Alberto Trionfi (2 July 1892 – 28 January 1945) was an Italian general during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Biography

He was born into an aristocratic family, the fourth and last son of Marquis Riccardo Trionfi, owner of ships employed in trade with the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

during the nineteenth century; he was initiated into a military career like his brothers Giuseppe (who would become an Admiral in the

Regia Marina The , ) (RM) or Royal Italian Navy was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy () from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the changed its name to '' Marina Militare'' ("Military Navy"). Origin ...

) and Luigi (who would also become a General). On 7 November 1911 he entered the

Military Academy of Modena The Military Academy of Modena () is a military university in Modena, northern Italy. Located in the Ducal Palace of Modena in the historic center of the city, it was the first such military institution to be created in the world. The academy i ...

, from which he graduated in February 1913 as a second lieutenant in the

grenadiers A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was historically an assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when ...

. He fought in the

First Italo-Senussi War The First Italo-Senussi War (1911–17) was a conflict between the Kingdom of Italy and the Senussi for control of Libya, primarily in Cyrenaica. It had two main active phases: *The Italo-Turkish War (1911–12), when Italy invaded Libya, then the O ...

(from April 1914 to March 1916, being promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in July 1915 and to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in January 1916) and then in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, being wounded three times in the battles on the

Karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

and earning a

Bronze Medal of Military Valor The Bronze Medal of Military Valor () is an Italian medal for gallantry. It was established by Charles Albert of Sardinia on 26 March 1833, along with the higher ranking Gold Medal of Military Valor and Silver Medal of Military Valor, which were ...

during the

Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo The Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo was a World War I battle fought by the Italian and Austro-Hungarian Armies on the Italian Front between 18 August and 12 September 1917. Background On the Soča (Isonzo) River, Luigi Cadorna, the Italia ...

. After attending the Army War School in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

from 1926 to 1926, in January 1927 he was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. From 1931 he was in service at the Military Division of Naples, being promoted to lieutenant colonel in May 1932, made head of the Transport Section of the Army Corps of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

in 1935, and then deputy chief of staff of the same Army Corps on the following year. From 1937 to 1939 he commanded the 3rd Grenadiers of Sardinia Regiment, participating in the occupation of Albania. Having become a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

in 1937, in October 1939 he was made

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the 51st Infantry Division Siena, stationed in

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

, until August 1940, when he became chief of staff of the 57th Infantry Division Lombardia. In late 1940 he participated in the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian campaign in Greece, Italian invasion of Greece, and War of '40 in Greece, took place between Italy and Greece from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. This conflict began the Balk ...

, where he was awarded another Bronze Medal. He later served as chief of staff and was then attached to the Army General Staff, to the Territorial Defence Command of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

(from May to September 1941), and to the command of the XVII Army Corps in Rome (from September to November 1941). After commanding the Rome Military School from November 1941 to October 1942 he was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the infantry of the 59th Infantry Division Cagliari, stationed in the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

for occupation duties, with headquarters in

Navarino Navarino or Navarin may refer to: Battle * Battle of Navarino, 1827 naval battle off Navarino, Greece, now known as Pylos Geography * Navarino is the former name of Pylos, a Greek town on the Ionian Sea, where the 1827 battle took place ** Old Na ...

. When the

armistice of Cassibile The Armistice of Cassibile ( Italian: ''Armistizio di Cassibile'') was an armistice that was signed on 3 September 1943 by Italy and the Allies, marking the end of hostilities between Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was made public ...

was announced, on 8 September 1943, Trionfi had just returned to Greece after a period of leave in Rome, and on 18 September he was arrested by the Germans along with his superior Paolo Angioy and sent to Oflag 64/Z in Schokken. During his captivity in Schokken, Trionfi kept a diary, and was able to write home from January 1944. When the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

reached the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

in January 1945, the Nazis decided to evacuate the camp and transfer the prisoners to

Luckenwalde Luckenwalde (; Upper Sorbian language, Upper and , , ) is the capital of the Teltow-Fläming district in the state of Brandenburg in eastern Germany. It is situated on the Nuthe river north of the Fläming Heath, at the eastern rim of the Nuthe-Ni ...

, a town south of

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, with a forced march. Along with sixteen other prisoners (the weakest of the column, who were too exhausted to continue the march and made a stop with the permission of the German commander, who however refused to write a statement that they had been left behind with his consent rather than escaped), Trionfi stopped on the way, in

Kuźnica Żelichowska Kuźnica Żelichowska () is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Krzyż Wielkopolski, within Czarnków-Trzcianka County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Krzyż Wielkopolski, wes ...

, looking for food in a tavern; the group was however noticed by a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

of the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

and reported to the SS. The latter rounded up the prisoners and forced them to resume the march, shooting those who were unable to keep pace with the main group. General

Carlo Spatocco Carlo Spatocco (31 May 1883 – 28 January 1945) was an Italian general during World War II. Biography Spatocco was born in Chieti on 31 May 1883, the son of Francesco Spatocco, and after enlisting in the Royal Italian Army he participated i ...

was the first to be killed, followed by General Emanuele Balbo Bertone; then Trionfi was shot in turn. After him, generals Alessandro Vaccaneo, Giuseppe Andreoli and Ugo Ferrero were likewise murdered. In May 1945 Trionfi's family was wrongly notified by the Italian embassy in Moscow that he was alive and in good health, but on the following month they received a letter of apology with the news of his death. In 1956 Trionfi's remains were excavated and returned to Italy. The general's daughter, Maria Trionfi, managed to identify the SS officer who had ordered the massacre with the help of

Simon Wiesenthal Simon Wiesenthal (31 December 190820 September 2005) was an Austrian Holocaust survivor, Nazi hunter, and writer. He studied architecture, and was living in Lwów at the outbreak of World War II. He survived the Janowska concentration camp (la ...

and tried to have him brought to justice, but without success.Maria Trionfi, ''Il generale Alberto Trionfi - Scritti e memorie dalla Grecia al Lager - Un delitto delle SS'', p. 317

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trionfi, Alberto 1892 births 1945 deaths Italian Army generals Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Italian military personnel of World War I Italian people executed abroad Italian people executed by Nazi Germany Italian prisoners of war in World War II Royal Italian Army personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor People executed by Nazi Germany occupation forces People executed by Nazi Germany by firearm Deaths by firearm in Poland People of the Greco-Italian War World War II prisoners of war held by Germany