Fragheto massacre
The Fragheto massacre (Italian: Eccidio di Fragheto or Strage di Fragheto) was the massacre of 30 Italian civilians and 15 partisans in Fragheto, a frazione of Casteldelci in central-northern Italy, on 7 April 1944, during World War II, by soldiers of the German 356th Infantry Division. After partisans belonging to the Eighth Garibaldi Brigade ambushed troops approaching the hamlet, fourteen soldiers of the Sturmbattaillon OB Sudwest conducted house-to-house searches and summarily killed civilians. Representing 40% of the hamlet's population, many of the victims were elderly people, women, or children. A further seven partisans and one civilian were shot the next day at Ponte Carrattoni, at the confluence of the Senatello and Marecchia.
| Fragheto massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |
The central street of Fragheto after the massacre; traces of flames are visible above the windows of the house on the left | |
| Location | Fragheto, Casteldelci, Italian Social Republic |
| Coordinates | 43°48′35.64″N 12°8′50.96″E |
| Date | 7 April 1944 – 8 April 1944 |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Deaths | Fragheto:
|
| Injured | 3 civilians |
| Perpetrators |
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| Motive | Reprisal for an ambush on German soldiers by partisans and regional partisan activity |
The Fragheto massacre was among the first massacres perpetrated by the Wehrmacht and collaborating Italian fascists in central-northern Italy. For years after the massacre, some local opinion held partisans responsible for the massacre, accusing them of attempting an impossible ambush and leaving the hamlet's residents open to reprisal.
An initial investigation into the massacre was archived in the 1960s, the files being lost in the Armadio della vergogna. In 2013, a trial in abstentia acquitted the only two surviving German soldiers, who had been charged with multiple homicide aggravated by trivial reasons.