Breaking From the Enemy by J. R. Sharp

Author:J. R. Sharp
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-63393-701-7
Publisher: Koehler Books
Published: 2018-02-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

IN THE SUMMER OF 1942, just about all the regular Italian forces in Rome were gone. The Germans ran the city with only a few senior Italian officers. There were a few essential Italian soldiers as well—mostly men like Gino and Giacomo spared from the battlefront to make sure the city ran normally. For the most part, Rome was a Nazi playground.

Gino and Giacomo worked directly for the Germans. Only one senior Italian officer, Colonel Specca, remained in charge of their unit, and he was mostly a figurehead. There were benefits for working directly for the Germans, and the two men used it to their advantage. As long as electricity was running fine in their buildings and hotels, the Germans left the electricians alone.

All the other wounded Italian soldiers who had shared the barracks with them were long gone. Gino and Giacomo had the run of the place. Only the severely wounded Italians were spared the long journey to the Eastern Front. Some were lucky enough to be sent back home because the Italian army and Germans had no use for them and didn’t want the expense of caring for them. They were more of a burden than an asset to Mussolini’s conquering dreams.

***

“We need to get going, Gino. We have a lot of territory to cover today, and the Germans want to make sure they’re getting their electricity. Plus, we need to stop by the German compound and get our new assignments. Hopefully they haven’t asked us to join the fight in the Eastern Front,” Giacomo said as he dressed for the day’s events.

Gino noticed his friend was moving better than he did when they first met, but Gino didn’t say anything to the lumbering oaf. Giacomo’s vision was still a factor. Gino grew tired of driving every day. He couldn’t count how many times Giacomo had fallen asleep in the car as they moved around the city fixing just about any problem that needed their attention. They were even tasked with work unrelated to electricity, but they didn’t care as long as they were not on the front fighting.

“You know, I haven’t been back since my wife had the baby. I wonder if the Germans would let me go on leave to see them?” asked Gino.

Giacomo tied his boots, raised his head and replied, “I am sure they’ll let you go up north while the problems of Rome are on hold. No, they would undoubtedly send us to the front before allowing us any leave. We have discussed this many times in past. It’s best to see what happens in the near future before we try to get back home. Now get dressed. I am hungry and want to eat before we head to the compound.”

It was still cold in the mornings, but the afternoons were pleasant enough to leave their jackets in the sedan as they went from job to job.

Just before the German compound, Gino stopped the car in front of their favorite pastry store—the German Army Galley, which opened around the same time as the Germans took over the city.

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