Pietro Gazzera (11 December 1879 – 30 June 1953) was an officer in the

Italian Royal Army The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfre ...

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 ...

, as well as a prewar Italian politician. Gazzera was born in

Bene Vagienna Bene Vagienna is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. Bene Vagienna borders the following municipalities: Carrù, Fossano, Lequio Tanaro, ...

, he joined the Italian Army and fought 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

World War I 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 one of the signatories of 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 ...

, which ended the war with

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

on the Italian Front. In 1928, starting as the Under-Secretary in the Ministry of War, Gazzera was the Minister of War from 1929 to 1933.Time Magazine
Retort
/ref> From 1 August 1938 to 6 July 1941, Gazzera was the Governor of Galla-Sidamo in

Italian East Africa Italian East Africa ( it, Africa Orientale Italiana, AOI) was an Italian colony in the Horn of Africa. It was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the Seco ...

. General Gazzera commanded forces in the "Southern Sector" (the Galla and Sidamo area around

Jimma Jimma () is the largest city in southwestern Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is a special zone of the Oromia Region and is surrounded by Jimma Zone. It has a latitude and longitude of . Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administrative ...

) during the East African Campaign. Following the

fall Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southe ...

Amba Alagi Imba Alaje is a mountain, or an amba, in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debubawi Zone of the Tigray Region, Imba Alaje dominates the roadway that runs past it from the city of Mek'ele south to Maychew. Because of its strategic location, Emba ...

in May 1941, Gazzera succeeded Amedeo, Duke of Aosta as the acting

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

of Italian East Africa. After Jimma fell on 21 June, Gazzera staged a mobile defense and held out in Galla-Sidamo for several weeks. His forces finally capitulated in July 1941 when he was cut off by the Free Belgian Forces of Major-General Auguste-Éduard Gilliaert.

Command history

* Commanding Officer, Brigade Basilicata – 1926 * Commandant of War School – 1926 * General Officer Commanding, Division Genova – 1926 to 1928 * Under-Secretary Ministry of War – 1928 to 1929 * Minister of War – 1929 to 1933 * Governor of Galla and Sidamo – 1938 to 1941 * Member of the Commission for the Affairs of Italian Africa, Senate – 1939 to 1940 * General Officer Commanding, 24th Colonial Division – 1940 to 1941 * Acting

, Italian East Africa – 1941 * Prisoner of war – 1941 to 1943 * Commissioner for Prisoners of War – 1943 to 1945

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gazzera 1879 births 1953 deaths People from Bene Vagienna National Fascist Party politicians Italian Ministers of Defence Members of the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy Politicians of Piedmont Mussolini Cabinet Italian generals People of former Italian colonies Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel of World War II Italian prisoners of war

Command history

See also

References