The German round-up, autumn 1944

Upega witnessed a dramatic episode linked to the partisan war. A German manoeuver that began on October 8th 1944 forced two brigades of the second division Garibaldi "Felice Cascione" to regroup and fall back to Piaggia. The command post and the wounded were then moved to Upega. But German troops unexpectedly descended from the Tanarello Pass, launching an attack on the village on October 17, taking the partisans completely by surprise and unprepared. Resistance was in vain: the stragglers of the two brigades met up the same evening in Carnino, then crossed into Val Corsaglia via Bocchino dell'Aseo to find refuge in Fontane. The fallen that day were more than twenty.[On-site information panel]