Original World War Two Italian “Regno del Sud” Anti Italian Social Republic Poster 1943-1945.
“Soldati Italiani!
FRATELLI INGANNATI!
Le vostre granate hanno ucciso ieri donne e fanciulli.
Volete voi essere esecrati peggio dei tedeschi?
Non ascoltate più chi v'inganna.
Venite con noi!
Volete morire maledetti?”
“Italian soldiers! DECEIVED BROTHERS! Your grenades killed women and children yesterday.
Do you want to be execrated worse than the Germans? Don't listen to those who deceive you anymore. Come with us! Do you want to die damned?”
Very scarce piece of propaganda that would have been displayed on buildings and was not printed on paper designed to last very long, the poster measures 32.6” X 24” and is in fair condition.
The term "Kingdom of the South" (Regno del Sud) refers to the part of southern Italy that was under the control of the Allied Military Government of Occupied Territories (AMGOT) during the latter part of World War II. This term is specifically used to describe the time period between September 1943, when King Victor Emmanuel III and the government fled Rome for Brindisi after the armistice of Cassibile, and June 1944, when the Allies liberated Rome and it returned to its role as the capital of Italy. Nevertheless, it is commonly applied to encompass the entire duration of Italy's division up until the end of World War II in 1945. This period saw the government of Italy, which had reestablished itself in Rome, struggling to regain complete control over its nominal territory and various local, police, and military institutions. As a result, administrative, military, and political affairs were divided among the government in Rome, the Italian Social Republic, partisan groups, and armies on the battlefield.
In September 1943, after its formation, the Kingdom of the South's control was limited to Apulia, Sardinia, and parts of Basilicata and Calabria. Sicily, which was captured during Operation Husky in the summer of 1943, was under AMGOT administration and later returned to the Italian government's control in February 1944. As the Allies moved northward along the Italian peninsula, more territories came under the kingdom's control. Initially, the king and government had their seat in Brindisi, though the city was never officially designated as Italy's capital. The kingdom's de facto sovereignty was restricted, subject to the Allied Control Commission for Italy.
Regno del Sud was never an official designation. All documents and acts continued to refer to the Kingdom of Italy, and it was recognized internationally (other than by the Axis powers) as the legitimate state for the whole of Italy, including the German-occupied north.
