Odoardo Somigli ( La Spezia, 12 August 1892 –

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 ...

, 24 February 1967) was an Italian admiral during the interwar period and

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 ...

. He was Deputy Chief of Staff of the Royal Italian Navy (and de facto head of Supermarina) from August 1939 to December 1940.

Biography

He was born in La Spezia on 12 August 1892 and entered the Naval Academy of Livorno in 1909, graduating in 1912 with the rank of

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

. 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 initially served on the

armored cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...

''Pisa'' with the rank of sub-lieutenant; in 1916 he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

and assigned on the submarine ''H 5'' as executive officer, subsequently assuming its command and participating, after the

Armistice of Villa Giusti The Armistice of Villa Giusti or Padua ended warfare between Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front during World War I. The armistice was signed on 3 November 1918 in the Villa Giusti, outside Padua in the Veneto, Northern Italy, a ...

, in the occupation of Umago. After the war, between 1922 and 1924 he commanded the submarine ''X 3''; in 1924 he was promoted to

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

and in 1928-1929 he commanded the destroyer ''Quintino Sella'', after which he was promoted to commander in 1930. From 1929 to 1932 he served at the Naval Academy of Livorno, while in October 1932 he was executive officer of the royal yacht ''Savoia'' during

Victor Emmanuel III The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

's voyage to Eritrea. He subsequently commanded the "Folgore" Destroyer Squadron and in 1935 he was promoted to captain; in the following years he quickly climbed the hierarchies of the

Regia Marina The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' ("M ...

, becoming Rear Admiral as early as 1936 (thanks to an ''

ad personam ''Ad hominem'' (), short for ''argumentum ad hominem'' (), refers to several types of arguments, most of which are fallacious. Typically, this term refers to a rhetorical strategy where the speaker attacks the character, motive, or some other ...

'' law that allowed him to skip the planned period of naval command, and which was abrogated immediately afterwards), vice admiral in 1938 and admiral in 1939, holding the position of chief of staff of the Minister of the Navy from 1935 to 1938 and then commanding the 7th Naval Division in 1938-1939 during a cruise in

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. In August 1939 he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy, a position he held until December 1940, when he was replaced by Inigo Campioni. In this position, Somigli effectively exercised command of Supermarina in the first six months of the war, marked by the battles of

Punta Stilo Punta Stilo (Italian for "Cape of Columns") is the name of an arcuate headland in Calabria, Italy. It lies immediately north of Monasterace (the site of ancient Caulonia) and constitutes the western coast of the Gulf of Squillace. Pliny the Elde ...

and of Cape Spartivento. From the end of 1940 to April 1943 he commanded the Naval Department of

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

, and from April to September 1943 he held the command of the naval forces responsible for the protection of convoys (''Comando Forze Navali Protezione Traffico''), with headquarters in

. On 7 September 1943 he participated in a meeting held at the headquarters of the Royal Italian Navy, in the presence of the Chief of Staff Raffaele de Courten, in which he was informed that preparations were to be made for the possibility of hostilities with the German forces in the near future. Together with him, Deputy Chief of Staff

Luigi Sansonetti Luigi Sansonetti (22 February 1888 – 7 November 1959) was an Italian admiral during World War II. Early life and career Luigi Sansonetti was born in Rome in 1888, and entered the Livorno Naval Academy in 1905; he graduated as an ensign in ...

, adjunct Deputy Chief of Staff Carlo Emanuele Giartosio, Secretary-General of Navy Emilio Ferreri, Chief of the Operations Office Massimo Girosi, and Admirals Carlo Bergamini, Alberto Da Zara, Bruto Brivonesi,

Antonio Legnani Antonio Legnani (28 January 1888 – 23 October 1943) was an Italian admiral during World War II. Early life and career Born in Piedmont in 1888, Antonio Legnani entered the Naval Academy in Leghorn in 1905. After graduating as an ensign in 19 ...

, Giotto Maraghini, Ferdinando Casardi and Emilio Brenta also attended the meeting. After the proclamation of the armistice, Somigli remained in German-controlled territory, without collaborating with them or joining the Italian Social Republic; he returned to territory under the control of the pro-Allied royalist government after the

liberation of Rome The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...

, and was subjected to a purge for his past proximity to 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 ...

, which had helped him in his fast career track, being forcibly discharged from active service in January 1945. This sentence was however revoked in December 1947 after Somigli appealed the decision. From 1949 to 1956 he was president of the Center for High Military Studies. He died in Rome in 1967.Paolo Alberini, Franco Prosperini, Dizionario biografico Uomini della Marina 1861-1946, p. 498

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somigli, Odoardo 1892 births 1967 deaths Italian military personnel of World War II Italian military personnel of World War I Italian admirals it:Odoardo Somigli