Emilio Battisti (

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, 22 December 1889 –

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, 23 November 1971) 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 Milan on December 22, 1889, the son of Silvio Battisti and Giuseppina Acconci. 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 began to attend the Royal Academy of Infantry and Cavalry in

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

as an

officer cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...

, graduating in 1910 with the rank of

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in 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 ...

corps. He was assigned to the "Vestone" Alpini Battalion of the

8th Alpini Regiment The 8th Alpini Regiment ( it, 8° Reggimento Alpini) is a regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. As of 2022 the regiment is assigned to ...

, and a few months later, in 1911, he left to fight in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

during the Italo-Turkish War, earning two War Crosses for Military Valor. He remained in North Africa until 1913, when he was repatriated. 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 ...

, 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 ...

, he was commander of the 241st Company of the "Val Baltea" Alpini Battalion, under the 4th Alpini Regiment, at the head of which he conquered the

Corno di Cavento The Corno di Cavento is a mountain in Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy. It is located in the Province of Trento, between Val Rendena and Val di Fumo. Its summit was conquered for the first time by a young Bohemian climber, Julius von Payer, along w ...

on 15 June 1917. After promotion to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in October of the same year, until the end of the war he was in the "Exilles" Alpini Battalion of the

3rd Alpini Regiment The 3rd Alpini Regiment ( it, 3° Reggimento Alpini) is a regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The regiment is based in Pinerolo and assi ...

. He participated in the fighting on the Mrzli, the Vodil, the Adamello, the

Crozzon di Lares The Crozzon di Lares is a mountain in Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy. It is located in Val Rendena, Province of Trento. Its summit was conquered for the first time by a young Bohemian climber, Julius von Payer, along with Coronna, Gries and Hayer, ...

and the Lobbie, being decorated with a

Silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

(for the conquest of Corno di Cavento) and a Bronze Medal of Military Valor.Andrea Bianchi, Gli Ordini militari di Savoia e d'Italia, p. 29 After the war he became one of the founding members of the National Alpini Association, and in 1920 he was the first commander of the newly established "Trento" Alpini Battalion, stationed in Gemona del Friuli. In January 1936, 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 ...

and commander of the 7th Alpini Regiment (part of the

5th Alpine Division Pusteria Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash that ...

), he left for

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

, where he participated in the conquest of Ethiopia. He distinguished himself in the course of war operations, being decorated with a second bronze medal for military valor for his role in the

battle of Maychew The Battle of Maychew ( it, Mai Ceu) was the last major battle fought on the northern front during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The battle consisted of a failed counterattack by the Ethiopian forces under Emperor Haile Selassie making front ...

, and returning to Italy in 1937. In 1938 he volunteered to fight in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, where he assumed command, with the rank of colonel brigadier, of the "XXIII Marzo Fiamme Nere" Legionary Division of the

Corps of Volunteer Troops The Corps of Volunteer Troops ( it, Corpo Truppe Volontarie, CTV) was a Fascist Italian expeditionary force of military volunteers, which was sent to Spain to support the Nationalist forces under General Francisco Franco against the Spanish Re ...

, and then of the

Flechas Verdes Division The Flechas Verdes Division was a division of the Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War. The name means "Green Arrows" in Spanish. It was created when the Flechas Azules Mixed Brigade was expanded into two division-sized units: the Fle ...

. By the end of the war, in 1939, he had been decorated with two more silver medals for military valor, and 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 ...

for war merits. With the entry of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

into

, which took place on 10 June 1940, he was appointed Chief of Staff of Army Group West, taking part in operations on the French front. Between 1 December 1940 and 9 March 1941 he was commander of the

49th Infantry Division Parma "Thank God for Mississippi" is an adage used in the United States, particularly in the South, that is generally used when discussing rankings of U.S. states. Since the U.S. state of Mississippi commonly ranks at or near the bottom of such rankings ...

, fighting in 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 ...

. In March 1941 he was appointed commander of the

4th Alpine Division Cuneense Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

, also fighting on the

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 ...

n front; on the following month the division participated in the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, after which it was stationed in northern Albania until the spring of 1942, when it was repatriated in preparation for its transfer to the Eastern Front as part of the ARMIR. Battisti led the "Cuneense" during the fighting on the Don river in the summer and autumn of 1942; when the Axis lines were breached by Operation Little Saturn during winter, and the ARMIR began its harrowing retreat through the steppe, he refused to be evacuated on a plane made available by the German command, choosing to share the fate of his Alpini. In the night between 26 and 27 January 1943 the divisional headquarters were encircled by

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

troops, and after the failure of every attempt to break through, all its members were taken prisoner. The "Cuneense" was completely annihilated in the retreat, with only 1,600 men out of 17,000 being able to escape the encirclement. Battisti was initially held in a Soviet

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

, where he was for some time a cellmate of German Field Marshal

Friedrich Paulus Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German field marshal during World War II who is best known for commanding the 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 to February 1943). The battle ended ...

, and then in a

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. P ...

, for over seven years; he was only released in 1950, returning to Italy on May 15 of that year, along with Generals Umberto Ricagno and Etelvoldo Pascolini and thirty

South Tyrolean it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

SS soldiers. He then returned to service within 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) ...

, with the rank of

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 ...

; he was made commander of the 6th Territorial Military Command (''Comiliter'') and in 1952 he was appointed president of the Superior Council of the Armed Forces and commander of the 3rd Army Center in

. He retired on 22 December 1953, becoming Honorary President for life of the Bologna-

Romagna Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to t ...

section of the ANA. He was heavily involved in ANA activities until his death in Bologna on November 23, 1971. His funeral was celebrated by

military chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term ''cha ...

Enelio Franzoni, who had also been a prisoner in Russia and had been awarded the

Gold Medal of Military Valor The Gold Medal of Military Valour ( it, Medaglia d'oro al valor militare) is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers. The fac ...

. In 1983 his remains were transferred to the Shrine to the fallen of the Cuneense Division, located on

Colle di Nava Colle di Nava at is a mountain pass in the Province of Imperia in Italy. It is located on the main chain of the Alps and connects Ormea and the Tanaro Valley ( CN) with Pieve di Teco and Imperia, the latter on the coast of Ligurian Sea. According ...

, as he had requested in his last wish.Andrea Bianchi, Gli Ordini militari di Savoia e d'Italia, p. 30

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battisti, Emilio 1889 births 1971 deaths Italian military personnel of World War II Italian military personnel of World War I Italian generals Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor Military personnel from Milan