Rocco

Rocco was a middle-aged Belgian soldier during World War I. In September 1916, he was one of several Belgian motorcycle couriers assigned to relay French communications in the Verdun area. The Belgian couriers were brought in when the newly-appointed General Robert Nivelle needed fresh messengers, without the infiltration of German spies.

Rocco lived in the courier quarters in the chateau that served as the 2nd Army Headquarters in Souilly, along with Henri Defense (Indiana Jones), Alex, Claude and Jean Marc. The day after Jones' first trip to the trenches, they all enjoyed a meal in the dark basement. Jones explained how he had gotten involved in the war as a Belgian soldier, and Jean Marc gave Jones a quick history lesson of how all of Europe got entangled in the war.

The next day when Major Marat came looking for a courier, Rocco, resting lazily outside, pointed Marat over to Jones, who went off to the artillery site to pick up an ammunition order. That night, Colonel Barc and Major Gaston came to the couriers to find someone who could speak German. Jones arrived late, and volunteered when none of the others stepped forward. After Barc and Gaston left, Rocco pulled Jones aside and warned him that he had a lot to learn. Jones, thinking it was an interpreter assignment, later reflected that Rocco was right, when it turned out to be a task to spy on the German command bunker.

A day later, Rocco watched as fresh columns of troops marched to the front, and pointed them out to Jones, who spotted his friend Remy Baudouin among the soldiers heading out. When orders came from General Henri Phillipe Petain to cancel Nivelle's orders to attack Fort Douaumont, Rocco took the paperwork by motorcycle from Souilly to Barc's bunker. He arrived with the orders and stood by as Barc received a phone call from Commander-in-Chief Joseph Joffre, who tried to re-start the attack. When Barc refused to follow Joffre's orders, and instead requested written orders, Rocco shoot Barc's hand, knowing that Barc had saved the lives of many men from slaughter against the reinforced German guns.

Behind the scenes
Jean-Pierre Castaldi played the role of Rocco in the episode "Verdun, September 1916" of the The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

In the comic adaptation, Rocco is depicted as a younger man during the scenes when Barc and Gaston are recruiting a German speaker.

Appearances

 * Demons of Deception
 * Verdun, September 1916 comic