Nicola Bellomo

July 2008 (edit|talk|history|links|watch|logs)

Nicola Bellomo (Bari, Apulia, Italy, February 2, 1881 – Island of Nisida, Naples, Italy September 11, 1945) was a general in the Italian Army during World War II. He was tried for war crimes at a courts martial for the murder of a British prisoner of war, and was found responsible. He was one of the few Italian commissioned officers prosecuted for a war crime, and the only one to be executed by a British-controlled court.

Career

Military service

As a career officer in the Italian Army, Bellomo came from the regular class of the Italian Military Academy of Modena. At the outbreak of World War I, he held the rank of Artillery Captain. During that war, he was awarded the Italian Military Order for gallantry in action. He left active duty in 1936, and was reactivated in 1941, when he was assigned as commander of the XII MVSN Zone, and Bari province.

Shooting of prisoners

On November 30, 1941, two British prisoners of war, Captain George Playne of the Royal Armoured Corps and Lieutenant Roy Cooke, escaped from Torre Tresca POW detention camp, but were recaptured a few hours later. According to the results of the Italian Army investigation board, when they were brought back to the camp, Bellomo was already waiting for them. He wanted to personally investigate the course of events leading to their escape, and asked the two British officers to show him the location from which they had launched their plan. Again the two British prisoners took their chances to escape, although this time, Italian sentries opened fire, killing Captain Playne^[1] and wounding Lieutenant Cooke. The investigation into the incident saw no misconduct on Bellomo's part.^{[citation needed]}

1943 armistice

On September 9, 1943, a day after the armistice, Bellomo formed a makeshift Italian force to counterattack German forces that tried to occupy the port of Bari. Bellomo was wounded, but the action was successful, as the Italians forced the Germans to retreat, leaving the port facilities intact. This allowed the safe and undisturbed landing of British troops on September 22, 1943 under Italian Army protection. A British force quickly moved north to Foggia, which they took on September 27, and by the end of the month, the entire Apulia region and most of southern Italy were secured by Allied forces. Winston Churchill said 'September was a handful month for allied armies'. In the meantime, Bellomo kept his position as commander of the XII MVSN Zone in Bari.

Shortly afterward, he was detained and arrested by the British military authority and charged with murder and attempted murder for his actions in shooting the two British POWs.

War crimes trial

On January 28, 1944, Bellomo was placed under arrest by British Military Police and charged with 'shooting or ordering to shoot two British officers, causing the death of one of them and the wounding of the other one.' Lieutenant Cooke, the surviving prisoner, filed a report against Bellomo on June 5, 1945. The following weeks, Bellomo was moved around several Allied POW camps, namely in Grumo Appula, Padula and Afragola. On July 14, 1945, Bellomo received formal communication of his trial. The court martial took place on July 28, 1945, and within an hour, he was sentenced to death. Bellomo was executed by a firing squad on the Island of Nisida north of Naples on September 11, 1945. At that time, the island was occupied by British Army and used by them as a prison facility.

Italian award

In 1951 the new Italian Government posthumously awarded Bellomo the Italian Silver Medal for his role in the defense of the seaport of Bari.

References

1. ^ CWGC entry

• "Italy Betrayed", New York 1966, Peter Tompkins.
• “Closing the ring” The second World War, vol.5. Winston Churchill

Persondata
Name	Bellomo, Nicola
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 2, 1881
Place of birth
Date of death	September 11, 1945
Place of death