Giovanni Messe (10 December 1883 – 18 December 1968) was an Italian field marshal and politician. In the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

, he was captured in Tunisia, but made chief of staff of the Italian Co-belligerent Army after the armistice of September 1943. Later he was an elected representative in the Italian Senate. He is considered by many to have been the best Italian general of the war.

Early life and career

Messe was born in

Mesagne Mesagne ( Mesagnese: ) is a '' comune'' in the province of Brindisi and region of Apulia, on the south-east Italy coast. Its main economic activities are tourism and the growing of olives and grapes. It is the fifth most-populous town of the prov ...

, in the Province of Brindisi in the

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

region of Italy on 10 December 1883. Giovanni Messe pursued a military career in 1901. He saw action in the Italian conquest of Libya and in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. During this conflict, he gave an important contribution to the creation and training of the "

Arditi Arditi (from the Italian verb ''ardire'', lit. "to dare", and translates as "The Daring nes) was the name adopted by a Royal Italian Army elite special force of World War I. They and the opposing German '' Stormtroopers'' were the first moder ...

", elite infantry units, and with the rank of '' maggiore'' was the commander of the IX Nono Reparto Arditi that fought in the zone of

Monte Grappa Monte Grappa ( vec, Mónte Grapa) (1,775 m) is a mountain of the Venetian Prealps in Veneto, Italy. It lies between the Venetian plain to the south and the central alpine areas to the North. To the west, it is parted from the Asiago upland by t ...

. Emerging considerably decorated from these conflicts, he became aide-de-camp to King Victor Emmanuel III, holding this post from 1923 to 1927. From this date until 1935, Messe commanded a unit of

Bersaglieri The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, (, "sharpshooter") are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, whi ...

and held the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Abyssinia

In September 1935, Messe assumed command of a motorised

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

in Verona, with the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

. Following a successful period of service with this unit in the

Second Italo-Abyssinian 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 Ita ...

, Messe was promoted to rank of

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 ...

and he became commander of the 3rd Cavalry Division.

World War II

In April 1939, following the Italian invasion of Albania, Messe was appointed to serve under

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...

's governor, General

Ubaldo Soddu Ubaldo Soddu (23 July 1883 – 25 July 1949) was an Italian military officer, who commanded the Italian Forces in the Greco-Italian War for a month. Soddu was born in Salerno. From 1939 to 1940, Soddu was under-secretary at the Ministry of War. ...

Greece

From 15 November 1940, Messe commanded the Special Army Corps during the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (Greek language, Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdom ...

of late 1940 and early 1941 and achieved some success against Greek forces commanded by Alexandros Papagos. Before winter had even set in however, the Italian forces were forced onto the defensive, as Greek forces launched a counterattack and moved into parts of Italian controlled Albania. In April 1941, with the help of the German Armed Forces (''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

''), the

Battle of Greece The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...

ended in an Axis victory.

Russia

In other circumstances, the

armoured warfare Armoured warfare or armored warfare (mechanized forces, armoured forces or armored forces) (American English; see spelling differences), is the use of armored fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of ...

experience Messe possessed might have caused him to be given a command alongside

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

in North Africa. But, instead, he was chosen to be the commander of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia (''Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia'', or CSIR). The CSIR was a mobile infantry and cavalry unit of the Italian army that took part in

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...

, the Axis invasion of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. Initially, the number of Italian troops in southern Russia numbered around 60,000. Messe never thought that this force was properly outfitted or supplied for the extreme conditions of the "Russian Front". By July 1942, the far larger Italian Army in Russia (''Armata Italiana in Russia'', or ARMIR) replaced the CSIR and General

Italo Gariboldi Italo Gariboldi (20 April 1879 – 3 February 1970) was an Italian senior officer in the Royal Army (''Regio Esercito'') before and during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by German dictator Adolf Hitler for hi ...

replaced Messe. On 1 November 1942 Messe left Russia. The number of Italian troops in Russia had grown to about 200,000. Although the troops fought well during the initial summer campaign, they lacked anti-tank weaponry suitable in winter conditions. During the German defeat at Stalingrad, the campaign in the Soviet Union turned heavily against the Axis powers. Alongside Romanian, Hungarian and German forces, the Italian army was severely mauled during

Operation Saturn Operation Little Saturn was a Red Army offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II that led to battles in Don and Chir rivers region in German-occupied Soviet Union territory in 16–30 December 1942. The success of Operation Uranus, launc ...

on the flanks of Stalingrad while trying to hold back the Soviet forces.

Tunisia

In February 1943, Messe was appointed as the new commander of the Italo-German Tank Army (''Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee'') formerly commanded by

. The name was changed to

1st Italian Army The 1st Army ( it, 1ª Armata) was an Royal Italian Army field army, in World War I, facing Austro-Hungarian and German forces, and in World War II, fighting on the North African front. World War I During World War I, the 1st Army bore the re ...

in recognition of the fact that the army consisted of one German and three Italian corps. Rommel was promoted to the command of the new Army Group Africa (''Heeresgruppe Afrika''). Messe fought a defensive campaign against the advancing American and British forces and was defeated at the Mareth Line. His continuous tactical delay of the Allied offensive could not prevent the inevitable defeat of the Axis in North Africa. On 12 May 1943 Messe was promoted to the rank of marshal of Italy (''Maresciallo d'Italia''). On 13 May, the 5th German Tank Army collapsed with the fall of Tunis and the

was surrounded, still holding the line at Enfidaville. Messe along with

Kurt Freiherr von Liebenstein __NOTOC__ Kurt Freiherr von Liebenstein (28 February 1899 – 3 August 1975) was a German general during World War II. On 10 May 1943, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Three days later, while commanding the 164th Infantry D ...

formally surrendered to British and New Zealand forces under General

Bernard Freyberg Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, (21 March 1889 – 4 July 1963) was a British-born New Zealand soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, who served as the 7th Governor-General of New Zealand from 1946 to 1952. Frey ...

Post armistice

As a loyal supporter of the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gov ...

cause, like many Italian officers Messe soon found himself re-employed, when after the Italian armistice in September 1943, he was made chief of staff of the Italian Co-Belligerent Army (''Esercito Cobelligerante Italiano''), consisting of those units loyal to King Victor Emmanuel, many of which were reconstituted from Italian

POWs A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

and armed by the Allies. He served in this post with distinction until the war's end and then retired from the military in 1947 after 46 years of distinguished service.

Life after the army

Following the conclusion of the war, he wrote a book about his experiences, entitled ''Come finì la guerra in Africa. La "Prima Armata" italiana in Tunisia'' (How the war in Africa ended. The "First Army" of Italy in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

). His military popularity remained with him in civilian life and from 1953 to 1955, Messe was a democratically elected representative in the Italian Senate. He was also president of the Italian Veterans Association, a post which he held until his death. His life was profiled in a biography written by Luigi Argentieri titled ''Messe—soggetto di un'altra storia'' (Messe—subject of another history) published in 1997. Giovanni Messe died on 18 December 1968, at the age of eighty-five.

Awards and decorations

Silver Medal of Military Valor –

Gorizia Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gori ...

, 21–23 May 1917 Croce di guerra al merito BAR

War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Meri ...

–

, 19 June 1920 Promotion for War Merits – ''to Lieutenant General, Valona – Kalamas, 1940–1941 Promotion for War Merits – ''to Lieutenant Colonel, 1918''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Messe, Giovanni 1883 births 1968 deaths People from Mesagne People of former Italian colonies Italian generals Field marshals of Italy Italian soldiers Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War Italian military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Chiefs of Italian general staff Italian prisoners of war National Fascist Party politicians