Massacre of the Acqui Division

In September 1943, after Italy surrendered to the Allies, German forces massacred thousands of Italian soldiers of the Acqui Division on the island of Kefalonia, in one of the largest war crimes committed against prisoners of war in World War II. When Italy signed an armistice on 8 September 1943, the Acqui Division, commanded by General Antonio Gandin, was stationed on Kefalonia, alongside a smaller German force. The Germans demanded that the Italians surrender their weapons. After days of tense negotiations, and after the soldiers voted to resist, the Italians refused and fought the Germans. The Germans brought in reinforcements and air support, and after about a week of fighting, the Italians surrendered on 22 September. On Hitler's orders that Italian officers and soldiers who had resisted should not be taken prisoner, the Germans executed General Gandin, his officers and thousands of soldiers. Many more died when German ships carrying Italian prisoners sank after hitting mines. Estimates of the dead vary, from around 2,000 to over 5,000. The story inspired the novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin.