Vatican City pursued a policy of neutrality during World War II, under the leadership of Pope Pius XII. Although the city of Rome was occupied by Germany from Sept 1943 and the Allies from June 1944, Vatican City itself was not occupied.
The Vatican City State is a neutral nation, which has not engaged in any war since its formation in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty.
On October 13, 1943, the government of Italy declares war on its former Axis partner Germany and joins the battle on the side of the Allies. It became a fact on September 8, with the new Italian government allowing the Allies to land in Salerno, in southern Italy, in its quest to beat the Germans back up the peninsula.
In the 110,000 sorties that comprised the Allied Rome air campaign, 600 aircraft were lost and 3,600 air crew members died; 60,000 tons of bombs were dropped in the 78 days before Rome was captured by the Allies on June 4, 1944.
| Bombing of Rome |
|---|
| 600 aircraft shot down 3,600 air crew | 40,000 civilians |
| Location within Italy |
Operation Felix. The Germans had planned an attack on Gibraltar, codenamed Operation Felix, which was never initiated. It included the potential invasion of Portugal if the British gained a foothold and considered the occupation of Madeira and of the Azores.
Women account for approximately 5.5% of the citizenry of Vatican City. According to the Herald Sun in March 2011, there were only 32 females out of 572 citizens issued with Vatican passports. One of them was a nun. The majority of Vatican women at the time were from Italy.
On December 11, 1941, Italy declared war on the United States in response to the latter's declaration of war upon the Empire of Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor four days earlier. Germany also declared war on the U.S. the same day.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “The only thing worse than having allies is not having them.” In World War II, the three great Allied powers—Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union—formed a Grand Alliance that was the key to victory.
Total deaths by country
| Country | Total population 1/1/1939 | Total deaths |
|---|
| Iraq | 3,698,000 | 700 |
| Ireland | 2,960,000 | 100 |
| Italy (in postwar 1947 borders) | 44,394,000 | 492,400 to 514,000 |
| Japan | 71,380,000 | 2,500,000 to 3,100,000 |
It is estimated that between September 1943 and April 1945, 60,000–70,000 Allied and 38,805–150,660 German soldiers died in Italy. The number of Allied casualties was about 320,000 and the German figure (excluding those involved in the final surrender) was over 330,000.
In April 1945, the Allies of World War II advanced in the Po plain supported by the Italian resistance movement, and defeated the fascist Italian Social Republic, a puppet state instituted by Nazi Germany and headed by Benito Mussolini. The House of Savoy, the Italian royal family, was exiled.
On the Fall of Rome - June 5, 1944. Yesterday, on June fourth, 1944, Rome fell to American and Allied troops. The first of the Axis capitals is now in our hands. One up and two to go!
Severe damage was inflicted on the Colosseum by the great earthquake in 1349, causing the outer south side, lying on a less stable alluvial terrain, to collapse. Much of the tumbled stone was reused to build palaces, churches, hospitals and other buildings elsewhere in Rome.
The Vatican's history as the seat of the Catholic Church began with the construction of a basilica over St. Peter's grave in Rome in the 4th century A.D. The area developed into a popular pilgrimage site and commercial district, although it was abandoned following the move of the papal court to France in 1309.
What year was the Colosseum built in Rome?
| Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki |
|---|
| Date August 6 and August 9, 1945 Location Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan Result Allied victory |
| Belligerents |
| United States Manhattan Project: United Kingdom Canada | Japan |
| Commanders and leaders |
The Colosseum, also named the Flavian Amphitheater, is a large amphitheater in Rome. It was built during the reign of the Flavian emperors as a gift to the Roman people. Aside from the games, the Colosseum also hosted dramas, reenactments, and even public executions. Eventually, the Romans' interest in the games waned.
When did World War 2 End?
September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945
The Germans too snapped into action. Ever since Mussolini had begun to falter, Hitler had been making plans to invade Italy to keep the Allies from gaining a foothold that would situate them within easy reach of the German-occupied Balkans. On September 8, Hitler launched Operation Axis, the occupation of Italy.
Italy joined the war as one of the Axis Powers in 1940, as the French Third Republic surrendered, with a plan to concentrate Italian forces on a major offensive against the British Empire in Africa and the Middle East, known as the "parallel war", while expecting the collapse of British forces in the European theatre.
The Corpo Aereo Italiano (literally, "Italian Air Corps"), or CAI, was an expeditionary force from the Italian Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) that participated in the Battle of Britain and the Blitz during the final months of 1940 during World War II.
1945 uprisingTurin and Milan were liberated on April 25 through a popular revolt and Italian Resistance insurrection following a general strike that commenced two days earlier; over 14,000 German and Fascist troops were captured in Genoa on April 26–27, when General Günther Meinhold surrendered to the CLN.
During World War II the Italian city of Naples suffered approximately 200 air raids by the Allies from 1940 to 1944; only Milan was attacked more frequently. The first bombing raid on Naples was on 1 November 1940.
In 838 the Basilica di Santa Tecla was founded next to the first church, but in 1075 a fire devastated both buildings and a few centuries later, the Duomo was established in the same location. The construction of Milan Cathedral began in 1386, which coincided with Gian Galeazzo Visconti coming into power.
