Trent, 2 September 1943

Photos of the SS war reporter Ferdinand Rottensteiner document the first heavy bombing of the city of Trent in the Second World War. Taking place on 2 September 1943, this air raid is known in local memory as the massacre of Portela; the attack killed 223 persons.

Soldati in piedi su una piazza davanti a una grande chiesa. La piazza è coperta di macerie e detriti.
A rescue squad before the church of Santa Maria Maggiore © US NARA, KB-Rottensteiner-068

The moments immediately after the attack

On Thursday, 2 September 1943, around midday, several waves of bombers began striking Trento. The attack targeted the railway yard on the Brenner Line, but bombs also struck residential areas and historic buildings between the Piedicastello district and Via Belenzani. The San Lorenzo bridge over the Adige River, connecting the Piedicastello district with the city, collapsed. There was heavy damage in the Via Prepositura, Vicolo San Giovanni, Via Roma, Via Tommaso Gar, and Piazza Leonardo da Vinci; the San Lorenzo Abbey and Piazza Dante were also hit.

The photographer, Ferdinand Rottenstein, did his work accompanying the ‘Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler’ SS-division, which had been sent to Italy and would occupy most of Northern Italy in the following weeks. Rottensteiner’s photos show the commotion in the minutes after the surprise attack: not only the structural damage and its extent, but also the shock of residents and the work of the rescue squad, the fire brigade and the military.

  • Uomini e donne si trovano su un ponte tra le macerie. Sullo sfondo si vede una città danneggiata.
    Near the Torre Vanga and the bell tower of Santa Maria Maggiore, stunned civilians gaze upon the bombed city © US NARA, KB-Rottensteiner-102
  • Un soldato con una pala in spalla guarda in alto verso una
    Two Italien rescue squad soldiers in Trento: a non-commissioned officer with a shovel and a member of the Carabinieri © US NARA, KB-Rottensteiner-025
  • Due uomini in abiti civili trasportano un materasso tra le macerie.
    After the attack, residents of the damaged houses salvage their effect; two men carry a mattress © US NARA, KB-Rottensteiner-067
  • Soldati in piedi su una piazza davanti a una grande chiesa. La piazza è coperta di macerie e detriti.
    A rescue squad before the church of Santa Maria Maggiore © US NARA, KB-Rottensteiner-068
  • Uomini e donne camminano o vanno in bicicletta tra le rovine di una città.
    Civilians and an SS-member in a street in Trento’s centre © US NARA, KB-Rottensteiner-091
  • Le persone si trovano davanti a macerie ed edifici in fiamme.
    Fire and devastation near the train line. In the background: the Torre Vanga © US NARA, KB-Rottensteiner-189
  • Diversi soldati scavano tra le macerie.
    Italian mountain troops and German soldiers in the rescue squad © US NARA, KB-Rottensteiner-218
  • Una donna siede con due bambini piccoli tra le macerie di una rovina.
    A mother with her children © US NARA, KB-Rottensteiner-126
  • Civilians before the Porta Santa Margherita in Trento © US NARA, KB-Rottensteiner-137

Archive
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

Photographer
Ferdinand Rottensteiner (PC Waffen-SS)

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