Davide Menini was an Italian Lieutenant Colonel of the

First Italo-Ethiopian War The First Italo-Ethiopian War, lit. ''Abyssinian War'' was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from 1895 to 1896. It originated from the disputed Treaty of Wuchale, which the Italians claimed turned Ethiopia into an Italian protectorate. Full-sc ...

. He participated in the Battle of Custoza of the Third Italian War of Independence and commanded the 1st Africa Alpini Battalion during the

Battle of Adwa The Battle of Adwa (; ti, ውግእ ዓድዋ; , also spelled ''Adowa'') was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Ethiopian forces defeated the Italian invading force on Sunday 1 March 1896, near the town of Adwa. The d ...

before being killed in the battle.

Biography

Menini was a veteran of the Battle of Custoza in 1866 and he joined the corps of the

Alpini The Alpini are the Italian Army's specialist mountain infantry. Part of the army's infantry corps, the speciality distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. Currently the active Alpini units are organized in two operatio ...

since its establishment, becoming famous in the group for having embarked on December 29, 1895, aboard the ship ''Gottardo'' which carried the 1st Africa Alpini Battalion to

Italian Eritrea Italian Eritrea ( it, Colonia Eritrea, "Colony of Eritrea") was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy in the territory of present-day Eritrea. The first Italian establishment in the area was the purchase of Assab by the Rubattino Shipping Company in ...

. Promoted to major, Menini found himself managing the 1st company, led by Giovanni Trossarelli, with men from the 1st Alpini Regiment, the 2nd company, led by Ernesto Mestrallet, with men from the 2nd Alpini Regiment, the 3rd company led by Captain Lorenzo Blanchin, with troops of the 4th Alpini Regiment and the 4th company, led by Captain Pietro Cella, with troops of the 5th, 6th and 7th Alpini Regiment. He had command of 20 officers and 954 between non-commissioned officers, graduates and soldiers. The troops settled shortly afterwards by order of Menini himself at the fort of Adigrat, at 2473 meters above sea level. Menini's commanded the 1st Africa Alpini Battalion were involved shortly after in the

which represented the bloodiest phase of the

. It was fought on March 1, 1896, at the Amba Rajo against the Ethiopian troops. During the battle, Menini was promoted to lieutenant colonel but he died the same day of the battle becoming famous for having refused help to allow his men to advance, urging them as he shouted "Come on, my Alpini!". A notable climber, he discovered the Menini Canal, an access road to Mount Antelao in the

Dolomites The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form par ...

on August 7, 1886.

Works

*''Operazioni militari alla frontiera Nord-Ovest. Memorie di escursioni alpine del 1890.'', Verona, 1891

Awards

* Silver Medal of Military Valor *

Commemorative Medal of the African Campaigns A commemorative is an object made to memorialize something. Commemorative may refer to: * Commemorative coin, coins that issued to commemorate something * Commemorative medal, a medal to commemorate something * Commemorative plaque, a plate typic ...

Commemorative Medal of the Unity of Italy The Italian Risorgimento was celebrated by a series of medals set up by the three kings who ruled during the long process of unification - the Commemorative Medal for the Campaigns of the War of Independence and the various versions of the Commemor ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menini, Davide 1843 births 1896 deaths Alpini Italian colonels Italian Army officers Military personnel from Genoa People of former Italian colonies Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Italian military personnel killed in the First Italo-Ethiopian War