Luigi Efisio Marras (Cagliari, 2 August 1888 - Rome, 29 January 1991) was an Italian general who held the positions of

Chief of Staff of the Italian Army The Chief of Staff of the Italian Army refers to the Chiefs of Staffs of the Royal Italian Army from 1882 to 1946 and the Italian Army from 1946 to the present. List of chiefs of staff Chiefs of Staff of the Royal Italian Army (1882–1946) ...

and Chief of the Defence Staff.

Biography

From Birth to Promotion to Colonel

Born and raised in

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

, Luigi Efisio Marras began his career in 1906 when he began his training at the Military Academy of Turin. After graduating, he served as an officer in various artillery departments. He would later take part in the

Italo-Turkish War The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War ( tr, Trablusgarp Savaşı, "Tripolitanian War", it, Guerra di Libia, "War of Libya") was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911, to 18 October 1912. As a result o ...

and was particularly involved in the occupation of the Dodecanese. 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 fought in the Balkans against the troops of the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...

and after the war, he returned home to work in the operations department of the Italian

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

. From 1926, he was serving in a field artillery regiment stationed in Livorno and at the same time was a teacher at the local Military Academy. In 1931 he was promoted to colonel and from 1936 he was given command of a heavy artillery regiment.

His Actions as Military Attaché to Germany and Later Life

In October 1936, Marras was chosen for the delicate task of being a military attaché in Berlin. In this capacity, he was responsible for the North European area and for relations with the Baltic states. Marras, who soon became known for his courteous nature, also wrote numerous reports on the German armaments situation, paying particular attention to the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

and the training of personnel in the war academies. He gave an unusually accurate picture of the German war effort in terms of practical and pragmatic training, but also on human aspects and weaknesses such as pride and arrogance. From July to November 1939, he was active in Rome and Libya and then transferred back to Berlin. After 8 September in 1943, he was promoted to lieutenant general and then interned in Germany. On 31 March 1944, the German authorities handed him over to the fascists of the

Republic of Salò 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 ...

in northern Italy and since then he was imprisoned in Verona then Gavi and finally in Alexandria, but in August of that same year, he managed to escape to Switzerland. From May 1945, he was at the head of the Territorial Military Command of Milan and from 1 December 1947 he became

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

and from 2 December 1950 he was Chief of the Defence Staff, contributing significantly to the reconstruction of the Italian Army after the war. He retired from active service on 15 April 1954 would die in Rome in 1991.

References

* Sergio Pelagalli: ''Il Generale Efisio Marras - Addetto Militare uno Berlino (1936-1943)''. USSME, Roma, 1994.

External links

Biography and photos

Biographical Dictionary of Italians - Volume 70 (2008)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marras, Luigi Efisio 1888 births 1991 deaths People from Cagliari Chiefs of Staff of the Italian Army Chiefs of Defence Staff (Italy) Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the War Merit Cross (Italy) Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel of World War II