Ferruccio Valobra (12 April 1898 – 22 September 1944) was an

Italian partisan The Italian resistance movement (the ''Resistenza italiana'' and ''la Resistenza'') is an umbrella term for the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social ...

and

antifascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

Life

Ferruccio Valobra was born in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, 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 a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. Captain 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 ...

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 ...

, he was decorated with the

Silver Medal of Military Valor The Silver Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry. Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, ...

. In the post-war period he worked as an industrial expert and sales representative. He was married and father of a child. Radiated from the army following the 1938 Fascist racial laws, at the outbreak of 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 opposin ...

he was forced to displace to

Carmagnola Carmagnola (; pms, Carmagnòla ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located south of Turin. The town is on the right side of the Po river. The nature of the soil determined over t ...

in the

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

of San Bernardo. Of anti-fascist ideas, he joined the

Italian Republican Party The Italian Republican Party ( it, Partito Repubblicano Italiano, PRI) is a liberal and social-liberal political party in Italy. Founded in 1895, the PRI is the oldest political party still active in Italy. The PRI has old roots and a long histo ...

, then clandestine. After the

Badoglio Proclamation The Badoglio Proclamation was a speech read on Ente Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche (EIAR) at 19:42 on 8 September 1943 by Marshal Pietro Badoglio, Italian head of government, announcing that the Armistice of Cassibile between Italy and the ...

of 8 September 1943 he took part at the Carmagnola's resistance and became commander (''Capitano Rossi'') of a partisan group operating in the surrounding area. Betrayed by an anonymous delator on 8 September 1944, he was incarcerated and tortured by elements of the Fascist ''Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana'', the so-called ''repubblichini''. He was sentenced to death by firing squad on 21 September 1944 and he was executed the following day in the ''Martinetto'' shooting range in Turin. Before his death, Valobra managed to write two letters, which ended with the words addressed to his wife and daughter: ''I hope that my sacrifice like that of my companions will serve to give you a better tomorrow, in a more beautiful Italy as you and I have always desired in the depths of our soul.''Piero Malvezzi –

Giovanni Pirelli Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

(a cura di), ''Lettere di condannati a morte della Resistenza italiana: 8 settembre 1943-25 aprile 1945'', Torino, Einaudi, 2003, pp. 321–322. Ferruccio Valobra is buried in the Jewish cemetery of Carmagnola. The central street of the town is dedicated to him today. In the current there is a plaque commemorating his sacrifice.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valobra, Ferruccio 1898 births 1944 deaths Italian military personnel of World War I Italian anti-fascists Italian resistance movement members Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Military personnel from Turin Jewish anti-fascists 20th-century Italian Jews Businesspeople from Turin Italian civilians killed in World War II People executed by Italy by firing squad

Life

See also

Notes