Cefalonia

Cefalonia recounts the true events that took place in September 1943 on the Greek island of Kefalonia (Cefalonia in Italian), when the 12,000 men of the Italian 33rd Acqui Infantry Division, following Italy's surrender to the Allies, refused to come under German command and also refused to surrender their weapons. The local German forces, supported by Stuka dive-bombers and additional troops, attacked the Italians. After several days of fighting, the Italians surrendered, having lost 1,300 men. As punishment, the German High Command ordered that all surviving Italians be executed. Approximately 5,000 were killed during a week of executions. A small number were rescued by local Greeks and Greek guerrillas, while the rest were shipped off as prisoners; 3,000 of them drowned when their ships struck mines. The film *Captain Corelli's Mandolin* is based on a novel about the Italian occupation of Cefalonia, but the massacre was significantly downplayed in the Hollywood adaptation.