Early life

Born to Pietro Felice and Luisa Villa in Alatri

Alatri

Alatri is a town and comune of province of Frosinone in the Italian region of the Lazio, with c. 30,000 inhabitants. A part of the traditional region of Ciociaria, it is famous for its megalithic acropolis.-History:...

, Cerica attended the Conti-Gentili Lyceum

Lyceum

The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies between countries; usually it is a type of secondary school.-History:...

 in his native town and later entered a military academy. At September 1906, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and joined the 74th Infantry Regiment, being promoted to full lieutenant on June 1909. During June 1912, he was transferred to the Carabinieri

Carabinieri

The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...

 Corps. Cerica participated in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, attaining the rank of captain in October 1916. At September 1920, he was further promoted to major and became a lieutenant colonel in February 1927. During the Second Italo-Abyssinian War

Second Italo-Abyssinian War

The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...

, Cerica was appointed commander of the Carabinieri Legion in Asmara

Asmara

Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...

, an office he held from September 1936 to June 1939. In 10 January 1939 he was promoted to colonel. Due to exceptional merit, he received the rank of brigadier general on June 19 that year, becoming the chief of Carabinieri forces in Italian East Africa

Italian East Africa

Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...

. He served in the same capacity in Italian North Africa

Italian North Africa

Italian North Africa was the aggregate of territories and colonies controlled by Italy in North Africa from 1911 until World War II...

 from July 1940 until February 1941. Cerica was posted back to Italy, attained the rank of Divisional General

Divisional General

Divisional General is a rank used in many armies to denote a rank of general, corresponding to command of a division. For convenience Divisional General is almost always translated into English as Major-General, the equivalent rank used by the UK, USA, etc., although this translation is, strictly...

 in 22 June 1942 and was made commander of the 4th Carabinieri Podgora Detachment.

Anti-Mussolini plot

When General Azolino Hazon, commander of the Carabinieri Corps, was killed in a bombing during 19 July 1943, Cerica was called to replace him, although he formally assumed his responsibilities only in the 23th. He had been approved by General Vittorio Ambrosio

Vittorio Ambrosio

Vittorio Ambrosio was an Italian general who served in the Italo-Turkish War, World War I, and World War II...

 after the latter ascertained that Cerica would cooperate with the anti-Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....

 faction, the members of which were planning to depose the Duce. Cerica organized Mussolini's arrest after his interview with King Victor Emmanuel III in Villa Savoia

Villa Ada

Villa Ada is the largest park in Rome, Italy, with a surface of 450 acres/182 hectares. It is located in the northeastern part of the city. Its highest prominence is Monte Antenne, 67 m , an ancient archeological site.-History:...

, at 25 July, and directed his forces to prevent riots in the capital. He was promoted to Corps General

Corps General

Corps General is a rank corresponding to the Commonwealth and US rank of Lieutenant General. For convenience the rank in foreign armies is normally actually translated as Lieutenant General. In France a général de corps d'armée is actually an appointment of Divisional General, rather than a...

 on August 8.

Later years

In September 9, a day after the Badoglio Proclamation

Badoglio Proclamation

The Badoglio Proclamation was a speech read on Ente Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche at 19:42 on 8 September 1943 by marshal Pietro Badoglio, Italian head of government, announcing that the Cassabile armistice between Italy and the Allies signed on 3 September had come into force. It...

 prompted the Germans to invade Italy, Cerica led a battalion of cadets in battle against the enemy on the Via Ostiensis

Via Ostiensis

The Via Ostiensis was an important road in ancient Rome. It ran west 30 km from the city of Rome to its important sea port of Ostia Antica, from which it took its name. The road began near the Forum Boarium, ran between the Aventine and the Tiber River along its left bank, and left the...

, and was defeated. Being sought by the occupation authorities, he went into hiding on September 11 and joined a partisans unit in Abruzzo

Abruzzo

Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...

. He participated in their actions until the liberation of the area. Afterwards, Cerica headed a department in the Italian Co-Belligerent Army

Italian Co-Belligerent Army

The Italian Co-Belligerent Army , or the Army of the South , was the army of the Italian Royalist forces fighting on the side of the Allies during World War II....

's General Staff until the war's end. He then commanded the military forces in Emilia-Romagna

Emilia-Romagna

Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....

 for a month, leaving his post in June 1945.

Cerica served as the President of the Supreme Military Court from May 1947 to September 1951. He was also a Member of the Senate

Italian Senate

The Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...

 for the Christian Democracy Party

Christian Democracy (Italy)

Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield ....

 in the First, Second and Third Legislatures of Parliament.

External links

• Angelo Cerice on inrecordo.it.