At least 250 raider aircraft. Tens of thousands of incendiary vehicles and more than 400 bombs dropped, totaling 760 tons; 914 injured and 792 dead. One hour and ten minutes was the duration of the bombing, between 1:35 and 2:45 at night.
This is the balance July 13, 1943, the most violent bombing ever suffered by the city of Turin and any italian city.
Turin and the attacks in the Second World War
Due to its nature as an industrial city, Turin (Turin, in Italian) was immediately, during the Second World War, target of Allied bombings, so much so that it gained the sad recognition of most bombed city in Italy.
Turin had also been the capital of Italy: its strategic and symbolic value was therefore high.
The invasions suffered by the Piedmontese capital can be divided in three phases.
The first, from 1940 to 1942, with limited damage: modest number of victims, shelters intact. Prevention and anti-aircraft measures appear, at least at this stage, to be working.
The second, from the end of 1942 until the summer of 1943: massive formations of British planes drop hundreds of explosive bombs on Turin and only later on the incendiary vehicles.
Large-caliber bombs, phosphorus explosives and incendiary dumpsters filled with gasoline and phosphorus tear through the city's underbelly, causing many victims, destroying hundreds of buildings and causing large fires.
The third phase, from the autumn of 1943, includes daytime raids (British planes no longer depart from England, but from Africa and southern Italy, without warning and covered by the sea). Massive damage to buildings, but proportionally few casualties.
The night of July 13th
The night of July 13, 1943 belongs to the second of the phases just described.
O worst bombing suffered by the city throughout the war, also thanks to the serious delay in the alarm sirens, which only came into operation after the bombings began.
The sound of the bombs was heard dozens of kilometers away.
What happened that night can only be defined as a terrorist bombing, and not just because of the methodology.
Sacred and historical sites were affected (devoid of any military relevance).
The Church of Madonna of the Countryside was pulverized (completely hit by a bomb, which killed all those who vainly sought shelter in its basement).
The Cathedral, the churches of Santa Teresa, Santissima Trinità, Sacro Cuore di Maria, Sant'Agostino, Corpus Domini, San Domenico, San Filippo, San Giovanni, San Lorenzo were damaged.
The Royal Palace, the Town Hall and the Carignano Theater were also hit.
Many parts of the Monumental Cemetery were destroyed: devastated graves and tombstones, open coffins, entire areas buried in rubble.
Those who survived thanks to the shelters – and not all of them resisted the impact of that bombing – came out of their hiding places in disbelief, often finding their home transformed into a pile of stones.
In the following days, 460 people left the city. Many sought refuge in the countryside, fearing further invasions.
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