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Affondamento Galilea (28.03.1942)


Platon Alexiades
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I have received a request from a Greek friend about the sinking of Galilea on 28.03.1942. There were heavy casualties among elements of the Julia Division who were on board but my friend believes that about 60 Greek PoWs were also present and apparently none survived. He is interested in confirmation and, if possible, a list of names. I have no such information, perhaps someone could confirm or deny this information? Many thanks.

 

Platon

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I only have, from "La difesa del traffico con l'Albania, la Grecia e l'Egeo", that out of 1.275 people on board GALILEA only 284 were rescued by nave armata ZARA, torpedo-boat MOSTO, and one MAS and some minesweepers from Preveza. "Navi mercantili perdute" writes that the victims were 995, "almost all Alpine troops of Divisione Julia" (Battaglione Gemona). According to other sources, the victims were 1.041.

Among the victims there  were the captain, Emanuele Adolfo Stagnaro from Lavagna (whose body  was at first interred in Preveza and then in  September 1954 brought back to Sestri Levante, rightly  celebrated because in June 1940  he had saved from internment  and landed near Alexandria 1.500 European Jewish refugees on board his previous command ESPERIA), the naval officer in charge ten. vasc. Spiridione Fido, and several Carabinieri. The episode is still the subject of yearly remembrance ceremonies in the area of Gemona del Friuli, whence most of the victims came.

 

The site by Lorenzo Colombo http://conlapelleappesaaunchiodo.blogspot.it/search?q=galilea  has a very detailed story of the sinking, and says that there were on board a grand total of 1.329 people,  among them 70 Greek political detainees, 64 men and 6 women, and some Italian military detainees with their escort of carabinieri. It also mentions a 2013 book by Paolo Montina, "La tragedia alpina del Galilea". According to the the chief officer of GALILEA, Licinio Schivitz, the Greek prisoners on board were 57.

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