Temistocle Testa
Encyclopedia
Temistocle Testa was an Italian Fascist politician.
Testa was one of the toughest exponents of Fascism
in Modena
.
On October the 16th 1932 he become prefect of Udine
,
a post he held up to end February 1938 when he was nominated Prefect of the Province of Carnaro centered at Fiume. The five years of his rule overlap with the beginnings of World War II
and the Italian attack and Invasion of Yugoslavia
. Testa showed extreme aggressiveness in the fight against the Yugoslav Partisans operating in the surroundings of Fiume.
On January the 24th 1943 he was sent to Rome, replaced by Agostino Podestà. 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
.
After the Allied invasion of Sicily
Testa became the Prefect of Rome
. There, in Fall 1943 he had contacts with Giuseppe Castellano
the general who negotiated the Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces at Cassibile
on September 8, 1943.
After the fall of Rome, Testa was again employed at the Service Directorate for War Intendancy of the Italian Social Republic
Minister of the Interior in Milano with the specific task of controlling all the motorized traffic in northern Italy. Reportedly he was in close contact with Eugen Dollmann
, German ambassador to the Holy See and later adjutant of Karl Wolff. Dollmann was also a family friend of Testa.
After WW2, Testa with his family settled in Porretta Terme
, where he died in 1949, apparently committing suicide.
Testa was one of the toughest exponents of Fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
in Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
.
On October the 16th 1932 he become prefect of Udine
Udine
Udine is a city and comune in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,439 in 2009, and that of its urban area was 175,000.- History :Udine is the historical...
,
a post he held up to end February 1938 when he was nominated Prefect of the Province of Carnaro centered at Fiume. The five years of his rule overlap with the beginnings of 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...
and the Italian attack and Invasion of Yugoslavia
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
. Testa showed extreme aggressiveness in the fight against the Yugoslav Partisans operating in the surroundings of Fiume.
On January the 24th 1943 he was sent to Rome, replaced by Agostino Podestà. Testa was initially employed at the Service Directorate for War Intendancy of the Italian ministry of Interior
Italian Minister of the Interior
This is a list of Italian Ministers of the Interior since 1861.-Kingdom of Italy:-Italian Republic:...
. Soon he was nominated High Commissar for Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
After the Allied invasion of Sicily
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
Testa became the Prefect of 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...
. There, in Fall 1943 he had contacts with Giuseppe Castellano
Giuseppe Castellano
Giuseppe Castellano was an Italian general who negotiated the Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces on September 8, 1943.-Military career:...
the general who negotiated the Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces at Cassibile
Cassibile (village)
Cassibile is an Italian village and civil parish of the city and municipality of Syracuse , in Sicily. As of 2006 its population was of 5,800.-History:...
on September 8, 1943.
After the fall of Rome, Testa was again employed at the Service Directorate for War Intendancy of the Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
Minister of the Interior in Milano with the specific task of controlling all the motorized traffic in northern Italy. Reportedly he was in close contact with Eugen Dollmann
Eugen Dollmann
Eugen Dollmann was a German Diplomat member of the SS.-Early life and family:The son of Paula Dollmann, born Schummerer and Stefan Dollmann, Eugen Dollmann graduated in 1926 at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München as Doktor der Philosophie...
, German ambassador to the Holy See and later adjutant of Karl Wolff. Dollmann was also a family friend of Testa.
After WW2, Testa with his family settled in Porretta Terme
Porretta Terme
Porretta Terme is a town and comune in the province of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is historically a spa town, but it is now also a centre for winter sports....
, where he died in 1949, apparently committing suicide.