ITALIAN MASSACRE
Press Assn
False Seport Sent To Hitler VON MACKENSEN'S ADMISSION
Hn Tp.l.p.aravh
-Covvriaht
Received Tuesday, 10.40 a.m. ROME, Nov. 25. When Hitler heard of the Italian bomb which killed 32 German soldiers in 1944, he first demanded that from 30 to 50 Italians be executed for each dead German, said Colonel H. G. Beylitz, formerly Kesselring's deputy chief of staff, when recalled at the trial of Generals von Mackensen and Maeltzer on charges of responsibility for the massacre of 336 Italians in the Ardeatini Caves on March 24, 1944. He added that after Hitler's indignation had sub■sided somewhat, he changed the / prisal order to "blow up, raze the 1 'orea and liquidate the entire population where the bo'mb throwing occurred." Colonel Beylitz said that Kesselring and von Mackensen flnally persuaded Hitler to accept a reprisal on the basis of ten Italians for one German. Von Mackensen, admitted to the tribunal that he " had ordered enough Italians to be killed "to make it look like a decent reprisal." Hc had disobeyed Hitler's order and sent a bogus report to the Fuehrer through Kesselring, who knew it was false.
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Bibliographic details
Chronicle (Levin), 26 November 1946, Page 9
Word Count
189ITALIAN MASSACRE Chronicle (Levin), 26 November 1946, Page 9
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