Carlo Melotti (

Castelfranco Emilia Castelfranco Emilia ( Western Bolognese: ; Modenese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, north-central Italy. The town lies about northwest of Bologna. Castelfranco either occupies or lies near the site of the ancient For ...

, 31 January 1882 –

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 ...

, 20 December 1958) was an Italian general 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Biography

He was born on January 31, 1882, in

, in the

province of Modena The Province of Modena ( it, Provincia di Modena) is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Modena. It has an area of and a total population of about 701,000 (2015). There are 48 '' comuni'' (singular: ''c ...

. After enlisting in the

Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manf ...

, he trained as sergeant from 30 December 1899 to 29 June 1901 and was assigned to the

1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" The 1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" ( it, 1° Reggimento "Granatieri di Sardegna") is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Rome in Lazio. The regiment is part of the army's infantry corps' Granatieri (''Grenadiers'') speciality and o ...

. Between 1903 and 7 September 1905 he attended the Royal Military Academy of Infantry and Cavalry in

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

, graduating with the rank of infantry

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...

, assigned to the

2nd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" The 2nd Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" ( it, 2° Reggimento "Granatieri di Sardegna") is an inactive unit of the Italian Army based in Spoleto in Umbria. The regiment is part of the army's infantry corps' Granatieri (''Grenadiers'') speciality ...

. At his own request, on 9 April 1908 he was transferred to the

Royal Corps of Colonial Troops The Royal Corps of Colonial Troops ( it, Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali or RCTC) was a corps of the Italian Armed Forces, in which all the Italian colonial troops were grouped until the end of World War II in Africa. History Many of the Askaris in ...

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

, being assigned to the 3rd Colonial Battalion. Returning to Italy on 13 September 1908, he was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

and transferred back to the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd "Grenadiers of Sardinia" Regiment, with which he served in

Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...

during the

Italo-Turkish war The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War ( tr, Trablusgarp Savaşı, "Tripolitanian War", it, Guerra di Libia, "War of Libya") was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911, to 18 October 1912. As a result ...

, remaining there from 28 October 1911 to 24 April 1912. After promotion to

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

on 31 December 1914, he was assigned to the 1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna" when 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 ...

entered

World War I 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, ...

on 24 May 1915, and participated in the early

battles of the Isonzo The Battles of the Isonzo (known as the Isonzo Front by historians, sl, soška fronta) were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I mostly on the territory of present-day Slovenia, and the remainde ...

, where he was

wounded in action Wounded in Action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continui ...

on 21 August 1915. He later participated in the battle of

Monte Cengio Monte Cengio is a mountain in the Asiago plateau, within the Vicentine Alps, in Veneto, northeastern Italy. It has an elevation of 1,354 metres and is located on the southwestern edge of the plateau, in the territory of Cogollo del Cengio. The ...

as aide-de-camp to General

Giuseppe Pennella Giuseppe Pennella was an Italian Lieutenant General who was a highly decorated officer of the Royal Italian Army. During the First World War he held very high positions, commanding in succession: the "Grenadiers of Sardinia" Brigade, 35th Divisio ...

, commander of the "Granatieri di Sardegna" Brigade, distinguishing himself during the

battle of Asiago The Battle of Asiago (Battle of the Plateaux) or the Südtirol Offensive (in Italian: Battaglia degli Altipiani), nicknamed ''Strafexpedition'' ("Punitive expedition") by the Italians, was a major counteroffensive launched by the Austro-Hungari ...

in May–June 1916. Afterwards he returned to the Isonzo Front, and by the end of 1916 he was among the very few surviving grenadier officers, and had been awarded three

silver medals A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

and two bronze medals for military valor as well as two war merit crosses. On 8 July 1917 he was promoted to major, and in August he left again for Tripolitania at the command of the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Grenadiers Regiment. On 18 June 1919 he returned to Italy and in September he was transferred to the Ministry of War for special assignments, being promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel on 1 September 1920, and then to that 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 ...

on 1 June 1928. On 1 May 1930 he was appointed commander of the 1st Regiment "Granatieri di Sardegna", and in 1934-1935 he commanded the Italian contingent deployed in the

Saar Saar or SAAR has several meanings: People Given name *Saar Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player *Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist *Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), Esto ...

during the

1935 Saar status referendum A referendum on territorial status was held in the Territory of the Saar Basin on 13 January 1935. Over 90% of voters opted for reunification with Germany, with 9% voting for the status quo as a League of Nations mandate territory and less than ...

. He remained in command of the regiment until March 2, 1935, when he was transferred to the command of the Army Corps of

. From the following 22 July he was appointed head of the liaison office between the Royal Italian Army and the

Volunteer Militia for National Security The Voluntary Militia for National Security ( it, Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, MVSN), commonly called the Blackshirts ( it, Camicie Nere, CCNN, singular: ) or (singular: ), was originally the paramilitary wing of the Nation ...

, and from 8 September 1936 he assumed command of the 6th Infantry Brigade in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

. After promotion to

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 appointed t ...

on 1 January 1937, he was appointed deputy commander of the 6th Infantry Division "Legnano" in Milan, a post he left the following July to take on that of deputy commander of the

21st Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" The 21st Infantry Division "Granatieri di Sardegna" ( it, 21ª Divisione di fanteria "Granatieri di Sardegna") was an infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division's name translates as "Grenadiers of Sardinia", ref ...

in Rome. From 12 September 1938 he held the presidency of the Infantry Weapons Inspectorate, and on 19 July 1939 he 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 a ...

. On 16 November 1939 he assumed command of the 6th Infantry Division "Cuneo", which, after Italy entered 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

on June 10, 1940, was heavily engaged in the

Battle of the Western Alps The Italian invasion of France (10–25 June 1940), also called the Battle of the Alps, was the first major Italian engagement of World War II and the last major engagement of the Battle of France. The Italian entry into the war widened its s ...

, and subsequently on the Greek-Albanian front from 22 December 1940. In July 1941, following the

fall 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 ...

, the Division was transferred to the

Cyclades The Cyclades (; el, Κυκλάδες, ) are an island group in the Aegean Sea, southeast of mainland Greece and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The na ...

and the

Sporades The (Northern) Sporades (; el, Βόρειες Σποράδες, ) are an archipelago along the east coast of Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea,"Skyros - Britannica Concise" (description), Britannica Concise, 2006, webpageEB-Skyrosnotes ...

islands for garrison duty, and Melotti established his headquarters in the island of

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a sepa ...

. On January 31, 1942, he was transferred to the Army reserve due to reaching age limits, and was repatriated. On May 26, 1942, he was awarded the honor of Knight 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 ...

and 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 ...

. Following the

Armistice of Cassibile The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and B ...

he escaped capture by the Germans in Castelfranco Emilia, and reached Allied-controlled territory on 31 July 1944. After the war he served as President of the National Grenadiers of Sardinia Association (replacing General Ugo Bignami) from 18 December 1945 to 20 December 1958, promoting the construction of a memorial for the soldiers killed during the defense of Rome in September 1943 near

Porta Capena Porta Capena was a gate in the Servian Wall in Rome, Italy. The gate was located in the area of Piazza di Porta Capena, where the Caelian, Palatine and Aventine hills meet. Probably its exact position was between the entrance of Via di Valle ...

and another on Monte Cengio honoring the grenadiers killed there during the battle of Asiago. He died suddenly in Rome on December 20, 1958, at the age of 76.Granatieri di Sardegna
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melotti, Carlo 1882 births 1958 deaths Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Italian military personnel of World War II Italian military personnel of World War I Italian generals Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor