Enea Navarini (
Cesena
Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. ...
1 April 1885 -
Merano
Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier ...
22 March 1977) was an Italian general who served during 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 opposi ...
from 1940 to 1943.
Biography
From 1939 to 1941 Enea Navarini was the general officer commanding the
56th Infantry Division Casale. On March 14, 1941, the division boarded ship for Albania, to participate in the ongoing
Greco-Italian War
The Greco-Italian War (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 kingdoms of Italy and G ...
. After the
German invasion of Greece
The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...
, Navarini was transferred to the
North African front where he assumed command of the
XXI Army Corps.
In Africa, Navarini became one of the most trusted assistants to
Erwin Rommel and at some time also appointed as Chief of
DELEASE (Detachment of the
Italian Supreme Command in North Africa) until his repatriation on 14 October 1942. He returned to North Africa, at Rommel's direct request, for the
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...
, once again commanding the XXI Corps.
After the defeat of the
German-Italian Panzer Army he remained in command of the surviving units until February 1943 when, following the inevitable loss of the North African front in
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
, he was evacuated to Italy.
Posted as commanding general of the
XIX Army Corps
The XIX Army Corps ( German: ''XIX. Armeekorps'') was an armored corps of the German Wehrmacht between 1 July 1939 and 16 November 1940, when the unit was renamed Panzer Group 2 (German: ''Panzergruppe 2'') and later 2nd Panzer Army (German: ''2. P ...
in Campania, following the
Armistice of Cassibile Navarini managed to escape and reach Northern Italy, where he joined the forces of the newborn army of the
Italian Social Republic (RSI). Since 1944 he became Commander of the RSI Special Forces Training Unit.
After the end of the war, in April 1945, he was subjected to an ''administrative'' process of political
''legal purge'' ("administrative trial") with the loss of his role and rank, but in the course of the same year such measures were revoked by ''legal decision'' of a superior Court of Justice ("judicial trial").
Sources
*
Bibliography
* ''The Trail of the Fox'' (1977), a biography of
Erwin Rommel , reissued 1999 in Wordsworth Military Library,
* Greene, Jack & Massignani, Alessandro: ''Rommel's North Africa Campaign: September 1940-November 1942'', Da Capo Press, 2007
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Navarini, Enea
1885 births
1977 deaths
Italian generals
Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War
Italian military personnel of World War I
Italian military personnel of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War
Italian military personnel of World War II
Italian Social Republic