Simon Petru Cristofini (1903–1943), also known as Pietro Simone Cristofini (french: Pierre Simon Cristofini), was a
Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
n soldier who commanded the
Phalange Africaine
The phalanges (singular: ''phalanx'' ) are digital bones in the hands and feet of most vertebrates. In primates, the thumbs and big toes have two phalanges while the other digits have three phalanges. The phalanges are classed as long bones.
...
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 opposin ...
and was executed for treason by the
French authorities
The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...
because of his support to
Italian irredentism in Corsica
Italian irredentism in Corsica was a cultural and historical movement promoted by Italians and by people from Corsica who identified themselves as part of Italy rather than France, and promoted the Italian annexation of the island.
History
Cor ...
during the
Italian occupation of Corsica.
Biography
Early life
Cristofini was born in
Calenzana
Calenzana (; co, Calinzana) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.
In 1732 it was the site of an uprising by Corsican nationalists against the island's Genoese rulers.
It is now best known as the sta ...
,
Haute-Corse
Haute-Corse (; co, Corsica suprana , or ; en, Upper Corsica) is (as of 2022) an administrative department of France, consisting of the northern part of the island of Corsica. The corresponding departmental territorial collectivity merged wi ...
on 26 May 1903.
World War II
In 1939 became a Captain of the
3rd Algerian Tirailleurs Regiment
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
. He was initially a supporter of Marshal
Philippe Pétain.
Allied forces landed in
French Morocco
The French protectorate in Morocco (french: Protectorat français au Maroc; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في المغرب), also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 to 1956. The prote ...
and
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
in November 1942. Immediately, German and Italian reinforcements landed in French Tunisia and on 14 November the idea of an ''
African Phalange'' was mooted in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
with the support of the Third Reich Ambassador
Otto Abetz
Heinrich Otto Abetz (26 March 1903 – 5 May 1958) was the German ambassador to Vichy France during the Second World War and a convicted war criminal. In July 1949 he was sentenced to twenty years' hard labour by a Paris military tribunal, he was ...
. In December, German authorities approved the plan and 330 volunteers were recruited under the command of Cristofini. The troops trained at the Bordj-Ceda camp and a 210 man company, called ''Franzosische Freiwilligen Legion'', was eventually incorporated into the 2nd Battalion, 754th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, part of the
5th Panzerarmee.
In Tunisia Cristofini was wounded in one eye.
Cristofini was wounded by mistake with an antitank granade (in French)
Before returning to Corsica he met Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
in Rome.
Colonel Cristofini was a supporter of the union of Corsica with Italy and defended irredentist ideals. He actively collaborated with Italian forces in Corsica during the first months of 1943 and worked with Petru Giovacchini, the possible governor of Corsica if the Axis had won the war). Cristofini, as head of the Vichy troops in Ajaccio helped the Italian Army to repress Resistance opposition in Corsica before the Italian Armistice in September 1943.
He was put on trial for treason after the Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
retook Corsica, and sentenced to death. He tried to kill himself, and was executed while suffering from his wounds in November 1943.
After World War II
His wife, Marta Renucci
Marta may refer to:
People
* Marta (given name), a feminine given name
* Märta, a feminine given name
* Marta (surname)
:István Márta composer
* Marta (footballer) (born 1986), Brazilian professional footballer
Places
* Marta (river), an ...
, was sentenced to 15 years of jail in Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
in 1946 for supporting irredentism and for collaborating with Italian fascism, but served only a reduced sentence.
See also
* Italian-occupied Corsica
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cristofini, Simon Petru
1903 births
1943 deaths
People from Haute-Corse
French Army officers
French Army personnel of World War II
Italian irredentism
Executed French collaborators with Nazi Germany
People executed by the Provisional Government of the French Republic
Corsican collaborators with Nazi Germany