Arrigo Tessari (

Belluno Belluno (; ; ) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the Capital (political), capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region. W ...

, 4 January 1897 – 5 September 1971) was an

Italian Air Force The Italian Air Force (; AM, ) is the air force of the Italy, Italian Republic. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, King Victor Emmanuel III as the ("Royal Air Force ...

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 ...

. He commanded Italian air forces 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 ...

and later

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

from 1940 to 1942, and was deputy chief of staff of the

Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana The National Republican Air Force (, ANR) was the air force of the Italian Social Republic, a World War II German puppet state in Italy. Description This air force was tasked with defending the industrial areas of the region, intercepting All ...

from March to July 1944 and its chief of staff from July to August 1944, as well as State Undersecretary for the Air Force of the

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic (, ; RSI; , ), known prior to December 1943 as the National Republican State of Italy (; SNRI), but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò (, ), was a List of World War II puppet states#Germany, German puppe ...

Biography

He was born on 4 January 1897 in

, and during 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 ...

he served as in

with the rank of

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 ...

, flying as a pilot in the 85th Fighter Squadron. In October 1923 he joined the newly established

Regia Aeronautica The Royal Italian Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') (RAI) was the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Regio Esercito, Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was ...

, as commander of the 89th

Ansaldo SVA The Ansaldo SVA (named for Savoia-Verduzio-Ansaldo) was a family of Italian reconnaissance biplane aircraft of World War I and the decade after. Originally conceived as a fighter, the SVA was found inadequate for that role. Its impressive spe ...

Squadron, stationed in

Tripolitania Tripolitania (), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province of Libya. The region had been settled since antiquity, first coming to prominence as part of the Carthaginian empire. Following the defeat ...

. He participated in the

pacification of Libya The Second Italo-Senussi War, also referred to as the pacification of Libya, was a conflict that occurred during the Italian colonization of Libya between Italian military forces (composed mainly by colonial troops from Libya, Eritrea, and S ...

in the colonial aviation over the next eight years, returning to Italy with a

Silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

and 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 ...

. From 1937 to 1939 he participated in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, in command of the 16th Fighter Group "La Cucaracha", belonging to the 3rd Fighter Wing of the

Aviazione Legionaria The Legionary Air Force (, ) was an expeditionary corps from the Italian Royal Air Force that was set up in 1936. It was sent to provide logistical and tactical support to the Nationalist faction after the Spanish coup of July 1936, which mar ...

based in

Caspe Caspe is a municipality in the province of Zaragoza, part of the autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain, seat of the comarca of Bajo Aragón-Caspe. As of 2018 it had a population of 9,525 inhabitants (INE 2018) and its municipality, of 5 ...

. In December 1938 his Group was tasked with supporting the Nationalist advance on

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. With the end of the war in Spain he returned to Italy, and on April 15, 1939 he was appointed commander of the 53rd Ground Fighter Wing (equipped with

Fiat CR.42 The Fiat CR.42 ''Falco'' (Falcon, plural: ''Falchi'') is a single-seat sesquiplane fighter developed and produced by Italian aircraft manufacturer Fiat Aviazione. It served primarily in the Italian in the 1930s and during the Second World War. ...

biplane fighters), based on the Turin-Caselle airport, a post he still held at the time of the entry of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

into

, on 10 June 1940. On June 15 the Italian Headquarters ordered his unit to attack the French airfields of

Le Cannet-des-Maures Le Cannet-des-Maures (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. History The town was called "Cannet" until the French Revolution, and later "Le Cannet". During World War II on 15 ...

and

Cuers Cuers () is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It has an aerodrome, Cuers-Pierrefeu Aerodrome, shared with nearby Pierrefeu. It was one of the locations of the 1995 Cuers massa ...

- Pierrefeu, in

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

, with the aim of destroying the French fighter force on the ground. Tessari personally participated in the attack, claiming four French Morane-Saulnier MS.406 shot down; for this action he was awarded another Silver Medal of Military Valor. On 15 August 1940 he assumed command of the Italian Air Force in

, and following the attack on Greece, he directed air operations against

until the end of the campaign in April 1941. After the

fall of Greece Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemispher ...

he also assumed command of the Italian air units based in that country, with headquarters in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. He was promoted to Air Brigade General (

air commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

) on February 26, 1942, and the next day he left his command and returned to Italy. He was then appointed commander of the air units based in Turin and later of those based in

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

, directing the activity of fighter groups tasked with escorting convoys carrying supplies to the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and to

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. Finally, he was appointed Inspector of Fighter Units at the General Staff of the Air Force. On 8 September 1943, 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 made public, Tessari was in

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, ...

, at the

Ministry of Aeronautics The Ministry of the Air Force () was a department of the Kingdom of Italy, and subsequently of the Italian Republic, with jurisdiction over both military and civil aviation. Established in 1925, it was abolished in 1947 when it merged with the ...

. Later in that month, he joined the

and made contact with

Alessandro Pavolini Alessandro Pavolini (27 September 1903 – 28 April 1945) was an Italian politician, journalist, and essayist. He was notable for his involvement in the Italian fascist government, during World War II, and, as the leader and founder of the Bl ...

and Marshal of Italy

Rodolfo Graziani Rodolfo Graziani, 1st Marquis of Neghelli ( , ; 11 August 1882 – 11 January 1955), was an Italian military officer in the Kingdom of Italy's Royal Italian Army, Royal Army, primarily noted for his campaigns in Africa before and during World Wa ...

, placing himself at their disposal, although he declined Graziani's offer to appoint him Minister of the Air Force of the RSI. On September 24, Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Botto was appointed Undersecretary of State for the Air Force of the Italian Social Republic, and at the end of the month he went to Rome, where he met Graziani and Tessari; the latter remained in Rome until November, when he moved to

Bassano del Grappa Bassano del Grappa ( or ''Bassan'', ) is a city and ''comune'', in the Province of Vicenza, Vicenza province, in the region of Veneto, in northern Italy. It bounds the communes of Cassola, Marostica, Solagna, Pove del Grappa, Romano d'Ezzelino, Va ...

, being entrusted with administrative tasks within the Air Force of the RSI. When Botto resigned from his post on 7 March 1944, due to growing dissent towards the most extremist Fascist leaders and the German commands in Italy, Tessari was chosen to replace him as Undersecretary for the Air Force and chief of staff of the

, being more liked by the Germans. He too ended up clashing with them, however, due to their attempts to fully absorb the ANR in 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 ...

; in May 1944 he wrote to

Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his overthrow in 194 ...

that the Germans were systematically dismantling the

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

s of Italian air bases in order to send the metal to Germany. He eventually resigned from his post on 26 July 1944 (although he de facto remained in office until August 20), being replaced by Colonel Ruggero Bonomi and retiring to private life in his native Belluno. After the end of the hostilities he was accused of

collaborationism Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th c ...

, imprisoned for eight months in the

military prison A military prison is a prison operated by a military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, unlawful combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members o ...

of Forte Boccea in Rome, subjected to an 'epuration' process and forcibly placed on absolute leave. After the war he was councilor at the Belluno section of the

Bank of Italy The Bank of Italy (Italian language, Italian: ''Banca d'Italia'', , informally referred to as ''Bankitalia'') is the National central bank (Eurosystem), national central bank for Italy within the Eurosystem. It was the Italian central bank from ...

, president of the "Arturo Dell'Oro" Aeroclub of Belluno from 1949 to 1964 and from 1967 to 1970, and president of the Belluno section of the

Italian Red Cross The Italian Red Cross (IRC, or ''CRI'') is the Italian national Red Cross society. The Italian Red Cross was one of the original founding members of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1919. History Early history The present-day I ...

. He died in Belluno on 5 September 1971.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tessari, Arrigo 1897 births 1971 deaths Italian military personnel of World War II Italian military personnel of World War I Italian Air Force generals Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor Italian aviators People of the Italian Social Republic Italian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Italy