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ASSOCIATION BENÀCH - WWII history association based in Torbole Lake Garda

The Associazione Benàch was founded in July 2011 by a group of people interested in encouraging and developing greater awareness of local historical events such as the story of the Maybe. We also promote the protection, conservation, and appreciation of our cultural-historical, artistic, and environmental heritage. Why Benàch? With this name, we want to emphasize the close relationship with our local roots. Benàch was the ancient name of Lake Garda, and most likely the small town of Nago (local dialect ‘Nach’). Since 2011 the Associazione Benàch has organized several exhibitions in Nago and Torbole on WWII events in the local area. We have become well known for our expertise in the air war in Trento (also known as the ‘Battle for Brenner’): we have organized several memorial ceremonies and accompanied US families’ visiting Italy to places of interest such as crash sites, hid outs, hospitals, and bunkers. Benach published a paper and discussed its finds at the “ Sites and architectural structures of the Second World War: 1939-1945 - Defence systems and reinforced concrete, archaeology, architecture, and reuse project” conference at the Politecnico of Milano in 2013. We have published three books in Italian. The last of which was in 2014, also printed in English, is called The Story of the ‘Maybe’ The B-25J Mitchell bombardier that crashed on the 6th February 1945 monte Brugnolo between Valle di Gresta and Arco. Along with a ceremony and unveiling of a plaque to remember the Maybe airmen. Then, in 2017 this area was officially turned into a park and inaugurated ‘the Airmen of the Maybe’ by the local authorities of Ronzo-Chienis on 3 September 2017. In January 2015, we co-organized a memorial ceremony and unveiling of a plaque in Pietramurata (a little village just north of Arco) to remember the airmen from a B25J Mitchell, nicknamed Sad Sack, that crashed on 4 January 1945. We have also organized historical tours (Staff Rides) in partnership with the US base in Vicenza to improve their officers’ knowledge of WWII history in Trentino and northern Italy. One of our most successful events is the ‘Col. Darby 40 mile Ranger Challenge’, which takes place annually on 30th April, started in 2009. It is a foot march that begins at 6 a.m. in Peschiera del Garda and finishes in Torbole sul Garda. The objective is to complete the march up the lake within 10 hours. Hosted and organized by the Associazione Benàch, Ranger Rick Tscherne, and the town council of Nago-Torbole. More than 800 US soldiers took part in the 2019 edition of the Col. Darby march 40-mile march. The march was set up by our friend Ranger Rick Tscherne, in memory of Col. William O. Darby (founder of the American Rangers who was killed in Torbole, near the shore of Lake Garda, Italy on April 30th, 1945) and the men of 10th Mountain Division who died fighting to liberate Torbole and Lake Garda in northern Italy. We especially remember the 25 men who drowned on the same day (30th April 1945) when their amphibious craft - “DUKW” - sank, travelling from Torbole to Riva. In October 2018, the Association Benach, together with the Promare Foundation, organized a project to film and survey the DUKW in Lake Garda with a 3-man submarine. Ben Appleby and Antonella Previdi had the opportunity to go down and see it after a nearly decade of researching the DUKW.

Following this adventure, Benach co-wrote the abstract The search for fallen heroes in Lake Garda, which Brett Phaneuf from Promare Foundation presented at the OCEANS 2019 conference in Marseille. Together with the Fondazione del Museo Storico del Trentino of Trento, a documentary on the DUKW tragedy is being made called “The Lost Mountaineers”. It will include some images from the submarine expedition and be available in both Italian and English. Production was delayed due to Covid-19 and is expected to be available in 2023. Included in our future projects is the English version of our book about the last days of WWII in the northern end of Lake Garda and describes in great detail the bunkers in that area and working with a local association in the town of Tremosine to set up a permanent museum display showing the story and findings from a German JU88 reconnaissance plane we have investigated. The Association Benàch can be contacted via: FB Group: Association Culturale Benach https://www.facebook.com

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