Der Mütter der Toten

[Tora_Tora_Tora!]

This is an uncommon thread not related to a soldier but to an italian woman who made a great and incredible effort to save hundreds of german soldier corpses immediately after the war.

Her name was Lucia Apicella, better known as Mutter der Toten.

She was a middle aged peasant from cava dei Tirreni who in 1946, decided to save and rescue all the bodies of the germans dead soldiers giving them a proper burial and a name due she sent all the personal effect to the relatives of those gefallen men. In her life she "saved" more than 700 corpses and in 1951 the german government invited her in Germany and gave the Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland for what she has done.
It is really incredible how she taken care of the bodies, she washed them she cleaned them still from the attached flesh and put the bones into zync boxes bought by herself!!!

Lucia died in 1982.

A real "mother".......incredible.....

[Tora_Tora_Tora!]

Please apologies for the bad translation but no time to do personally, I used an on line translator....


"Song 'tutt' figl ' e Mamma" (All of them are son of a Mother) was the simple but succinct answer that woman, at once humble and strong, who told her to let go, it was time wasted at risk in order to bury the dead German soldiers in combat. After all this was still the enemy, soldiers who had lost the war and, you know, people never kind to the vanquished. It was after the war, the political passions inflamed the hearts and hatred of the factions did not stop even before death, and his attitude could be mistaken as the fascist legacy. Yet Lucia Apicella, the name of that woman who had recently passed the age of 50, collected and reassembled the remains of fallen Anglo-Americans, but they were a small number. It made no difference in uniforms or flags, you, before death. But as he started the whole thing? Lucia Apicella was born and spent his youth in St. Archangel of Cava de 'Tirreni in the province of Salerno. Here he opened a small shop of fruits and vegetables and from this modest activity gets the meager sustenance to live. Her life as a commoner passes without bumps, between that and his negoziuccio nearby church, where he went to pray whenever he can, being very religious, even when Quarry is located on the front line of the strongpoint even before the war. Avalanche are the days of the Allied landings on the Sele plain south of Salerno. One of the columns has to happen for the Anglo-American, which aims to rapidly occupy Naples, is the SS 18, which passes right through the center of the area enclosed between the mountains of Cava. The battle is inevitable arrest. It will be violent and bloody. On September 23, 1943 began the onslaught on the X Board Anglo-American Division Herman Goering stood at Cava. The air raids open up gaps in the ranks of German frightening, even more than the guns off. Eventually the British Commandos force the pass of Molina di Vietri, which leads to Cava. Now it is the same quarry to be fully invested in the fighting. The battle raged with varying fortunes, then the Germans begin withdrawal. The hundreds of casualties among the crags and ravines of the mountains Cavesi, testify to the courage and tenacity of tedecshi. From his workshop Lucia Apicella saw them go in their uniforms terrible. They are young, are the parts of Goering, always bled in many battles and always reconstituted. Have they already face in the twenty and the pallor of death. They go to take a stand against the advancing enemy, and many of them will not return as return dozens of winners, but they will be given proper burial. For the Germans, no, there was no time are under the ground or even a handful of unburied for days. Then everything goes, even the distant roar of cannon and life resumes. For her, the young men, went to the slaughter, they were all "children of Mom" and of the habits of his day are struck by a skull of young people using a ball. The re-pass over the sad eyes of that tragic day in September of '43. He sees the young men who march and that they already face in the pallor of death. Until one night has a vision. Sees in a dream a clearing, the clearing eight crosses torn. Then appear the eight German soldiers, who, in a broken Italian, to beg to return their remains to their mothers in Germany. This vision radically changes the life of Lucia Apicella. The humble, timid, uneducated working-class woman becomes a strong and willful. It begins its mission. Hard and terrible, it takes your breath and, if it were not for his deep faith, even in retrospect. The first remains they discovered in a cave near Castle Mountain. Thirteen bodies stacked in bulk. And you recompose the bodies decaying. To preserve platelets, photos, documents and whatever else could serve, in the future to identify families of origin of those poor young people. Anyone else deal with that first tremendous impact, would have surrendered. Lucia Apicella not, continue. In places Arcara, 25 other deaths. Again her hands reunite, wash the bodies mangled. Then forward again to ask, to interrogate. It's only been a couple of years since the days of the fighting and many still remember with precision and indicates to the woman, now dressed in black, the bodies of fallen soldiers. But sarcastic smile, that woman must be crazy. But she, unconcerned, goes on. In Santa Maria Tuoro, 18 more bodies. In a field planted with potatoes Montoro, as many as 50 dead at one time, lined up as for a final parade. It still remains in Santa Croce, the Cava and still in Monte San Liberatore, Pineta La Serra, Monte Pertuso, the Mountain State Property. Buy boxes of zinc and moves on him risking his life when the dead are still explosive devices. Later confessed that he had delivered since the beginning of his mission, in the hands of God (especially for bombs). There are also hygiene problems for the non-mineralization of dead bodies: too little time has elapsed. On July 16, 1946 the City Council of Cava the grantor care and care of two gravediggers who soon refuse. So Mamma Lucia is alone again. Asks for help from her friend, Carmela Sparrow, who bravely does not flinch. The boxes of zinc, which lays a mother's love with the mortal remains of the soldiers are transported in the Church of Santa Maria della Pieta. And 'the oldest church in the village Scacciaventi of Cava and a worthier shrine Mamma Lucia could not find for his "children. At the end of his mission has collected the remains of more than 700 dead. Huge collection of platelets also recognition, documents, photos, allowing the translation of many who fell to their original homes. Before the national press, then the appropriate international interested. Now not only his native city he loves and admires. But all of Italy , All of Europe, the whole world. Lucia Apicella, in his infinite goodness, she managed to be the living symbol of the Sorrowful Mother, mourning his lost son in war. And she truly felt the mother of all boys, whose bones lay in those boxes and on each of them had shed tears. A mother who was able to go beyond the uniforms, the flags as well. On 4 August 1951, she had never asked for anything, she was invited to Germany by the Government to receive the highest honor of the Cross of Merit from the Germanic Chancellor Richard Heuss. For the Germans became a popular figure. Everyone affectionately called "Mama or Mother Luzia der Toten." The streets were paved with flowers; German mothers, who do not they never see their children, made them pay tribute. Mamma Lucia wept, wept in Wagner's house, where he went to bring the remains of their son Josef, found on Mount San Liberatore. Meanwhile Stuttgart Radio broadcast: "A people that has generated the world a "Mama Lucia" deserves all our love, our gratitude, all the honor that we are capable. "On June 2, 1959, feast of the republic, the President Giovanni Gronchi confers the honor of Commenda Merit of the Republic. To his great humanitarian work in 1950 was also awarded the Prize of Goodness "Christmas Night" and on July 20, 1951 was received in private audience by His Holiness Pope Pius XII, who at the instigation of the Bishop of Quarry, Bishop Marchesani, it approved the work, calling it "Christian charity." The city of Salerno appointed honorary citizen. Finally his quarry, so proud of her daughter, gives her a scroll that has publicly proclaimed his admiration of the whole community for his work. not enough to prop up his little shrine that the earthquake of 80 is declared unfit for use and which will not put more ground. When he dies the whole town of Cava is incredulous and bewildered. E 'a piece of history that is gone. The funeral, with unanimous City Council are public and solemn, with the funeral staged in the Town Hall. Here the whole town goes to pay tribute to Mamma Lucia, exposed a glass coffin. It takes two days to drain the whole stream of people, composed of people of every age and wealth. many years have passed and Cava de 'Tirreni has never forgotten his Mamma Lucia. Already his bronze bust is placed in the courtyard of the elementary school "Don Bosco" in Corso Mazzini and recently there is a vast movement coalescing of opinion to give the city a monument for Mamma Lucia.

[Tora_Tora_Tora!]

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[Tora_Tora_Tora!]

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[Tora_Tora_Tora!]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDOeg1PBSMc

[Pepe77]

Very interesting story, thx for sharing

[Tora_Tora_Tora!]

Very interesting story, thx for sharing

Thanks to you,Joseph,for your post and attention!

[DaveNZ]

very interesting thread: i had not heard about this woman before

thanks for posting

dave

[Annelie]

Thankyou, its a story that should told.

[TrondK]

Thank you for posting this. What a wonderful woman.

[Annelie]

Lovely story, thankyou for sharing.

Sometimes "simple people" have easier time
discerning what is right and this women knew.
Bless her.

[B-24 Liberator]

Another fantastic example of the infrequent humanity (versus the inhumanity) that often plagues wars such as this!

[Graham G]

Amazing, thanks for poasting. sad she never got the recognition she deserved.

[blinky]

One thing that always stands true: A mom is a mom......no matter what nationality, religion, race or politics

[Tora_Tora_Tora!]

Another fantastic example of the infrequent humanity (versus the inhumanity) that often plagues wars such as this!

I think that this is a real resume' of what this Lady done in her life in spite the fact she was mother or not. I really believe, and this give me an enormous happiness, that there are people in the world who do something for the real benefit of other people and stories like this must be teached to young people.

History is not only a war description, a famous battle or an heoric General....History is really done by people and Lucia was a great and wise example of human being.

Thank you to you all, I am so happy that you liked this story.