Campo P.G. 53 and Campo P.G. 56 Italy

A few weeks ago a discussion took place on the forum about the correct name for Campo P.G. 53. I said I would do some research and here is the result:

CAMPO P.G. 53

A linen factory, which was to be found in the hamlet of Casette Verdini to the south west of the settlement of Sforzacosta in the direction of Urbisaglia, was designated as a site for a Prisoner of War Camp in July 1942.

On the 10th of that month a communication was issued by the Italian Ministry of Defence, Prisoner of War Office, to the effect that

two linen factories at Urbisaglia and Monturano should be immediately converted into Prisoner of War Camps each with a capacity of 12,000 prisoners.

On 21 July the following instruction went out from the same office:

With the compulsory occupation of the two linen factories at Monturano and Urbisaglia and of the barracks at Carinaro ( letter from this office dated 23 /6/42) it should be possible to accommodate 42,500 prisoners.

The document went on to list all the work that was to be done to convert these sites into a Prisoner of War Camps.

On 7 September 1942 a list was issued by the Prisoner of War Office giving the names and numbers of all Prisoner of War Camps in Italy. This list may not be copied but can be seen on www.campifascisti.it, by selecting Camp P.G. 53 from the list of Campo per Prigionieri di Guerra, and clicking on Documenti. It states unequivocally that Campo P.G. 53 is named Urbisaglia (Macerata).

P.G. 53 officially came into operation in October 1942 as can be learned from a communication dated 4 November 1942:

We wish to inform you that in the month of October the following camps have started to function:

URBISAGLIA Campo P.G. 53

In 30 November 1942 there were 5.503 prisoners in the camp. A report dated December 31, 1942 indicates that was still under construction. On 13 March 1943 the number of inmates had risen to7,250, of whom were 7,061 British, 3 Canadian, and 286 white South African.

When in February 1943 a damning inspection of the works being undertaken at CAMPO P.G. 53 came out, the name given to the camp continued to be URBISAGLIA. Indeed, on some of the lists showing the number of prisoners being held in each camp, sometimes the nearest railway station is also cited. That for P.G. 53 is given as Urbisaglia/Bonservizi in a document dated 31 MARCH 1943. The name Urbisaglia was never revoked by the Italian authorities.

However, to the men inside, to the British authorities, the Swiss Legation (Protecting Power) and the International Red Cross, it was known as SFORZACOSTA. Documentation held in the National Archives, London refers to it as such:

WO 224/120 Reports on the camp from the International Red Cross and the Protecting Power
WO 224/165 Reports on the associated hospital from the International Red Cross and Protecting Power
WO 361/1873 Missing Personnel 1939-45
WO 361/1891 International Red Cross Report
WO 392/21 Italy Imperial Prisoners of War Alphabetical List

It would be interesting to know whether the name Urbisaglia dated from an earlier project to set up a camp in or near the town which was then abandoned in favour of the linen factory.

CAMPO P.G. 56

On the circular of 7 September 1942 the Italian Ministry of Defence gives the number P.G. 56 to the camp located at SFORZACOSTA (Macerata). Later that month, in response to severe weather, the camp, which was tented, was dismantled for the winter but was never reopened. Its exact location is not defined by the website www.campifascisti.it and I have found no other documentation referring to it.

THE INTERNMENT CAMP
The Villa Giustiniani, adjacent to the Cistercian Abbey of Fiastra, which lies close to the road between Urbisaglia and Sforzacosta, was used as a concentration camp for civilian internees under the jurisdiciton of the Italian Ministry of the Interior. On 23 July 1944 eighty-eight Jews of various nationalities were being interned there. More information (in Italian) is available on www.campifascisti.it

Vitellino

 

I sometimes receive emails from people to my website www.powsitaly.weebly.com saying that their father/grandfather/etc was a POW in a place called Settore - eg Settore 1 PG53 or something similar. In fact settore is not a place, it means 'sector'.

 

Hello Philip,

Quite true. Two camps about which I have written - PG 54 and PG 82 - see my website powcamp82laterina.weebly.com for the latter - were divided into more than one sector and each had its own Man of Confidence.

Regards,

Vitellino

 

Eric Batteson was at Sforzacosta. This is a very touching film about his continuing friendship with the Italians who saved him. SCroll down to the English-subtitled 8-minute film
Eric Batteson e la storia della casina tra i monti - Racconti di Marche

 

UPDATE

Well, campifasciti USED to say that PG 53 was named Urbisaglia (Macerata) but they now list it as Sforzacosta, despite the fact that all the documentation on their site comes form the Prisoner of War Office, Italian War MInistry. The documention can' be copied, but here's a snippet all the same. (Note that Sforzacosta was PG 56, closed early - see above)


However, I've been doing a bit of research on the National Archives website and note that all the Citations for Awards in WO 373/63 refer to PG 53 Macerata. (There are plenty of these citations on this forum.) So do the E/E Reports in WO 208/5582-3. Description: MI 9/S/PG interrogation reports on repatriated British personnel (evaders and escapers).

In contrast, the E/E Reports in WO 208/5393-6 refer to PG 53 Sforzacosta. Description: Reports of Prisoners of War who were liberated or escaped from Italian camps. These files relate mainly to those allied personnel who left (escaped or liberated) from Italian POW camps following the Italian armistice in September 1943.

If the British authorites couldn't make up their minds, what should we do? My bottom line is that the camp was set up by the Italian War Ministry, so presumably the name they gave to PG 53 is the one to use, even if in shortened form.

Vitellino

 

My father was in PG53 for the 6 months leading up to the September 1943 armistice - on transfer from PG59.

He refers to the camp as PG53 Macerata on his Liberation Questionnaire.

Steve

 

Just got back from visiting PG 53 and will be making a short video. Watch this space.

 

Here it is:


Vitellino

I have edited the original video - here's the definitive version!

 

Excellent Janet, thank you for all your efforts, they are very much appreciated.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

Thanks Jim. I do appreciate your comments.

 

Janet and Enzo,
WOW!! Great result and detailed research. I know that the information you have gathered and presented so clearly will be invaluable to current and, in particular, to future family members following the footsteps of POW.

 

Thanks Geoff. Much appreciated.

 

Thank you for posting that video. It was so interesting. According to some reports, my Grandfather was listed as being in PG53 in 1943, then later listed in Stalag 11B. His Name was Owen Burke. I suspect he was captured in in the North African campaign, and ended up in Italy and then Germany. He did come home to Liverpool eventually. Hopefully will find more information regarding his military life.
Dean

 

Dean,

Welcome aboard. The site has much expertise and knowledge on POWs held by the Italians and then the Germans, so you should get answers.

It might be best to start a unique thread for him, with his full name, DoB and Service Number in the area for such an inquiry. See: Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy

Owen Joseph Burke's Service Number being 3714090 and in an un-named battalion who was captured in 1942.

That number when issued belonged to The King's Own Royal Regiment. It appears he was with the 1st Battalion:

From: The King’s Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) | National Army Museum

Wiki has a little more information, it is possible that he served with either the 1st or 2nd Battalion, even an artillery unit spun off from them - which also served in Egypt. See: King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) - Wikipedia

Incredibly a search with is Service Number identified two threads about him, including one by a proud grand daughter in 2009! He transferred regiments too! See: 8th Kings Own Royal PoW

One post by her in a larger thread. See: Campo Pg65,345d Transit Camp,campo 57 3200

Alas she was only aboard for a short time in 2009. Is she a relative? She had applied for his service record - which is the definitive record of service.

She also added a message on a website for Stalag Luft 1:

From: Stalag Luft I Online Guestbook

The regimental museum website has a wealth of information and I noted he is not shown on a POW List! See: King's Own Royal Regiment Museum

If indeed he served with the Worcestershire Regiment this may help, for the 1st Battalion:

From: Worcestershire Regiment - Wikipedia

 

Hello Dean,
This is what I have found out:

O.Burke, Worcester Regiment, no. 3714090:

Reported missing in the Western Desert 14-6-42, Document WO 417/46 The National Archives (page attached)
Confermed as Prisoner of War, Document WO 417/91 The National Archives (page attached)
Held in PG 53 Extract from WO 392/21 attached
Held in Stalag 11B Fallingbostel Extract from WO 392/1 attached.

The last two documents should be read with caution as they show that last camp in which the prisoner was held according to the information held by the International Red Cross. For example, the Italian Camps document does not show where the prisoner was on the date the register was compiled, August 1943.

I wilal check on his German Record Card and post that later,

Regards,
Vitellino



Odd. No German Record Card or Liberation Report, according to The National Archives 'Discovery' page.

 

Thanks David

I’ll create a separate thread perhaps. Miraculously I started looking at this, a few days ago after connecting to chap in the US who’s father saw action in the North Africa campaign, under Patton then through Sicily, Anzio, Monte Cassino, Rome and to Germany.

I then found the (2) threads from Carolyn Wilkins, my Cousin. She did not get through the SAR, but hopefully the information will be available in Kew.

I don’t know how or why my Grandfather switched Regiments, but we were told he’d fought in the desert, was captured, after hiding a jeep and wrecking it so it couldn’t be used again. He was interrogated and temporarily blinded by the German soldiers. I assume the desert reference meant either North Africa or Libya, Egypt. Perhaps ending in Tobruk. Switching Regiment is quite interesting, but perhaps not unusual.

I suspect he was moved to P.G. 53, and either escaped and recaptured or when that camp closed was moved to Stalag 11B. It’s interesting that he was moved to Germany instead of another Italian camp, but suspect there was good reason at that time as the allies were pushing north. And as they knew about wrecking the jeep, then needed certain prisoners moved.

It was good he survived, as many veterans they never used to talk about it.

So interesting and humbling. Thanks for helping!

Dean

 

Dean,

I have only researched one Italian POW incident and the escape / recapture is explained in that thread when the Italians had an armistice and backed out of the war. See: PG47 (Campo 47) escapees and the suicide of the NZ Camp CO

There are other threads on the camp I expect and the Italian armistice.

 

Dean,

Very few prisoners of war escaped before the Armistice, and almost all were recaptured. I have a list of escapers, produced from Italian sources, and your grandfather is not on it.

Apart from the movement of three groups from PG 53 in July 1943, (to which I have referred in the video) no soldiers were moved from Italy before the Armistice of 8 September 1943, though the crews of submarines Splendid and Sahib were, for interrogation, only to be returned to Italy afterwards.

The movement of Allied troops to Germany after the armistice was carried out by the occupying German forces.

You cannot be sure that your grandfather was moved directly from PG53 to Germany, as during the summer of '43 considerable numbers left this camp for work camps further north, especially camps in Lombardy or Piedmont. To find out if he was one of the men involved you need to contact the International Red Cross when they are next open for online enquiries.

You will need to access their site early- as soon as they open, preferably, or there will another 4 months to wait.

Also, it is likely that he would not have been sent directly to Stalag 11B, as the men usually passed through a transit camp, often Stalag 7A Moosburg.

Regards,

Vitellino

 

Thanks David. This is really interesting!

 

Vitellino. This is amazing. Thank you so much! What do you think regarding the significance of no German Record Card or Liberation Report?

I guess also, could also be possible that he could’ve been in other Italian camps before being listed in PG53 too?

This is really interesting.

Dean