Talk:Justin Tuveri

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Moving meets with Justin Tuveri, one of the last three French veterans of the First World War (Saint-Tropez, on May 19, 2007)

Three. France still counts nothing any more but three veterans (1) of the Large War in life. Justin Tuveri is one of them. 89 years ago, it fought for Italy, its country of birth. 109 years old, it has lived France with Saint-Tropez (VAr) for more than 80 years. It is in a peaceful house located in the heights of this city that we have appointment. His/her son, Jean-Pierre Tuveri, accomodate us there with kindness and sympathy. During more than two hours it speaks to us about his father and details us his course during the war of 14-18. A little later, we will have the chance to maintain us directly with Justin Tuveri and to ask him some questions. The man is tired today, but its life is with the image of the XXe century: rich person in upheavals and evolutions. 

Justin Tuveri is born on May 13, 1898 in Collinas, a village located at about fifty kilometers in the North-West of Cagliari, in the south of Sardinia. His/her parents exploit a small agricultural property; very early, Justin helps his father in the agricultural work. It is there that the war comes to seek it. Class 1898, it is built-in on August 24, 1917 with the 45e regiment of infantry with Ozieri, in Sardinia: it carries number 17017. Its military formation is short: hardly about fifteen days. Because the requirements as men for the Italian Army are important. Indeed, Italy east in war since 1915 at the sides of France and Great Britain (2): it fights the allied empire of Austria-Hungary of Germany. From October 24, 1917 to November 12, 1917, Italy undergoes one of the defeats more shingling of its history, that of Caporetto. During this battle the 14th German Army, made up of divisions “released” from the Russian face, breaks the line of face italo-austro-Hungarian woman in the East: 340.000 Italian soldiers are put out of combat and the transalpine Army must move back on more than two hundred kilometers to the Piave river. The positions should absolutely be held: French and British troops are sent in reinforcement; the young men of class 1899 are immediately mobilized. At the same time, Justin Tuveri leaves his native island: he embarks in Golfo Aranci (3) for Genoa. He joined with foot and in the train the Area of Trentin (4): its regiment stations in Conco (5). On November 23, 1917 it integrates the 152e regiment of infantry which, with 151e IH, constitutes celebrates it “Sassari Brigade”. This one was made up Sardinian soldiers, considered hard with the evil and called “the demons”. At once, Justin is sent in territory declared zone of war. He knows the baptism of fire in December 1917: the attack is prepared with the grenade and the unfavourable position is taken with the bayonet. In connection with this first experiment of the war, Justin Tuveri will say to us: “Ah, they is not good memories… Bon, one was young, not experiment,… Enfin…” For its second engagement, it takes part in famous “the Battle of the three mounts”: withthe Valbella Mount, Collar del Rosso, Collar of Echele. This battle marks an important turn in the war, because it is the first Italian victory after the heavy defeat of Caporetto. It takes place in full winter 1917-1918, with more than 1000 meters of altitude, in the mountains dominating the villages of Asiago, Gallio and Conco (in Trentin, to see the chart opposite). Justin still remembers cold and snow. After an intense preparation of artillery on January 28, 1918 at six hours thirty of the morning, the Italian battalions go up to the attack of the three go up. The “Sassari Brigade” of Justin Tuveri is with the outposts: it fails the morning of the 28 in the attack of the Valbella Mount; but the afternoon it conquers the collars del Rosso and of Echele. The losses are heavy. The Austro-Hungarians defend their positions bitterly, with the machine-gun. Justin Tuveri tells us the attack, under the Collar del Rosso. Arrived to a few meters of the distinct Austro-Hungarians, unfavourable fire is infernal and prevents from advancing. The Italian survivors must make half-turn without being able to take the unfavourable position. During long seconds they are with overdraft, at the thank you of the enemy balls. Justin is touched first once. “There, I took a ball in the left thigh, in the buttock, and it left here” tells us it by showing us the place on his leg. It then manages to be trailed behind a rock, with the shelter. There it attends the massacre of his comrades, chopped finely by the balls of the machine-guns. “They fell like flies” precise the old man. On eight hundreds of his/her comrades, only nineteen will return unscathed. Then, Justin begins again: “Further, there was a gallery. I wanted to trail me to be able to enter the gallery. When I arrived there, there was a heap of died as that [they blocked the entry]; I clutched myself there [it shows the scene with its two hands]….And then, when I entered the gallery, I took a ball in the back [under the left shoulder, with a few centimetres of the lungs]. It appears that I remained in the gallery with half inside with half outside. There were three comrades who were already inside: they were not wounded. They trailed me inside and looked after me. One remained all the day in it. And the evening, when the Austrians did not draw any more, they tried to leave. Some said: ” It here is left, one will seek a stretcher and one returns to seek it “. One of them said: ” We are three….let us occupy of him, one carries it. “Then, they carried me, and they looked after me. ” Of return of the face, the four men cross a first Italian officer who, by discovering Justin seriously wounded, orders: “Will deposit it to You at the first medical station. ” Thus Justin Tuveri, between the life and death, leaves the sector of the three mounts on a stretcher of fortune. He will go back there never again of his long existence. The sector will fall definitively to the hands from Italian on January 31, 1918. On February 3, the survivors of the Sassari Brigade ravel in the streets of Vicenza under the acclamations of the population. But during this time, Justin fights against death. Operated the evening even at the first medical station, one extracts the balls without anaesthesia to him. On January 30, it leaves the territory declared zone of war to be transferred to the hospital from Marostica, located at thirty-five kilometers behind of the face. It in all will carry out more than six months of hospital and will be transferred to many recoveries. A certain disorganization of the military services of health reigns in this period of war. Justin testifies: “The first hospital was in Marostica. De Marostica, one went in Vicenza (6). De Vicenza, they transferred me onto a boat hospital to Naples. From Naples, one went with Spezia (7). In Spezia, there were no places in the hospitals, and they thus again transported me to Naples. In Naples, it was similar, full with casualties. From there, they transferred me with a group in Sardinia, in Cagliari (8). ” On April 13, 1918, it receives a leave of two months convalescence and half. After its re-establishment in June 1918, it joined its regiment based with Ozieri. It is affected in July 1918 on the island of Asinara, in the North-West of Sardinia: it keeps Russian prisoners there. It finishes the army in 1919 like schedules of an officer with Cagliari. In 1920, Italy is agitated by the rise of the fascistic movement of Mussolini. Justin leaves his country by Vintimille and arrives to France. He becomes carrier (in a bauxite exploitation), mechanic, driver, then guard and manager of a property of the royal family of Greece with Saint-Tropez. He has much chance and then meets all the personalities of the whole world: Vincent Auriol, the future emperor of Japan, the duke of Edinburgh, the king of Greece, future king d' Espagne, the queen of Denmark, the ex-king of Italy, the large-ducal family of Luxembourg, the Juliana queen of the Netherlands,…. He obtains French nationality in 1940. Decorated with the Military Cross by Italy, it receives in 2001 the medal about the Knights of Vittorio Veneto: this distinction had been created by Italy to honour its ultimate combatants surviving with the First War. Moved away from media agitation surrounding the ultimate witnesses of the Large War, it runs peaceful days today surrounded as of his. By taking leave of him this May 19, 2007 at eighteen hours we are moved: the glance and the sign of the hand that it addresses to us touch us deeply, as if 14-18 still greeted us last once…

This meeting is on the initiative of Pierre Malinowski whom I thank here particularly. I also hold to thank Jean-Pierre Tuveri for his reception, his availability and time that it devoted us. Finally and especially, that Justin Tuveri is cordially thanked who, in spite of tiredness related to its great age, agreed to deliver his testimony to us.

(written May 26 and May 27, 2007 by Frédéric Mathieu)

(1) The two others are Lazare Ponticelli and Louis De Cazenave, born in 1897. (2) It is Triple Alliance. (3) Golfo Aranci is a port located at the North-East of Sardinia. (4) Trentin is a province of the north of Italy, in Dolomites. (5) Conco is to 20 km in the North-West of Bassano del Grappa. (6) Vicenza is with 30km in the south of Marostica; its army papers indicate that it is transferred there on February 10, 1918 to be operated there. (7) Spezia is an important harbour city between Genova and Livorno. (8) Justin was transferred towards Cagliari on February 20, 1918.

Ryoung122 17:59, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

Birthdate?

Some sources say May 15, others May 13. Any comments? Ryoung122 18:06, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

May 15th is correct (according to Laurent Toussaint that is). Extremely sexy 00:38, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Reason for moving to France

I don't think he moved to France due to fascism, since fascism was not very strong yet in 1920. Show me evidence or I will cancel that part of the article. Calle Widmann 08:14, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

No, you won't. That info came from an interview with Mr. Tuveri himself, as recorded by Frédéric Mathieu. Ryoung122 17:45, 4 October 2007 (UTC)