Temistocle Testa (11 November 1897 – 17 July 1949) was an Italian Fascist activist and politician. Born in

Grana, Piedmont Grana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northeast of Asti. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 628 and an area of .All demographics and other s ...

on 11 November 1897, Testa studied Law, enrolled in the National Fascist Party (P.N.F.) in February 1921, and participated as squadrista to the March on Rome. As Colonel (Console Comandante) of the Blackshirts from 1923 to 1931 he commanded the 73rd Legione (Mirandola) of the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (M.V.S.N.). As one of the toughest exponents of Fascism in

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

. nominated Segretario Federale of the PNF in Modena (June 1928 – February 1931). Testa was nominated prefect 2nd class (prefetto di 2ª classe) on 16 February 1931 and prefect of the 1st class (prefetto di 1ª classe) on 1 August 1937. Prefect of Perugia (February 1931 – October 1932). On 16 October 1932 he became prefect of Udine, a post he held up to end February 1938 when he was nominated Prefect of the

Province of Fiume The Province of Fiume (or Province of Carnaro) was a province of the Kingdom of Italy from 1924 to 1943, then under control of the Italian Social Republic and German Wehrmacht from 1943 to 1945. Its capital was the city of Fiume. It took the oth ...

. The five years of his rule (1938–1943) overlap with the beginnings of World War II and the Italian attack and

Invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was p ...

. Testa showed extreme aggressiveness in the fight against the Yugoslav Partisans operating in the surroundings of

Fiume Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

. For example, on 12 July 1942, he ordered a reprisal in the village of Podhum, in which at least 91 civilians were shot, 200 families deported and all the houses set on fire. On 24 January 1943 he was sent to Rome, replaced by

Agostino Podestà Agostino Podestà (Novi Ligure, 27 June 1905 – Bolzano, 18 December 1969) was an Italian fascist politician. Born in Novi Ligure on 27 June 1905, Podestà graduated in Physics, enrolled in the National Fascist Party (P.N.F.) of Italy in November ...

. Testa was initially employed at the Service Directorate for War Intendancy of the Italian ministry of Interior. Soon he was nominated High Commissar for Sicily (Alto Commissario Civile per la Sicilia) a position he held from June 1943 to January 1944. After the Allied invasion of Sicily Testa became the Prefect of Rome. There, in Fall 1943 he had contacts with General Giuseppe Castellano, who negotiated the

Armistice of Cassibile The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Brig ...

on 8 September 1943. After the fall of Rome, Testa was again employed at the Service Directorate for War Intendancy of the

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...

Minister of the Interior in Milan with the specific task of controlling all the motorized traffic in northern Italy. Reportedly he was in close contact with

Eugen Dollmann Eugen Dollmann (8 August 1900 – 17 May 1985) was a German diplomat and member of the '' SS''.Richard BreitmanU.S. intelligence and the Nazis S. 317. Early life and family The son of Paula Dollmann (born Schummerer) and Stefan Dollmann, he was ...

, German ambassador to the Holy See and later adjutant of Karl Wolff. Dollmann was also a family friend of Testa.G. Paolo Testa, Igor Taruffi, Il compagno e la camicia nera. Istanti di storia italiana, Editrice Compositori, Bologna, 2010. After WW2 the Provincial Commission of Rome for Assignment to Police Internment (Commissione Provinciale per i provvedimenti di polizia) in June 1947 sentenced Testa for a three years internment. Together with his family he settled in Porretta Terme, where he died in 1949, apparently committing suicide.

Orders of knighthood

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the wo ...

* Colonial Order of the Star of Italy

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Testa, Temistocle 1897 births 1949 suicides 1949 deaths Italian fascists Italian mass murderers Italian politicians who committed suicide Italian war crimes Axis war crimes in Yugoslavia Suicides in Italy War criminals