Remo Gambelli (

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, 23 February 1880 – Canale Monterano, 2 August 1976) 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 opposin ...

Commander-General of the Carabinieri The Commander-General of the Carabinieri (Comandante generale dell'Arma dei Carabinieri) is the head of the Carabinieri, the Italian Gendarmerie. He is usually chosen by decree of the president of the republic, nominated by the Minister of Defence ( ...

from August 1940 to February 1943.

Biography

He was born in

in 1880 and entered 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 ...

in 1899, graduating in 1901 with the rank of

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. In 1911–1912 he participated in the Italo-Turkish War as a

mountain artillery Mountain guns are artillery pieces designed for use in mountain warfare and areas where usual wheeled transport is not possible. They are generally capable of being taken apart to make smaller loads for transport by horses, humans, mules, tractor ...

officer, earning a Bronze Medal of Military Valor for his role in the

battle of Ain Zara The Battle of Ain Zara was fought in December 1911 during the Italo-Turkish War between the Kingdom of Italy and Ottoman Empire forces for the control of the oasis of Ain Zara, near Tripoli in modern Libya, where the Ottomans had established a f ...

and a Silver Medal of Military Valor for his behaviour during the battle of Misrata. 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 was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and then to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, earning another Silver Medal for his role in the

second battle of Monte Grappa The Battles of Monte Grappa were a series of three battles which were fought during World War I between the armies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy for control of the Monte Grappa massif, as it covered the left flank of th ...

and in the battle of Vittorio Veneto. In 1923 he married Miss Teresa Erzoek. In 1926 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 of ...

, and in 1929 he assumed command of the 1st Heavy Artillery Regiment. After the death of his wife in 1932, in 1934 he remarried with Giorgia Letizia Erzoek. In 1933 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 ...

and appointed commander of the artillery of the Army Corps of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, and in 1935 he became chief of staff of the Army Corps of

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

. In January 1937 he was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and given command of the "Metauro" Infantry Division in

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic S ...

, which in 1939 was renamed

18th Infantry Division Messina 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

; in May 1939 he assumed command of the Motorized Corps, with headquarters in

Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...

. In July 1939 he became

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 ...

, and in November he assumed command of the Army Corps of

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 ...

; on 11 June 1940, the day after Italy's entry into

, the Army Corps of Rome was renamed VIII Army Corps. After being briefly in command of the

1st Army First Army may refer to: China * New 1st Army, Republic of China * First Field Army, a Communist Party of China unit in the Chinese Civil War * 1st Group Army, People's Republic of China Germany * 1st Army (German Empire), a World War I field Army ...

, on 27 August 1940 he was appointed

, a post he held until 22 February 1943, when he left due to age limits, being replaced by General

Azolino Hazon Azolino Hazon (20 July 1883 – 19 July 1943) was an Italian general during World War II, Commander-General of the Carabinieri from February 1943 till his death during the bombing of Rome. Biography Hazon entered the Military School on 5 No ...

. He was then retained in service and attached to the Ministry of War, with the post of director-general of the recruitment of non-commissioned officers and soldiers, which he held until 31 July 1944. After the war he held various tasks within the Ministry of Defense, being finally discharged in 1954. He died in Canale Monterano in 1976.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gambelli, Remo 1880 births 1976 deaths Italian military personnel of World War II Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Italian generals Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Carabinieri