Bunkers in Monte Soratte

Monte Soratte' s galleries are a project conceived by Benito Mussolini in the 30's. At the beginning they should be 14 kilometers (8 miles) long and hole the mountain from side to side to guarantee the continuity of the government of Italy in case of general devastation of the nation. Another reason determining the choice of Soratte for the bunker is its relatively short distance from Rome, that is only 40 kilometers (24 miles). Unfortunately the war interrupted the building of the galleries when they were only 4,5 kilometers (2 miles) long. NAZIST OCCUPATION On 13th September, 1943 after the armistice, Germany became Italy's enemy. Unit C of Wehrmacht commanded by Field-Marshal Albert Kesserling gathered on Monte Soratte establishing Oberkommand der Wehrmacht (the supreme command of southern Europe). All the orders and directives of the war were decided in the bunker. The occupation finished on 3rd June, 1944. Another important event of the bunkers' occupation is the bombing of 12th May, 1944 by the American air fleet leaded by the plane "Flying Fortress b17" with a technique called "Fire Storm". The American army was advancing towards North from Anzio forcing Germans to leave the bunkers. The Germans decided to set the galleries on fire to avoid leaving traces.

References

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