Ravenna spared by evacuation.
In Italy, the heavy defensive battles near Faenza continue. The German troops succeeded in preventing a breakthrough of the front. Further reports on the battle in Italy indicate that the city of Ravenna was evacuated by the German troops at night without any fighting. This evacuation was carried out because the German military leadership wanted to preserve the numerous famous buildings of the city from destruction. Moreover, north of the city, the German troops held their ground once again. The British Eighth Army has reorganized its forces and resumed attacks near Faenza. However, breakthroughs were not achieved. – 12/6/44
Ravenna spared from violence
The monuments are preserved
Because the Germans quickly withdrew
From the city before the British
At first, I thought Hitler was a rogue
But today I am deeply moved
He has more cultural awareness,
Than – let’s say – the RAF.
He also spared Florence
And it‘s clear that if
We hadn‘t had the Führer
Many an Italian city
Would have been destroyed and ruined
And that would have certainly been awful
Even Rome with the Vatican
Would truly have gone to hell.
But since the Führer
Is such a great art lover
He let the German troops go
And so St. Peter‘s remained standing
Yes, Adolf is a good fellow,
He conserves every monument
And the products of art
Are highly regarded by the Führer
His eternal aim is culture,
Italy realizes this in the end
For Hitler makes it a sport
That nothing is destroyed anywhere.
Having found many worthy things,
The Führer takes care of their preservation
Before the British shoot them to pieces
Adolf prefers to lose some ground
Everyone says, when they see this,
It‘s amazing, don‘t you think?
How he spares the monuments,
That great man is refined
And he is full of cultural feeling,
But when you look objectively
And see how very soon
All of Germany becomes a ruin,
Only rubble remains of Aachen,
And Cologne, Düren, Goch, and Kleve
Will soon suffer the same fate
One concludes with a bit of irony
The Führer is apparently fired up
Only for Italy‘s culture.
Post-Editing: Eleonore A. Speckens
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