Emilio Ferreri (28 December 1894 in

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 ...

– 27 August 1981) was an Italian admiral 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 ...

. After the war, he was

Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy The Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy ( it, Capo di Stato Maggiore della Marina Militare) is the commander of the Italian Navy List of chiefs of staff Kingdom of Italy Italian Republic References {{Ch ...

from 1948 to 1955.

Early life

Ferreri was born in Rome on December 28, 1894, and in 1911 he was admitted to the Naval Academy of Livorno; he participated in the Italo-Turkish War as a cadet officer and graduated in 1914 with the rank of ensign.

World War I

During the

World War I 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 ...

Ferreri participated in naval operations in the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

, serving on the

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

''Giulio Cesare'' and later on the scout cruiser ''Sparviero'', earning a War Cross for Military Valor and being promoted to the rank of

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

in 1917.Paolo Alberini, Franco Prosperini, Dizionario Biografico Uomini della Marina 1861-1946, p. 228 In 1920 he was

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

on the protected cruiser ''Etna'', on an international mission to

Novorossijsk Novorossiysk ( rus, Новоросси́йск, p=nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; ady, ЦIэмэз, translit=Chəməz, p=t͡sʼɜmɜz) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities hono ...

on the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

, and distinguished himself during the tumultuous departure of the ship under the fire of Soviet artillery, earning his first Silver Medal of Military Valor. In 1924, with the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

, he was in command of the

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

''F 6'', and in 1928-1929, after promotion to

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

, he commanded the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

''Ostro''. After promotion to

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 in command of the heavy cruisers ''Fiume'' and ''Zara'' and held important positions abroad, including that of Naval Attaché in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

between 1935 and 1937 and, upon returning to Italy, between from 1937 to 1939, the post of chief of staff of the 1st Fleet.

World War II

When Italy entered

Ferreri was assigned to

Supermarina Supermarina was the headquarters of the Italian Royal Navy (''Regia Marina'') established on 1 June 1940, just before Italy entered the Second World War. The Army and Air Force equivalents were '' Superesercito'' and '' Superaereo'', which were su ...

at the Merchant Traffic Protection Office, and in November 1940 he was promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

. In January 1942 he became Chief of Staff of the Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Battle Forces, a position he held, after promotion to vice admiral in July 1942, until May 1943, when he was transferred to the Supreme Command to assume the direction of the Traffic Office. For the activity carried out during this period he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the

Military Order of Italy The Military Order of Italy ( it, Ordine Militare d'Italia) is the highest military order of the Italian Republic and the former Kingdom of Italy. It was founded as the Military Order of Savoy, a national order by the King of Sardinia, Vittor ...

and a War Cross for Military Valor. On 30 July 1943 Minister of the Navy

Raffaele de Courten Raffaele de Courten (Milan, 23 September 1888 – Frascati, 23 August 1978) was an Italian admiral. He was the last Chief of Staff of the Regia Marina. Life Raffaele de Courten was born in Milan in 1888. He joined the Naval Academy of Leghorn ...

appointed Ferrari secretary-general of the Navy Ministry. He was in

when 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 ...

was announced on 8 September 1943, and remained in the capital even after its occupation by German forces. On 14 September he assumed the post of commissioner for the Navy for the

open city In war, an open city is a settlement which has announced it has abandoned all defensive efforts, generally in the event of the imminent capture of the city to avoid destruction. Once a city has declared itself open the opposing military will be ...

of Rome, which however he only held until 30 September, when he went into hiding (being replaced as navy commissioner of the open city by Admiral

Mario Falangola Mario Falangola (August 9, 1880 – July 14, 1967) was an Italian admiral during World War II. Early life and career Mario Falangola was born in Rome in 1880 and was admitted to the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno in 1899, graduating as ensig ...

, favourable to collaboration with the Germans) and joined the Clandestine Military Front, becoming head of its naval faction. During the German occupation he coordinated the activities of various

Resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

groups, including through counter-espionage activities, making use of a large group of officers and

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

s who had refused to join the

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...

. At the liberation of Rome he was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor. In August 1944 he was appointed Superior Commander of the cruisers, with ''Eugenio di Savoia'' as

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

, leaving that position in October 1946, when he was again appointed Secretary General of the Navy.

Postwar period

He was promoted to

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

on 1 January 1947, and on 4 November 1948 he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Navy, a position he held until 10 August 1955. During this long period Ferreri devoted all his energies to the reorganization of the Italian Navy, decimated by war losses and by the clauses of the Paris Peace Treaty, laying the foundations for the subsequent renovation and reconstruction work that would be continued by his successors. In 1950 the first post-war naval program was realized under his leadership.

Later life

Ferreri died in Rome on August 27, 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferreri, Emilio 1894 births 1981 deaths Italian military personnel of World War II Italian military personnel of World War I Italian admirals Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor