During the Second World War, the prestigious Villa Richeldi became the area's Nazi military command centre. The local German Command (Ortskommandantur 567) was initially located in the premises of the primary schools in the Cibeno district, and only towards mid-April '44 did it found its definitive home in the villa. Compared to the first peripheral location, Villa Richeldi offered a much more advantageous position. Not only it overlooked the town centre, it was also located on what was then the town's main ring road; it also had two access points: an outbound one, towards the outskirts and an inbound one, towards the town centre.
Thanks to its railway connection to the Verona-Brenner axis the town itself was strategically positioned, and it became a crucial crossroad for the German military operations. The railway station and the road network, connecting Carpi to the Verona-Brenner route and to the Via Emilia, became vital arteries to move troops and materials, but also for the shipping of looted goods, the transfer of prisoners, forced workers and people arrested after round-ups, as well as Jewish and political prisoners sent to the Fossoli camp to be then deported to the Reich territories.
With the war front located along the Gothic Line in the autumn of 1944, Carpi's strategic position became even more important. On top of the relentless transit of troops, the town also witnessed the creation of several logistic facilities and the arrival of military garrisons. Public buildings and private dwellings were requisitioned to house the divisions’ commands, their offices and the housing facilities for the soldiers. Carpi's villas, including Villa Richeldi, became logistic knots as well as operational power centres, thus losing their original civil function.
Carpi's strategic importance was further emphasised by the presence of crucial technical bodies, such as the transport department and the general direction of the Todt organisation, in charge of the recruitment of workers for operations in Italy. Some buildings were turned into warehouses or food parcels sorting centres, and the local slaughterhouses became the heart of a wartime logistic network that transformed the town into a huge military warehouse.
The Nazi military command at Villa Richeldi issued orders for the garrisons and tenders aimed at the civilian population of Carpi. The directives, often inspired by the indications given by the Platzkommandantur in Modena, regulated daily life under occupation.
During the Liberation days Villa Richeldi was among the last Nazi strongholds to surrender. The small cannon in the garden continued to fire even after the end of the liberation, until the arrival of the Allied tanks.
