During World War II , a sector of the concentration camp was reopened to confine prisoners from the Allied forces who opposed the Axis powers . Put under the control of the Royal Italian Army and later of German units , the camp housed Indian , English , New Zealand , and Pakistani war prisoners . During the war , German General Albert Kesselring had his headquarters , with more than 200 officers and about 1,000 soldiers , established near Albe Castle . The city of Avezzano , having become a transit place at the service of Nazi troops , suffered heavy bombing from the Allies , which caused several civil victims and damages to 70 % of the architectural heritage restored a few years after the 1915 earthquake . During the feverish bombing period a lot of prisoners escaped from the camp , managing to find shelter in Marsica mountain villages or in the most inaccessible areas of the Abruzzi Apennines
1915 earthquake
1915 Avezzano earthquake
Avezzano concentration camp