The Hard Way Home. Italian Troops in Yugoslavia after the 8 September 1943 Armistice

The paper deals with the fate of Italian troops stationed in Yugoslavia in the period from the 8 September 1943 Armistice between Italy and the Allies to the end of World War II. Based on Italian and foreign historiography, memoirs and docu- ments drawn from Italian and foreign archives, the paper aims at examining the role played by Italian troops fighting alongside the partisan units in Yugoslavia after the armistice, and at closing some gaps in the historiography of World War II, specific to this issue. It will also concentrate on the fate of the thousands of Italians taken by Tito’s army as prisoners of war who suffered a very harsh treatment. Among the latter and the Italians fighting alongside the partisans, an antifascist propaganda activity was carried out with the aim of re-educating them into antifascists. The final part will deal with the servicemen’s repatriation and will show how the Italian prisoners of war were used by Tito as a bargaining chip in order to obtain some advantages, such as the recognition by the Italian government of the new Yugoslav State.