Heirs of the Roman empire? Aromanians and the fascist occupation of Greece (1941-1943)

Apostolos T.¹ was a member of the Aromanian linguistic minority.² Aromanians speak a language close to Romanian and live scattered throughout the Balkans, with a greater number on the slopes of Mount Pindus in Greece. In 1942, when Apostolos was 17 years old, the Italian army had occupied Greece. The then Commander in Chief of the Italian troops in Greece, General Carlo Geloso, ordered the Italian local commands to enlist members of ethnic minorities as auxiliary forces of the Italian Carabinieri. Armed with Italian weapons, wearing Italian uniforms and commanded by Italian officers, they were employed in anti-partisan warfare. At a young age, Apostolos was wounded in a battle between the partisans and the occupying forces in July 1943. Shortly thereafter, in September of that year, following the armistice between Italy and the Allies, most Italian troops in the Balkans were disarmed by the Germans and many of them were deported to German camps.³ Apostolos's superior, the commander of the 8th mobilized battalion of Carabinieri, knew that without Italian protection a dire fate awaited Apostolos. In the aftermath of the armistice, he kept Apostolos in hiding at the Italian headquarters. From there, the young man was deported to Germany, along with the Italian troops, where he was interned and employed as a forced laborer. When the Americans liberated his camp, Apostolos had no other choice but to follow his Italian fellows who were being repatriated. Thus, as a complete stranger, he settled in Italy, finding employment as the chauffeur of an Italian army general.