Paolo Crivelli
Thirteen-year-old Paolo Crivelli lives with his mother and elder sister in a large house in the hills surrounding Florence. He dreams of adventure and is determined to play his part in liberating the city from the Nazi occupation.
His wish comes true, unexpectedly, when he is riding his beloved bicycle home one night and is ambushed by a group of Partisans who have an urgent message for his mother. Paolo finds himself dragged into a war that is much more thrilling, and far more terrifying, than anything he could possibly have imagined…
Like all young boys at this time, Paolo is knowledgeable about military hardware, especially tanks. He certainly knows an American M4 Sherman tank from a German Tiger. The Canadians have their own version of the Sherman, known as a Grizzly.
The Sherman tanks are small and zippy. They are capable of going cross-country and so are well-suited to roaming off-road in the Italian countryside.
The Tiger tanks, by contrast, are much heavier, weighing over 55 tonnes to the Sherman's 30 tonnes. They are also a lot bigger and far noiser than the Sherman ones. Tigers are around eight metres long, four metres wide and three metres high. Shermans are only five metres long.
Italian-manufactured tanks, known as Carro Armato, which literally means "armoured tank", are used by both Allied and Nazi forces. The British, Australians and Canadians commandeer them from the German army as they work to liberate Italy.
Paolo is interested in the military in Florence, but the Partisans are his first passion. He is intrigued by stories of the brave freedom fighters hidden in the hills near his home. The Partisans' weaponry and uniforms are much simpler. They have access only to rifles and small, home-produced guns called SMG. Many of them wear a red neckerchief to symbolize their Communist allegiance.
Comprised mainly of men and women who have been outlawed by the Fascist regime in Italy, the Partisans will play a very important role in liberating the country. They have a large number of supporters and are able to provide a safe haven for anyone fleeing the Nazi forces.
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