Marzabotto massacre

Marzabotto massacre
Remains of the church of San Martino di Monte Sole
Location	Marzabotto, Italy
Date	29 September - 5 October 1944
Target	Civilians
Attack type	war crime, mass shooting
Deaths	~ 770
Perpetrators	SS-Panzer-Aufklärungsabteilung 16

The Marzabotto massacre was a World War II war crime consisting in a mass murder of at least 770 civilians by Nazis, which took place in the territory around the small village of Marzabotto, in the mountainous area south of Bologna. It was the worst massacre of civilians committed by the Waffen SS in Western Europe during the war.

In reprisal for the local support given to the partisans and the Resistance between 29 September and 5 October 1944, SS-Sturmbannführer Walter Reder led soldiers of the SS-Panzer-Aufklärungsabteilung 16 to systematically kill hundreds of people in Marzabotto. They also killed numerous residents of the adjacent Grizzana Morandi and Monzuno, the area of the massif of Monte Sole (part of the Apennine range in the province of Bologna).

Historians have struggled to document the number of victims: some sources report up to 1,830 victims; others estimate 955 people killed. Today, the Peace School Foundation of Monte Sole reports 770 victims. This number is close to the official report by Sturmbannführer Reder, who reported the "execution of 728 bandits". Among the victims, 45 were less than 2 years old, 110 were less than 10 years old, 95 were less than 16 years old, 142 were over 60 years old, 316 were females and five were Catholic priests.

Giovanni Fornasini, a parish priest and member of the Resistance, risked his life to protect the defenseless population from the Nazis during the massacres. By his actions, Fornasini saved the lives of many of his parishioners, and managed to escape immediate death. As he was burying the bodies of those killed in the massacre, which was forbidden by the Nazis, Fornasini was discovered by an SS officer. The officer accused Fornasini of crimes committed in the Marzabotto area. When Fornasini confessed to having helped the villagers avoid execution, the officer shot and killed him.