A letter from a prisoner at a World War II-era POW camp has been delivered after 80 years.
The letter was sent by an Italian prisoner named Pasquale to his wife from a POW camp near Berlin, Germany. However, it never reached its destination.
It remained lost for 80 years, until it was miraculously delivered to the town hall of Mottola, Taranto Province, in recent days.
The mayor of the town, Giampiero Barulli, took to social media to tell of the astonishing find.
He wrote: “It is 1943. There is a war and all the boys are at the front fighting. Among them is Pasquale, a soldier from Mottola.
“He is in a prisoner-of-war camp near Berlin and writes a letter to his wife Maria, reassuring her about his health condition.
“However, the letter does not reach its destination. Unlike Pasquale, who returns unharmed from the war and lives peacefully with his wife raising three children.
“Eighty years pass and incredibly a few days ago that letter arrives at the town hall.
“Sent by a gentleman from Florence and immediately delivered to Pasquale’s daughter, who reads with great emotion the sweet words of her father.
“Different times, different lives. But a thread, that of destiny, that binds and re-connects everything, people, stories, and memories.”
The letter is marked “Kriegsgefangenenlager”, which is German for “prisoner of war camps”, and its stamp bears the date 21st November 1943.
By that date, the tide of World War II had turned in favour of the Allied Powers, particularly after the successful Allied landings in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy.
The Axis powers had suffered significant losses in men and materials, and their armies were retreating on multiple fronts.
The Allies had also made significant gains in the Pacific, including the recapture of Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands.
Many Italians are known to have fought on the side of the Allies during World War II.
The letter clearly reads: “Dear Maria, my health is good, so. You don’t have to worry about me. I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope the news is good.
“With this opportunity, I send you my Christmas wishes. Loving kisses.”
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Story By: William McGee, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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