Morris Berg was an American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball, who later served as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. I've always been very interested in World War II and visited many historical sites and museums in Europe. I would love to meet your father. This was a very moving account of Pino Lella's life story; what a remarkable life he is living - with happiness and heartache; after reading this book, I look at the world /circumstances differently than before and I cannot get this man out of my thoughts. About the Book:Beneath a Scarlet Skyshares the story of a teenage spy, Pino Lella. God Bless Pino. An Italian WWII Story of Jewish Rescue: Pino Lella, Teenage Spy . Ive read this amazing tragic story last year. The next morning I got in the car and crossed the alps into Italy to meet Pino. like. The life of Pino Lella, only recently revealed and narrated in the book "Beneath a scarlet sky", by the American writer Mark Sullivan, sounds like the script of a war movie. This, his 18th book, has been his passion project, he said, sipping espresso at Wild Joes Coffee Spot. In April 1945, he delivered Leyers to the Fifth United States Army and then became the driver of Major Frank . Pino Lella, born 1926 in Milan, Italy. I'm going to name my next rescue dog after him so I can tell people who he is. mike litoris. So I decided to go through where the police man told me not to. Seine Auftrag bestand darin, Leyers aus Italien an die sterreichische Grenze zu bringen und ihn dort einer amerikanischen Einheit zu bergeben. Michael Lella..please tell your dad he is an amazing man and thank you for sharing his story. Lello joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps, guiding hundreds of Jews to safety in a year. There has to be a way. Michael Lella, tell your father "thank you" for sharing his story and for the lives he saved. He is "1.85 meters tall, seventy-five kilograms, long and gangly, with big hands and feet, hair that defied taming, and enough acne and awkwardness that none of the girls he'd asked to the movies had agreed to accompany him" (7). At the same time, hed like to hug every single one.. The novel's protagonist, Pino Lella starts out as a carefree Italian youth whose main concern is finding love. Just read this book on the recommendation of my mother in law. An investigative journalist who has co-authored books with James Patterson, Sullivan has earned a place on the LA Times Best Book of the Year and NY Times #1 Best Sellers. His courage through all he endured and still he held on to his faith and love of life. Your father is my hero. Bozeman best-selling author Mark Sullivan has pledged $15,000 toward a charity that plans to mail free books every month to hundreds of . Michael Lella, first I want to thank your father for telling his story. Amerikanischen Armee unter dem Kommando von Major Frank Knebel aus. This is the second time I read the story and also listened to it on my recent car trip via audiobook. The frustration of being in the German army rather than helping refugees escape was tempered when Pino was recruited by the resistance to spy on the General. Even still several days after I finished the novel I keep researching all of the events, pictures, and people online. I didn't know anything about Pino until I read the novel based on his life. I started worrying. The war came to Giuseppe "Pino" Lella right as he watched Fred Astaire dance with Ginger Rogers. When he first heard snippets of Pino Lella's story at a dinner party more than 11 years ago, Mark Sullivan was unable to shake the image of an Italian teenager leading refugees to safety across perilous mountain ridges, and he became determined to tell the tale of this anonymous, unsung hero. During his business trips he learned the positions of tank traps, land mines, ammunition tunnels and all fortifications between Florence and Milan and observed the construction of the most important defenses of the Germans. Milanese (ma nato a Bari), classe 1926, figlio di commercianti che gestivano un negozio di pelletteria a San Babila, Lella il . Pino Lella at age 17. Sullivan shows us war as it really is, with all its complexities, conflicting loyalties, and unresolved questions, but most of all, he brings us the extraordinary figure of Pino Lella, whose determination to livecon smaniawith passionsaved him. Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of Suspicion and The Switch, Action, adventure, love, war, and an epic heroall set against the backdrop of one of historys darkest momentsMark Sullivans Beneath a Scarlet Sky has everything one can ask for in an exceptional World War II novel. Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of Playing with Fire. [1], Lella wuchs in Mailand auf und als 1943 dort die ersten Bomben fielen, schickten ihn seine Eltern sicherheitshalber in die Alpen zur Sommerschule von Pater Re, wo er das Autofahren erlernte.[2]. First he spends the war helping Jews escape Italy, and then he serves as the driver for a Nazi general. When I finished the last page I was sitting at the Denver airport weeping. We chatted for a few minutes, I thanked them excessively for being open to me photographing them and then right before I was going to leave I asked Pino: Tell me about James Dean. The complete and utter lack of any corroborating information regarding the events 'witnessed' by Pino makes this historical fiction, plain and simple. Worked in Japan and Germany; Passed Information about Japan were crucial for the Soviet victory in. I will be there in June 2018 if you are interested in having a prosecco at Ristorante Lago Maggiore:) I speak Italian. event will also feature a special recognition of Staten Island's own, Italian-born Holocaust survivor of the Finzi-Contini family, Carla Beeber. Pino is a young man caught up in his own dreams. A similar Google search for the Italian Resistance found The 10 Best Italian War Movies,which included both World Wars and was not confined to the resistance fighters. Today I am going to publish an interview I did with Michael Lella, Pino's son. One of the most riveting, page-turning books Ive read in a long time. Heather Morris, author of the #1 international and New York Times bestseller The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Sullivan again demonstrates his gift for finding little-known embers of history and breathing life into them until they glow and shine in ways that are both moving and memorable. Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris, Mark is one of the most gifted and successful novelists of our generation. I loved the book and your father is a true hero. Please try again later. I felt it when I met him. Registrations for this event are not available at this time. Amazing absolutely amazing. It's difficult to come to grips with the fact that an actual person was telling their true story of life as they've lived it. In an attempt to protect him, Pinos parents force him to enlist as a German soldiera move they think will keep him out of combat. Thank you Pino Lella for sharing your story, it made me feel a little closer to the father I miss so much. 7. We won't share it with anyone else. So it is little surprise perhaps that Pino Lellas life is going to be made into a Hollywood film. All I can say is "Wow" All that Pino went through. Im no hero. Please know my question and intent is for respect and gratitude. Is he open to meeting people who love his story/him? My parents have a home in Lesa. Please let him know he electrifies young people. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Next month, Lella turns 91. Of course Im going to help people escape.. I pray he meets somone he loves as much as anna.soo horribly sad. My husband and I lived in Italy 50 years ago near Rimini, and we visited Mussolini's grave and so many places in Italy affected by the war. Finished the book yesterday, and cannot stop thinking about Pino Lella. Theevent will also feature a special recognition of Staten Island's own, Italian-born Holocaust survivor of the Finzi-Contini family, Carla Beeber. In the book, Lella works to hide Jewish refugees, including a young sick girl whom he rescues from a cattle car taking Jews to a death camp. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 November 2020, at 15:23. Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, the USA Today and #1 Amazon Charts bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man's incredible courage and resilience during one of history's darkest hours.. Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. One of them reminds me of a classical painting, or a greek god. Create a password that only you will remember. I was unable to stop reading until I learned what happened in the end. But at this point and time I understand how difficult that would be. 894646. It was the summer of 1943 and Lella, then 17 years old, was sitting next his brother, Mimmo, at a movie theater in his native Milan watching the cinematic duo twirl across the screen. . Which is real? Since Lella's aunt and uncle had connections to the " Organization Todt ", the armaments and construction department of the Third Reich, he joined the German army for his own safety, but against his internal convictions and on the advice of his parents, and was included in the Todt boat Camp moved into Modena . That night at a dinner party, he heard the first snippets about Pino Lella. Award-winning author Mark Sullivan retraced Pinos steps up the treacherous mountains near Casa Alpina and interviewed him to capture this true story of love and war. I'm so glad his story has finally been told. U.S. Army Capt. In late March 1944, as Stalins forces push into Ukraine, young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bears intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia? The avalanche is real, witnessing Mussolinis death is real, the lovely Anna is real. What an amazing story. Twice, the author mentioned, Anna had Pino tie a white band around his foreh. I hope his heart is happy at this very moment. He was very familiar with the Alps and its surroundings from his childhood, and even defeated the weather to save the Jews from the war. I wish Pino a joyful rest of his life. Thank you x. I am reading this book now and love it! First you should know that I began reading it thinking it was historical fiction and did not know that it was a true story until I got to the end, just yesterday morning. Pino is a true hero and I would shake his hand and buy him a drink if I could! Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-A-Million IndieBound, This is full-force Mark Sullivanmuscular, soulful prose evincing an artists touch and a journalists eye. I read the book last fall, and have recommended it many times. [49] Rene Joyeuse. I know it from personal knowledge, because I was there. Diese Seite wurde zuletzt am 5. Leski was a pilot during the war. Now, with the opportunity to spy for the Allies inside the German High Command, Pino endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret, his courage bolstered by his love for Anna and for the life he dreams they will one day share. He, like the rest of Italy, wanted to forget the horrors of war and move on. Best. With this book, you will come to know more clearly about a personality . given name. Thank God the story of Pino Lella has been told. I cannot get the characters. Mai eine Fahrt ber den Brennerpass zu unternehmen, obwohl dieser Anfang Mai 1945 eine der gefhrlichsten Ecken Europas war. Not only was Pino a brave and wonderful man, but Mark T. Sullivan is an amazing writer and truly knows how to portray emotion. Pino's indomitable and heroic spirit during WWII to smuggle Jews over the Alps and spy on the Nazis is breathtaking! Thank you! A true hero and an inspiration to us all! Mindy, I understand where you're coming from and I too believe that the youth of today need to know what happened and how the War in Italy affected on, Mindy, I understand where you're coming from and I too believe that the youth of today need to know what happened and how the War in Italy affected one individualone that is of the age group you would like to teach. Michael, My husband and I are listening to the book on tape while driving to and from our home in Pinecrest. What an amazing story. I just finished reading the book, what a inspirational life. Aged only 17 he risked his life to smuggle Jews out of Mussolinis Italy, before spying on the Nazis while employed as a driver for a German general. I just can't get enough of "Beneath a Scarlet Sky"! An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. At the missionary Pino would study with . Mark Sullivan was born to write this novel based on the real story of Pino Lella, one of many unsung heroes of the Second World War. just finished the book. May we all learn to love our neighbor as ourselves or. Fleming was a Lieutenant Commander RNVR in the British, A Spanish double agent loyal to Great Britain, Garca played a key role deceiving Nazi Germany during. I have no words. The many losses he had to experience as a young person during this time are really tragic. I know the park on Lake Como and many of those gorgeous roads he traveled. The war came to Giuseppe "Pino" Lella right as he watched Fred Astaire dance with Rita Hayworth. I read the book in one sitting which meant staying up until 2:30 AM. during the summers as a child Pino and Mimo were sent to a missionary called Casa Alpina near lake Como. I already wrote, and Lella has never been able to show a photograph of his stay and of his brother Mimmo in Motta. [1], Lella grew up in Milan and when the first bombs fell there in 1943, to be on the safe side, his parents sent him to Father Re's summer school in the Alps, where he learned to drive. He first tried to write the book as non-fiction, but hit major roadblocks. I am only fifteen and know I cant understand how tragic it is to lose a true love like that, but I can only imagine how touching it must have been to my dad, no doubt imagining seeing my mother (and his twenty something years happily married wife) in that situation, or how difficult it was for Pino to cope with the grief. Letzte berprfung: 6. The story is based on events in the life of Pino Lella from June 1943 to May 1945. The tale is wonderfully told by Mr Sullivan. Maria Grazia 'Lella' Lombardi (March 26, 1941 - March 3, 1992) was an Italian female racing driver the second woman to start a Formula One race, after Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958, and the last woman to do so to date. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. It's been a few days since I finished the book, and this part of Pino Lella's life has been on my mind ever since. Sullivan plans to visit Lella in June and bring him the book. Then Pino came jogging up the narrow alley and I introduced myself. But after Pino is injured, he is recruited at the tender age of eighteen to become the personal driver for Adolf Hitlers left hand in Italy, General Hans Leyers, one of the Third Reichs most mysterious and powerful commanders. Iv just completed listening to the audio version with my 87 year old mother who was a Jewish war survivor in Poland from the invasion in 1939 until she graduated medical school with my father and came to New York in 1959. She used this card to aid Britain. Sign Up. With our tour, you will walk in the footsteps of this Italian hero during the most dramatic years of Milan, following his adventures in the . Twice, the author mentioned, Anna had Pino tie a white band around his forehead. I keep thinking there is more to Annas story. I am headed to Lake Como in a couple of weeks. I was thrilled to see Pino was alive and hope he realizes how important his story is. Mark Sullivan (a sinistra) e Giuseppe "Pino" Lella. Reluctant at first, Lella agreed to be interviewed, along with corroborating witnesses. What a wonderful person you have as your father! Schlielich baten ihn die Amerikaner, eine letzte Mission zu bernehmen und am 3. If I didnt figure this out within the next 10 minutes I was going to be late and possibly not able to make it all. God bless you, Pino. Your papa is more loved that he can image. it is overwhelming!! Then Pino turned 18. Basilica of San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura that was damaged by stray Allied bombs in 1943, in Rome, in 2013. When I got back in my car and drove along the shore of Lago Maggiore back to Austria I got overwhelmed by a feeling of ridiculous accomplishment. Inspirational . Michael, I knew your father and your family when you were living in Mammoth. Mark writes a very beautiful plot in his novel and his writing is very evocative; he never fails to make me gasped every time I turn page to page. For a brief moment, the war . The Machiavellian German Gen. Hans Leyers who oversaw a million slaves being worked to death on military fortifications, yet who helped save Italy from Hitlers scorched-earth plans is real. Pino Lella. <3. Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. Does he met any of his fans? When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps . I did not enjoy being led to believe that the events in this. Giuseppe (Pino) Lella. Please tell your father what a brave soul he is, not only to find the courage to live through those years, but the years that followed, and to tell his story and bring to the forefront much of which he's likely spent his adult life trying to forget. WW II freedom fighter Pino Lella. When Milan became too dangerous for the boys because of the German bombings, they were sent back to the school. He claims to report directly to Hitler. God used Pino to do much good in a bleak and evil time. Plus, I would have loved to have been at the party and listen to him play the piano! Lellas Geschichte ist die Basis fr Mark Sullivans Roman Unter blutrotem Himmel, der sich im Allgemeinen an die biografischen Fakten aus Pino Lellas Leben zwischen 1943 und 1945 hlt, aber auch in manchen Teilen aus Fiktion besteht. Please tell him how much I appreciate knowing his life story. If you are ever in Pinecrest, let us know! Find your friends on Facebook. The novel was based on "the true story of a forgotten hero," Pino Lella, an Italian youth who led refugees over the mountains to freedom in physical acts of courage. I read it fast, it consumed me. Send us your thoughts and feedback as a letter to the editor. $9.99 10 Used from $3.61 8 New from $5.78. Pino was big for his age, and an expert skier, willing to take great risks for an important cause (and perhaps to have some good stories to later impress Anna, the girl he dreamed of). Award-winning author Mark Sullivan retraced Pino Lella's steps up the treacherous mountains near Casa Alpina and interviewed him to capture this true story of love and war. What an amazing man he is! Lella put his fingers on the monument bearing his friends name, stumbled and collapsed sobbing in Sullivans arms. shop art. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Greene was involved in the SIS (also known as MI6). I was going to be in Austria, about 4 hours from where Pino currently lives, about a week and a half later and I could drive to meet him. Ask the Author. They pay the price to love their "neighbor" with tangible and costly action. You have permission to edit this article. When his parents sent Pino and his brother into the mountains for safety, they worked under the . Then 79, Lella was robust, a gregarious, boisterous Italian and an insane driver. Pino and his brother, Mimo, spent two months every summer and one month every winter at Father Res school, Casa Alpina north of Lake Como. Beneath a Scarlet Sky, which was released initially for Kindle devices before being published as a paperback, has been downloaded 250,000 times, even though it has been ignored by most mainstream reviewers. He's a normal Italian teenagerobsessed with music, food, and girlsbut his days of . Kowerski was a Lieutenant for Poland during the war. Damerment worked for SOE and was later shot. Part of me wants to scrap Como and head to Lesa and search out Pino and give him a hug and drink a glass of Chianti with him. Too many witnesses had died, too many records had been burned. please? Tom Holland. Thank you, Mark Sullivan, for writing it so beautifully. I too just finished reading the book. I am happy to hear that your father is doing well. The life of Pino Lella, who smuggled Jews out of Italy after joining the underground aged 17, is to be made into a film after the book was a huge success. Thank you Mark for writing relaying this incredible story with such an exciting and empathic style. He downplayed his heroic feats of leading 30 to 35 groups of Jews and Allied soldiers over the Alps to safety in Switzerland, saying any mountaineer could do it. As you were reading did you feel that the story was authentic? Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. Maya. Sullivan said he was dumbfounded when he saw for himself the steep cliffs that Lella had led people across in winter. She agrees and tells him her name is Anna. Life is crazy but we can be blessed if we listen. And looking forward to the movie! Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man's incredible courage and resilience during one of history's darkest hours. Hed had roller-coaster success as a writer when he hit bottom in 2006. And I made it. The most painful, emotional scenes in the book are partly what Lella reported as fact, and partly what haunted his nightmares. By chance, because of his knowledge of the French language and being able to drive a car, he became the personal driver of General Hans Leyers, Plenipotentiary of the Reich Ministry of War for Armaments and War Production in the Kingdom of Italy and thus the agent of the Italian sector of the Todt Organization. It becomes clear when you learn about his life. What a remarkable man he is! Kowaleski helped Poland achieve victory in the. I didnt know anything about Pino until I read the novel based on his life. Michael, I just finished this book and your fathers story is incredible. Does anyone have an update about whether he is still alive? I cannot stop thinking how he has changed my life thru the author Sullivan. Pino Lella is such a man and put himself at risk time and again. Please extend me honest and humble regards to Pino. Such an amazing a tragic story -. The book is based on the true story of Pino Lella and covers the years from June of 1943 to the end of the war in September of 1945. Thank you, Pino Lella, for finding the courage to tell your story. Sullivan lives in Bozeman andwas astounded by Pinos story, andastonished to find that he was still alive, living in Italy after many years in the U.S. We have no idea. Based on the true story of the unlikeliest of heroes, BENEATH A SCARLET SKY follows 17-year-old Pino Lella as he helps lead Jews out of Italy along an underground railroad through the Alps and, later, when he is recruited to become a spy for the Italian Resistance. August 30, 2017 courtreadsblog. in Milan, 17-year old Pino Lella joined an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps. Juni 1926 in Mailand) ist ein italienischer Kraftfahrer und Zeitzeuge der Endphase des Zweiten Weltkrieges. If I had a choice to read the book again I am not sure what I would do. Speak up? Alberto Ascari (13 July 1918 - 26 May 1955) was an Italian racing driver and a two time Formula One World Champion.He was a multitalented racer who competed in motorcycle racing before switching to cars. Website by. I have never cried reading a book until You know. Later, Lello enlisted in . Sullivan said hes determined to see Lellas story told in a movie and is in talks with people in the film industry. I can tell. After the war, Lella hid what hed done, deeply ashamed of having worn a German uniform and swastika, despite the risks he took as a spy. What is more remarkable is that his heroic deeds might have been forgotten to history, if not for an e-book published by a US thriller writer that has become one of the word-of-mouth hits of the summer. What a wonderful story! Anna soon came to care for Pino as he had hoped, and he longed for the end of the war, when they could marry. Er hatte zwei Mglichkeiten: er konnte sich zum einen Mussolinis faschistischer Armee anschlieen und hchstwahrscheinlich an der russischen Front landen oder sich zum anderen von der deutschen Armee einberufen lassen. Will never forget about this exceptional man. Perhaps they will put down their phones and look at the world a bit differently. Maybe he can come and speak at our Holocaust Memorial in West Bloomfield, Michigan, How cool would that be. The day before the last available window I finally secured my chance to meet Pino through his wife. He has good days and bad days. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more.