Ettore Enzo Fimiani Troilo (10 April 1898 – 5 June 1974) was an Italian
Resistance leader 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 opposing ...
.
Biography
Early life
The son of a doctor, he enlisted as a volunteer in the
Great 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 ...
at age 18, fighting as an
artilleryman
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, ...
; he was captured in February 1917 but freed by an Italian counterattack, and later participated in the
battle of Caporetto
The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Kobarid or the Battle of Karfreit) was a battle on the Italian front of World War I.
The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central ...
and in the
battle of Vittorio Veneto
The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought from 24 October to 3 November 1918 (with an armistice taking effect 24 hours later) near Vittorio Veneto on the Italian Front during World War I. After having thoroughly defeated Austro-Hungarian troop ...
, earning a
War Merit Cross
The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Meri ...
and ending the war with the rank of
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...
.
[ In 1922 he graduated in law at the ]Sapienza University of Rome
The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...
, after which he practiced as a lawyer in a firm in Milan; there he met the reformist socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
leader Filippo Turati
Filippo Turati (; 26 November 1857 – 29 March 1932) was an Italian sociologist, criminologist, poet and socialist politician.
Early life
Born in Canzo, province of Como, he graduated in law at the University of Bologna in 1877, and participa ...
, who in turn introduced him to Giacomo Matteotti
Giacomo Matteotti (; 22 May 1885 – 10 June 1924) was an Italian socialist politician. On 30 May 1924, he openly spoke in the Italian Parliament alleging the Fascists committed fraud in the recently held elections, and denounced the violence ...
, of whom he became a friend and collaborator until his murder by Fascists in 1924. He also joined the Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a Socialism, socialist and later Social democracy, social-democratic List of political parties in Italy, political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the l ...
.[ He wrote for the newspaper ''Il Mondo'' until 1926, when it was closed down by the Fascist regime. During the Fascist period Troilo, who had ended up on police records for his anti-fascist activities, worked as a lawyer and had both his office and his house repeatedly subjected to police searches.]
Second World War
In January 1943 Troilo joined the underground Action Party. After the fall of the Fascist regime, in July of the same year, he was part of a group who demanded and obtained the release of anti-fascist prisoners from the Regina Coeli prison
Regina Coeli (; it, Carcere di Regina Coeli ) is the best known prison in the city of Rome. Previously a Catholic convent (hence the name), it was built in 1654 in the rione of Trastevere. It started to serve as a prison in 1881.
The constructi ...
in Rome.[ On 10 and 11 September 1943, in the wake of the armistice of Cassibile, Troilo participated in the unsuccessful defense of ]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 ...
against the Germans; after the occupation of the capital he headed for his native town, Torricella Peligna
Torricella Peligna is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of[Italy.
History
The foundation of Torricella dates back according to local tradition to an exodus from the exiles of Juvanum, during the Byzantine ...
, where he was captured by German soldiers, but later managed to escape.
[ In early December 1943 he made contact with British officers, who had reached Casoli in Abruzzo, and submitted his proposal for the creation of an apolitical corps of volunteers that would fight alongside the Eighth Army (United Kingdom), 8th Army for the liberation of Italy. The plan was initially rejected, but the situation changed with the arrival of Major Lionel Wigram, who embraced Troilo's idea and supported it with his superiors, helping Troilo overcome British diffidence towards the former Italian enemies.][ Troilo was thus able to obtain weaponry, ammunition and equipment, and began recruiting volunteers for his group which he named ''Corpo Volontari della Maiella'' ("Corps of Volunteers of the ]Maiella
The Maiella (or Majella) is a massif in the Central Apennines, in Abruzzo, central Italy.
Geography
The mountain is located at the boundary between the provinces of Chieti, Pescara and L'Aquila.
The highest peak is Monte Amaro at 2,793&n ...
").[
The ''Volontari della Maiella'', initially a hundred men under Troilo's leadership (although he held no formal command), started operating in January 1944, and soon grew to some 350 members; under the joint leadership of Troilo and Major Wigram (for this, the group was also known to the British as "Wigforce"), on 15 January 1944 the volunteers captured Colle dei Lami, and two days later Colle Ripabianca.][ Between late January and early February the volunteers liberated ]Quadri
Quadri is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of t ...
, Torricella Peligna and Lama dei Peligni
Lama dei Peligni is a '' comune'' and town in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy with 1,155 inhabitants. It is also part of the Aventino-Medio Sangro mountain community and the municipal territory is included in the Majella Nati ...
, but on 3 February an attack on Pizzoferrato
Pizzoferrato is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
History
Pizzoferrato was founded in the Middle Ages. Its high vantage point helped protect it from bandits. Very few documents remain so much of the ...
, held by units of the 305th Infantry Division, was repelled and Wigram was killed.[ On 20 February Troilo, with a group of twenty men, managed to repel a series of German attacks on Fallascoso, a hamlet of Torricella Peligna located on the ]Gustav Line
The Winter Line was a series of German and Italian military fortifications in Italy, constructed during World War II by Organisation Todt and commanded by Albert Kesselring. The series of three lines was designed to defend a western section ...
, and eight days later the ''Banda Patrioti della Maiella'' was officially recognized as a military unit by Marshal of Italy Giovanni Messe
Giovanni Messe (10 December 1883 – 18 December 1968) was an Italian field marshal and politician. In the Second World War, he was captured in Tunisia, but made chief of staff of the Italian Co-belligerent Army after the armistice of Septemb ...
, chief of staff of the Italian Co-belligerent Army, and formally attached to the 209th Infantry Division.[
The group was later enlarged and reorganized as the "Maiella Brigade"; its men received better weaponry and started wearing British uniforms with collar patches that bore the ]Italian tricolor
The national flag of Italy ( it, Bandiera d'Italia, ), often referred to in Italian as ''il Tricolore'' ( en, the Tricolour, ) is a tricolour featuring three equally sized vertical pales of green, white and red, national colours of Italy, with ...
rather than the traditional five-pointed starts used by the Royal Italian Army, as members of the Maiella Brigade were republicans and refused to swear loyalty to the king.[ During the spring and summer of 1944 the Brigade participated in the Allied advance along the Adriatic coast of Italy, providing guides for the Allied units, carrying out ]reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
missions and garrisoning liberated towns; it participated in the liberation of Campo di Giove
Campo di Giove is a town and ''comune'' in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. Its territory is included in the Majella National Park
Maiella National Park ( it, Parco Nazionale della Maiella) is a national park loc ...
, Pacentro
Pacentro is a ''comune'' of 1,279 inhabitants of the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo, Italy. It is a well-preserved historic medieval village located in central Italy, several kilometers from the City of Sulmona about east of Rome. Pacentro has ...
, Cansano
Cansano is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy.
Sights include:
* the Natural Archaeological Park '' Ocriticum'', with remains of two Italic/Roman temples of Jupiter and Hercuules, and a ''sac ...
, Caramanico Terme, Sant'Eufemia, Popoli
Popoli is a '' comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
History
Though the site has not revealed significant Roman presence it appears in a ninth-century document as ''borgo di Pagus Fabianus''. Its name in m ...
, Tocco da Casauria
Tocco da Casauria is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Central Italy.
The centre was known for centuries as simply Tocco, and the name "da Casauria" was added only after 1861. It rises on a hill between the ...
, Bussi sul Tirino
Bussi sul Tirino ( Abruzzese: ') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park
The Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park is a natural ...
, Pratola Peligna
Pratola Peligna ( Abruzzese: ') is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. As of 2015, it has a population of 7,652 inhabitants.
Geography
Pratola Peligna is bordered by Popoli, Corfinio, Prezza, Rai ...
and Sulmona
Sulmona ( nap, label= Abruzzese, Sulmóne; la, Sulmo; grc, Σουλμῶν, Soulmôn) is a city and ''comune'' of the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo, Italy. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in ...
.[ Even after the liberation of Abruzzo, where its members had been recruited, in June 1944, the Brigade continued fighting alongside the 8th Army through the Marche and ]Emilia Romagna
Emilia-Romagna (, , both also ; ; egl, Emégglia-Rumâgna or ''Emîlia-Rumâgna''; rgn, Emélia-Rumâgna) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy, situated in the north of the country, comprising the historical regions ...
, as part of the II Polish Corps
The Polish II Corps ( pl, Drugi Korpus Wojska Polskiego), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and fought wit ...
, participating in the battle of Bologna
The Battle of Bologna was fought in Bologna, Italy from 9–21 April 1945 during the Second World War, as part of the Spring 1945 offensive in Italy. The Allied forces were victorious, with the Polish II Corps and supporting Allied units capturi ...
in April 1945. Its vanguards entered Asiago
Asiago (; Venetian: ''Axiago'', Cimbrian: ''Slege'', German: ''Schlägen'' ) is a minor township (population roughly 6,500) in the surrounding plateau region (the ''Altopiano di Asiago'' or '' Altopiano dei Sette Comuni'', Asiago plateau) in th ...
in Veneto
it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 = ...
on 1 May 1945, one day before the surrender of Caserta; by this point, the Brigade had grown to a strength of 1,500 men, and many more volunteers had had to be turned down do to the lack of weapons and equipment to arm them.[Marco Patricelli, ''Patrioti: storia della Brigata Maiella alleata degli Alleati'', p. 122]
Postwar
The brigade was formally disbanded on 15 July 1945, after which Troilo became an inspector of the Ministry of Post-War Assistance. In January 1946 he was appointed prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect's ...
of 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 ...
by the De Gasperi government, succeeding Riccardo Lombardi who had become Minister of Transport.[ He was removed from office on 27 November 1947 by decision of the ]Minister of the Interior
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
, Christian Democrat
Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism.
It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
Mario Scelba
Mario Scelba (5 September 1901 – 29 October 1991) was an Italian politician who served as the 33rd prime minister of Italy from February 1954 to July 1955. A founder of the Christian Democracy, Scelba was one of the longest-serving Minister of ...
. The news of his replacement with the prefect of Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...
Vincenzo Ciotola, a career official, caused a harsh reaction from the left, which occupied the prefecture of Milan with its militants - including former armed partisans - led by Giancarlo Pajetta
Giancarlo Pajetta (24 June 1911 – 13 September 1990) was an Italian communist politician.
Biography
Pajetta was born in a working-class district of Turin to Carlo, a bank employee, and Elvira Berrini, an elementary schoolteacher. He attended ...
, while Socialist mayor Antonio Greppi (an old acquaintance of Troilo, who had attended the same Socialist circles in the early 1920s) and 156 mayors of the municipalities of the Milanese hinterland resigned en masse in protest.[ In response, Scelba ordered the "Legnano" Infantry Division to temporarily assume prefectural powers and command of the city, but the government eventually decided to negotiate, and a delegation of the ]Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy.
The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) ...
was sent to Rome to talk with Scelba and De Gasperi. In the end, the occupants accepted the dismissal of Troilo, in exchange for not being prosecuted. In application of the agreement, on the evening of November 28 Undersecretary of the Interior Achille Marazza arrived in Milan and took possession of the prefecture without bloodshed.[
On 3 December Troilo definitively abandoned his office, and the occupation therefore ended peacefully.][ He was offered a post at the ]United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
as Italy's minister plenipotentiary
An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...
for information problems and promotion to first class prefect, which he accepted.[ In January 1948, however, he resigned from office and as prefect and ran in the general elections of April of that year as an independent candidate on the list of the People's Democratic Front, but he was not elected.][ Despite the role he had played in the fight for Italy's liberation, Troilo subsequently refused any political and military honor, including a war pension, believing that he had fulfilled his duty. In 1953 he was among the founders of the Socialist Autonomy movement, which took part in the ]general elections
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
with the goal of preventing the new majority bonus
The majority bonus system (MBS) is a form of semi-proportional representation used in some European countries. Its feature is a majority bonus which gives extra seats or representation in an elected body to the party or to the joined parties with ...
voting law from taking effect. He spent the last decades of his life working as a lawyer, as well as honoring the memory of the "Maiella" Brigade. He managed to have a shrine to the Brigade's fallen built in Taranta Peligna, and was among the founders of the Institute for the History of the Resistance Movement in L’Aquila. He died in Rome in 1974.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Troilo, Ettore
1898 births
1974 deaths
Italian military personnel of World War II
Italian military personnel of World War I
Italian resistance movement members
Italian prefects
Italian anti-fascists