POW Escape from Italian Camp | Toledo News

Private Warren Decker, a young U.S. soldier captured in North Africa, survived a harrowing POW ordeal—from a torpedoed Italian destroyer to brutal camps in Sicily and Italy, all under wartime censorship. Despite cramped tents, scarce supplies, and a commander who stole his mother’s gift watch for just 20 lire, Decker kept spirits up with letters home. When Italy surrendered in September 1943, freedom was far from guaranteed: the Italians were handing prisoners over to the Germans. So, 2,000 POWs staged a desperate, chaotic breakout on the night of September 14th, charging through gunfire and chaos to escape. Decker ran for his life—freedom hard-won, but not without cost. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/d7324bf77940542f