TRENTINO PRISONERS IN RUSSIA: AUGUST 1914 SEPTEMBER 1916

At the outbreak of the First World War, the Italians living in the Austrian-occupied regions of modern-day Italy, known as "Unredeemed Italy," were forced to enlist and fight for Austria-Hungary against the Allied powers. Some even had to fight against fellow Italians. This is a first-hand account of the hardships and maltreatment suffered by men from the Trentino region, who were taken prisoner by the Russians. Worse yet, although they were ethnic Italians and most yearned to be part of Italy, there were unique problems with their eventual repatriation and then, once repatriated, an air of distrust toward them prevailed when their regions finally became part of a unified Italy. The author recounts not only the events that transpired during the captivity, but the problems they encountered with their release, as well as the feelings and perceptions his fellow Italian soldiers and he had toward their captors and their Austrian, Hungarian and German "comrades" in arms. It is translated here into English for the first time.