Azolino Hazon (20 July 1883 – 19 July 1943) was an Italian general during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Commander-General of the Carabinieri The Commander-General of the Carabinieri (Comandante generale dell'Arma dei Carabinieri) is the head of the Carabinieri, the Italian Gendarmerie. He is usually chosen by decree of the president of the republic, nominated by the Minister of Defence ( ...

from February 1943 till his death during the

bombing of Rome The bombing of Rome in World War II took place on several occasions in 1943 and 1944, primarily by Allied and to a smaller degree by Axis aircraft, before the city was liberated by the Allies on June 4, 1944. Pope Pius XII was initially unsuccess ...

Biography

Hazon entered the Military School on 5 November 1904 and graduated as

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on 14 September 1906. He began his service within

6th Alpini Regiment The 6th Alpini Regiment ( it, 6° Reggimento Alpini) is a training regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The regiment is based in Bruneck ...

, with which he fought in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

during the

Italo-Turkish War The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War ( tr, Trablusgarp Savaşı, "Tripolitanian War", it, Guerra di Libia, "War of Libya") was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911, to 18 October 1912. As a result o ...

. On 31 March 1912 he was transferred to the

Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...

corps and assigned to the Cadet Legion and then to the

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

Legion. He was later transferred to the Rome Legion and participated in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

with the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

and later

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in 1920 and to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in 1927, and served in various territorial commands. On 17 December 1934, after promotion to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, he was appointed Inspector of the IV Zone (Rome). He participated in the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Itali ...

and on 7 September 1937, for the merits achieved in this conflict, he was promoted "for exceptional merits" to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, receiving command of the 5th and then of the 4th Carabinieri Brigade. On 10 November 1940 he was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and given command of the 2nd Carabinieri Division "Podgora". On 22 June 1942 he was appointed Deputy Commander General of the Carabinieri, and on 23 February 1943 he became Commander-General of the Carabinieri; he was the first Carabinieri officer to become Commander-General of the corps, all his predecessors having come from the ranks of the Army. Hazon perished during the first Allied air raid on Rome, on 19 July 1943. After the first wave of bombers had dropped its bombs, Hazon rushed towards the San Lorenzo district, which had suffered the heaviest damage, along with his chief of staff, Colonel Ulderico Barengo, to co-ordinate rescue efforts; they were caught en route by the incoming second wave and a bomb exploded near their car, killing both. Hazon was posthumously awarded the

Silver Medal of Military Valour The Silver Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry. Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hazon, Azolino 1883 births 1943 deaths Italian generals Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel killed in World War II Italian military personnel of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War Carabinieri Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Deaths by airstrike during World War II