Curio Barbasetti, Count of Prun ( Orsara di Puglia, 12 March 1885 – 4 December 1953) was an Italian general during World War II, Chief of Staff of the Italian High Command in North Africa in 1942-1943 and Governor of Montenegro from July to September 1943.

Biography

He was born in Orsara di Puglia on March 12, 1885, the son of Count Giovanni Barbasetti di Prun and Fulvia Bertoldi. He enlisted 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 Manfre ...

and enrolled at the Royal Military Academy of Artillery and Engineers in Turin, graduating with the rank of artillery

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 ...

. He was promoted to lieutenant on June 30, 1914, and fought with the 9th Infantry Division during World War I, earning a Bronze Medal of Military Valor. After serving as Chief of Staff of the Verona and Bolzano Army Corps, he commanded the 18th Field Artillery Regiment, and then became military attaché at the Italian Embassy in Paris. In 1936 he was promoted to brigadier general and given command of a mechanized brigade. On 1 October 1937, after serving for two months as deputy commander of the

5th Infantry Division Cosseria Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

, he became head of the Italian Army War School, and on 7 May 1938 he was promoted to major general. In 1939 he assumed command of the

1st Infantry Division Superga First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, which after Italy’s entrance into World War II on 10 June 1940, participated in the brief offensive against France. In September 1940 he became commander of the 1st Army Corps, based in Turin. On January 1, 1942, he was promoted to lieutenant general, and on March 3 of the same year he was appointed Chief of Staff of the High Command in North Africa, replacing General Gastone Gambara, who had fallen out with the commander of Afrika Korps, General

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 August 1942, following the changes in the organization of the hierarchical structure undertaken by Marshal Ugo Cavallero, he was placed at the head of

Delease Delease (''Delegazione Africa Settentrionale'', North Africa Delegation) was a colonial body of the Supreme Command of the Italian Armed Forces, with headquarters in Tobruk and jurisdiction over North Africa, during the Second World War, which s ...

, the Delegation of the Italian Supreme Command in North Africa and its main liaison with Rommel. In early 1943 he was repatriated and given command of the XIV Army Corps, stationed in Yugoslavia, and on 9 July 1943 he was appointed governor of Montenegro, replacing General Alessandro Pirzio Biroli. After 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 Brig ...

he was captured by the Germans and imprisoned in Oflag 64/Z in

Schokken Skoki (german: Schokken) is a town in Poland, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Wągrowiec County, with 3,779 inhabitants (December 2004). It is located about 40 km north of Poznań. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called G ...

, Poland, where he remained until its liberation by the Red Army in early 1945. He was then held in Ukraine until October of the same year, when he was allowed to return to Italy. He died on December 4, 1953.Jozo Tomasevich, War and Revolution in Yugoslavia: 1941 – 1945, p. 145

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbasetti di Prun, Curio 1885 births 1953 deaths Italian generals Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor