Alfredo Guzzoni (12 April 1877 – 15 April 1965) was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
military officer who served in both
World War I
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 ...
and
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 opposing ...
.
Early life
Guzzoni was a native of
Mantua
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
Italian Army
Guzzoni joined the
Italian Royal Army
The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfre ...
(''
Regio Esercito Italiano'') and fought in
World War I
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 ...
.
After the
Second Italo-Abyssinian War, Guzzoni was appointed
Governor of Eritrea. He served as governor from May 1936 until April 1937.
In 1939, Guzzoni had a prominent role in the
Italian invasion of Albania
The Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939) was a brief military campaign which was launched by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime m ...
and was
Commander-in-Chief of the
Higher Forces Command Albania in 1940.
In June 1940, after Italy entered
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 opposing ...
, Guzzoni commanded the
Italian 4th Army during the
invasion of France
France has been invaded on numerous occasions, by foreign powers or rival French governments; there have also been unimplemented invasion plans.
* the 1746 War of the Austrian Succession, Austria-Italian forces supported by the British navy attemp ...
.
On 29 November 1940, Guzzoni succeeded
Ubaldo Soddu
Ubaldo Soddu (23 July 1883 – 25 July 1949) was an Italian military officer, who commanded the Italian Forces in the Greco-Italian War for a month.
Soddu was born in Salerno. From 1939 to 1940, Soddu was under-secretary at the Ministry of War. ...
as Under-Secretary of War and Deputy Chief of the Supreme General Staff.
In 1943, Guzzoni was General Officer Commanding the 6th Army on
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
and commander of the
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
* Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
troops on Sicily during the
Allied invasion of the island. The German-Italian resistance lasted 37 days before the evacuation of the island.
Armistice and prosecution
After the
Italian armistice of September 1943, fascist republican soldiers captured general Guzzoni, but he avoided execution thanks to the help of some German officers who appreciated his role during the defense of Sicily.
See also
*
Albania under Italy
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares l ...
*
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...
*
Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces
*
Army Group Liguria Army Liguria (''Armee Ligurien'', or LXXXXVII Army) was an army formed for the National Republican Army (''Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano'', or ENR). The ENR was the national army of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's Italian Social Republic (''Re ...
*
Eritrea Governorate
Eritrea Governorate () was one of the six governorates of Italian East Africa. Its capital was Asmara. It was formed from the previously separate colony of Italian Eritrea, which was enlarged with parts of the conquered Ethiopian Empire follow ...
External links
*http://www.generals.dk/general/Guzzoni/Alfredo/Italy.html
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guzzoni, Alfredo
1877 births
1965 deaths
Military personnel from Mantua
Italian generals
History of Eritrea
People of former Italian colonies
Italian protectorate of Albania (1939–1943)
Italian military personnel of World War I
Italian military personnel of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War
Italian military personnel of World War II