisoners from Italian prison camps. The programs are the work of veteran journalist and author...
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Stourton Escape Documentary—Part 2
The second episode of a two-part documentary on the WW II breakout of Allied prisoners from Italian prison camps aired on the BBC yesterday. The documentary was created by veteran journalist and...
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A Chat with Neil Torssell
Neil Torrsell passed over the rugged, beautiful terrain of Le Marche during his nine months “on the run” in 1943–44. I first interviewed Neil Torssell in May 2008. An Interview with Neil Torssell...
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