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By Filippo Spadi, #24493Scarperia, Florence, Italy

Some of theConvoy ofLiberation2012vehicles at PiazzaLibertà inCesena (F).

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For several years, Italian MHV enthusiasts have beenarguing in favor of one of two points of view aboutHMV events. Some value the technical perfection of arestoration project and are fond of their preservedvehicles mostly as examples of past technologies to bevalued as such. Others share this attitude to a certainextent, but feel HMV events should use these occasionsfor their HMVs to further the knowledge andremembrance of one's country's history rather than justshow individual vehicles with a special eye for technicalprowess at restorations.

In between these two points of view, as far as WWIIera HMVs are concerned, the marrying of restoredHMVs to uniformed reenactors - or drivers/owners -proves to be a very contentious issue. The first groupstrongly object to what they see as little more thanclowning around; the other stresses the importance ofthese type of events both in terms of historicalconsciousness for the younger generations as well as forpromoting HMV's collecting itself.

The debate is not going to end soon and the issue isalso common in other countries. And, while some of our

best friends in the hobby belong to the first group ofcollectors let it be said the Column of Liberation wasconceived several years ago specifically as an event tocelebrate, in ways capable of getting the attention of abroad range of the Italian population, the concludingphase of WWII in Italy. This phase saw Allied armiescompleting the liberation of our country, as well as thewhole of Western Europe, from Nazi and Fascistdictatorship, thus paving the way to the new era ofpostwar democracy and the birth of a new Europe.

The idea of organizing a mass event bringing togetherHMV collectors and Italian reenactors, gathered togetherin a route column traversing specific areas in Italy, wasconceived by several associations, museums and researchcenters, which form together the North Apennines PoValley Park <www.napv.it>.

The Column of Liberation 2012, the fourth edition ofthe event, took place in Emilia Romagna, starting in theBologna (A) suburban area of San Lazzaro di Savena,where the Museo Memoriale della Libertà<www.museomemoriale.com> is located. Thenprogressed to the Adriatic seacoast towns of Cervia (E)

The route taken by the Convoy of Liberation 2012. It crossed from west to east the 1944/45American and British Commonwealth sectors and covered more than 200 road miles.

WWII German BMW R75 and Zundapp sidecars parkedin front of the Alfonsine Senio River Battles Museum (C).

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and Cesena (F) and back to Bologna, covering more than two hundredmiles in three days.

The economic climate prevailing in Europe notwithstanding, theColumn of Liberation 2012 confirmed its appeal with Italian HMVcollectors and reenactors, with more than 130 registered vehicles and370 individual participants. More important, it also confirmed the spiritbringing together so many people in sharing a unique experience, onethat left behind our everyday cars and civilian clothing to join acommunity of like-minded people aboard our beloved HMVs travelingin a unified column across places where Italian history was made seventyyears ago. It was indeed a unique experience, taxing our stamina andendurance but worth every bit the weariness one feels in the end.

April 25 (National Liberation Day inItaly) was spent in Bologna (A) welcomingthe early arriving collectors to the eventscheduled to start on 27 April 2012. Thatmorning was a busy one, with more peoplecoming, vehicles undergoing last minutechecks, and the usual challenge ofassembling a column fit for travelling long-distances on public roads. Luckily, fairweather had taken the place of the previousbad spells and we moved on schedule withthe capable escort of the SermideMotorbikes Club riders and the city policeof the several towns we went through. ThePo valley is sometimes monotonous withits flat terrain, but it made it easier for acolumn such as ours to proceed in goodorder, even with the busy workday traffic.We followed our planned route throughLugo di Romagna and Bagnacavallo (B)where we stopped for a midday aperitiffollowed by a hearty lunch at the ‘TwoRoosters’ restaurant, welcomed there byour friends of the Romagna Air Finders - anassociation devoted to the recovering of aircrash relics from WWII.

After lunch we started the second leg ofour route, heading towards Alfonsine (C),a town almost completely destroyed duringthe opening phase of the Po valleycampaign in the British 8th Army sectorand was liberated in 1945 by Italian troopsfighting alongside the Allies. Alfonsine isalso the seat of an excellent museum on theSenio River battles, and we stopped for avery interesting visit parking our vehiclesin the spacious square in front of themuseum. Two half-tracks and an M8armored car were already part of ourcolumn, but for obvious reasons the tankswaited for us in Cervia (E). We leftAlfonsine heading towards Ravenna andafter a few miles stopped again at theCamerlona WWII memorial honoring theItalian soldiers of the Cremona BattleGroup who gave their lives for theliberation of Northern Italy in 1945. Therea short ceremony took place where a fewreenactors of The Black Watch associationpaid homage.

Umberto Masola's WC57 Dodge Command Car photographedin Cervia (E) and ready to roll on the convoy. Umbert hasnever missed an edition of the ‘Convoy.’

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From left to right, Luca Bambagiotti, Filippo Spadiand Simone Guidorzi from the North Apennines andPo Valley Park <www.napv.it> photographed beforeentering Cesena (F).

Maschieni Marco and Leonardo Schiavetti portrayingUS Navy sailors in Schiavetti's early Ford GPW, inUSN markings, at Corso Garibaldi in Cesena (F).

We left the memorial and proceeded directly towardsCervia (E), for dinner at the ‘Casa delle Aie’ restaurantlodged in a beautiful villa set in the countryside. Wearrived there on time, thanks to the able escort providedby our Sermide bikers, which we had learned to trustduring our previous events. The column was now morethan two-miles long, but the biker’s presence atintersections and traffic lights assured our safe passageand allowed the column to stay united during the longroute. Our long day was almost over and we were tiredbut the first leg of our trip was enough to produce theright atmosphere of sharing which characterizes theseevents. A delicious meal served at the restaurantenhanced this feelings even more.

As the day was over we locked up our vehicles for thenight at a secure parking lot provided by theMunicipality of Cervia. A shuttle bus brought all theparticipants to our hotels; only a few who had enoughenergy to be tempted by the nightlife, which is as livelyas ever at the summer resorts in the area.

While mechanical troubles prevented two jeepsleaving Bologna only one other MB had a breakdownduring our trip, suffering a broken radiator. What is thechance of finding a Willys radiator late at night in Italy?Apparently none at all. With no previous notice we hadin our midst our friends Rota and Fucci. Rumor had itthe jeep owner was extremely glad to offer a heartilybreakfast to the two night-shift mechanics who made theneeded repairs under the midnight sky.

We assembled early again on Saturday 28 April at thevehicle compound and found many more vehicles andmembers who had arrived in Cervia (E) for the secondday of the event. Our program for the day took us to

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Cesena (F) during the morning and a noon lunch. Wethen went back to Cervia where we rendezvoused withthe tanks for the official parade through town.

British and Commonwealth vehicles led our column,as during WWII they were the first Allied troops toenter Cesena. We followed Corso Garibaldi to Piazzadella Libertà, where we were welcomed by the townmayor, Mr. Paolo Lucchi, the Alderman for culturalaffairs Ms. Elena Baredi, Dr. Lodovici of the local Centerfor the History of the Resistance Movement and othernotables. After a short welcoming speech andpresentation of commemorating plaques, we werehonored to listen to an address given by Lodovici, whoas a young man fought with the Partisans. His words,

The Tracce di StoriaAssociation's nicelyequipped M3 half-trackpersonnel carrier inPiazza Libertà, Cesena.

Various convoy vehicles in Cesena, Piazza Libertà.

meant for the youngermembers, were also meaningfulto all of us. He told a story ofpeople who made difficult anddangerous choices at a timewhen they could have waited insafety for others to fight anddie for their freedom. His finalcomment "Go to the woodswhere people fought, suffered,

and walk the ground where young people like you died.Try to understand, and do not forget."

We stopped in Cesena for a couple of hours, among alarge crowd in the square admiring our vehicles, and sawan exhibition of historical photos of wartime Cesena ondisplay for our visit. Nearby was an exhibition ofmilitary radios owned by the Rover Joe associationheaded by Alberto Campanini, who convoyed with us.Here we carried out any necessary repairs to ensure allour vehicles ran safely for the rest of the event.

We were about to leave when an old lady approachedon her bicycle, got in front of my vehicle and camecloser. After I introduced myself and explained thepurpose and intent of our event she said she wanted to

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congratulate all of us for what we are doing.She then told of being a young girl duringthe war in Cesena, about her most belovedpossession, an overcoat. It was received as apresent, which comforted her through a hardand hungry winter, until the day foreignsoldiers wearing the same uniforms as us,riding similar vehicles, reached her town andput an end to the war. With a final look shebade farewell and left.

After a hearty lunch we started back toCervia where two Sherman tanks, a HellcatTD, and a rare Italian AB41 armored car,awaited us already attracting a large crowd.Our program for the afternoon included ademonstration where German reenactorsplayed the part of a military garrisonabandoning the square before our arrival –complete with mining the place. Hence, theGerman vehicles in our column left inadvance from our collection point at theoutskirts of Cervia so they could pick up theGerman troops thus leaving Piazza Garibaldiopen for our entry. Thus, while we re-formedour column by integrating the tanks, ourwould-be occupiers followed a prepared scriptin the town square, until the moment whenthe German vehicles arrived and took themaway. Their departure was timed with ourarrival. Heralded by the sound of Scottishpipers, the Allies entered Cervia, guided bythe Partisans.

Photographed in Cesena, the Gotica Romagna Association'sGMC CCKW towed a US 75 mm anti-tank cannon.

Filippo Spadi and Michele Vernieri's 1941Chevrolet 1-1/2 ton cargo truck in Cesena.

Some of the ‘Convoy’ vehicles parked in Cesena. The Ford GPW (center) was the jeepinvolved in the accident during the 2010 convoy and has since been well-restored.

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The roar of the tank enginesresounded in the narrow streets andour vehicles overflowed the square, fartoo small to accept all of them. Thetown mayor welcomed us with a shortspeech and introduced the eventorganizers. We then thanked allparticipants who contributed to theorganization of the event. With us atthe mike was Edo Ansaloni, dean ofthe Italian HMV collectors' scene,witness to the liberation of his nativeBologna as a young boy in 1945, andfounder of the Museo Memoriale dellaLibertà. He couldn’t hide his emotionswhen the mayor presented him with aplaque celebrating the occasion. Edothen explained his point of what westand for and what we haveaccomplished over decades ofcollecting and developing the MVhobby in Italy.

A national TV network alsocovered the event in the square ontheir evening news; a great publicrelations coup for enhancing thehobby. We had passed the midpointin the event and both people andvehicles had become a well-unifiedforce.

On Sunday 28 April 2012, our lastday together, we returned to Bologna(A) by way of Faenza (G), which wereached on schedule. The historicdowntown is very nice, our vehiclesattracted the usual crowds of admiringpeople, and we took time for groupphotographs on the church stairs. Weresumed our movement and reachedour lunchtime destination at Zello,near Imola, on time (H). We easilycrossed Imola as the local policeescorted us through the manyintersections enroute and reached

Museo Memoriale della Libertà'sM4 Sherman and crew ready toenter Cervia (E).

Paolo Baldissara's M18 Hellcat tank destroyermoving to Cervia with the armored convoy.

Alberto Campanini's CanadianChevrolet C8A, with full radioequipment, moving to Cervia withthe British and Canadian Convoy.

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Top. HMV Italian President SenioMoscadelli's Kubelwagen entersCervia with the German convoy priorto the arrival of the Allied troops.Middle. Moscadelli's BMW R75 (left)accompanied by Fabio Temeroli's(right) with Italian Bersaglieri tropicaluniform riding a BMW 250 in Cervia.Bottom. Fabio Temeroli's Italian AB41armored car, a well-restored and veryrare vehicle, moving to Cervia withthe axis convoy. German troops usedAB41s in Italy during 1944/45.

Photographs courtesy of RobertoGardella Photography © 2012.

Zello right on time. Zello is a smalltown in the countryside, hardly morethan a name on the map, and gettingthere is like getting home, such is thefamily atmosphere that surrounded uswhen the locals welcomed us. Thesmell of a huge barbecue fire bodedwell for our hungry appetites andwhen the roasting began we didn’tneed any urgings to assemble in thelarge fairground where we wereserved lunch.

Being our last meal togetherduring the event this was anappropriate occasion to extend ourfinal thanks to all who helped us andto give our warmest farewells toeverybody. A special enthusiastic roargreeted our German hosts Raphaeland Melanie who traveled fromBerlin in their WC51 Dodge on avery special honeymoon.

We felt it proper to extend againour deepest thanks to the NorthApennines Po Valley Park staff, andparticularly to Simone Guidorzi andLuca Bambagiotti, for theiroutstanding job in organizing theevent. We also thanked the newlyborn HMV Italia <www.hmvitalia.it>collectors club, the Italian MVPAaffiliate branch, which contributedofficially to the event. Obviously, wethanked the authorities and staff ofthe Municipalities of Cervia andCesena, without whose support theevent would not have taken place, aswell as the local ‘Partisans’

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Tanks parked in PiazzaGaribaldi in Cervia.

Simone Guidorzi's just restored 1941 MatchlessG3L. It started WWII in Egypt, saw action inNorth Africa and finally Italy traveling fromTaranto to Bologna where it’s been since 2011.

A well turned out DUKWcrewmen patiently awaits thenext movement of the convoy.

Gnocchi Corrado's Willys MBan uncommon Fire Departmentvehicle in Cervia.

Edo Ansaloni (left), witness to the liberation ofhis native Bologna, confers with Filippo Spadiregarding the informative interpretation aspectof the convoy. The Convoy of Liberation 2012was a tribute to Edo, the most important WWIIhistorian in Italy.

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Cervia is atown andmunicipallyin theprovince ofEmilia-Romagna incentral Italy.The townsquareprovided anexcellentlocation fordisplayingour vehicles.

Valeria Baldissara and son enter in Faenza (G) in their M8 armored Greyhound.

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associations, and finally the several reenactors groupsthat participated – such as The Black Watch, Progetto900, Stella Tricolore Partisan Reenactors Group and theGreat Generation Airborne Reenactors Group. Wethanked all those who assured our safety during our longtrip, as well as the Sermide Motor Bikers Associationmembers who acted as our escort.

Finally, we wish to thank all associations whichsupported the event and contributed in many ways to itssuccess: the Gotica Romagna Association and our friendMarco Alsini from Milano Marittima; the Tracce diStoria Association, the Rover Joe Association, 92ndBuffalo Association from Sarzana, the Highway Six Club

The Convoy of Liberation 2012 parked in Faenza (G).from central Italy, the Historica Club, theRaggruppamento SPA Association, and the Linea Goticadella Lucchesia Association. And, of course thanked eachand every one of those who participated in the event;Italians, mostly, but also those from Brazil, who paidtheir tribute to the history of the BEF, from the USA,Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France.

I hope I haven’t forgotten anybody, and I wish toclose by picking out two photographs which, for me,epitomize the taste of our days together and stand intribute to those who fought for our freedom so manyyears ago. Thanks all, and I hope to see you on our nextadventure!

The Black Watch reenactors onboard Tracce di StoriaCanadian Ford T60 in Camerlona (D).

Melanie, dressed in a British Army Women’sBranch Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS)uniform, and her husband arrived in Bologna(A) from Berlin in their Dodge WC51.