Italo Gariboldi
Encyclopedia
Italo Gariboldi was a senior officer in the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito) before and during World War II
. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded by the Third Reich to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
.
From the end of World War I
and through the interwar Period
, Gariboldi rose in the ranks and held various staff, regimental, and brigade level commands.
on the northern front during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
. His division was part of the I Corps based in Eritrea
. After Italy
defeated Ethiopia
(Abyssinia) in 1936, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland
were joined to form the colony of Italian East Africa
.
Italo Balbo
's "Supreme Command - North Africa
." When Italy declared war, Gariboldi commanded the Italian Fifth Army which was on the border with French Tunisia
. He ultimately commanded both armies located in Libya
. After the Battle of France
ended, the Fifth Army became a source of men, parts, and supply for the Italian Tenth Army on the border with Egypt
.
In December 1940, when the British launched Operation Compass
, Gariboldi was in temporary command of the Tenth Army because General Mario Berti
was on sick leave. Ultimately, he was given command of the Tenth Army after it was virtually destroyed and Berti's replacement, General Giuseppe Tellera
was killed in action
.
On 25 March 1941, Gariboldi was promoted to Governor-General
of Libya and replaced Marshal Rodolfo Graziani
. By 19 July, Gariboldi himself was relieved because of his alleged lack of cooperation with Rommel. General Ettore Bastico
took his place.
(Armata Italiana in Russia, or ARMIR, or Italian 8th Army). He was in command of the Italian Army in Russia during the destruction of that army during the Battle of Stalingrad
.
ousted dictator Benito Mussolini
and then signed an armistice with the Allies. Like many members of the Italian military, Gariboldi was made a prisoner of war
(POW) by the Germans. In 1944, he was condemned to death as traitor.
Later in 1944, Gariboldi was released from prison by the Allies. He died in Rome in 1970.
His son, Mario Gariboldi, followed his father in a military career.
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...
. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded by the Third Reich to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Biography
Gariboldi was born in Lodi, LombardyLombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
.
From the end of 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...
and through the interwar Period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
, Gariboldi rose in the ranks and held various staff, regimental, and brigade level commands.
Abyssinia
In 1935, Gariboldi commanded the 30th Infantry Division "Sabauda"Italian 30 Infantry Division Sabauda
30th Division "Sabauda" participated in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War and was reorganized as a binary division prior to the start of the East African Campaign during World War II.- Order of Battle Oct. 1935 :30th Division "Sabauda" - Gen...
on the northern front 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...
. His division was part of the I Corps based in Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
. After 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...
defeated Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
(Abyssinia) in 1936, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland , also known as Italian Somalia, was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1936 in the region of modern-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate, the territory was later acquired by Italy through various...
were joined to form the colony 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...
.
North Africa
From 1939 to 1941, Gariboldi was an army commander in MarshalMarshal of the Air Force
Marshal of the Air Force is the English term for the most senior rank in a number of air forces. The ranks described by this term can properly be considered marshal ranks....
Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo was an Italian Blackshirt leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force , Governor-General of Libya, Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa , and the "heir apparent" to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.After serving in...
's "Supreme Command - North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
." When Italy declared war, Gariboldi commanded the Italian Fifth Army which was on the border with French Tunisia
French occupation of Tunisia
The French conquest of Tunisia occurred in two phases in 1881: the first consisting of the invasion and securing of the country before the signing of a treaty of protection, and the second consisting in the suppression of a rebellion...
. He ultimately commanded both armies located in Libya
Italian Libya
Italian Libya was a unified colony of Italian North Africa established in 1934 in what represents present-day Libya...
. After the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
ended, the Fifth Army became a source of men, parts, and supply for the Italian Tenth Army on the border with Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
In December 1940, when the British launched Operation Compass
Operation Compass
Operation Compass was the first major Allied military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during World War II. British and Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces in western Egypt and eastern Libya in December 1940 to February 1941. The attack was a complete success...
, Gariboldi was in temporary command of the Tenth Army because General Mario Berti
Mario Berti
Mario Berti was an Italian officer during World War I and General in the Spanish Civil War and World War II.-Personal life.:Mario Berti was born in La Spezia, which is located in modern day Liguria. He was born into an upper-middle class family...
was on sick leave. Ultimately, he was given command of the Tenth Army after it was virtually destroyed and Berti's replacement, General Giuseppe Tellera
Giuseppe Tellera
Giuseppe Tellera was a General in the Italian Army during World War II.Giuseppe Tellera was a Lt. General in the Italian Army during the North African Campaign fought against the British and Commonwealth forces in world war II...
was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
.
On 25 March 1941, Gariboldi was promoted to Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of Libya and replaced Marshal Rodolfo Graziani
Rodolfo Graziani
Rodolfo Graziani, 1st Marquis of Neghelli , was an officer in the Italian Regio Esercito who led military expeditions in Africa before and during World War II.-Rise to prominence:...
. By 19 July, Gariboldi himself was relieved because of his alleged lack of cooperation with Rommel. General Ettore Bastico
Ettore Bastico
Ettore Bastico was an Italian military officer before and during World War II. He held high commands during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War , the Spanish Civil War, and the North African Campaign....
took his place.
Russia
From 1942 to 1943, Gariboldi commanded the Italian Army in RussiaItalian Army in Russia
The Italian Army in Russia was an army-sized unit of the Italian Royal Army which fought on the Eastern Front during World War II...
(Armata Italiana in Russia, or ARMIR, or Italian 8th Army). He was in command of the Italian Army in Russia during the destruction of that army during the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
.
Italy
In 1943, Gariboldi was in Italy when King Victor Emmanuel III and Marshal Pietro BadoglioPietro Badoglio
Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...
ousted dictator 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....
and then signed an armistice with the Allies. Like many members of the Italian military, Gariboldi was made a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
(POW) by the Germans. In 1944, he was condemned to death as traitor.
Later in 1944, Gariboldi was released from prison by the Allies. He died in Rome in 1970.
His son, Mario Gariboldi, followed his father in a military career.
Military offices held
- Chief of Staff of the 77th Division - 1919
- Commanding Officer of the 26th Regiment - 1926
- Commanding Officer of the 5th Brigade - 1931
- Commander of the 30th Infantry Division "Sabauda,"Italian 30 Infantry Division Sabauda30th Division "Sabauda" participated in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War and was reorganized as a binary division prior to the start of the East African Campaign during World War II.- Order of Battle Oct. 1935 :30th Division "Sabauda" - Gen...
EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
- 1935 to 1936 - Commander of the 5th Army, TripolitaniaTripolitaniaTripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...
- 1939 to 1941 - Commander of the 10th Army, CyrenaicaCyrenaicaCyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
- 1941 - Governor-GeneralGovernor-GeneralA Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of Italian LibyaItalian LibyaItalian Libya was a unified colony of Italian North Africa established in 1934 in what represents present-day Libya...
- 1941 - Commander of Italian Army in RussiaItalian Army in RussiaThe Italian Army in Russia was an army-sized unit of the Italian Royal Army which fought on the Eastern Front during World War II...
, southern RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- 1942 to 1943