In the eyes of death: from Bolzano to Mauthausen

Aldo Pantozzi (1919-1995) was arrested on December 1st 1944 by agents of the Sicherheitsdienst and taken to Trento prison, where he was held until January 10th 1945. He was then transferred to the Lager of Bolzano, where he was detained until February 1st 1945, the day he was deported to the extermination camp of Mauthausen. First published in 1946, just a year after the beginning of the events narrated, Pantozzi’s autobiographical reconstruction is the chilling tale of 100 days spent in the inferno of this concentration camp. The account is a raw, direct testimony recalling the ineffable horrors and suffering of Mauthausen as well as a precious historical document reflecting the author’s extraordinary humanity.