Four days of Naples  The Four days of Naples (Italian: "Quattro giornate di Napoli") refers to the popular ad hoc World War II uprising in Naples, Italy between September, 28-30 1943 against German occupying forces, immediately prior to the arrival in Naples of Allied forces on October 1st that same year. The spontaneous uprising of Neapolitan and Italian Resistance against German occupying forces — despite limited armament, organization or planning — nevertheless successfully disrupted German plans to deport Neapolitans en masse, destroy the city and prevent Allied forces from gaining a strategic foothold. The city of Naples was subsequently awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor, the four days are celebrated annually, and were the subject of the 1962 film, The Four Days of Naples. From 1940–43, Naples suffered heavy Allied bombing raids causing severe damage and heavy civilian population loss. It has been calculated that 20,000 civilian Neapolitans died in the indiscriminate attacks: over 3,000 died in the raid of 4 August 1943 alone, while around 600 were killed and 3,000 injured by the explosion of the ship in port on 28 March. The city's artistic and cultural heritage also suffered damage, including the partial destruction of the Chiesa di Santa Chiara on 4 December 1942. With the Allied advance in southern Italy, anti-Fascists in the Naples area (including Fausto Nicolini, Claudio Ferri and Adolfo Omodeo) began establishing closer contacts with the Allied commanders, and requested Naples' liberation. From 8 September 1943, the day in which the Cassibile armistice came into force, the Italian Army forces in the area (without orders, as were most of the units at the time) drifted toward Naples. Things there were already difficult thanks to the unceasing bombing raids and the imbalance in forces (20,000 Germans opposed 5,000 Italians in the whole of Campania). The situation in Naples soon devolved into chaos, with many higher officials, either unable to take the initiative — or even directly collaborating with the Nazis, deserting the city, followed by the Italian troops. Those escaping included Riccardo Pentimalli and Ettore Del Tetto, the generals entrusted with military responsibility for Naples, who fled in civilian clothing. Del Tetto's last actions before fleeing had been to hand the city over to the German army and to publish a decree banning assemblies and authorising the military to fire on those disregarding the ban. Even so, sporadic but bloody attempts at resistance arose throughout the Zanzur Barracks, as far as the Carabinieri barracks at Pastrengo and at the 21st ""Centro di Avvistamento"" (Early Detection Post) of Castel dell'Ovo.