The Clandestine Military Front (Italian: Fronte Militare Clandestino) was an organization of the
Italian Resistance
The Italian resistance movement (the ''Resistenza italiana'' and ''la Resistenza'') is an umbrella term for the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social ...
that operated in German-occupied
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
between September 1943 and June 1944. It consisted of some 2,300 men, largely Army officers who had gone into hiding after the German capture of Rome, such as Minister of War
Antonio Sorice
Antonio Sorice (Nola, 3 November 1897 – Rome, 14 January 1971) was an Italian general during World War II, Undersecretary for War from February to July 1943 and Minister of War from July 1943 to February 1944.
Biography
He was born in No ...
and Generals
Roberto Lordi,
Mario Girotti
Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with longtim ...
,
Dardano Fenulli
Dardano Fenulli (3 August 1889 – 24 March 1944) was an Italian general during World War II.
Biography
The son of Army officer Saverio Fenulli and of Rosa Ferrari, in 1906 he enlisted as a volunteer in the "Lancers of Milan" Cavalry Regim ...
and
Vito Artale
Vito Artale (Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. Th ...
. Its first leader was Colonel
Giuseppe Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, who after being arrested in January 1944 was replaced by General
Quirino Armellini
Quirino Armellini (31 January 1889 in Legnaro – 13 January 1975 in Rome) was an Italian Officer (armed forces), military officer, who served as a General officer, general in both the Royal Italian Army and the Italian Army.
Biography
Arme ...
, in turn replaced by General
Roberto Bencivenga
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
in March 1944. Thirty-four of its members, including Colonel Montezemolo and Generals Lordi, Fenulli and Artale, were among the victims of the
Fosse Ardeatine massacre
The Ardeatine massacre, or Fosse Ardeatine massacre ( it, Eccidio delle Fosse Ardeatine), was a mass killing of 335 civilians and political prisoners carried out in Rome on 24 March 1944 by German occupation troops during the Second World War ...
.
References
Italian resistance movement
{{Italy-hist-stub