Cephalonia, Greece
A German prosecutor said this week he would bring murder charges against former Wehrmacht soldiers who massacred Italian prisoners in 1943. More than 5,000 Italians on the Greek island of Cephalonia were murdered by the Germans after Italy withdrew from the war, an atrocity that is featured in the novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. The first German investigation into the massacre was shelved in 1968; it was later revealed that the prosecutor’s boss was a former Nazi storm trooper. The case gathered dust until two years ago, when diaries kept by two German witnesses were published. That prompted German prosecutor Ulrich Maass to reopen the files. Now, he said, he has amassed enough evidence to bring charges against 10 former soldiers.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Amazon's 'James Bond' deal could mean a new future for 007In the Spotlight The franchise was previously owned by the Broccoli family
-
Why are Republicans suddenly panicking about DOGE?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As Trump and Musk take a chainsaw to the federal government, a growing number of Republicans worry that the massive cuts are hitting a little too close to home
-
What is JD Vance's Net Worth?In Depth The vice president is rich, but not nearly as wealthy as his boss and many of his boss' appointees
