Rome, 25. July 1943
In Rome and many other Italian cities, news of the fall of fascism on 25 July 1943 was greeted with immediate enthusiasm, expressed in spontaneous demonstrations and occupation of offices and central locations of the regime.
The photos shown here were taken on the morning of 26 July by a PC member in Rome; they reveal the moment’s enthusiasm and excitement. We can follow the photographer’s path from the Via Veneto to the Piazza Barberini, then onward to the Via del Tritone until the Via Nazionale.
The photographer’s name was Erwin Bischhaus; in 1943 he was 28 years old. He was not a professional photographer but an editor and journalist: in 1931, he had joined the Nazi Party’s central publishing house as an apprentice and would remain there until his conscription for military service. Later, as a soldier, he would serve as an accredited war reporter for the Luftwaffe. He was in Greece in 1941, in North Africa and Tunisia in 1942. In addition, he accompanied the Luftwaffe in attacks on Malta. He remained in Sicily until 1943. As a journalist, Bischhaus wrote numerous articles and press correspondence; his activities as a photographer were marginal. In autumn 1943 he was promoted to officer rank and would serve with paratrooper units on the Italian front. After the war he returned to Berlin and continued his work as a journalist.
The popular reaction
Bischhaus’s photo, taken at the beginning of the Via Veneto does not yet give a sense of the ongoing historical events. The Mascetti sisters’ haute couture salon has been spruced up, the passers-by look busy but not particularly excited. The scene alters on the heights of the Via Bissolati (then Via XXIII Marzo, date of the Italian Fascist Party’s founding). Here Bischhaus photographed an anonymously written sign, its words ‘Via della Libertà’, placed under the street sign on the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro building. In the photograph, taken from a distance, a ladder leans against the wall while a small group of bank employees observe the scene, seemingly uncertain about how to react.
The next photo, likewise in the Via Veneto, shows first traces of disorder. Passers-by walk between papers strewn all over the sidewalk.
Moving onto the nearby Piazza Barberini, Bischhaus encounters a demonstration moving down the Via Quattro Fontane, probably from the Piazza del Viminale. A vehicle loaded with demonstrators is at the front, followed by other people on foot or on bicycles. Some are holding flags or placards, one being a large map of Italy of the sort used in schools. The demonstrators appear relaxed; we can perceive enthusiasm and joy in this image.
Proceeding further onto the Via del Tritone, Bischhaus passes by the seat of the Il Messaggero newspaper, watched over by the police. Posted on the newspaper kiosk beneath the office building are signs praising the army.
The next photo shows some passers-by trying to read the placards containing the first directives from the Badoglio government: placement of the city of Rome on a war footing; incorporation of the fascist militia into the Royal Army.
Finally, in the Via Nazionale, at the height of the Via Genova, we see papers set alight on the street, perhaps stemming from the headquarters of an organization belonging to the former regime, or else from the barracks of the fascist militias, which had opened fire on some demonstrators on the evening of 25 July.
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![Uomini e donne camminano lungo una strada commerciale. Si vedono un negozio di parrucche e un atelier di moda. Alcune persone entrano nei negozi, altre si fermano davanti ad essi a chiacchierare.]()
26 July 1943 in the Via Veneto © BArch, Bild 101I-469-1465-03 / Bischhaus -
![Diversi uomini e donne sono in piedi all'angolo di una strada davanti a una casa. Guardano una scala appoggiata alla casa. Sopra la scala sono appesi un cartello stradale e un biglietto.]()
In this photo, taken in the Via Leonida Bissolati 2 – then Via XXIII Marzo – on the corner of the Via Veneto, Bischhaus has paused to capture the handwritten sign on a wall of the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro signifying the street’s renaming as ‘Via della Libertà’ © BArch, Bild 101I-469-1465-04 / Bischhaus -
![Una scala è appoggiata al muro di una casa. Sopra la scala è appeso un cartello stradale con il nome di Via XXIII Marzo. Sotto il cartello stradale c'è una nota con il nome di Via della Libertà.]()
Bank employees wonder how they are to respond to the sign reading ‘Via della Libertà’ © BArch, Bild 101I-469-1465-05 / Bischhaus -
![Uomini e donne camminano lungo un marciapiede. Guardano per terra. Il suolo è coperto di carta strappata.]()
An additional photo from the Via Veneto. On the sidewalk there are signs of disorder, perhaps strewn documents from a file cabinet © BArch, Bild 101I-469-1465-07 / Bischhaus -
![Un gruppo di bambini e uomini marcia lungo una strada come dimostrazione. Tengono in mano diverse bandiere.]()
On the Piazza Barberini, Bischhaus encountered a demonstration moving down the Via Quattro Fontane © BArch, Bild 101I-469-1465-10 / Bischhaus -
![Uomini e donne attraversano una strada. Sullo sfondo si vede la sede del quotidiano “Il messaggero”. Molti uomini in uniforme sono in piedi davanti all'edificio.]()
On the Via del Tritone, Bischhaus passed by the editorial offices of the Il Messaggero newspaper, watched over by the police. Posted on the newspaper kiosk are signs praising the army © BArch, Bild 101I-469-1465-15 / Bischhaus -
![Tre uomini sono in piedi davanti al muro di una casa. Sul muro ci sono due manifesti con annunci del governo Badoglio.]()
On the Via Nazionale, citizens of Rome read directives from the Badoglio government: placement of the city of Rome on a war footing; incorporation of the fascist militia into the Royal Army © BArch, Bild 101I-469-1465-24 / Bischhaus -
![Due soldati italiani sono in piedi davanti a un mucchio di documenti carbonizzati che giacciono in strada. Altri documenti sono sparsi intorno al mucchio. Più lontano, un folto gruppo di persone in abiti civili è in piedi davanti a un edificio.]()
Via Nazionale, near Via Genova. Burnt papers on the street, perhaps stemming from the headquarters of an organization belonging to the former regime, barracks of the fascist militias, which had opened fire on some demonstrators on the evening of 25 July © BArch, Bild 101I-469-1465-28 / Bischhaus
Archive
Photo Archive, German Federal Archives
Photographers
Erwin Bischhaus (PKC Air Fleet 2)