Defending the Vatican: The Palatine Guard and the German Occupation of Rome in World War II

The few accounts of the pope’s Palatine Guard in World War II uncritically extol the performance of this obscure military unit, emphasizing the loyalty and commitment of its members and applauding its service during the German occupation of Rome. The wartime records of the Guard, newly available at...

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Main Author: David Alvarez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Gruppo editoriale Tab S.r.l. 2024-10-01
Series:Nuova Antologia Militare
Online Access:https://www.tabedizioni.it/web/content/350603
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author David Alvarez
author_facet David Alvarez
author_sort David Alvarez
collection DOAJ
description The few accounts of the pope’s Palatine Guard in World War II uncritically extol the performance of this obscure military unit, emphasizing the loyalty and commitment of its members and applauding its service during the German occupation of Rome. The wartime records of the Guard, newly available at the Archivio Apostolico Vaticano, allow a more nuanced and comprehensive appraisal. These records reveal a purely ceremonial unit struggling, not always successfully, to transform into an operational military force whose performance in the face of the German threat to Vatican City was constrained by deficiencies in discipline, training, and equipment.
format Article
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publisher Gruppo editoriale Tab S.r.l.
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series Nuova Antologia Militare
spelling doaj-art-c1f585d366ce488192b925b4117ad1502025-08-20T01:56:52ZengGruppo editoriale Tab S.r.l.Nuova Antologia Militare2704-97952024-10-0152048351410.36158/978889295989713Defending the Vatican: The Palatine Guard and the German Occupation of Rome in World War IIDavid Alvarez0University of AThe few accounts of the pope’s Palatine Guard in World War II uncritically extol the performance of this obscure military unit, emphasizing the loyalty and commitment of its members and applauding its service during the German occupation of Rome. The wartime records of the Guard, newly available at the Archivio Apostolico Vaticano, allow a more nuanced and comprehensive appraisal. These records reveal a purely ceremonial unit struggling, not always successfully, to transform into an operational military force whose performance in the face of the German threat to Vatican City was constrained by deficiencies in discipline, training, and equipment.https://www.tabedizioni.it/web/content/350603
spellingShingle David Alvarez
Defending the Vatican: The Palatine Guard and the German Occupation of Rome in World War II
Nuova Antologia Militare
title Defending the Vatican: The Palatine Guard and the German Occupation of Rome in World War II
title_full Defending the Vatican: The Palatine Guard and the German Occupation of Rome in World War II
title_fullStr Defending the Vatican: The Palatine Guard and the German Occupation of Rome in World War II
title_full_unstemmed Defending the Vatican: The Palatine Guard and the German Occupation of Rome in World War II
title_short Defending the Vatican: The Palatine Guard and the German Occupation of Rome in World War II
title_sort defending the vatican the palatine guard and the german occupation of rome in world war ii
url https://www.tabedizioni.it/web/content/350603
work_keys_str_mv AT davidalvarez defendingthevaticanthepalatineguardandthegermanoccupationofromeinworldwarii