This is the recounting and the diary of my life - Marino Mattei

8.

From that moment on, the good times ended. We went back to the encampment to sleep and on the following morning we packed everything we had and we went to the airfield. We were very frightened not only by the anticipation of what awaited us but also by having to fly in the airplane. At about 10:00 we boarded the plane. It was small, seating only 27 soldiers. On board with us was the Major that commanded our battalion and as soon as we took off he told us not to be worried because, without a doubt, everything would be fine. "However," he continued, "if we are to be hit by an enemy fighter, there will be nothing for us to do but close our eyes because no one will survive." Everything went well and in two hours we arrived in Vallona, Albania.

At this point we were no longer a part of the Cuneenze Division [see part 5] but we were re-enforcements to the Iulia Division which had been destroyed. As soon as we landed we were rushed immediately away from the airfield because it was being bombed continuously and it was extremely dangerous. I remember it being December 14, still in 1940. We departed for the front. We left in the afternoon and walked until the night. We stopped at this point and spent the night under a quiet sky. No one spoke to us about having something to eat and we continued in this manner for seven days. In seven days we ate only once - a galletta [biscuit - possibly hardtack] and a small box of meat. We arrived at the front completely emaciated. Between dying of hunger and having marched for 7 days with 50 kilos on our shoulders we were finished. As soon as we arrived we pitched our tents quickly. There was a steady rain falling. They gave us something to eat and it was almost nighttime. In this way, drenched from the rain and on that muddy ground we passed the night.

At that moment, the front was calm and we were in the second line having to go as re-enforcements to where the enemy was trying to advance. The following day was also calm. They gave us a somewhat better meal and they distributed the mail. It was December 22. I still had my broken rifle [see part 6] so I asked for a replacement but they had none to give me and I remained unarmed. During our journey, along the roads, the closer we got to the front there was a constant procession of wounded and frost-bitten soldiers. The ambulances filled with the wounded were lined up back to back. You can imagine how our morale was; dying of hunger, seeing this slaughter, we were lower than the dirt.

On the morning after - the 23rd - right at daybreak the Greeks launched an attack and there, close by us, we saw that they would break through the line and advance. Due to this, my platoon of around 70 men was called with great urgency to provide reinforcement. In a few minutes we were in the first line. Once there we witnessed a slaughter of the wounded and men dying like flies. We took our positions at the edge of a hill. The artillery shells were exploding uninterruptedly. We could hear the machine guns and rifles at about 10 meters away from us and they were shooting without pause. It was complete hell. We were waiting for the bayonet assault at any moment. I remained there for about two hours with the rest of my platoon. After two hours we received orders to return to our company which had been called to another location. We left immediately but when we arrived the company had already departed. We reached the commander of our platoon who was a Sergeant Major and he guided us towards our new position. It was far away and difficult to reach because we were in the mountains and there were no roads. As soon as we had left the front we were discovered by the Greeks and for a while they accompanied us with cannon shells but until this point all went well. No one was killed or wounded. We marched all day and around 8:00 in the evening we arrived at our destination.

Our company, which had arrived far in advance of us, had endured a strong attack and had suffered some fatalities and many wounded. Among the wounded was was Silvano from Coreglia. We were drenched when we arrived because it had rained continuously. Water and snow, frozen to death and there we had to pass the night. The cold was intolerable. I could no longer move my feet. As best we could, we got through the night. There was no word about food or eating. From the 14th when we left Foggia until the 24th - that is, in 10 days - we ate three times. You can imagine what condition we were in. It rained and snowed relentlessly. At daybreak the Greeks started attacking again. The artillery shells came at such a rate that we could not distinguish one explosion from the next. It was like one huge blast of flame. Machine guns fired without remission. It seemed like an inferno. I had shielded myself behind two large rocks but I felt like I was too much in the open. Up ahead I saw a position that seemed more secure so I moved there. Unfortunately, the location was not what it appeared to be. I wanted to go back but my former position had now been taken by other soldiers so I had to remain where I was.

The shelling continued without pause. The dead and the wounded were in the hundreds. It was all a great lamentation and the wounded were yelling for help but no one came to their assistance. It was such a horrible and frightening scene that it cannot be believed. I, like all the rest, was waiting for death every second and there was nothing to do but pray. I asked the Lord to be returned home but I also asked him to let me die immediately rather than to go back home without legs or arms or with some other impediment that could not be cured. As I was praying, there appeared before me the image of Jesus like a small cloud. He was dressed in red and he smiled at me and he raised his hand to me in a sign of benediction. I am hesitant to recount this because I am certain no one will believe me but this is the pure truth and I would not say it if it weren't true. After a few minutes an artillery shell exploded at my feet and I don't know for how long I remained unconscious. Little by little, I began to awake but I felt like I had been cut in two. It took me some time before I regained my senses. Slowly I started to move my legs and my arms and it seemed that I was not seriously wounded. The first injury that I felt was a piece of shrapnel that had pierced my helmet and entered the back of my head. In fact, a small piece of metal is still there and, at certain times, still causes me some annoyance.

I could no longer hear the artillery or the machine guns. I lost consciousness again for an unknown period of time. I then slowly began to revive and I started to see what had happened. As I said, an artillery shell exploded at my feet. The large boulder that had protected me had been blown away. In that small area, from the same shell, many had been killed and wounded. It was a massacre. We were all yelling for help but no one came. It was horrendous but what left the deepest impression on me was one soldier who had received a head wound. Blood was flowing from his head like a fountain. His eyes were wild and panic-stricken and he was yelling in agony. I remember the first words I said; "Mama, help me." The more I stayed there, the more my senses returned. I tried to get up but I couldn't do it. The Greeks continue to increase their attack. With no one coming to help us I tried to walk a little with my hands and feet in an attempt to distance myself. I managed to walk about 20 meters and then I once again passed out.

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© 2009 by Maurice Mattei
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