Justice in sight for the Swiss convicted for helping the Resistance  

The Ossola partisans from Italy, pictured here in a photograph from September 1944, were able to rely on a support network in neighbouring Ticino in Switzerland as well. Keystone-SDA

The Swiss parliament has taken steps to rehabilitate those convicted by Swiss courts for supporting the French and Italian Resistance during the Second World War. A recent publication sheds light on a little-known chapter of history: the partisan struggle in the Ossola Valley of northern Italy and the support provided by the population of the neighbouring Swiss canton of Ticino.    

By day, Silvio Baccalà worked as a gardener at the Hotel Brenscino in Brissago, a Swiss resort town on Lake Maggiore. By night, he helped Italian partisans cross the border, guiding them along the smugglers’ trails. Meanwhile, Gabriella Antognini from nearby Locarno sheltered partisans who had escaped from Swiss internment camps and accompanied them into Italy, so they could continue the fight against the occupying forces. Together with her sister Maria, she also acted as a courier, passing messages between fighters in Italy and those interned in Switzerland.  

Their actions in support of the Italian Resistance were not without risk. If caught, they faced fines or imprisonmentExternal link.

“Vincenzo Martinetti, father of the singer Nella Martinetti, was a Ticino partisan,” explains historian Raphael Rues, himself from canton Ticino and co-author of the new work Ossola in GuerraExternal link. “At the end of the Second World War, he was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment for violating neutrality, a sentence suspended on probation.” The communist Antognini also spent a week in prison, after being caught illegally crossing the border with messages for the Resistance.  

At the end of the war, around ten people from Ticino were prosecuted and convicted by the Swiss courts for helping the Ossola fighters. Now, in the 2026 spring session, the House of Representatives has approved a parliamentary initiativeExternal link, promoted by Ticino parliamentarian Simone Gianini among others, to rehabilitate Swiss citizensExternal link who were sentenced to prison or fined for helping the French or Italian Resistance. The Senate has yet to debate on the matter.  

“The rehabilitation approved by Parliament formally closes a chapter that, on a human level, has never ceased to weigh heavily. For decades, the convictions lay in the archives, like a discordant note: Switzerland had prosecuted the very men and women who, just a few kilometres from the border, had risked their lives against the Nazi-Fascist occupation,” the historian Rues notes. “Bern’s decision does not erase that contradiction, but it acknowledges it. And at a time when we are seeing a resurgence of extreme ideologies also in Europe, the gesture is not just a belated tribute. It is a stand for the values of democracy. That’s already something.” 

Switzerland: between neutrality and cooperation with the partisans

In April 1945, as the Second World War was finally drawing to a close, the Swiss secret service worked with the Ossola partisans to prevent the Nazis from blowing up the southern portal of the Simplon railway tunnel linking Switzerland and Italy. On April 21, around a hundred fighters managed to destroy 32 tonnes of explosives that had been positioned in the village of Varzo, on the Italian side of the tunnel, thus foiling the Nazis’ plans.  

In December 1945, after the war had ended, a ceremony was held in Brig, canton Valais, to honour “the saviours of the Simplon tunnel”. The partisans invited to the ceremony were presented with Swiss watches. This episode clearly illustrates Switzerland’s ambivalent position during the war. On the one hand, it strictly enforced its neutrality laws and prosecuted those who had helped the Resistance; on the other hand, especially in the border regions, it allowed fighters to cross over to safety and get medical treatment before going back to continue the fight.  

Birth of the partisan Resistance in Ossola 

A photo report on the Republic of Ossola published in the weekly magazine *Illustrazione Ticinese* on November 4, 1944 “Illustrazione Ticinese”, Archivio Quotidiani Canton Ticino

After the armistice of September 8, 1943 between Marshal Badoglio’s Italian government and the Allies, Ticino became an important hub for the Italian Resistance. The canton gave refuge to civilians and partisans, provided medical care to the wounded and served as an operational base for different groups of fighters. The Ossola region, tucked between the Swiss cantons of Valais and Ticino, offered ideal conditions for armed struggle. “The many deep valleys, thick forests and remote mountain huts were perfect for guerrilla warfare. The proximity to the border also guaranteed the partisans an escape route to Switzerland after an attack or failed operation. Moreover, the population of Ossola harboured a strong aversion to the Fascist regime,” Rues explains. “In late autumn 1943, the Resistance was slowly forming, but the first phase was especially tough because of a lack of weapons, ammunition and, above all, men.”  

Following the proclamation of the armistice, the Germans occupied northern and central Italy. Italian soldiers were left with three options: join the armed forces of the new Fascist Republic of Salò (RSI); be deported to the Third Reich’s labour camps; or join the Resistance. “The majority, around 700,000 soldiers, were deported within a few weeks,” Rues says. “Another 100,000 enlisted in the RSI armed forces, and a similar number chose to go underground and join the Resistance.” 

Ossola Free Zone 

At first, the Ossola Resistance groups limited themselves to small-scale attacks or the capture of German soldiers, whom they used as bargaining chips to secure the release of their own prisoners. As the months went by, their actions got bolder, thanks in part to the help of the inhabitants of Ticino. “Their contribution was crucial,” Rues stresses. “Only about a third of the partisans possessed firearms, and ammunition was often in short supply. Rifles and pistols, as well as food and clothing from Ticino, were smuggled in along the contraband trails. Sometimes the partisans themselves procured weapons and other supplies across the border in Switzerland. Most of the weapons, however, came from the Allies via airdrops.” 

The final days of the Republic of Ossola: the partisans are forced to evacuate Domodossola and seek refuge in the mountains and in neighbouring Switzerland. And photographers are not always welcome. Keystone-SDA

The partisans achieved their greatest success in early September 1944. After liberating the valleys around the city of Domodossola, they drove out the occupying troops on September 10. This led to the founding of the Partisan Republic of Ossola, a brief experiment in democratic governance that was held up as an example after the war. “It was an important attempt to create a functioning democratic entity, which unfortunately lasted only about 40 days,” Rues explains, while noting the vital role played by Ticino in allowing many members of the government, including President Ettore Tibaldi, to take refuge in Switzerland. “In a very short time, a postal service was re-established with its own stamps, the school system was reorganised, and public transport was resumed with Switzerland. Political equality between men and women was also introduced, a decision way ahead of its time.” Here, Rues cites a famous quote by Italian journalist, partisan and essayist Giorgio Bocca: “The Ossola partisans achieved in 40 days what the Republic took years to accomplish.” 

One of the leading figures in the Ossola Provisional Government Council was Gisella Floreanini, She was appointed commissioner for social welfare, and as such was the first woman in Italian history to hold government office. One of her tasks involved coordinating cooperation with the Swiss Red Cross, to enable the supply of food, clothing and medical supplies from cantons Ticino and Valais to the Ossola Free Zone. After the war, Floreanini, a member of the Communist Party, was elected to the Domodossola city council. In 1948 she entered the Italian parliament, where she fought for women’s political rights. “The partisans embarked on this project for a democratic state because they had probably received assurances from the Allies that a northern front would be opened to liberate Italy from the north,” Rues points out. 

Partisans and civilians from the Ossola region who had sought refuge in Switzerland were required to register and undergo a health check. The photograph was taken on October 1, 1944 in Bern. Photopress-Archiv / Walter Studer

Abandoned by the Allies 

However, the partisans were left to fight the German troops on their own. The Allies focused instead on events in the east, especially Warsaw, where they airdropped equipment and weapons to Polish fighters. Furthermore, in September and October 1944, the terrible weather conditions in the Ossola Valley made it almost impossible to fly over the area and drop supplies. “The partisans had even set up airdrop sites and two landing strips,” Rues notes. “Without the vital British and American supplies, the defence of Ossola was doomed to failure.”  

Another photograph of civilians and partisans from the Ossola region who had arrived in Bern to be registered. Photopress-Archiv / Walter Studer

Indeed, just over a month after being driven out, German troops and Mussolini’s units began the reconquest of the region. “While the Ossola Free Zone functioned very well from a democratic point of view, from a military standpoint it was extremely ill-prepared,” explains the Ticino historian. “For the first time, the partisans abandoned guerrilla tactics and attempted to defend the territory like a traditional army.”  

Within two weeks they had been routed. More than 500 partisans lost their lives and as many again were deported to German labour camps. On October 23, the Ossola Partisan Republic collapsed and over 10,000 people fled to Switzerland, including 3,500 partisans. According to documents from the Swiss Federal Archives, at least 1,500 children were taken in by families across the country, while the adults were placed in refugee or internment camps, mainly in German-speaking Switzerland. “This mass exodus was also made possible thanks to the relaxation of Swiss refugee policy,” Rues concludes. “By October 1944, Germany’s defeat seemed certain and the risk of German reprisals was limited.” 

Post-war reckoning 

Between 1943 and 1945, at least 2,000 people died in the Ossola Valley region, including 600 civilians. The end of the war did not bring an immediate end to the violence. In the months following the Liberation, various acts of retribution took place and many Fascists were killed, especially members of the Black Brigades, the most reactionary and violent unit. In addition to the executions were acts of personal revenge, which had little to do with the partisan struggle. Isolated episodes of violence continued up until 1948. 

Edited by Daniele Mariani. Adapted from Italian by Julia Bassam/ac