May 7, 1945 is a date etched in Trecella’s collective memory. On that tragic day, twelve people – including six young boys – lost their lives in an explosion. The whole community, of fewer than 2,000 inhabitants at the time, was deeply affected by this tragedy and the sorrow arising from it left a permanent scar in Trecella’s history.

TH CONTEXT OF THE WAR
 During the conflict, the area between Trecella and Albignano housed an old quarry used as an anti-aircraft position. Its purpose was to protect from attacks by Allied planes Cassano d’Adda’s railway bridge, a strategic point of the line connecting Milan to Germany through the Brenner Pass.

Throughout the war, the local people lived in fear. Due to heavy bombing, desperately trying to escape the shrapnel, residents were forced to seek refuge in the nearby fields and ditches,. The German command, housed in the Marquis’s palace, imposed a complete blackout at night, in order to prevent enemy bombers from identifying any reference points. People also dreaded infamous “Pippo”, an Allied reconnaissance bombing plane that strafed any lit areas and flew low to avoid anti-aircraft fire.

The young people of Trecella lived through years of fear and deprivation. From 1943 onwards, many hid in attics and barns to avoid being captured during the round-ups by the X MAS fascist squads, and to escape deportation to German concentration camps.

THE TRAGIC ACCIDENT
After the war ended, on May 7, 1945, a team from the 105th SAP Brigade “Adda” – a partisan formation from the National Liberation Committee (CLN) – was involved in operations to clear wartime ordnance. Their task was to transport explosives to the Cassano d’Adda admunition depot.

While the bombs were being loaded onto carts, one of them was accidentally dropped, causing a devastating blast. The intervention of a bomb disposal team would have been necessary, but the situation spiralled out of control, with dramatic consequences. Therefore what should have been a day of rebirth was turned into tragedy by mere inexperience and by the haste to get rid of the dangerous load.

THE VICTIMS
 The explosion cost the lives of twelve people, including young partisans and children. According to the official CLN report, the following individuals perished:

• Francesco Mangiagalli, Major, 57 years old
• Emilio Moranzoni, Sergeant Major, 20 years old
• Ariberto Spinelli, 19 years old
• Silvio Maggi, 18 years old
• Franco Moneta, 18 years old
• Luigi Panzera, 18 years old

In addition, six young civilian victims were lost:

• Augusto Invernizzi, 13 years old
• Giuseppe De Gasperi, 13 years old
• Edoardo Grammatica, 13 years old
• Roberto Brambilla, 12 years old
• Aldo Brambilla, 11 years old
• Mario Oldani, 9 years old

MEMORY AND TESTIMONIES
The memory of the sorrow caused by this tragedy is still alive in the community. One touching testimony is from Bianca Moranzoni, whose father Dante was supposed to be on the site but was replaced by his brother Emilio, who therefore lost his life in his place.

The horror of that day is still engraved in the eyes of those who lived through it. A witness recalls the stretchers covered with white sheets, carrying the battered remains of the victims.

Today, the Chapel of the Fallen preserves the memory of that tragic event so that the sacrifice of those young people will never be forgotten.

Every year, on May 7, a public ceremony is held to honour the fallen and reflect on the suffering war inflicts on civilian lives.