Ettore Bastico (9 April 1876 – 2 December 1972) was an Italian military officer before and 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 ...

. In addition to being a general of the Royal Italian Army, he was also a senator and governor. He held high commands during the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Itali ...

, 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 ...

, and the North African campaign.

Biography

Bastico was born in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. When he came of age, Bastico joined the

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

and fought in

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 ...

. In 1928, Bastico was promoted to

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

''(generale di brigata)''. At that time, 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 ...

was ruled by Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. In this role, Bastico was a target of Giulio Douhet in ''Recapitulation'' (published with the work ''The Command of the Air''). Douhet devotes many pages to critically examining six "basic theories" put forth by Bastico and how they relate to the future of an Independent Air Force's role in future wars. Bastico was promoted to

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 ...

on 29 May 1932 and in 1935, he commanded the 1st CC.NN. Division "23 Marzo" during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. In 1935, Bastico was the commander of the III Corps in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

and on 10 February 1936 he was promoted 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 ...

''(generale di corpo d'armata)''. From 1936 to 1937, he was the commander of the II Corps. In 1937, during the later stages of the Spanish Civil War, Bastico replaced Mario Roatta as the commander-in-chief of the Italian volunteer corps in Spain, the '' Corpo Truppe Volontarie''. The CTV was sent to help the

Spanish Nationalists Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

side in the war. From mid-1937, Bastico's force fought in the

Battle of Santander The Battle of Santander was a battle fought in the War in the North campaign of the Spanish Civil War during the summer of 1937. Santander's fall on 26 August assured the Nationalist conquest of the province of Santander, now Cantabria. The ba ...

, a decisive victory for the Nationalists. In late 1937, Bastico was replaced by Mario Berti. In October 1937, Bastico received the rank of general, "generale di corpo d'armata designato d'armata," the highest rank that could be assigned if Italy was not officially at war. In February 1939, the Italian volunteers left Spain. He was then assigned to the Second Army. Shortly after, Bastico was appointed commander of the new motorized Sixth Army, known at the "

Army of the Po The Army of the Po (Italian ''Armata del Po''), numbered the Sixth Army (''6a Armata''), was a field army of the Royal Italian Army (''Regio Esercito'') during World War II (1939–45). History When it was initially formed on 10 November 1938 und ...

," stationed in the Po Valley area. In 1939, Bastico was named senator of the Kingdom of Italy. When Italy entered

, Bastico was

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the Italian Aegean Islands ( Dodecanese) and he was promoted to full general ''( Generale d'Armata)'' on 7 August 1940. On 19 July 1941, Bastico was named Governor-General of

Italian Libya Libya ( it, Libia; ar, ليبيا, Lībyā al-Īṭālīya) was a colony of the Fascist Italy located in North Africa, in what is now modern Libya, between 1934 and 1943. It was formed from the unification of the colonies of Italian Cyrenaica ...

and commander-in-chief over all

Axis forces The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. As Erwin Rommel's superior in the North African campaign, Rommel's plans had to be first approved by Bastico. Bastico was promoted to

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 ...

(''Maresciallo d'Italia'') on 12 August 1942, largely to avoid him being junior in rank to Rommel, who was promoted to field marshal (''

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several ...

'') on 22 June. When Libya was lost to the Eighth Army's advance, since 2 February 1943 he was left without a command for the rest of the war. Bastico died in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

at 96, after spending his last years studying history. At the time of his death, he was the last living Italian military officer to have held an Italian five-star-rank in an active capacity. (

Umberto II en, Albert Nicholas Thomas John Maria of Savoy , house = Savoy , father = Victor Emmanuel III of Italy , mother = Princess Elena of Montenegro , birth_date = , birth_place = Racconigi, Piedmont, Kingdom of Italy , d ...

, the last King of Italy, who was appointed a marshal of Italy in a ceremonial capacity, died in 1983).

Honours

*Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

- 2 June 1957 *Knight Grand Cross of the

Military Order of Savoy The Military Order of Savoy was a military honorary order of the Kingdom of Sardinia first, and of the Kingdom of Italy later. Following the abolition of the Italian monarchy, the order became the Military Order of Italy. History The origin o ...

- 17 February 1942 (Grand Officer: 1 May 1939; Commander: 9 July 1936) *Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy *Knight Grand Cross of the

Colonial Order of the Star of Italy The Colonial Order of the Star of Italy ( it, Ordine coloniale della Stella d'Italia ) was founded as a colonial order of chivalry on 18 June 1914 by Italian King Victor Emmanuel III, to reward soldiers deployed to the colony of Libya. The orde ...

*Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus *Commander of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

*Knight of the Order of Vittorio Veneto *

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, ...

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 ...

War Cross for Military Valor The War Cross for Military Valor ( it, Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare) is an Italian order for military valor. Established in 1922, the cross may be awarded only in time of war. Appearance The medal is a Greek cross made of copper. Inscr ...

*Distinction for War Merit (general officer degree) *Distinction for War Merit (superior officer degree) *Seven awards of the War Merit Cross * Commemorative Medal for the Italo-Turkish War 1911-1912 *Commemorative Medal for the Spanish Campaign (1936-1938) *Commemorative Medal of the Volunteer Division of Littorio (guerra di Spagna 1936-38) * Commemorative Medal for the Italo-Austrian War 1915-1918 * Commemorative Medal of the Unity of Italy * Allied Victory Medal * Cross of Military Merit of Spain * French Croix de Guerre (1914-1918) *

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

in Gold (5 December 1942)Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 26.

Works

Bastico wrote some books about Italian military history. The most famous are: * "Il Ferreo Terzo Corpo in Africa Orientale" (1937) * "L'evoluzione dell'arte della guerra" (1930)

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Comando Supremo: General Ettore Bastico (1876-1972)

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bastico, Ettore 1876 births 1972 deaths Military personnel from Bologna Italian generals People of former Italian colonies Italian military personnel of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War Italian military personnel of the Spanish Civil War Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel of World War II Field marshals of Italy Italian fascists Members of the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy Recipients of the Gold German Cross 20th-century Italian politicians Governors-General of Italian Libya Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Knights Grand Cross of the Military Order of Savoy Grand Officers of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Commanders of the Order of St John Knights of the Order of Vittorio Veneto Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the War Cross for Military Valor War Merit Cross Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)