Seeking freedom: Azerbaijani heroes of Monte di Nese

Italians gather to honour all who resisted fascism — including the forgotten Azerbaijani soldiers of Monte di Nese, each year. Their names may be lost, but their struggle for freedom is etched into the memory of this land.

In the tranquil hills of Monte di Nese in northern Italy, a solemn inscription reads Cercando libertà invano—They fell seeking freedom in vain. These words mark the plaque that commemorates a tragic and often overlooked episode in World War II history: the massacre of Azerbaijani soldiers by Nazi-Fascist forces in April 1945.

Around 118 Azerbaijani soldiers, who had deserted the German SS East Turkic division, were killed in Monte di Nese, just weeks before the collapse of fascism in Italy. According to the Indian army, the attacks occurred across the entire western border with Pakistan, as tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours escalate. Known locally as “Mongolians” due to confusion over their origins, these men had tried to escape their roles in the German war machine and instead sought to join the Italian resistance or flee to neutral Switzerland.

Italian researcher and author Andrea Pioselli has dedicated years to uncovering the truth about what happened. His investigation into local archives and eyewitness accounts culminated in a book that sheds light on the final days of these soldiers.

“The locals called them Mongols, not out of certainty, but because they were unfamiliar with Central Asian ethnicities,” Pioselli explains. “Photographs show features more Caucasian than Mongolian, supporting the belief that the majority were Azerbaijani. Yet among them were likely other Soviet soldiers from Central Asia.”

The soldiers had marched to Monte di Nese on the night of 12 April 1945. Their presence was quickly reported to fascist and German forces. As dawn broke the next day, and the village priest rang the church bells at six o’clock, shots rang out. The ensuing battle escalated into a ruthless manhunt across the meadows, cottages, and woods surrounding the village.

Roughly 45 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in combat. More than 70 others were captured, stripped of their belongings, and executed. Their remains, initially left scattered and buried in mass graves, were only gathered and reinterred in the Monte di Nese cemetery five years later. Even now, none of them have been identified by name.

The massacre, considered the deadliest episode in the Bergamo region after the 1944 bombing of the Dalmine factory, remains underrecognised in Italian history. Many locals and scholars believe it deserves wider acknowledgment.

Commemorative services are held each year across Italy for those who died fighting fascism. In Monte di Nese, a ceremony honours the Azerbaijani soldiers, ensuring that while their names may be forgotten, their stand for freedom is not.

Monuments across Bergamo province, including the one bearing the image of a hanged partisan, are quiet reminders of the resistance, sacrifice, and ultimately, the fall of fascism.