THE ESCAPE AND THE JUSTICE IN ‘THE LAND OF THE DEADS’ The rejection of the war: different responses of soldiers, through the testimonies.

PRESENTATION

<< Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be executed >>

(by Piergiorgio Bellocchio)

´  Thinking about the rejection of the war through its manifestations, helps to understand the meaning and the importance of life.

´  This educational project gave us the opportunity to think about the rejection of the war, which could be either real or psychological.

REJECTIONS FROM THE BATTLEFRONT

This war, therefore, had since the beginning deserters and draft dodgers. These soldiers tried to escape from the ugliness of the war physically or psychologically

REJECTIONS FROM THE BATTLEFRONT

´  Some chose to flee abroad, where the chances of being caught were minors.

´  Some decided to desert.

´  Some fled home.

´  Some didn’t return from the licenses.

´  Some showed false mental or physical illnesses.

´  Some suicided.

´ Desertion was the main aspect of the physical removal from the front.

´  Strategies: false licenses, false medical certificates or excuses like having lost the equipment or getting lost.

DESERTIONS

‘Egli sosteneva di aver smarrito il tascapane con le due scatolette di carne di riserva. Per evitare una punizione, egli era ritornato indietro con la speranza di poterlo rintracciare nel punto dell’ultimo addiaccio della sua compagnia. «Che riserve e che addiaccio» ribatteva il maggiore. E, rivolto ai carabinieri «Perché non lo avete ancora fucilato?’ [From: Emilio Lussu, Un anno sull’altipiano, Milano 1970, pp. 52-53]

SURRENDER TO THE ENEMY

´  The surrender to the enemy for someone was salvation, for others was a risk, because they could be tortured.

´ About 100.000 out of 600.000 Italian soldiers died while they were prisoned in Austria.

RETURN HOME

´  Returning home represented the desire to get back to normal routine life.

´  It was a risk because the police controlled carefully houses and rears.

´  Someone returned home through secret paths in the mountains.

´  Someone was hidden in barns, in cellars or in the woods and they were helped by their families.

“Due miei cugini avevano disertato nella guerra ’15-18. Sono scappati sui monti. Mi ricordo che una loro sorella, una mia cugina, di notte andava a portargli il mangiare e attraversava un piccolo torrente”. [From: Testimonianze di partecipazione politica femminile, a cura di Bianca Guidetti Serra, Torino 1977, I, p. 263]

REFUSE TO RETURN TO THE FRONT

´  It was a phenomenon of considerable proportions.

´  There were taken drastic measures, like the suspension of entire divisions licenses, and threats to the soldiers’families.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ESCAPE: SUPERSTITIONS AND ALCOHOL ADDICT

Psychological escape meant finding something that gave soldiers hope, like superstitions and alcohol.

SUPERSTITIONS ´  Beliefs, rituals and lucky charms to reinforce the

motivation of soldiers.

´  LUCKY CHARMS: They had the power to protect them against evil and misfortune ( written formulas that soldiers passed each other, crosses, figures of saints,…)

´  FORMULAS, RITUALS, MAGIC: trench practices

´ MIRACLES AND SUPERNATURAL EVENTS: special events that happened.

´ MYSTICAL FIGURES: invocation of saints, jinxes.

´  This is a written formula that the soldiers were handed, because they were willing to do anything to receive grace.

“Un fatto successo a Loretto, mentre le truppe passavano hanno visto una donna sparire che lasciò cadere un biglietto per far cessare la guerra. Mio Signore Gesù Cristo ventura umanità. Questo mesto momento deve andare per tutto il mondo, coppiatelo quattro volte. Datela a quattro persone diverse, e che nel termine di 9 giorni avete una grazia, ma se trascurato avrete una disgrazia. Dite quattro volte, viva Gesù, viva Maria, viva Gesù, viva Maria, viva Gesù, viva Maria, viva Gesù, viva Maria. Recitate quattro orazioni di Dio e di Maria e coppiatela quattro volte.” [From: Lettera di Leonida Contini, in Archivio diocesano di Novara, VII, Clero, 7, 3bis]

ALCOHOL

´  In war, alcohol was like an injection of bravery.

´  It was an opportunity to escape from reality.

´ All diaries mentioned liquor or wine.

“Col passare del tempo la maggior parte dei combattenti diventavano alcolizzati o perlomeno intossicati. I novellini facevano gli schizzinosi, ma per poco. Era una questione di giorni, e anch’essi capitolavano.” [From: Mario Silvestri, Isonzo 1917, Torino 1965, p. 75]

STRATEGIES TO ESCAPE FROM THE UGLINESS OF WAR

´ Simulations

´ Self-harm

´ Suicide

SIMULATIONS

´  Soldiers simulated symptoms and diseases, like: deafness and dumbness, high fevers that could be symptoms of infection.

´  The fake sicknesses were very frequent.

´  This testimony shows us one of the ways that soldiers used. They put under the armpits tobacco’s leaves that caused bouts of fever.

“M’avevano insegnato di prendere la polvere di una cartuccia e di metterla nel brodo, ne scaricai in n° 6, un caricatore intero, e lo bevetti. Dicevano che provocava febbre a quaranta quarantuno gradi, che poi se faceva effetto si poteva andare all’ospitale…” [From: Duilio Faustinelli, La catastrofe 1915-1918. Diario di guerra di un pastore camuno, a cura del Circolo culturale G. Ghislandi, Esine 1982, p. 48]

SELF HARM

´  It consisted in inflicting wounds and mutilations in order to avoid military service in war.

´ Cases of self-harm were multiplied, most medical commission who judged these cases, became stricter and stricter.

“C’è da dire, benchè ormai più nessuno di noi tenesse da gran conto la propria vita, nondimeno ciò che ognuno si augurava era una bella ferita: non grave, quel tanto che bastasse a renderti inabile e toglierti da quell’inferno.” [From: Ottone Origlia, in Valido Capodarca, Ultime voci dalla Grande Guerra (1915-1918), Firenze 1991, p. 28]

SUICIDE

´  It was the last chance to escape from the trench.

´  Some soldiers were so exhausted from the anxiety and the stress that instead of fighting they preferred suicide to find peace.

“Quello di venir fuori da quell’inferno era d’altra parte il desiderio di ognuno di noi. Qualcuno trovava la libertà in un gesto inconsulto: il suicidio. Fu ciò che fece un mio commilitone. Legato una funicella per un capo al grilletto del fucile e per l’altro all’alluce del piede, si puntò la canna nel mento, poi uno strattone e… fine di ogni preoccupazione.” [From: Mariano Montelpare, in Valido Capodarca, Ultime voci dalla Grande Guerra (1915-1918), Firenze 1991, p. 173]

REACTIONS: MILITARY AND ROUGH JUSTICE

During the First World War, Justice consisted in repression.

REPRESSION

´  It means the oppression or persecution of soldiers.

´  Physically escape from the front (desertion, simulations…), meant being subjected to harsh forms of repression.

MILITARY JUSTICE

´  The reaction to the loss of so many soldiers led to create a sort of self regulated justice and this was the beginning of pacifism.

´  The Commander in Chief wanted to give a severe punishment for all kinds of crimes to block any sort of insurection.

´  The fellow soldiers were obliged to see death penalty and decimations of rebels.

´  The soldiers who were condemned only a few years in prison, welcomed the punishment with joy so they could escape to death.

“Quindi nei tribunali militari si assisteva a delle scandalose scene di questo genere: un condannato a tre anni che alla lettura della sentenza si abbandonava a incomposte manifestazioni di gioia: Se avesse potuto avrebbe fulminato l’avvocato difensore e abbracciato l’avvocato fiscale militare.” [From: Attilio Frescura, Diario di un imboscato, prefazione di Mario Rigoni Stern, Milano 1891, pp. 199]

ROUGH JUSTICE

´  The official military justice wasn’t commonly used at the

front because deserter soldiers were punished as they were sent to fight in suicide operations.

´  Very common was to tie the soldiers to some grids and let them wait for days without drinking and eating till they were shot.

“C’è una cosa che mi ripugnava allora, e che non ho mai saputo accettare di questa guerra: il nessun valore che veniva dato alla vita umana, alla sua dignità. Spesso i soldati, come punizione e perché la cosa spesso servisse da monito, venivano legati a un palo e li frustati a sangue, alla presenza di tutto il reparto.”

[From: Testimonianza di Giovanni Michelucci, in Valido Capodarca, Ultime voci dalla Grande Guerra (1915-1918), Firenze 1991, p 77]

SOLDIERS’ JUSTICE

´ All acts of violence and injustice had profoundly negative effects on the psychology of the soldiers, who created a staff justice called "Justice of the soldiers“.

´  Soldiers attacked officers and other soldiers showing a great hate towards the nation (protest songs, cries for peace, hostility,…).

“In quel momento si dava prigioniera una Compagnia di Italiani tutti Contenti e dicevano mannagia alla madonna, abbiamo ucciso il nostro Capitano, abbiamo gettato lo zaino e il fucile, e ci siamo dati prigionieri. E’ meglio in Austria che in Italia” [From: Lucio Fabi, Gente di trincea. La Grande Guerra sul Carso e sull’Isonzo, Milano 2014, p. 212 ]

Final considerations

This presentation has provided some hints of reflection:

´ Justice always runs the risk of losing the link between crime and punishment

´ In warfare, because of the fear of death, parameters are altered so, bad and illegal behaviours could turn into stragedies to keep you alive

This project is linked to: PROGETTO ERASMUS+

Enseigner la Grande Guerre - Eduquer à la paix [06] I silenzi e le omissioni della storia insegnata.

La guerra “senza gloria”

by 2ACM