Dardano Fenulli (3 August 1889 – 24 March 1944) 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

The son of Army officer Saverio Fenulli and of Rosa Ferrari, in 1906 he enlisted as a volunteer in the "Lancers of Milan" Cavalry Regiment, and later attended 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 ...

, graduating in 1912 with the rank of cavalry

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 the same year, his father was killed in action in Derna during the

Italo-Turkish War The Italo-Turkish (, "Tripolitanian War", , "War of Libya"), also known as the Turco-Italian War, was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911 to 18 October 1912. As a result of this conflict, Italy captur ...

, while leading a

bayonet charge A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...

, being posthumously awarded the

Silver Medal of Military Valor The Silver Medal of Military Valor () is an Italian medal for gallantry. Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, a silver medal. These were intended for j ...

. Dardano Fenulli was instead assigned to the "Cavalleggeri di Lucca" Cavalry Regiment, and left for

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 ...

where he participated in the final stages of the war. 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 fought on

Cima Bocche Cima Bocche (2,745 m) is a mountain of the Dolomites in Trentino, Italy. It is the highest peak of a small group that is located between the San Pellegrino Pass and the Predazzo valley. The mountain has a vertical 400m north face, whereas its so ...

and the Colbricon, in the

Lagorai The Lagorai is a mountain range in the Eastern Alps, in Trentino, northern Italy. It is located between the Monte Panarotta (16 km) from Trento and Rolle Pass, for a length of some 70 km. It is bounded southwards by the Valsugana, by ...

mountains; he lost his brother, also named Saverio, killed in action on the

Karst Plateau The Karst Plateau or the Karst region (, ), also locally called Karst, is a karst plateau region extending across the border of southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills surrounding the val ...

during the

Tenth Battle of the Isonzo The Tenth Battle of the Isonzo was an Italian offensive against Austria-Hungary during World War I. Background With nine largely unsuccessful Isonzo battles conducted within an eighteen-month period to date, Italian Chief of Staff Luigi Cadorn ...

. After the end of the war he was assigned to the "Nizza Cavalleria" Regiment with the rank of

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 ...

. From 1936 to 1939, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he participated in the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression waged by Fascist Italy, Italy against Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is oft ...

and then in counterguerrilla operations in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, being awarded a silver medal for military valor. In 1940 he was attached to the

Ministry of Italian Africa The Ministry of the Colonies () was the ministry of the government of the Kingdom of Italy responsible for the governing of the country's colonial possessions and the direction of their economies. It was set up on 20 November 1912 by Royal Decr ...

and in April 1940, after promotion to

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 ...

, he was given command of the "Lancers of Vittorio Emanuele" Regiment, participating in the

Axis invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put forward in "Fü ...

in April 1941 and in the subsequent occupation until 1942. In 1943 he was promoted to brigadier general and appointed deputy commander of the 135th Armored Division "Ariete II" (having briefly served as commander of the 5th Armored Brigade "Ariete" from which the new Ariete Division was formed). In the days following the proclamation of 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 ...

on September 8, 1943, he participated in the fighting against the Germans near

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, ...

, leading an armoured column near

Ciampino Ciampino () is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, Italy. It was a ''frazione'' of Marino, Italy, Marino until 1974, when it became a ''comune''; it obtained the city () status (being therefore officially known as Cit ...

(with the task of outflanking position held by the 2nd Fallschirmjäger Division), but the signing of the

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...

on 10 September halted all military operations, and all Italian troops were disarmed and

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

. Fenulli went into hiding and joined the Roman Resistance, becoming one of the leaders of the

Clandestine Military Front The Clandestine Military Front () was an organization of the Italian resistance movement that operated in German-occupied Rome between September 1943 and June 1944. It consisted of some 2,300 men, largely Royal Italian Army officers who had gone int ...

and helping form and organize armed bands both within and outside the city. Betrayed by an informer, he was arrested by the Germans in February 1944, and after a period of detention and torture in the SS prison in Via Tasso, he was executed in the

Fosse Ardeatine massacre The Ardeatine massacre, or Fosse Ardeatine massacre (), was a mass killing of 335 civilians and political prisoners carried out in Rome on 24 March 1944 by German occupation troops during the Second World War as a reprisal for the Via Rasella ...

on March 24, 1944. He was posthumously awarded the

Gold Medal of Military Valor The Gold Medal of Military Valor () is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers. The face of the medal displayed the profile o ...

. In the last letter written before execution, he wrote:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenulli, Dardano 1889 births 1944 deaths Italian Army generals 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 resistance movement members Royal Italian Army personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Gold Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor People from Reggio Emilia Fosse Ardeatine massacre victims