Carlo Negri
Encyclopedia
Sottotenente Carlo Negri (Genoa
, 26 September 1919 - Koritza, 24 September 1943)
was a World War II
Italian
pilot
. He was the first casualty of the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force
, executed by firing squad by the Germans shortly after his capture.
student before the war, Negri enlisted in the Regia Aeronautica
in the course of the hostilities. After graduating from the Italian Air Force Academy in Caserta
he was assigned to 4 Stormo (Prancing Stallion) as a Sottotenente (second Lieutenant
) pilot.
He had not been in the unit for long when the Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces was made public on 8 September 1943, ending hostilities between Italy
and the Allies but de facto opening the war with their former allies.
Negri, together with most 4 Stormo personnel, flew to Apulia
where the Royal Family had found a safe haven after fleeing from Rome
. However, this "move" was not made for merely political reasons: the Stormo had very strong ties with Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta (and therefore with the House of Savoy
) although Amedeo had left the command of the unit by the late 1930s to take up the place of Governor General of Italian East Africa
and had died the year before as a POW of the British in Kenya. At any rate, Amedeo's legacy with 4 Stormo is so strong that the unit bears his name to the present day.
Shortly after, Regia Aeronautica
(officially renamed Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force
) was operational on the Allied side, flying ground attack and supply missions to relieve pressure on Regio Esercito units stuck in the Balkans
and embedded in the local Resistance movement
s. In one such occasion, on 21 September 1943, Negri volunteered to drop a cylinder containing a message for an Italian unit encircled in Koritza, Albania
.
Hit by Flak, Negri was forced to land and was immediately captured by the Wehrmacht
. Brought to a show trial, he was sentenced to death and shot on 23 September. He could not enjoy the protection of the Geneva Convention because there had not been any formal declaration of war between the Kingdom of Italy
and Nazi Germany
(which would take place only on 13 October 1943).
Sottotenente Carlo Negri received the posthumous Gold Medal of Military Valor
for this action.
A little more than 60 years after his death (31 October 2003) 61 Stormo was named after him. This Italian Air Force
Wing is based at Galatina
, the same airbase from which Negri had taken off for his fateful flight. The dedication ceremony was attended by his nephew and namesake, manager Carlo Puri Negri, a holder of top offices in the Pirelli
rubber and real estate
company. As a matter of fact, the young officer was related to the well-known Italian industrial family by the side of his mother Margherita.
Every year the Pirelli family organizes a regatta
, the Carlo Negri cup in his memory.
Gold Medal of Military Valor
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, 26 September 1919 - Koritza, 24 September 1943)
was a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
. He was the first casualty of the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force
Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force
The Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force , or Air Force of the South , was the air force of the Royalist "Badoglio government" in southern Italy during the last years of World War II. The ACI was formed in southern Italy in October 1943 after the Italian Armistice in September...
, executed by firing squad by the Germans shortly after his capture.
Biography
An engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
student before the war, Negri enlisted in the Regia Aeronautica
Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946...
in the course of the hostilities. After graduating from the Italian Air Force Academy in Caserta
Caserta
Caserta is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial and industrial comune and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Campanian Subapennine mountain range...
he was assigned to 4 Stormo (Prancing Stallion) as a Sottotenente (second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
) pilot.
He had not been in the unit for long when the Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces was made public on 8 September 1943, ending hostilities between Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the Allies but de facto opening the war with their former allies.
Negri, together with most 4 Stormo personnel, flew to Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
where the Royal Family had found a safe haven after fleeing from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. However, this "move" was not made for merely political reasons: the Stormo had very strong ties with Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta (and therefore with the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
) although Amedeo had left the command of the unit by the late 1930s to take up the place of Governor General of 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...
and had died the year before as a POW of the British in Kenya. At any rate, Amedeo's legacy with 4 Stormo is so strong that the unit bears his name to the present day.
Shortly after, Regia Aeronautica
Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946...
(officially renamed Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force
Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force
The Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force , or Air Force of the South , was the air force of the Royalist "Badoglio government" in southern Italy during the last years of World War II. The ACI was formed in southern Italy in October 1943 after the Italian Armistice in September...
) was operational on the Allied side, flying ground attack and supply missions to relieve pressure on Regio Esercito units stuck in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and embedded in the local Resistance movement
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
s. In one such occasion, on 21 September 1943, Negri volunteered to drop a cylinder containing a message for an Italian unit encircled in Koritza, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
.
Hit by Flak, Negri was forced to land and was immediately captured by the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
. Brought to a show trial, he was sentenced to death and shot on 23 September. He could not enjoy the protection of the Geneva Convention because there had not been any formal declaration of war between the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
and Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
(which would take place only on 13 October 1943).
Sottotenente Carlo Negri received the posthumous Gold Medal of Military Valor
Gold Medal of Military Valor
The Gold Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia "....per bassi ufficiali e soldati che avevano fatto azioni di segnalato valore in guerra" .The face of the medal displayed the profile of the king, and on its reverse was a flag...
for this action.
A little more than 60 years after his death (31 October 2003) 61 Stormo was named after him. This Italian Air Force
Italian Air Force
The Italian Air Force has gone under different names in different periods:*Regia Aeronautica , from 1923 to June 1946*Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, the air force of Italian Social Republic during World War II...
Wing is based at Galatina
Galatina
Galatina , known before the unification of Italy as San Pietro in Galatina, is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in Apulia.Among the most important cities in Salento, it is situated some 21 km south of the city of Lecce....
, the same airbase from which Negri had taken off for his fateful flight. The dedication ceremony was attended by his nephew and namesake, manager Carlo Puri Negri, a holder of top offices in the Pirelli
Pirelli
Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse multinational company based in Milan, Italy. The company, the world’s fifth largest tyre manufacturer, is present in over 160 countries, has 20 manufacturing sites around the world and a network of around 10,000 distributors and retailers.Founded in Milan in 1872,...
rubber and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
company. As a matter of fact, the young officer was related to the well-known Italian industrial family by the side of his mother Margherita.
Every year the Pirelli family organizes a regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
, the Carlo Negri cup in his memory.
Honors and awards
Gold Medal of Military ValorGold Medal of Military Valor
The Gold Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia "....per bassi ufficiali e soldati che avevano fatto azioni di segnalato valore in guerra" .The face of the medal displayed the profile of the king, and on its reverse was a flag...