Camillo Mercalli (

Savona Savona (; lij, Sann-a ) is a seaport and ''comune'' in the west part of the northern Italy, Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea. Savona used to be one of the chie ...

, 18 July 1882 –

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, 13 November 1974) 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 ...

Biography

He was born in

on 18 July 1882, the son of Antonio Mercalli and Gabriella Marchesi Massimino, and after enlisting in the

Royal Italian 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 ...

he participated in 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 ...

, where he was awarded a

Bronze Medal of Military Valor The Bronze Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry. It was established by Charles Albert of Sardinia on 26 March 1833, along with the higher ranking Gold and Silver Medals for Military ...

for having distinguished himself during the battle of Psitos, in

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...

, on May 16, 1912. He then fought 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 fightin ...

, where he was decorated with a

War Cross for Military Valor The War Cross for Military Valor ( it, Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare) is an Italian order for military valor. Established in 1922, the cross may be awarded only in time of war. Appearance The medal is a Greek cross made of copper. Inscr ...

. Between 1919 and 1923 he was a tactical instructor at the Army War School in

. On 5 September 1934 he was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

, and became commander of the "Superga" Infantry Brigade. In 1937 he became Chief of Staff of the 1st Infantry Division "Superga", being 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 ...

on 1 July of the same year; in 1938 he assumed command of the 26th Infantry Division Assietta. On 21 December 1939 he assumed command of the IV Corps, being promoted to

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 1 January 1940. He was at the head of the IV Corps, part of the 4th Army of General Alfredo Guzzoni, when Italy entered the

Second World War 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 ...

. With the IV Corps, Mercalli participated in the campaign against France, and then in the war against Greece, earning two Silver Medals of Military Valor for his behaviour during the Greek offensive in January and during the final Italian offensive in April 1941. He was then replaced by General

Carlo Spatocco Carlo Spatocco (31 May 1883 – 28 January 1945) was an Italian general during World War II. Biography Spatocco was born in Chieti on May 31, 1883, the son of Francesco Spatocco, and after enlisting in the Royal Italian Army he participated ...

at the head of the IV Corps, and between 29 November 1941 and 30 September 1942 he held the position of commander-in-chief of the Italian Armed Forces in

Albania 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 ...

, with headquarters in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

. From 1 October 1942 he was replaced by General

Lorenzo Dalmazzo Lorenzo "Renzo" Dalmazzo was an Italian lieutenant general and corps and army commander during World War II. Military career On 3 June 1918, he received the Knight's Military Order of Italy (5th Class). He served in the colony of Italian Somalil ...

and returned to Italy, where in December he assumed the post of commander of the XXXI Army Corps with headquarters in

Soveria Mannelli Soveria Mannelli ( scn, Suverìa Mannielli) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Catanzaro, in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The town is bordered by Bianchi, Carlopoli, Colosimi, Decollatura, Gimigliano Gimigliano ( Calabri ...

, operating within the 7th Army of General

Mario Arisio Mario Arisio (Turin, 5 July 1885 – Rome, 7 July 1950) was an Italian general who served in the Italo-Turkish War, World War I, the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and World War II. Biography Arisio was born in Turin on July 5, 1885, and attend ...

. The XXXI Corps was tasked with the defense of

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and was composed of the 104th Infantry Division Mantova and of four coastal divisions ( 211th, 212th, 213th and 214th). On 5 September 1943, after the British landings in Calabria, Mercalli studied a

counterattack A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in "war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically seek ...

aimed at repelling the Allied forces and maintain possession of the

Aspromonte The Aspromonte is a mountain massif in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria ( Calabria, southern Italy). The literal translation of the name means "rough mountain". But for others the name more likely is related to the Greek word Aspros ( Ά ...

, but this could not be carried out due to the order issued by Field Marshal

Albert Kesselring Albert Kesselring (30 November 1885 – 16 July 1960) was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' of the Luftwaffe during World War II who was subsequently convicted of war crimes. In a military career that spanned both world wars, Kesselring beca ...

to the 15th Panzergrenadier Division to withdraw to

Castrovillari Castrovillari ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Geography Castrovillari lies in the north of Calabria, close to the border with Basilicata and within the Pollino National ...

in order to counter an expected allied landing in the

Gulf of Taranto The Gulf of Taranto ( it, Golfo di Taranto; Tarantino: ; la, Sinus Tarentinus) is a gulf of the Ionian Sea, in Southern Italy. The Gulf of Taranto is almost square, long and wide, making it the largest gulf in Italy, and it is delimited by the ...

. After the proclamation of 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 ...

three days later, Mercalli remained loyal to the royalist government and made contact with the advancing Allied forces in Calabria; from December 1943 he became president of the Supreme Military Tribunal for liberated territories, and from July 1944, he was attached 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 (Estoni ...

, remaining there until July 18, 1955, when he was discharged from the Army.Sandro Bassetti, Terni. Tre lager per Fascisti, p. 108 He died in Turin on November 13, 1974.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercalli, Camillo 1882 births 1974 deaths Italian military personnel of World War II Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Italian generals Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor