Cannobio, a border town, was largely spared from the war events for several months, despite periodic German raids that involved the area. The town had two Nazi-fascist outposts, one at the southern entrance, Punta Amore, and another near the Hotel Cannobio, along the lakeside.
On the night of Saturday, August 26, 1944, a Zollgrenzschutz patrol in Cannobio was attacked by partisan forces, and three Germans were killed in the area known as the "four roads", right in the center of town. The following morning, at least fifty Nazi-fascists, arriving from Luino in small boats belonging to the "Salvatore Todaro Assault Vehicles School" of the Decima Mas, landed on the shores of Cannobio.
This expedition included troops from the "Ettore Muti" Black Brigade of Ravenna and elements of the Decima Mas Complements Battalion "Castagnacci." The German reprisal was led by SS Commander Hans Clemens, nicknamed the "Tiger of Como" whose ferocity was known for the massacre at the Fosse Ardeatine, where 355 men were slaughtered.
Clemens had three gallows erected in front of the Hotel Cannobio and ordered a roundup of civilians with the intention of hanging three men along the lakeside, shooting forty more, and destroying the houses near the site of the previous night's armed clash. It was only thanks to the determined intervention of Mayor Giovanni Reschigna and priest Don Pietro Barazzoni that the worst was averted. Many ordinary citizens had meanwhile taken refuge across the border in nearby Brissago, and the number of civilians handed over was far less than the German demand. About 40 men, mostly elderly, were arrested and escorted by German soldiers to Luino. Some of them were released due to poor health and advanced age, while others were transferred to Milan pending deportation to a Reich camp. Among these hostages, six men did not return, and today they are commemorated by a plaque placed near the old harbor.
After Clemens' departure towards Varese, a small group of fascists and German soldiers remained to guard Cannobio. This outpost was removed during the partisan attack on September 2, 1944.