From the 2nd World War

Soldier’s cross ends up with scrap iron in Tyrol

(Bild: zVg)

The grave cross of an Italian officer from the Second World War was thrown into the scrap iron container by the municipality of Gries am Brenner in Tyrol. The action caused protests and uproar.

A citizen of Gries who was interested in history recently discovered the grave cross of an Italian World War II soldier in the scrap iron container. According to the inscription on the grave plaque, the officer with the rank of colonel (Collonello) died on May 8, 1945 - the day Hitler's Germany surrendered and the end of the Second World War in Europe.

The grave cross had previously stood in the local cemetery in Vinaders for decades. As the inspection revealed, the associated grave and border have also disappeared in the meantime.

(Bild: zVg)

(Bild: zVg)

"War graves are eternal and must not simply be abandoned," says Albin Penz from Gries, who got the ball rolling. "It doesn't matter whether the deceased was a fascist or a communist. The purpose of these graves is to serve as a reminder to posterity. There is certainly no other time in Europe that a soldier's grave is simply removed like this," he is convinced.

Over a period of almost two months, we placed signs on five graves asking relatives to come forward.

Amtsleiter Martin Renzler

The case is made even more explosive by the inscription: "My honor is loyalty" - this was the motto of the National Socialist Schutzstaffel (SS), a notorious Nazi combat unit.

Appeal without result
When asked by "Krone" at the Gries municipal office, office manager Martin Renzler explained that the grave had been abandoned as part of a search for graves without an authorized user: "We placed signs on five graves over a period of almost two months, asking relatives to get in touch," says Renzler. After the deadline expired, the graves were then cleared.

In the meantime, the Black Cross War Graves Commission had also become involved: "There is no doubt and without any discussion that this is a war grave as defined by the War Graves Commission Act. This is associated with a perpetual right of rest for the buried person. Consequently, the abandonment of the grave in question by the municipality of Gries is in any case inadmissible," writes Hermann Hotter, the regional director of the OSK, in a letter to the municipality.

Memorial plaque to come
Because it is not 100 percent certain that the person in question was buried in this exact spot, a memorial plaque for Mr. Collonello Ruggero Manfredini should be placed "in a suitable and dignified place in the cemetery" if the grave is removed. This is what the municipality now wants to do - if the relatives do not put a spanner in the works. According to reports, the granddaughter from Tuscany has already been to Vinaders. She is said to be a judge ...