Arturo Scattini (

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Co ...

, 11 July 1890 –

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

, 16 October 1970) was an Italian general during World War II.

Biography

During 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 fighti ...

he fought with the rank of

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 ...

in the 59th Infantry Division, earning two Bronze Medals of Military Valor for his conduct during the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

and Second Battle of Monte Grappa. In 1933 he assumed command of the 7th Libyan Regiment, and in 1937 (with the rank of

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 ...

) that of the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, which he held until November 1939. In April 1939, in command of the 9th Bersaglieri Regiment, he participated 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 ...

, receiving a

Silver Medal of Military Valor 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, ...

for the capture of Shkoder. From November 1939 to January 1940 he was attached to the Army Corps of

Treviso Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Veneti ...

, after which he was transferred to the

Ministry of War Ministry of War may refer to: * Ministry of War (imperial China) (c.600–1912) * Chinese Republic Ministry of War (1912–1946) * Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria) (1808–1919) * Ministry of War (Brazil) (1815–1999) * Ministry of War (Esto ...

. From October 1940 to July 1941 he was head of the Information Office of the Albania General Headquarters, receiving the

Military Order of Savoy The Military Order of Savoy was a military honorary order of the Kingdom of Sardinia first, and of the Kingdom of Italy later. Following the abolition of the Italian monarchy, the order became the Military Order of Italy. History The origin of ...

for his work during the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (Greek language, Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdom ...

and the

Axis invasion of Yugoslavia 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-coordinate ...

. He was promoted 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 to ...

on 1 January 1942, and on 1 June of the same year he was appointed deputy commander of the

80th Infantry Division La Spezia 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of ...

, fighting in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

; on 29 March 1943 he assumed command of the Division following the death of his predecessor, General

Gavino Pizzolato Gavino Pizzolato (Sorso, 26 February 1884 – Gabes, 27 March 1943) was an Italian general during World War II. Biography He was born in Sorso, in the province of Sassari, on February 26, 1884. In 1903 he entered the Royal Military Academ ...

. He was captured by the British in May 1943, with the final surrender of all Axis forces in Tunisia, and held in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

. He was released in 1944, following the

Armistice of Cassibile The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Brig ...

, and rejoined the Italian Co-belligerent Army, where he was given command of the "Friuli" Combat Group. On 8 February 1945 the Combat Group was sent to replace the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division on the

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (german: Gotenstellung; it, Linea Gotica) was a German defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of ...

, in the

Brisighella Brisighella ( rgn, Brisighëla) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Ravenna, region of Emilia-Romagna, in Northeast Italy. Brisighella borders the following municipalities: Casola Valsenio, Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole, Faenza, ...

sector, holding the front on the

Senio The Senio is a river of Romagna in Italy, the final right-sided tributary of the river Reno. The source of the river is in the province of Florence in the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano mountains. The river flows northeast into the province of Ravenna ...

river. The combat group participated in the 1945 spring offensive, liberating Riolo dei Bagni on 11 April 1945 and then advancing towards

Castel Bolognese Castel Bolognese ( rgn, Castël Bulgnés) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ravenna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Ravenna. As of 2006, it has a population of about ...

and

Imola Imola (; rgn, Jômla or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical r ...

along the

Via Emilia The ( it, Via Emilia; en, Aemilian Way) was a trunk Roman road in the north Italian plain, running from ''Ariminum'' (Rimini), on the Adriatic coast, to ''Placentia'' (Piacenza) on the river ''Padus'' ( Po). It was completed in 187 BC. The ' ...

, together with the Polish Carpathian Division. After bitter fighting against the Germans in Casalecchio dei Conti, on the morning of April 21, Scattini and his 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" were among the first Allied units to enter Bologna. After the end of the war, Scattini became Inspector-General of Infantry of the postwar

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

in 1949, and commander of the 8th and later the 9th Territorial Defence Command. In 1952 he was awarded the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking h ...

. After retiring, he became honorary president of the National Bersaglieri Association.Generale Arturo Scattini
/ref> He was the father of film director

Luigi Scattini Luigi Scattini (17 May 1927 – 12 July 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Scattini graduated in law, then he began his career as a journalist and a film critic for several weekly magazines such as '' Gente'' and '' Oggi''. ...

and grandfather of actress Monica Scattini.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scattini, Arturo 1890 births 1970 deaths Italian generals Italian military personnel of World War II Italian military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic People from Bergamo People of the Greco-Italian War