Allerona
Encyclopedia
Allerona is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Terni
in the Italian
region Umbria
, located about 50 km southwest of Perugia
and about 60 km northwest of Terni
.
During World War II, the bridge at Allerona was the site of a bombing of a train car filled with Allied prisoners in January, 1944. Many of those on the train had come from a German prison camp at Frosinone, further to the south, and had been evacuated in anticipation of the Allied advance. One of the men on the train, Richard Morris, in the 45th Infantry, had been captured at Venafro, imprisoned at Frosninone, and had been put on the train, which was presumably heading to Germany. In his memoirs, Morris wrote that the train was halted on the bridge over the river when the Allied bombs started to fall, and that the German guards fled the train, leaving the prisoners locked inside. Many escaped, Morris included, through holes in the boxcars caused by the bombing, and jumped into the river below. Noted Anglo-American historian Iris Origo wrote in her diary, War In Val d'Orcia, that 450 were killed when the cars ultimately tumbled into the river.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Terni
Province of Terni
The Province of Terni is the smaller of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising one-third of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Terni...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, located about 50 km southwest of Perugia
Perugia
Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
and about 60 km northwest of Terni
Terni
Terni is a city in southern Umbria, central Italy, capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera river. It is 104 km N of Rome, 36 km NW of Rieti, and 29 km S of Spoleto.-History:...
.
During World War II, the bridge at Allerona was the site of a bombing of a train car filled with Allied prisoners in January, 1944. Many of those on the train had come from a German prison camp at Frosinone, further to the south, and had been evacuated in anticipation of the Allied advance. One of the men on the train, Richard Morris, in the 45th Infantry, had been captured at Venafro, imprisoned at Frosninone, and had been put on the train, which was presumably heading to Germany. In his memoirs, Morris wrote that the train was halted on the bridge over the river when the Allied bombs started to fall, and that the German guards fled the train, leaving the prisoners locked inside. Many escaped, Morris included, through holes in the boxcars caused by the bombing, and jumped into the river below. Noted Anglo-American historian Iris Origo wrote in her diary, War In Val d'Orcia, that 450 were killed when the cars ultimately tumbled into the river.