Luigi Reverberi (

Cavriago Cavriago ( Reggiano: ; locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about west of Reggio Emilia. Cavriago borders the municipalities of B ...

, 12 September 1892 –

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 ...

, 22 June 1954) was an Italian general 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

Reverberi attended the

Military Academy of Modena The Military Academy of Modena ( it, Accademia militare di Modena) is a military university in Modena, northern Italy. Located in the Palazzo Ducale in the historic center of the city, it was the first such military institution to be created in ...

and graduated as Second Lieutenant; with this rank he fought in Libya in 1913. During the First World War he fought with the

7th Alpini Regiment The 7th Alpini Regiment ( it, 7° Reggimento Alpini) is a regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. History Formation The 7th Alpini Re ...

on the

Tofane Tofane is a mountain group in the Dolomites of northern Italy, west of Cortina d'Ampezzo in the province of Belluno, Veneto. Most of the Tofane lies within ''Parco naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo'', a nature park. Peaks The highest peaks of ...

, the Banjšice Plateau, Škabrijel, Monte Solarolo, and on the mountains near

Fiera di Primiero Fiera di Primiero (german: Primör) was a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about east of Trento. It was merged with Siror, Tonadico Tonadico (german: Thunadich) was a ' ...

, and was awarded three Silver Medals for Military Valor, two War Crosses for Military Valor and the

Military Order of Savoy The Military Order of Savoy was a military honorary order of the Kingdom of Sardinia first, and of the Kingdom of Italy later. Following the abolition of the Italian monarchy, the order became the Military Order of Italy. History The origin o ...

. After the war he served in the II Alpine Brigade and in 1926 he became Lieutenant Colonel; in 1935 he was promoted to

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and given command of the 67th Infantry Regiment. In 1939 he was Chief of Staff of the Truckborne Army Corps (''Corpo d'Armata Autotrasportabile''), and in July of the same year he was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. In 1941 he was assigned to the command of the XXVI Army Corps in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. In 1942 he was given command of the 2nd Alpine Division "Tridentina" and sent to the Eastern Front, deployed on the

Don river The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its ...

. Following the Soviet success in

Operation Little Saturn Operation Little Saturn was a Red Army offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II that led to battles in Don and Chir rivers region in German-occupied Soviet Union territory in 16–30 December 1942. The success of Operation Uranus, launc ...

, in January 1943 the Alpine Corps of which the "Tridentina" was part was forced to retreat through the steppe in order to avoid being encircled and destroyed. Reverberi led his men during the

battle of Nikolayevka The Battle of Nikolayevka was the breakout of Italian forces in January 1943, as a small part of the larger Battle of Stalingrad. The breakout involved the Alpine Army Corps of the Italian 8th Army near the village of Nikolayevka (now Livenka, ...

, in which they managed to break out of the Soviet encirclement and reach Axis lines; one-third of the "Tridentina" was thus saved, along with the remnants of other units that had joined it, altogether some 18,000 men. Other columns, including the majority of the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia" and 4th Alpine Division "Cuneense", were unable to break out and were annihilated. For his behaviour at Nikolayevka, Reverberi was awarded the

Gold Medal of Military Valour The Gold Medal of Military Valour ( it, Medaglia d'oro al valor militare) is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers. The fac ...

. After his return to Italy, Reverberi was captured by German troops in

Brixen Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic an ...

on 8 September 1943, following the Armistice of Cassibile, and interned in a

POW camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

in Posen. By declaring that he wanted to join the Italian Social Republic, he obtained to be released and sent to

Vittel Vittel (; archaic ) is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Mineral water is bottled and sold here by Nestlé Waters France, under the '' Vittel'' brand. History In 1854, after visiting the baths at nearby ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, for training; once there, however, he soon made contact with the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

. When the Germans found out, he was sent to a punishment camp in

Wietzendorf Wietzendorf ( Eastphalian: ''Witzendörp'') is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 14 km southeast of Soltau, and 50 km southwest of Lüneburg. The population as of 31 Dec ...

and then back to Posen, where he was briefly held by the Soviets following the arrival of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

. In September 1945 he was finally allowed to return to Italy, and in 1947 he was promoted to

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. In 1946 he was denounced by Communist senator Edoardo D'Onofrio for collaboration with the

Fascist regime Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

and forced to retire. After leaving the Army, Reverberi became managing director of a soap and cosmetics company, and a leading figure of the National Alpini Association. He was the author of several memoirs on the Italian campaign in Russia. He died on 22 June 1954, following a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

, in his home in

, and was buried in his family tomb in

Montecchio Emilia Montecchio Emilia (Reggiano (dialect), Reggiano: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about west of Reggio Emilia. Montecchio Emilia ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reverberi, Luigi 1892 births 1954 deaths Italian generals Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Gold Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor