41-515: Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba , 1st Marquess of Sabotino ( US : / b ə ˈ d oʊ l j oʊ / bə- DOH -lyoh , Italian: [ˈpjɛːtro baˈdɔʎʎo] ; 28 September 1871 – 1 November 1956), was an Italian general during both World Wars and the first viceroy of Italian East Africa . With the fall of the Fascist regime in Italy , he became Prime Minister of Italy . Badoglio
82-499: A lieutenant general , was named as vice-chief of staff ( sottocapo di stato maggiore ) despite being one of those mainly responsible for the disaster during the Battle of Caporetto on 24 October 1917. With regard to the Battle of Caporetto, although he was blamed in various quarters for his disposition of the forces under his command before the battle, a commission of inquiry rejected most of
123-656: A fascist, hence the appointment of a well-known fascist general. In addition, he was Commander-in-Chief of the forces invading from Italian-held Eritrea on what was known as the "northern front". De Bono had under his direct command a force of nine army divisions in three corps: the Italian I Corps, the Italian II Corps and the Eritrean Corps. On 3 October, forces under De Bono's command crossed into Ethiopia from Eritrea. On 6 October his forces took Adowa , officially avenging
164-635: A lieutenant ( tenente ) in artillery . Badoglio was involved in the First Italo-Ethiopian War and the Italo-Turkish War . At the beginning of Italian participation in the First World War , he was a lieutenant colonel ( tenente colonnello ); he rose to the rank of major general following his handling of the capture of Monte Sabotino in May 1916 and by the late months of 1917, by now already
205-453: A relatively-small force would move gradually southward from Eritrea , establish strong bases and then advance against increasingly weak and disorganised opponents. The invasion that De Bono envisioned would be cheap, easy, safe and slow. Mussolini separately involved the Army in planning, and over the next two years, the army developed its own massive campaign, which would involve five to six times
246-471: A vital part (with Rodolfo Graziani , deputy governor of Cyrenaica) in defeating the Libyan Resistance by waging a near-genocidal campaign. On 20 June 1930, Badoglio wrote to Graziani: "As for overall strategy, it is necessary to create a significant and clear separation between the controlled population and the rebel formations. I do not hide the significance and seriousness of this measure, which might be
287-467: The comune of his birth, Grazzano Badoglio , on 1 November 1956. Duke of Addis Abeba Duke of Addis Abeba ( Italian : Duca di Addis Abeba ) was a hereditary title in the Italian nobility which was bestowed at the Italian conquest of Ethiopia as a victory title by King Victor Emmanuel III for Marshal Pietro Badoglio after he led Italian troops into Addis Ababa on May 5, 1936 in
328-598: The Fascist Grand Council ( Gran Consiglio del Fascismo ). De Bono fought in the Italo-Turkish War , the First World War and the Second Italo-Abyssinian War . He was one of the key figures behind Italy's anti-partisan policies in Libya, such as the use of poison gas and concentration camps, which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians and have been described as genocidal. After voting for
369-626: The Italian armistice with the Allies in Cassibile on behalf of Badoglio, who was named Prime Minister of Italy . Wary of the potentially hostile German response to the Armistice, Badoglio hesitated to formally announce the treaty. On 8 September 1943, the armistice document was published by the Allies in the Badoglio Proclamation , and Badoglio had not informed the Italian armed forces. The units of
410-807: The Karst Plateau in 1915 (as Colonel in the Bersaglieri corps), in the capture of Gorizia in 1916 (as commander of the "Trapani" Infantry Brigade), in the Second Battle of the Piave River in June 1918 and in the battle of Monte Grappa in October 1918 (as commander of the IX Army Corps ). He was also the author of a popular patriotic song, Monte Grappa tu sei la mia patria ("Mount Grappa, you are my Fatherland"). During
451-602: The March of the Iron Will . On the May 5, 1936, Benito Mussolini declared Victor Emmanuel III the new Emperor of Ethiopia and Ethiopia an Italian province . On the same occasion, Marshal Badoglio was appointed the first Viceroy of Ethiopia and made "Duke of Addis Abeba" by the King. Emilio de Bono Emilio De Bono (19 March 1866 – 11 January 1944) was an Italian general, fascist activist, marshal , war criminal, and member of
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#1732851121598492-599: The Maritime Artillery Militia and the Anti-Aircraft Defense Militia. However, he kept a low profile and in 1942 was appointed Minister of State . On 24 and 25 July 1943, De Bono was one of the members of the Grand Council of Fascism who voted to oust Benito Mussolini when Dino Grandi , put a nonconfidence motion to the vote of the Grand Council of Fascism . That led the King to get rid of
533-714: The Royal Italian Army ( Regio Esercito ) in 1884 as a second lieutenant , fought in the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1887-1889 , and had worked his way up to the General Staff by the start of the Italo-Turkish War in 1911. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Savoy for his conduct during the war. De Bono then fought in the First World War in which he distinguished himself against Austria-Hungary on
574-458: The victory title of Duke of Addis Abeba ad personam. On 11 June 1936, Rodolfo Graziani replaced Badoglio as viceroy and governor-general of Ethiopia. Badoglio returned to his duties as supreme chief of the Italian general staff. According to Time magazine, Badoglio even joined the Fascist Party in early June. Badoglio was chief of staff from 1925 to 1940, and had the final say on
615-522: The 77-year-old De Bono was executed by firing squad at Verona. He was shot along with Galeazzo Ciano , Luciano Gottardi , Giovanni Marinelli and Carlo Pareschi . Ciano was the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Mussolini's son-in-law. Gottardi was the former president of the Fascist Confederation of Industrial workers. Marinelli was the former chief of the Fascist militia and Pareschi
656-483: The Bedouin rebels in the desert. On 24 January 1932 (the third anniversary of his appointment), Badoglio proclaimed the end of Libyan resistance for the first time since the Italian invasion in 1911. On 3 October 1935, because the progress of De Bono's invasion of Abyssinia was judged by Mussolini to be too slow, Badoglio, who had in the meantime launched an epistolary campaign against Emilio de Bono , replaced de Bono as
697-592: The Ethiopian armies confronting him on the northern front. He commanded the Italian invasion army at the First Battle of Tembien , the Battle of Amba Aradam , the Second Battle of Tembien , and the Battle of Shire . On 31 March 1936, Badoglio defeated Emperor Haile Selassie commanding the last Ethiopian army on the northern front at the Battle of Maychew . On 26 April, with no Ethiopian resistance left between his forces and Addis Ababa , Badoglio launched his " March of
738-540: The Fascist Militia. In 1925, De Bono was tried for his role in the 1924 death of the leftist politician Giacomo Matteotti . De Bono refused to implicate his superiors and was unexpectedly acquitted in 1925. Later that year, De Bono was appointed governor of Tripolitania , in Libya . De Bono was one of the key figures behind Italy's anti-partisan policies in Libya, such as poison gas and concentration camps, which resulted in
779-544: The Iron Will " to take the Ethiopian capital city and end the war. By 2 May, Haile Selassie had fled the country. On 5 May 1936, Marshal Badoglio led the victorious Italian troops into Addis Ababa. Mussolini declared King Victor Emmanuel to be the Emperor of Ethiopia , and Ethiopia became part of the Italian Empire . On this occasion, Badoglio was appointed the first viceroy and governor general of Ethiopia and ennobled with
820-465: The Italian Royal Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force were generally surprised by the change and unprepared for German actions to disarm them. In the early hours of the following day, 9 September 1943, Badoglio, King Victor Emmanuel, some military ministers, and the chief of the general staff escaped to Pescara and Brindisi seeking Allied protection. On 29 September 1943, the longer version of
861-694: The armistice was signed in Malta . On 13 October, Badoglio and the Kingdom of Italy officially declared war on Nazi Germany . Badoglio continued to head the government for another nine months. Due to increased tensions with the Soviet Union , the British government saw Badoglio as a guarantor of an anti-communist post-war Italy. Consequently, Badoglio was never tried for Italian war crimes committed in Africa. Badoglio died in
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#1732851121598902-497: The back, which he considered a stain to his honour as a soldier. Like his maternal grandfather, Emilio was reportedly an atheist , as he stated in his "Memoirs" in 1941: "Atheism is enlightened and rational, based on scientific principles. I, as a member of the military, admire reason, and for that I'm an atheist". His siblings were Edmondo, Agostino, Constanza, Gerardo and Marella. He had no children. In Florestano Vancini 's film The Assassination of Matteotti (1973), De Bono
943-518: The commander. Badoglio asked for and was given permission to use chemical weapons , using the torture and murder of downed Italian pilot Tito Minniti during the Ethiopian "Christmas Offensive" as a pretext for doing so. British historian Sir Ian Kershaw wrote the "barbarous initiatives in the conduct of the war in Ethiopia " came as a rule from the military elite rather than from Mussolini himself. Badoglio employed mustard gas to effectively destroy
984-561: The criticisms made upon him. In the years after the First World War, in which he held several high posts in the Regio Esercito , Badoglio exerted a constant effort in modifying official documents in order to hide his role in the defeat. After the war, Badoglio was named as a senator , but also remained in the army with special assignments to Romania and the U.S. in 1920 and 1921. At first, he opposed Benito Mussolini and after 1922
1025-468: The deaths of tens of thousands of civilians and have been described as genocidal. In 1929, De Bono was appointed Minister of Colonial Affairs , also referred to as the Minister of Colonies. In 1932, King Victor Emmanuel III and De Bono visited Eritrea. In November 1932, at Benito Mussolini 's request, De Bono wrote a plan for an invasion of Ethiopia . The plan outlined a traditional mode of penetration:
1066-602: The dictator, ordering his arrest and imprisonment. Later in 1943, Mussolini was freed by Nazi Germany during the Gran Sasso raid and installed in Northern Italy as head of a new state, the Italian Social Republic ( Repubblica Sociale Italiana , RSI). Mussolini had De Bono and others who voted against him arrested and tried for treason at Verona in what became known as the " Verona trial ". On 11 January 1944,
1107-585: The entire structure of the Armed Forces, including doctrine, selection of officers, and armaments, influencing the whole military environment. He did not oppose the decision of Mussolini and the King to declare war on France and Great Britain. Following the Italian army's poor performance in the invasion of Greece in December 1940, he resigned from the General Staff. He was replaced by Ugo Cavallero . By early 1943, there
1148-430: The humiliating 1896 Italian defeat . Soon afterward, De Bono entered the historically significant city of Axum and rode a white horse. After those initial triumphs, however, De Bono's advance slowed. On 8 November, the I Corps and the Eritrean Corps captured Mek'ele , which was to be the limit of Italian advances under De Bono. Increasing world pressure on Mussolini brought a need for fast glittering victories, and he
1189-481: The number of troops as required by De Bono. In 1934, Mussolini pulled the uncoordinated plans together into one that emphasized the military's idea of full-scale war . In 1935, De Bono became Supreme Commander of the Italian operation against Ethiopia during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War . De Bono was appointed because Mussolini wanted the victory in Ethiopia to be not just an Italian victory but also
1230-615: The ousting of Benito Mussolini , De Bono and five others were arrested and tried for treason at the Verona trial . All of the men were found guilty, with De Bono and four others being executed by firing squad the following day. De Bono was born in Cassano d'Adda , a son of Giovanni de Bono and descendant of the Counts of Barlassina , and Elisa Bazzi. His family "suffered under the Austrian yoke". He entered
1271-560: The pre-fascist era) in his cabinet. On 24 July 1943, as Italy had suffered several setbacks following the Allied invasion of Sicily in World War II , Mussolini summoned the Fascist Grand Council , which voted no confidence in Mussolini. The following day , Mussolini was removed from government by King Victor Emmanuel III and arrested. On 3 September 1943, General Giuseppe Castellano signed
Pietro Badoglio - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-400: The ruin of the subdued population ... But now the course has been set, and we must carry it out to the end, even if the entire population of Cyrenaica must perish." By 1931, well over half of the population of Cyrenaica were confined to 15 concentration camps where many died as a result of overcrowding (and lack of water, food and medicine) while Badoglio's air force used chemical weapons against
1353-487: The war he was awarded three Silver Medals of Military Valour ; in 1920, he was discharged with the rank of Major General . In the early 1920s, De Bono helped organize the National Fascist Party . In 1922, as one of the four Quadrumvirs , he organized and staged the March on Rome . The event signalled the start of the fascist regime in Italy. After the march, De Bono served as Chief of Police and Commander of
1394-409: Was a widely-held belief among the military elite that Italy needed to sign an armistice in order to exit the war. Mussolini needed to be removed, as he was not willing to sign an armistice, nor were the Allies willing to sign an armistice with him. The two men considered to replace Mussolini were Marshal Badoglio and Marshal Enrico Caviglia . As Marshal Caviglia was one of the few Royal Army officers who
1435-446: Was an opportunist well known for his sycophancy towards those in power, which led the king to choose him as Mussolini's successor as he knew that Badoglio would do anything to have power whereas Caviglia had a reputation as a man of principle and honour. On 15 July 1943, in a secret meeting Victor Emmanuel told Badoglio that he would soon be sworn in as Italy's new prime minister and the king wanted no "ghosts" (i.e. liberal politicians from
1476-566: Was born in 1871. His father, Mario Badoglio, was a modest landowner, and his mother, Antonietta Pittarelli, was of middle-class background. On 5 October 1888 he was admitted to the Royal Military Academy in Turin . He received the rank of second lieutenant in 1890. In 1892, he finished his studies and was promoted to first lieutenant. After completing his studies, he served with the Regio Esercito (Italian Royal Army) from 1892, at first as
1517-418: Was known to dislike Fascism, the king was unwilling to have him as prime minister. Victor Emmanuel wanted an officer who was committed to continuing the Fascist system, which led him to choose Badoglio who had faithfully served Mussolini and committed an array of atrocities in Ethiopia, but who had a grudge against Mussolini for making him the scapegoat for the failed invasion of Greece in 1940. Moreover, Badoglio
1558-427: Was not prepared to hear of obstacles or delays. On 16 November, De Bono was promoted to Marshal of Italy ( Maresciallo d'Italia ), but Mussolini grew ever more impatient with the invasion's slow progress. In December, De Bono was relieved of his command via State Telegram 13181 ( Telegramma di Stato 13181 ), which stated that with the capture of Mek'ele five weeks earlier, his mission had been accomplished. His place
1599-442: Was side-lined by being sent to Brazil as ambassador. A political change of heart soon returned him to Italy and a senior role in the army, as chief of staff from 4 May 1925. On 25 June 1926, Badoglio was promoted to the rank of marshal of Italy ( maresciallo d'Italia ). Badoglio was the first sole governor of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica (later amalgamated as Italian Libya ) from 1929 to 1933. During his governorship, he played
1640-563: Was taken by Marshal Pietro Badoglio , and De Bono was appointed Inspector of Overseas Troops. In 1940, De Bono commanded a southern defense corps headquartered in Sicily and was opposed to the Italian entry into the Second World War ; he filed a scathing report about the condition of the troops in Sicily, pointing out that the "mobile battalions" were not mobile at all, and harshly criticizing both
1681-537: Was the former Agriculture Minister. The only person on trial who escaped from capital punishment was Tullio Cianetti , the Minister of Corporations, who was sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment by the RSI judges. De Bono and the other condemned, tied to chairs as it was in use in Italy, suffered the humiliation of being shot in the back as traitors. After hearing the sentence, De Bono reportedly remarked "You barely got me; I am seventy-eight", but later complained about being shot in