Valentino Babini (

Novi di Modena Novi di Modena ( Novese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about north of Modena in the Pianura Padana The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of th ...

, 5 December 1889 – 29 December 1952) 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 opposing ...

. He was one Italy's foremost pioneers in

tank warfare Armoured warfare or armored warfare (mechanized forces, armoured forces or armored forces) (American English; see spelling differences), is the use of armored fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of ...

and among the most important tank commanders of the Royal Italian Army during the interwar period and the early stages of World War II; in 1940 he coined the

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

of Italy's tank troops, ''Ferrea mole, ferreo cuore'' ("Iron hulls, iron hearts").

Biography

He was born in

on December 5, 1882, and enlisted in the Royal Italian Army on November 3, 1907, entering the Royal Military Academy of Infantry and Cavalry of Modena. He graduate in 1909 with the rank of infantry second lieutenant, assigned to 70th Infantry Regiment. In 1911 he was transferred to the 84th Infantry Regiment "Venezia", and with this unit he took part in the initial phases of 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 ...

, distinguishing himself in October 1911 during the consolidation of the Tripoli bridgehead, and subsequently in Bu Meliana, Zanzur and Sciara Zauri. In 1912 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 in March 1913 he was awarded the

Bronze Medal of Military Valor The Bronze Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry. It was established by Charles Albert of Sardinia on 26 March 1833, along with the higher ranking Gold and Silver Medals for Military ...

. After returning to Italy he participated in a course for

airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

pilots, but with the entry of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...

into

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 ...

, on May 24, 1915, he returned to the

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

as company commander.https://www.assocarri.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Rivista-il-carrista-numero-150.pdf On 8 August of the same year he was promoted to captain, and on 29 October he distinguished himself in the fighting on the

Col di Lana The Col di Lana is a mountain of the Fanes Group in the Italian Dolomites. The actual peak is called ''Cima Lana'' and situated in the municipality of Livinallongo del Col di Lana (German: ''Buchenstein'') in the Province of Belluno, Veneto r ...

(where he led an assault that resulted in the capture of an Austro-Hungarian position and was wounded in action), earning a

Silver Medal of Military Valor The Silver Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry. Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, ...

. During 1917 he was promoted to major, and on 3 November of the same year, during the retreat that followed the

battle of Caporetto The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Kobarid or the Battle of Karfreit) was a battle on the Italian front of World War I. The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central ...

, he distinguished himself in the defense of the bridge of Pinzano, on the

Tagliamento The Tagliamento () is a braided river in north-east Italy, flowing from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea at a point between Trieste and Venice. The Tagliamento river is considered as the last morphologically intact river in the Alps. (Its c ...

, halting the Austro-Hungarian advance enough to prevent the encirclement of a retreating infantry brigade and earning a second silver medal for military valor. On 5 December 1921 he returned to

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή ��παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...

to take part in the pacification of the colony, returning to Italy in October 1925. On 12 December of the same year he was assigned to the Tank Unit (''Reparto Carri Armati'') where he spent the next twelve years, continuing his military career with promotions to lieutenant colonel (1926) and

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 o ...

(31 December 1936); in 1937 he was appointed commander of the 3rd Tank Infantry Regiment. On 25 April 1937 he volunteered for the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

as commander of the Tank and Specialist Units Group, distinguishing himself during the battle of Aragon in March 1938. On 2 October 1938 he was awarded a third Silver Medal for Military Valor, then assuming command of the Flechas Negras Division, and on February 16, 1939 he was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

for war merits. He returned to Italy in June of that year, and in September he left for

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

, where he was appointed deputy commander of the 61st Infantry Division Sirte. Valentino Babini drawing

On 29 August 1940 he assumed command of all Italian armored forces in Libya (''Comando carri della Libia'', Libya Tank Command), consisting of seven battalions of

L3/35 The L3/35 or Carro Veloce CV-35 was an Italian tankette that saw combat before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tan ...

light tanks and two battalions of M11/39 medium tanks. The units under his command supported the advance of the 10th Army of

Marshal of Italy Marshal of Italy ( it, Maresciallo d'Italia) was a rank in the Royal Italian Army (''Regio Esercito''). Originally created in 1924 by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini for the purpose of honoring Generals Luigi Cadorna and Armando Diaz, the ra ...

Rodolfo Graziani Rodolfo Graziani, 1st Marquis of Neghelli (; 11 August 1882 – 11 January 1955), was a prominent Italian military officer in the Kingdom of Italy's '' Regio Esercito'' ("Royal Army"), primarily noted for his campaigns in Africa before and durin ...

towards

Sidi Barrani Sidi Barrani ( ar, سيدي براني ) is a town in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, about east of the Egypt–Libya border, and around from Tobruk, Libya. Named after Sidi es-Saadi el Barrani, a Senussi sheikh who was a head of ...

, and immediately after the end of the offensive they were grouped into a special armored brigade which took the name of its commander. In December 1940, General Wavell launched the British counter-offensive known as

Operation Compass Operation Compass (also it, Battaglia della Marmarica) was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) during the Second World War. British, Empire and Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces of ...

, routing the Tenth Army; the Babini brigade covered the retreat of the Army, facing British tank forces in the battle of Mechili, but after an unsuccessful attempt to break through British forces blocking the

Via Balbia Via or VIA may refer to the following: Science and technology * MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter * ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae * Via (electronics), a through-connection * VIA Technologies, a Tai ...

, was destroyed in the

battle of Beda Fomm The rapid British advance during Operation Compass (9 December 1940 – 9 February 1941) forced the Italian 10th Army to evacuate Cyrenaica, the eastern province of Libya. In late January, the British learned that the Italians were retreating a ...

on February 7, 1941, where Babini was taken prisoner along with the remnants of his brigade and of the Tenth Army. He remained in British captivity until after the end of the war, returning to Italy in 1946; upon return he was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

, with seniority from 1 July 1942, and then to

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 ...

in 1947. In the same year he was among the founders of the National Tank Veterans Association, but on 7 July 1947 he was forcibly discharged from the Army for having participated in the

in the ranks of the Fascist forces. He was however readmitted into service on October 14, 1949, on the decision of Minister of Defense

Randolfo Pacciardi Randolfo Pacciardi (1 January 1899 – 14 April 1991) was an Italian politician. He was a long-time member of the secular, centre-left Italian Republican Party. An ardent anti-fascist, he lived in exile for many years and was an officer of the ...

(who had fought on the other side during the Spanish Civil War), assuming command of the "Aosta" Infantry Division, and in 1950 the post of Inspector General of the Infantry. In March 1952 he became Vice President of the Army Section of the Superior Council of the Armed Forces, but on December 29 of the same year he was killed in a car crash.https://archivio.quirinale.it/materiali-pubblicazioni/inventari/4_Servizio_del_Cerimoniale_Diario_cronologico_Luigi_Einaudi_1951.pdf

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babini, Valentino 1889 births 1952 deaths Italian military personnel of World War II Italian military personnel of World War I Italian generals Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor