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The '''1943 Naples post office bombing''' occurred on October 7, 1943, after the [[U.S. Fifth Army]] had captured [[Naples]] (October 1) and reached the [[Volturno River]] (October 6). The [[Palazzo delle Poste, Naples]], an imposing structure, completed in 1936 is located in the center of the city, was looted by Nazi troops during the occupation. After their retreat it became occupied by families who were made homeless by the bombing and destruction heaped on the city. This happened during the insurrection that was known as the ''"[[Four days of Naples]]"'' that had taken place a few weeks earlier. On that morning a series of violent explosions ripped through the building and caused heavy damage to the surrounding buildings and the death of more than 100 people, including women, children and members of a [[U.S. 82nd Airborne Division|82nd Airborne Division]] unit. The unit was commanded by General [[Matthew B. Ridgway]]. An investigation determined that the explosion was the result of several [[Time bomb (explosive)|time bombs]] planted by the Germans six days earlier.

A reporter from the [[Time (magazine)|''Time'']] and [[Life (magazine)|''Life'']] magazines, [[Will Lang Jr.]], was no more than {{convert|300|ft|-1}} from the explosion when it occurred. The shockwave threw him to the ground, and the impact sprained his right arm. A photographer for ''LIFE'' magazine, [[Robert Capa]], and ''Acme News'' photographer Charles Corte began taking pictures of the shattered Post Office and the carnage lying in the streets. One of the physicians on hand was Brigadier General Edgar Hume whose office was across the street from the post office.

==References==
*Will Lang Jr.'s account of the Naples Post Office explosion may be found in:
:: ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' dated: November 1, 1943 ([https://books.google.it/books?id=CVcEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32#v=onepage&q&f=false link])
:: ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' dated February 14, 1944
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{{#seo:
|keywords=Explosions in 1943, October 1943 events, 20th century in Naples, Italian campaign (World War II), Improvised explosive device bombings in Italy
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[[Category:Explosions in 1943]]
[[Category:October 1943 events]]
[[Category:20th century in Naples]]
[[Category:Italian campaign (World War II)]]
[[Category:1943 in Italy|Naples Post Office Bombing, 1943]]
[[Category:Improvised explosive device bombings in Italy]]
[[Category:Building bombings in Europe|Naples]]

1943 Naples post-office bombing - Revision history

MetaBOT at 14:00, 8 July 2023