When talking about the horrors and atrocities of the Second World War, as a rule, we mean the acts of the Nazis. Torture of prisoners, concentration camps, genocide, extermination of civilians - the list of Nazi atrocities is inexhaustible.
However, one of the most terrible pages in the history of World War II was written in it by units of the Allied troops who liberated Europe from the Nazis. The French, and in fact the Moroccan expeditionary force received the title of the main scumbags of this war.
Moroccans in the Allied ranks
Several regiments of Moroccan Gumières fought as part of the French Expeditionary Force. Berbers, representatives of the native tribes of Morocco, were recruited into these units. The French army used Goumieres in Libya during World War II, where they fought Italian forces in 1940. Moroccan Gumiers also took part in the battles in Tunisia, which took place in 1942-1943.
In 1943, Allied troops landed in Sicily. By order of the Allied command, the Moroccan Gumiers were placed at the disposal of the 1st American Infantry Division. Some of them took part in the battles for the liberation of the island of Corsica from the Nazis. By November 1943, Moroccan soldiers were redeployed to the Italian mainland, where in May 1944 they crossed the Avrounque Mountains. Subsequently, regiments of Moroccan Gumiers took part in the liberation of France, and at the end of March 1945 they were the first to break into Germany from the Siegfried Line.
Why did the Moroccans go to fight in Europe?
The Gumiers rarely went into battle for reasons of patriotism - Morocco was under the protectorate of France, but they did not consider it their homeland. The main reason was the prospect of decent wages by the standards of the country, increased military prestige, and the manifestation of loyalty to the heads of their clans, who sent soldiers to fight.
The Gumer regiments were often recruited from the poorest inhabitants of the Maghreb, the mountaineers. Most of them were illiterate. French officers were supposed to play the role of wise advisers with them, replacing the authority of the tribal leaders.
How the Moroccan Gumiers fought
At least 22,000 Moroccan nationals took part in the battles of World War II. The permanent strength of the Moroccan regiments reached 12,000 people, with 1,625 soldiers killed in action and 7,500 wounded.
According to some historians, Moroccan warriors performed well in mountain battles, finding themselves in familiar surroundings. The homeland of the Berber tribes is the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, so the Gumiers tolerated transitions to the highlands well.
Other researchers are categorical: the Moroccans were average warriors, but they managed to surpass even the Nazis in the brutal killing of prisoners. The Gumiers could not and did not want to give up the ancient practice of cutting off the ears and noses of the corpses of enemies. But the main horror of the populated areas that Moroccan soldiers entered was the mass rape of civilians.
Liberators became rapists
The first news about the rape of Italian women by Moroccan soldiers was recorded on December 11, 1943, the day the Humiers landed in Italy. It was about four soldiers. French officers were unable to control the actions of the Gumiers. Historians note that "these were the first echoes of the behavior that would later be long associated with the Moroccans."
Already in March 1944, during de Gaulle’s first visit to the Italian front, local residents turned to him with an urgent request to return the Gumiers to Morocco. De Gaulle promised to involve them only as carabinieri to protect public order.
On May 17, 1944, American soldiers in one of the villages heard the desperate screams of raped women. According to their testimony, the Gumiers repeated what the Italians did in Africa. However, the allies were really shocked: the British report speaks of rapes by Gumiers right on the streets of women, little girls, teenagers of both sexes, as well as prisoners in prisons.
Moroccan horror at Monte Cassino
One of the most terrible deeds of the Moroccan Gumers in Europe is the story of the liberation of Monte Cassino from the Nazis. The Allies managed to capture this ancient abbey of central Italy on May 14, 1944. After their final victory at Cassino, the command announced “fifty hours of freedom” - the south of Italy was given over to the Moroccans for three days.
Historians testify that after the battle, the Moroccan Gumiers committed brutal pogroms in the surrounding villages. All the girls and women were raped, and even the teenage boys were not saved. Records from the German 71st Division record 600 rapes of women in the small town of Spigno in just three days.
More than 800 men were killed while trying to save their relatives, friends or neighbors. The pastor of the town of Esperia tried in vain to protect three women from the violence of Moroccan soldiers - the Gumeras tied the priest up and raped him all night, after which he soon died. The Moroccans also plundered and carried away everything that had any value.
The Moroccans chose the most beautiful girls for gang rape. Queues of gumiers lined up at each of them, wanting to have fun, while other soldiers held the unfortunate ones. Thus, two young sisters, 18 and 15 years old, were raped by more than 200 gumiers each. The younger sister died from injuries and ruptures, the eldest went crazy and was kept in a psychiatric hospital for 53 years until her death.
War on women
In the historical literature about the Apennine Peninsula, the time from the end of 1943 to May 1945 is called guerra al femminile - “the war on women.” During this period, French military courts initiated 160 criminal proceedings against 360 individuals. Death sentences and heavy punishments were imposed. In addition, many rapists who were taken by surprise were shot at the scene of the crime.
In Sicily, the Gumiers raped everyone they could capture. Partisans in some regions of Italy stopped fighting the Germans and began saving the surrounding villages from the Moroccans. The huge number of forced abortions and infections with sexually transmitted diseases had terrible consequences for many small villages and hamlets in the regions of Lazio and Tuscany.
The Italian writer Alberto Moravia wrote his most famous novel, Ciociara, in 1957, based on what he saw in 1943, when he and his wife were hiding in Ciociaria (a locality in the Lazio region). Based on the novel, the film “Chochara” (in English release – “Two Women”) was made in 1960 with Sophia Loren in the title role. The heroine and her young daughter, on the way to liberated Rome, stop to rest in the church of a small town. There they are attacked by several Moroccan Gumiers, who rape both of them.
Victim Testimonies
On April 7, 1952, testimonies from numerous victims were heard in the lower house of the Italian Parliament. Thus, the mother of 17-year-old Malinari Vella spoke about the events of May 27, 1944 in Valecorse: “We were walking along Monte Lupino Street and saw Moroccans. The soldiers were clearly attracted to young Malinari. We begged not to touch us, but they didn’t listen to anything. Two of them held me, the rest raped Malinari in turns. When the last one finished, one of the soldiers took out a pistol and shot my daughter.”
Elisabetta Rossi, 55, from the Farneta area, recalled: “I tried to protect my daughters, aged 18 and 17, but I was stabbed in the stomach. Bleeding, I watched as they were raped. A five-year-old boy, not understanding what was happening, rushed towards us. They fired several bullets into his stomach and threw him into a ravine. The next day the child died.”
Morocchinate
The atrocities that the Moroccan Gumiers committed in Italy for several months were given the name marocchinate by Italian historians, a derivative of the name of the home country of the rapists.
On October 15, 2011, the president of the National Association of Victims of Marocchinate, Emiliano Ciotti, assessed the scale of the incident: “From the numerous documents collected today, it is known that there have been at least 20,000 registered cases of violence. This number still does not reflect the truth - medical reports from those years report that two thirds of women raped, out of shame or modesty, chose not to report anything to the authorities. Taking a comprehensive assessment, we can confidently say that at least 60,000 women have been raped. On average, North African soldiers raped them in groups of two or three, but we also have testimonies from women raped by 100, 200 and even 300 soldiers,” Ciotti said.
Consequences
After the end of World War II, Moroccan goumieres were urgently returned to Morocco by the French authorities. On August 1, 1947, the Italian authorities sent an official protest to the French government. The answer was formal replies. The problem was raised again by the Italian leadership in 1951 and 1993. The question remains open to this day.
Testimonies of female victims from the official transcript of testimony in the lower house of the Italian Parliament. Meeting of April 7, 1952:
“Malinari Veglia, at the time of the events, she was 17 years old. Her mother gives testimony about the events of May 27, 1944, Valekorsa.
They were walking along the Monte Lupino street when they saw the "Moroccans". The warriors approached the women. They were clearly interested in young Malinari. The women began to beg not to do anything, but the soldiers did not understand them. While the two held the girl's mother, the others took turns raping her. When the last one finished, one of the “Moroccans” took out a pistol and shot Malinari.
Elisabetta Rossi, 55, Farneta, tells how, wounded in the stomach with a knife, she watched as her two daughters, 17 and 18 years old, were raped. She received the wound when she tried to protect them. A group of “Moroccans” left her nearby. The next victim was a five-year-old boy who rushed towards them, not understanding what was happening. The child was thrown into a ravine with five bullets in the stomach. A day later the baby died.
Emanuella Valente, May 25, 1944, Santa Lucia, was 70 years old. An elderly woman walked calmly down the street, sincerely thinking that her age would protect her from rape. But he turned out to be, rather, her opponent. When she was spotted by a group of young "Moroccans", Emanuella tried to run away from them. They caught up with her, knocked her down, and broke her wrists. After this, she was subjected to group abuse. She was infected with syphilis. She was ashamed and difficult to tell the doctors exactly what happened to her. The wrist remained injured for the rest of his life. She perceives her other illness as martyrdom.”
Did other allies or fascists know about the actions of the Franco-African Korps? Yes, since the Germans recorded their statistics, as mentioned above, and the Americans made offers to “get prostitutes.”
The final figures for the victims of the “war against women” vary: DWF magazine, No. 17 for 1993, cites the historian’s information about sixty thousand women raped in less than a year as a result of the “Moroccans” playing the role of police in southern Italy. This number is based on statements from victims. In addition, many women who, after such events, could no longer get married or continue a normal life, committed suicide and went crazy. These are outrageous stories. Antoni Collicki, who was 12 years old in 1944, writes: “... they entered the house, held a knife at the throats of the men, looked for women...”. What follows is the story of two sisters who were abused by two hundred “Moroccans.” As a result, one of the sisters died, the other ended up in a mental hospital.
On August 1, 1947, the Italian leadership submitted a protest to the French government. The answer is bureaucratic delays and chicanery. The issue was raised again in 1951 and in 1993. There is talk about the Islamic threat and intercultural communication. This question remains open to this day.
When talking about the horrors and atrocities of the Second World War, as a rule, we mean the acts of the Nazis. Torture of prisoners, concentration camps, genocide, extermination of civilians - the list of Nazi atrocities is inexhaustible.
However, one of the most terrible pages in the history of World War II was written in it by units of the Allied troops who liberated Europe from the Nazis. The French, and in fact the Moroccan expeditionary force received the title of the main scumbags of this war.
Moroccans in the Allied ranks
Several regiments of Moroccan Gumières fought as part of the French Expeditionary Force. Berbers, representatives of the native tribes of Morocco, were recruited into these units. The French army used Goumieres in Libya during World War II, where they fought Italian forces in 1940. Moroccan Gumiers also took part in the battles in Tunisia, which took place in 1942-1943.
In 1943, Allied troops landed in Sicily. By order of the Allied command, the Moroccan Gumiers were placed at the disposal of the 1st American Infantry Division. Some of them took part in the battles for the liberation of the island of Corsica from the Nazis. By November 1943, Moroccan soldiers were redeployed to the Italian mainland, where in May 1944 they crossed the Avrounque Mountains. Subsequently, regiments of Moroccan Gumiers took part in the liberation of France, and at the end of March 1945 they were the first to break into Germany from the Siegfried Line.
Why did the Moroccans go to fight in Europe?
The Gumiers rarely went into battle for reasons of patriotism - Morocco was under the protectorate of France, but they did not consider it their homeland. The main reason was the prospect of decent wages by the standards of the country, increased military prestige, and the manifestation of loyalty to the heads of their clans, who sent soldiers to fight.
The Gumer regiments were often recruited from the poorest inhabitants of the Maghreb, the mountaineers. Most of them were illiterate. French officers were supposed to play the role of wise advisers with them, replacing the authority of the tribal leaders.
How the Moroccan Gumiers fought
At least 22,000 Moroccan nationals took part in the battles of World War II. The permanent strength of the Moroccan regiments reached 12,000 people, with 1,625 soldiers killed in action and 7,500 wounded.
According to some historians, Moroccan warriors performed well in mountain battles, finding themselves in familiar surroundings. The homeland of the Berber tribes is the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, so the Gumiers tolerated transitions to the highlands well.
Other researchers are categorical: the Moroccans were average warriors, but they managed to surpass even the Nazis in the brutal killing of prisoners. The Gumiers could not and did not want to give up the ancient practice of cutting off the ears and noses of the corpses of enemies. But the main horror of the populated areas that Moroccan soldiers entered was the mass rape of civilians.
Liberators became rapists
The first news about the rape of Italian women by Moroccan soldiers was recorded on December 11, 1943, the day the Humiers landed in Italy. It was about four soldiers. French officers were unable to control the actions of the Gumiers. Historians note that "these were the first echoes of the behavior that would later be long associated with the Moroccans."
Already in March 1944, during de Gaulle’s first visit to the Italian front, local residents turned to him with an urgent request to return the Gumiers to Morocco. De Gaulle promised to involve them only as carabinieri to protect public order.
On May 17, 1944, American soldiers in one of the villages heard the desperate screams of raped women. According to their testimony, the Gumiers repeated what the Italians did in Africa. However, the allies were really shocked: the British report speaks of rapes by Gumiers right on the streets of women, little girls, teenagers of both sexes, as well as prisoners in prisons.
Moroccan horror at Monte Cassino
One of the most terrible deeds of the Moroccan Gumers in Europe is the story of the liberation of Monte Cassino from the Nazis. The Allies managed to capture this ancient abbey of central Italy on May 14, 1944. After their final victory at Cassino, the command announced “fifty hours of freedom” - the south of Italy was given over to the Moroccans for three days.
Historians testify that after the battle, the Moroccan Gumiers committed brutal pogroms in the surrounding villages. All the girls and women were raped, and even the teenage boys were not saved. Records from the German 71st Division record 600 rapes of women in the small town of Spigno in just three days.
More than 800 men were killed while trying to save their relatives, friends or neighbors. The pastor of the town of Esperia tried in vain to protect three women from the violence of Moroccan soldiers - the Gumeras tied the priest up and raped him all night, after which he soon died. The Moroccans also plundered and carried away everything that had any value.
The Moroccans chose the most beautiful girls for gang rape. Queues of gumiers lined up at each of them, wanting to have fun, while other soldiers held the unfortunate ones. Thus, two young sisters, 18 and 15 years old, were raped by more than 200 gumiers each. The younger sister died from injuries and ruptures, the eldest went crazy and was kept in a psychiatric hospital for 53 years until her death.
War on women
In the historical literature about the Apennine Peninsula, the time from the end of 1943 to May 1945 is called guerra al femminile - “the war on women.” During this period, French military courts initiated 160 criminal proceedings against 360 individuals. Death sentences and heavy punishments were imposed. In addition, many rapists who were taken by surprise were shot at the scene of the crime.
In Sicily, the Gumiers raped everyone they could capture. Partisans in some regions of Italy stopped fighting the Germans and began saving the surrounding villages from the Moroccans. The huge number of forced abortions and infections with sexually transmitted diseases had terrible consequences for many small villages and hamlets in the regions of Lazio and Tuscany.
The Italian writer Alberto Moravia wrote his most famous novel, Ciociara, in 1957, based on what he saw in 1943, when he and his wife were hiding in Ciociaria (a locality in the Lazio region). Based on the novel, the film “Chochara” (in English release – “Two Women”) was made in 1960 with Sophia Loren in the title role. The heroine and her young daughter, on the way to liberated Rome, stop to rest in the church of a small town. There they are attacked by several Moroccan Gumiers, who rape both of them.
Victim Testimonies
On April 7, 1952, testimonies from numerous victims were heard in the lower house of the Italian Parliament. Thus, the mother of 17-year-old Malinari Vella spoke about the events of May 27, 1944 in Valecorse: “We were walking along Monte Lupino Street and saw Moroccans. The soldiers were clearly attracted to young Malinari. We begged not to touch us, but they didn’t listen to anything. Two of them held me, the rest raped Malinari in turns. When the last one finished, one of the soldiers took out a pistol and shot my daughter.”
Elisabetta Rossi, 55, from the Farneta area, recalled: “I tried to protect my daughters, aged 18 and 17, but I was stabbed in the stomach. Bleeding, I watched as they were raped. A five-year-old boy, not understanding what was happening, rushed towards us. They fired several bullets into his stomach and threw him into a ravine. The next day the child died.”
Morocchinate
The atrocities that the Moroccan Gumiers committed in Italy for several months were given the name marocchinate by Italian historians, a derivative of the name of the home country of the rapists.
On October 15, 2011, the president of the National Association of Victims of Marocchinate, Emiliano Ciotti, assessed the scale of the incident: “From the numerous documents collected today, it is known that there have been at least 20,000 registered cases of violence. This number still does not reflect the truth - medical reports from those years report that two thirds of women raped, out of shame or modesty, chose not to report anything to the authorities. Taking a comprehensive assessment, we can confidently say that at least 60,000 women have been raped. On average, North African soldiers raped them in groups of two or three, but we also have testimonies from women raped by 100, 200 and even 300 soldiers,” Ciotti said.
Consequences
After the end of World War II, Moroccan goumieres were urgently returned to Morocco by the French authorities. On August 1, 1947, the Italian authorities sent an official protest to the French government. The answer was formal replies. The problem was raised again by the Italian leadership in 1951 and 1993. The question remains open to this day.
When talking about the horrors and atrocities of the Second World War, as a rule, we mean the acts of the Nazis. Torture of prisoners, concentration camps, genocide, extermination of civilians - the list of Nazi atrocities is inexhaustible.
However, one of the most terrible pages in the history of World War II was written in it by units of the Allied troops who liberated Europe from the Nazis. The French, and in fact the Moroccan expeditionary force received the title of the main scumbags of this war.
Moroccans in the Allied ranks
Several regiments of Moroccan Gumiers fought as part of the French Expeditionary Force. Berbers, representatives of the native tribes of Morocco, were recruited into these units. The French army used Goumieres in Libya during World War II, where they fought Italian forces in 1940. Moroccan Gumiers also took part in the battles in Tunisia, which took place in 1942-1943.
In 1943, Allied troops landed in Sicily. By order of the Allied command, the Moroccan Gumiers were placed at the disposal of the 1st American Infantry Division. Some of them took part in the battles for the liberation of the island of Corsica from the Nazis. By November 1943, Moroccan soldiers were redeployed to the Italian mainland, where in May 1944 they crossed the Avrounque Mountains. Subsequently, regiments of Moroccan Gumiers took part in the liberation of France, and at the end of March 1945 they were the first to break into Germany from the Siegfried Line.
Why did the Moroccans go to fight in Europe?
The Gumiers rarely went into battle for reasons of patriotism - Morocco was under the protectorate of France, but they did not consider it their homeland. The main reason was the prospect of decent wages by the standards of the country, increased military prestige, and the manifestation of loyalty to the heads of their clans, who sent soldiers to fight.
The Gumer regiments were often recruited from the poorest inhabitants of the Maghreb, the mountaineers. Most of them were illiterate. French officers were supposed to play the role of wise advisers with them, replacing the authority of the tribal leaders.
How the Moroccan Gumiers fought
At least 22,000 Moroccan nationals took part in the battles of World War II. The permanent strength of the Moroccan regiments reached 12,000 people, with 1,625 soldiers killed in action and 7,500 wounded.
According to some historians, Moroccan warriors performed well in mountain battles, finding themselves in familiar surroundings. The homeland of the Berber tribes is the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, so the Gumiers tolerated transitions to the highlands well.
Other researchers are categorical: the Moroccans were average warriors, but they managed to surpass even the Nazis in the brutal killing of prisoners. The Gumiers could not and did not want to give up the ancient practice of cutting off the ears and noses of the corpses of enemies. But the main horror of the populated areas that Moroccan soldiers entered was the mass rape of civilians.
Liberators became rapists
The first news about the rape of Italian women by Moroccan soldiers was recorded on December 11, 1943, the day the Humiers landed in Italy. It was about four soldiers. French officers were unable to control the actions of the Gumiers. Historians note that "these were the first echoes of the behavior that would later be long associated with the Moroccans."
Already in March 1944, during de Gaulle’s first visit to the Italian front, local residents turned to him with an urgent request to return the Gumiers to Morocco. De Gaulle promised to involve them only as carabinieri to protect public order.
On May 17, 1944, American soldiers in one of the villages heard the desperate screams of raped women. According to their testimony, the Gumiers repeated what the Italians did in Africa. However, the allies were really shocked: the British report speaks of rapes by Gumiers right on the streets of women, little girls, teenagers of both sexes, as well as prisoners in prisons.
Moroccan horror at Monte Cassino
One of the most terrible deeds of the Moroccan Gumers in Europe is the story of the liberation of Monte Cassino from the Nazis. The Allies managed to capture this ancient abbey of central Italy on May 14, 1944. After their final victory at Cassino, the command announced “fifty hours of freedom” - the south of Italy was given over to the Moroccans for three days.
Historians testify that after the battle, the Moroccan Gumiers committed brutal pogroms in the surrounding villages. All the girls and women were raped, and even the teenage boys were not saved. Records from the German 71st Division record 600 rapes of women in the small town of Spigno in just three days.
More than 800 men were killed while trying to save their relatives, friends or neighbors. The pastor of the town of Esperia tried in vain to protect three women from the violence of Moroccan soldiers - the Gumeras tied the priest up and raped him all night, after which he soon died. The Moroccans also plundered and carried away everything that had any value.
The Moroccans chose the most beautiful girls for gang rape. Queues of gumiers lined up at each of them, wanting to have fun, while other soldiers held the unfortunate ones. Thus, two young sisters, 18 and 15 years old, were raped by more than 200 gumiers each. The younger sister died from injuries and ruptures, the eldest went crazy and was kept in a psychiatric hospital for 53 years until her death.
War on women
In the historical literature about the Apennine Peninsula, the time from the end of 1943 to May 1945 is called guerra al femminile - “the war on women.” During this period, French military courts initiated 160 criminal proceedings against 360 individuals. Death sentences and heavy punishments were imposed. In addition, many rapists who were taken by surprise were shot at the scene of the crime.
In Sicily, the Gumiers raped everyone they could capture. Partisans in some regions of Italy stopped fighting the Germans and began saving the surrounding villages from the Moroccans. The huge number of forced abortions and infections with sexually transmitted diseases had terrible consequences for many small villages and hamlets in the regions of Lazio and Tuscany.
The Italian writer Alberto Moravia wrote his most famous novel, Ciociara, in 1957, based on what he saw in 1943, when he and his wife were hiding in Ciociaria (a locality in the Lazio region). Based on the novel, the film “Chochara” (in English release - “Two Women”) was shot in 1960 with Sophia Loren in the title role. The heroine and her young daughter, on the way to liberated Rome, stop to rest in the church of a small town. There they are attacked by several Moroccan Gumiers, who rape both of them.
Victim Testimonies
On April 7, 1952, testimonies from numerous victims were heard in the lower house of the Italian Parliament. Thus, the mother of 17-year-old Malinari Vella spoke about the events of May 27, 1944 in Valecorse: “We were walking along Monte Lupino Street and saw Moroccans. The soldiers were clearly attracted to young Malinari. We begged not to touch us, but they didn’t listen to anything. Two of them held me, the rest raped Malinari in turns. When the last one finished, one of the soldiers took out a pistol and shot my daughter.”
Elisabetta Rossi, 55, from the Farneta area, recalled: “I tried to protect my daughters, aged 18 and 17, but I was stabbed in the stomach. Bleeding, I watched as they were raped. A five-year-old boy, not understanding what was happening, rushed towards us. They fired several bullets into his stomach and threw him into a ravine. The next day the child died.”
The atrocities that the Moroccan Gumiers committed in Italy for several months were given the name marocchinate by Italian historians - a derivative of the name of the home country of the rapists.
On October 15, 2011, the president of the National Association of Victims of Marocchinate, Emiliano Ciotti, assessed the scale of the incident: “From the numerous documents collected today, it is known that there have been at least 20,000 registered cases of violence. This number still does not reflect the truth - medical reports from those years report that two thirds of women raped, out of shame or modesty, chose not to report anything to the authorities. Taking a comprehensive assessment, we can confidently say that at least 60,000 women have been raped. On average, North African soldiers raped them in groups of two or three, but we also have testimonies from women raped by 100, 200 and even 300 soldiers,” Ciotti noted.
Consequences
After the end of World War II, Moroccan goumieres were urgently returned to Morocco by the French authorities. On August 1, 1947, the Italian authorities sent an official protest to the French government. The answer was formal replies. The problem was raised again by the Italian leadership in 1951 and 1993. The question remains open to this day.
What are your first associations when it comes to crimes during World War II? Many will say that these are the atrocities of the Nazis, who perpetrated the Holocaust, mercilessly tortured prisoners in concentration camps, and forcibly took women from occupied countries.
Of course, Soviet soldiers, as well as Allied troops, committed human rights violations. No one is sinless; in any army there will be scoundrels for whom the law is unwritten. Our soldiers devastated Germany after the victory, filled with righteous rage for what the Nazis had previously done.
Who can be the most cruel and inhumane, deaf and blind to the pleas of the civilian population? Will a person begin to destroy everything he sees? More ruthless Moroccan gumiers there was no one in that bloody war.
The French recruited fighters from their colonies in Tunisia and Morocco, and then used them in the battles of the First World War. The services of Arab mercenaries had to be resorted to again when Germany attacked France.
In 1940, the mountain tribes of the Gumiers fought the Italians in Libya, then they were sent to Tunisia. In 1943, these fighters landed in Italy, and in 1945 they liberated France.
Gumiers joined the French army solely for the money. The tribes were formally subordinate to the Sultan of Morocco, who received his share for supplying people to the troops. The Moroccans were illiterate, but incredibly resilient and strong. The French instructors tried to cope with them, but this did not always work.
22 thousand Moroccan citizens took part in World War II, more than one and a half thousand of them died, and 7 and a half thousand were injured.
Some researchers note the fighting qualities and courage of the Moroccans, while others are inclined to believe that they were worthless soldiers due to extreme disorganization and lack of discipline. All historians agree on one thing: the Gumiers were the most cruel of all participants in that war.
The first case of humiers’ abuse of Italian women recorded on the day soldiers landed on the Apennine Peninsula, December 11, 1943. The French officers could not stop their charges. This was just the beginning.
When Charles de Gaulle arrived on the Italian front in March 1944, local residents tearfully begged to take the savages back to Morocco.
In 1944, both the French and the Americans, to whom the Gumiers were formally subordinate, clutched their heads: there were so many cases of the use of physical force that they barely had time to document them. The Moroccans took women, teenagers and children of both sexes by force on the streets, claiming that the Italians did the same in their homeland.
After defeating the Nazis at the Battle of Monte Cassino, the French made a terrible mistake: gave the soldiers 50 hours of freedom of any action. The Gumiers immediately took advantage of the opportunity, defeating the south of Italy. German reports tell us of 600 female casualties in the small town of Spigno alone in three days.
Men who tried to stand up for their wives, mothers and children said goodbye to their lives. The Moroccans grabbed everything of value, but most of all they were interested in churches. Yes, they decided punish the pastor the city of Esperia, which sheltered the surviving girls. The poor fellow was severely beaten, after which he died.
The most beautiful girls also became victims of abuse. Two sisters, 15 and 18 years old, had the misfortune of being caught by savages. The younger one died after her injuries, and the older one went crazy, spending the rest of her life in a mental hospital.
Italian historians called these events " war on women" However, the French did not sit with folded hands. Their tribunal examined more than 160 criminal cases of abuse of women, and death sentences were handed down. French officers sometimes shot stunned Gumiers right on the streets, but this did not help.
Italian partisans even gave up fighting the Nazis in order to resist the Gumeras and save civilians. Writer Alberto Moravia wrote in 1957 novel "Chochara", describing these events. In 1960, it was made into a movie of the same name. film with Sophia Loren starring.
In 2011 National Association of Marocchinate Victims(as the Italians called the crimes of the Moroccans) estimated that there were more than 20 thousand registered cases of the use of physical force. However, Italian women were ashamed to talk about this; according to statistics, only a third of the victims sought help.
