«These days marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Velletri by the allied troops. It was Thursday, June 1, 1944. After the violent fighting of the previous days, over 500 allied soldiers lost their lives on our streets and in our countryside. A house-to-house clash which, after the liberation of Velletri from the Nazi-fascist troops, will pave the way for the liberation of Rome on Sunday 4th of the same month.
A curiosity, not a small one, also on a military level. The “Battle of Velletri”, so clearly identified by the Allied commands, would later become a classic of military tactics, the object of study at West Point, due to the particular operational methods with which it was implemented.
Enough, from every point of view, to seek an original starting point and recall, also in the wake of the subsequent celebration of Republic Day on 2 June, founding moments in the democratic history of this country connected to local events.
In the surrounding area no municipal administration, of any political colour, missed this appointment. Aprilia, Lanuvio, Cori, Cisterna di Latina and others, with different times and methods, have played their role admirably, even investing minimal resources, managing to mark an important moment especially for the younger generations.
I am sorry, as a citizen, to note this, but the municipal administration of Velletri has missed this appointment, highlighting itself, at least for superficiality.
But is it really like that? Upon closer examination, it is possible that it is a real choice, already outlined with the publication of the public notice for the organization of events connected to the “celebration of the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Velletri on 22 January 1944 and the day of remembrance of 27 January – year 2024”.
An important initiative of undoubted interest, but limited and incomplete, which completely omitted the memory dedicated to Martyrs of Pratolungo of 02/19/1944 and as is now confirmed, also the Liberation of Velletri.
After several months these omissions no longer appear to be the result of an unconscious and involuntary forgetfulness, but the deliberate choice to avoid public opportunities to address the history of the facts which evidently still poses unresolved problems.
The images of that day, recovered after extensive research in the archives of the US Army, from Linea Caesar Association, Study and Research Center – Velletri, deserve to be disseminated and commented on especially in this period in which the habituation to the idea that war is a solution appears to be growing. War is never a solution and the smiling faces of these young Americans who came to die on the other side of the world also tell us this.
In its own way, a severe affair that all the democratic components of this City, of all political inspirations, should report to demand and obtain reparative action, not in the name of one party, but of our way of being together.”
Massimo Morassut
