August 12, 1944
Sant’Anna di Stazzema, Tuscany, Italy
Nazis murder 560 locals and refugees, including 130 children
In the span of 3 hours, the 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division rounded up all locals, locking them in barns or stables. They then took groups of captives to shoot with machine guns or at point-blank range, or brought them to basements or other enclosed areas and threw grenades in to kill large groups at a time.
The youngest victim was 20 days old, and a pregnant woman was given an impromptu cesarean section with a bayonet so she and her child could be killed separately. All bodies were then set on fire, with church pews used to fuel a bonfire. All livestock was killed as well, and the town was razed.
