Marocchinate is a term applied to the mass rape and killings committed during World War II after the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy. These were committed mainly by the Moroccan Goumiers, colonial troops of the French Expeditionary Corps (FEC), commanded by General Alphonse Juin, and mostly targeted civilian women and girls in the rural areas of Southern Lazio, between Naples and Rome. Mass rapes continued across all the campaign including several locations in Tuscany: Siena, ad Abbadia S. Salvatore, Radicofani, Murlo, Strove, Poggibonsi, Elsa, S. Quirico d'Orcia, Colle Val d'Elsa.
Moroccan soldiers at Monte Cassino, January 1944.
The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome, was a series of four military assaults by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The objective was to break through the Winter Line and facilitate an advance towards Rome.
Polish soldiers inside the ruined Monte Cassino monastery
German paratroopers from the 3rd FJR "Green Devils" taking part in the battles for Monte Cassino, March 1944
British Royal Engineers of the 46th Infantry Division cross the Garigliano river, 19 January 1944
A German tank crew attempts to restore their Panzer IV's mobility after battle damage inflicted during the fighting