[ 1 ] 44° 22’ 57.4″ N – 11° 56’ 26.0″ E

THE FIRST ALLIED UNIT TO REACH COTIGNOLA WAS THE 1st SURREY, WHICH WAS PART OF THE BRITISH 78th INFANTRY DIVISION. ALTHOUGH THEY HAD BEEN INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO LONGER ANY GERMANS IN THE VILLAGE, THE BRITISH TROOPS ADVANCED THROUGH THE RUINS OF COTIGNOLA WITH EXTREME CAUTION DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF ENCOUNTERING MINES OR GERMAN REAR GUARDS.THE FIRST ALLIED UNIT TO REACH COTIGNOLA WAS THE 1st SURREY, WHICH WAS PART OF THE BRITISH 78th INFANTRY DIVISION. ALTHOUGH THE UNIT HAD BEEN INFORMED THAT NO GERMANS WERE STILL IN THE TOWN, THE BRITISH TROOPS ADVANCED THROUGH THE RUINS OF COTIGNOLA WITH EXTREME CAUTION DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF STUMBLING ON MINES OR GERMAN REARGUARDS.

[ 2 ] 44° 23’ 02.0″ N – 11° 56’ 42.1″ E

AN AERIAL PHOTO OF COTIGNOLA, TAKEN BY AN ALLIED PLANE FLYING LOW OVER THE SENIO RIVER, PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE TERRIBLE DESTRUCTION SUFFERED BY THE TOWN. THE BANKS OF THE SENIO ARE DOTTED WITH SHELL CRATERS. NOT A SINGLE BUILDING IS UNSCATHED. THE SURVIVING RESIDENTS OF COTIGNOLA ARE JUST EMERGING FROM THE RUINS OF THEIR TOWN.

[ 3 ] 44° 23’ 04.5″ N – 11° 53’ 04.3″ E

BEFORE DAWN ON APRIL 10, BARBIANO WAS LIBERATED BY THE SOLDIERS OF THE 24th NEW ZEALAND BATTALION. LATER THAT MORNING, PART OF THE 26th BATTALION ALSO PASSED THROUGH THE HAMLET, HAVING TO PROTECT THE LEFT FLANK. THE PHOTO SHOWS THEM MARCHING ALONG THE CURRENT VIA MANZONI. THE SCARS LEFT BY SHRAPNEL AND BULLETS ARE VISIBLE ON THE WALLS.

[ 4 ] 44° 23’ 03.0″ N – 11° 53’ 03.2″ E

IN BARBIANO, A SHERMAN TANK OF THE 20th NEW ZEALAND ARMOURED REGIMENT TURNS AT THE END OF VIA MANZONI TOWARDS THE RAILROAD CROSSING IN ORDER TO TAKE UP POSITION NEAR THE CANALE DI LUGO, WHERE THE FRONTLINE IS AT THAT MOMENT. DESPITE HAVING SURVIVED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE, THE PEOPLE OF BARBIANO GAVE THE NEW ZEALAND TROOPS A HEARTFELT WELCOME.

[ 5 ] 44° 23’ 02.9″ N – 11° 56’ 30.4″ E

ON THE MORNING OF 10 APRIL 1945 COTIGNOLA WAS THE FIRST TOWN BEYOND THE SENIO RIVER TO BE LIBERATED BY ALLIED TROOPS. AFTER MONTHS OF WAITING AND FEAR IN THEIR SHELTERS DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF THE FRONT, THE SURVIVING CIVILIANS CAN FINALLY COME OUT, TALK, AND FIND OUT WHO MADE IT AND WHO DIDN’T. CORSO SFORZA IS BURIED IN RUBBLE.

[ 6 ] 44° 23’ 03.9″ N – 11° 53’ 03.6″ E

NEW ZEALAND SOLDIERS REST ALONG THE STREETS OF BARBIANO. SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN THROUGH YEARS OF COMBAT ALREADY, AND BARBIANO WAS ONLY THE FIRST STOP ON THE LONG ADVANCE THAT WOULD TAKE THEM ALL THE WAY TO TRIESTE AND THE END OF WW2. IN A GAP THROUGH THE WALL ON THE LEFT, PART OF THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM OF A STUART RECCE TANK IS VISIBLE.

[ 8 ] 44° 22’ 51.4″ N – 11° 56’ 19.3″ E

LATE IN THE MORNING OF 10 APRIL 1945, THE 27th NEW ZEALAND BATTALION REACHED WHAT IS NOW VIA GRAMSCI AFTER A RAPID ADVANCE IN THE KANGAROO APCs THAT WERE TO SUPPORT THE UNIT. THE 27th BATTALION HAD BEEN GIVEN THE SPECIFIC TASK OF CAPTURING COTIGNOLA IN THE EVENT THAT THE GERMANS DECIDE NOT TO WITHDRAW AND INSTEAD FIGHT FOR THE TOWN.

[ 9 ] 44° 22’ 59.9″ N – 11° 56’ 32.6″ E

WHAT REMAINS OF THE COTIGNOLA ROAD BRIDGE, PHOTOGRAPHED A FEW WEEKS AFTER LIBERATION. NEXT TO THE RUINS, A TEMPORARY FOOTBRIDGE WAS BUILT SO THAT PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLES CAN CROSS. A TRAIL LEADS UP THE STOPBANK, BUT ALONG THE SENIO RIVER, WHERE VEGETATION IS BEGINNING TO GROW AGAIN, THOUSANDS OF ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES STILL HIDE.

[ 10 ] 44° 24′ 1.1″ N – 11° 53′ 21.8″ E

AFTER MONTHS OF WAITING, THE PORTION OF COTIGNOLA TERRITORY THAT LIES ON THE NORTH BANK OF THE SENIO RIVER WAS COMPLETELY LIBERATED IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS. ALONG VIA ZAGONARA, BETWEEN THE CANALE DI LUGO AND THE RAILROAD CROSSING, A GROUP OF NEW ZEALAND SOLDIERS IS MARCHING WEST WITH A SHERMAN TANK ON THE AFTERNOON OF 10 APRIL.