PG 122 Cinecittà

Cinecittà is located near Rome.

PM 3300

Several work camps. Prisoners were transferred from the camp March 1944 to camps in Germany.

More information can be discovered here:

https://campifascisti.it/scheda_campo.php?id_campo=379

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Rome – Cinecittà – Camp for prisoners of war n. 122
Rome (Rome) – Italy
Camp type: Prisoner of war camp from May 1942
Source: DPG27
History: On 23 March 1942, the imminent entry into operation of the prisoner of war camp P.G. No. 122 of Cinecittà, near Rome. 400 prisoners of war will initially be assigned to the camp (see PGCI01).
From a subsequent letter (see PGCI02) we understand that a certain number (300 or 400) of black South African prisoners of war was assigned to the Cinecittà camp, to be used as extras in the making of the film “Bayer 205”. The letter also establishes the pay to be paid to the PCs. and the rules for their possible use in the making of other films.

Officially, the first 300 internees are registered in the Cinecittà camp at the end of June 1942. They are all of South African nationality* (see DPG11). The prisoners of war rise to 562 at the end of 1942 (see DPG29). In January 1943, prisoners of war were added again, this time, however, of English nationality (see DPG32). Thus, on 31 March of the same year in camp No. 122 there are 216 English, 7 white South Africans, 570 black South Africans, 1 white degaullist (see DPG35).

There is little other information that we have on camp P.G. No. 122 of Cinecittà. After an inspection by the Military Engineers that took place in March 1943, it is noted that in the PG. No. 122 “the lodgings lack furniture and the officers’ mess has no crockery” (see DPG43).

We also know of a failed escape attempt by two British POWs in March 1943 (see PGCI05). On the other hand, the news about some work detachments dependent on the PG camp needs further investigation. 122 of Cinecittà.

At the beginning of February 1943, the Prisoners of War Office authorized a further transfer of 100 prisoners of war of South African nationality (specified as Negroes), from Camp PG. 122 on behalf of the Ministry of Aeronautics (see PGCI03). Which suggests that a work detachment employed by the judiciary was set up earlier. 122 on behalf of the Air Ministry’s Telecommunications and Flight Assistance Inspectorate (in other places we know that POWs were used as forced laborers for repair work on bombed out airport runways).

Another hypothetical job detachment dependent on the PG. 122 of Cinecittà seems to be the one made up of 50 prisoners of war at the Colombo Bona company in Case Nuove, Rome (see PGCI04). Almost certainly, from the P.G. the work detachment of Villaggio Caroni depends on Cinecittà.

At the moment we do not have any other information on the PG camp. 122 of Cinecittà.

* In the summaries on the number of prisoners of war of the Army General Staff, only from 1943 the P.G. South Africans are divided between “white” and “coloured”, as is the case with the PCs. degaullist French.

Note: Research on Italian prisoner of war camps is still ongoing (November 2012). The information reported here is taken from some documents conserved in the Historical Office of the Army General Staff and concerns only the period from March 1942 to March 1943. The data on this sheet are therefore incomplete and still to be verified.

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PG abbreviation

The full title is ‘Campo Concentramento di Prigioniere di Guerra’ (prisoner of war concentration camp). They were not concentration camps in the normal sense of the word. Camps were normally prefixed PG, but could be referred to as CC, Campo or Campo PG. The exception was the 2 Dulags and 1 Stalag within Italy, which were German controlled transit centres for POWs being transferred to Germany. The camps were originally known by their place names, and numbers were not introduced until early 1942. There are some camps with no numbers, perhaps they closed before early 1942?

PM abbreviation

Camps in Italy were divided into postal areas, each area designated ‘PM [number]’. PM translates to ‘Posta Militare’, meaning ‘military mail’. The number indicated the central postal reception area for the camps’ mail.