PG 29 Veano

PG 29 Veano was a converted seminary which stood on a slope overlooking the river Nure in Piacenza province. The camp was operational from May 1941* and consisted of high ranking officers. By late 1942, it housed some three hundred Allied personnel who had been captured in North Africa. A large contingent had arrived after the fall of Tobruk in June that year.

PM 3200

More information about this camp can be discovered from these links:

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=https://nonprendersisulserio.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/illustri-prigionieri-del-campo-29-a-veano-anticipazione-dellurtiga-n-1/&prev=search

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Captains-Courageous-Gunner-Mackenzie-liberation/dp/1495930610

* Note that the information on this link questions the opening date for this camp. It was possibly May 1942?

https://campifascisti.it/scheda_campo.php?id_campo=339

Translation for Campi Fascisti main page:

Veano – Prisoner of War Camp No. 29
Veano, part of the municipality of Vigolzone (Piacenza) – Italy
Camp type: Prisoner of war camp from May 1941
Source: DPG27
History:
According to some information found on the web, the P.G. No. 29 is located in Villa Albertoni in Veano, a hamlet in the municipality of Vigolzone in the province of Piacenza. It has been in operation since May 1941, and has a capacity of 200 places for POW officers (see DPG27).

In reality, in the lists with the number of prisoners of war that the General Staff of the Royal Army issues every fortnight, camp No. 29 does not appear in the months of March and April 1942. It therefore still remains to be verified whether the indication of the opening date either a document error or not.

In any case, on May 1, 1942, there were 75 prisoners of war in Veano, 70 of whom were British, 2 Australians, and South Africans and one of another nationality (New Zealander or Canadian or other British) (see DPG06).

The following month, the internees doubled (156), reaching the number of 271 on February 28, 1943. That day at the P.G. in Veano there are 3 generals, 192 senior officers, 6 junior officers and 59 non-commissioned officers and enlisted men, all of whom are English nationals. As well as 3 Australians, 2 Canadians, 3 New Zealanders, 2 white South Africans and one of unspecified nationality (see DPG33).

In fact, from a document of the end of April 1942 (see DPG46) it seems intended to intern in particular senior officers of English nationality.

We currently have no further information on this prisoner of war camp.

(see request by the interior ministry to vacate the premises in DPG49)

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.

**************************************************************************************************************

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.