“We have army rations,” Fred said. “Wine, grappa and the cheese are welcome. Boiled water for coffee would be good.”
“You fought today?" the old man said. “Faraway, I heard firing.”
“Today, we won,” the major said.
“That is good,” the old man said. “But for every German you killed, they will take hostages from the people around here and kill them. It is the rastrellamenti. Rapresaglia? I heard that it is ten Italians for every dead soldier. Maybe they will kill me.”
“We must fight them,” the major said.
The old man shrugged.
“Yes, we must fight them.”
* * *
Fred and Dante heard this exchange. Fred had been in the army since 1939 and took part in the fighting at Dunkirk, North Africa, and Sicily. For Fred, it was a practical issue. The way to put a stop to German and Fascist reprisa
