Piero Balbo ( Manjimup, 12 June 1916 –

Asti Asti ( , ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 74,348 inhabitants (1–1–2021) located in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, about east of Turin, in the plain of the Tanaro, Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and ...

, 19 March 2003) was an Italian Resistance leader 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 in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, where his family lived for seven years, and after returning to Italy he graduated in law and became a lawyer. In 1940, following the entry of Italy into the

Second World War 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 was called up for service by the

Royal Italian Navy 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"). Origins ...

and assigned to the 12th MAS Flotilla in

Leros Leros (), also called Lero (from the Italian language), is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by a nine-hour ferry ride or by a 45-min ...

with the rank of Sub-Lieutenant and later

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 ...

, spending there most of the war. At the time 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 ...

he was in Pola, where he was captured by the Germans on 11 September 1943, but was able to escape and return home on a bicycle. He then joined the partisan groups that had formed in the

Langhe The Langhe (; ''Langa'' is from old dialect Mons Langa et Bassa Langa) is a hilly area to the south and east of the river Tanaro in the provinces of Cuneo and Asti in Piedmont, northern Italy. It is famous for its wines, cheeses, and truffles� ...

after the German occupation of Italy, with the ''

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

'' "Comandante Nord" and "Poli". In reprisal for his partisan activities, the Germans burned down his house in

Cossano Belbo Cossano Belbo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. Cossano Belbo borders the following municipalities: Camo, Cessole, Loazzolo, Ma ...

in March 1944. Balbo joined

Enrico Martini Enrico Martini (''nom de guerre'' "Mauri") Mondovì, 29 January 1911 – Turkey, 19 September 1976) was an Italian soldier and partisan, an Alpini ''Major'', founder of the ''1 Group Alpine Divisions'' in the Italian Resistance, and a recipient ...

's 1st Alpine Division Group, quickly rose through its ranks and, as commander of the 2nd Autonomous Division "Langhe", was charged with the preparation and defence of the landing field at

Vesime Vesime is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about south of Asti. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 683 and an area of .All demographics and other ...

, used by the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

to provide support to the partisans. He participated in the liberation of Alba in October 1944 and its unsuccessful defence against the German and Fascist counteroffensive in the following month. On 24 February 1945 his father, Giovanni Balbo, who had also joined the partisans, was killed in combat near

Santo Stefano Belbo Santo Stefano Belbo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located southeast of Turin and northeast of Cuneo. It is the birthplace of 20th century author Cesare Pavese. On its hill are a medieval ...

, for which 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 ...

). "Nord" himself was 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 ...

. He died in

in 2003. Balbo is featured in

Beppe Fenoglio Giuseppe "Beppe" Fenoglio (; 1 March 1922 – 18 February 1963) was an Italian writer, partisan and translator from English. The works of Fenoglio have two main themes: the rural world of the Langhe, where he was born and raised, and the Italia ...

's novel ''

Johnny the Partisan ''Il partigiano Johnny'', internationally released as ''Johnny the Partisan'', is a 2000 Italian war drama film set in the Second World War and directed by Guido Chiesa. It is based on the novel of the same name by Beppe Fenoglio. The film en ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balbo, Piero 1916 births 2003 deaths Italian military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Italian resistance movement members Italian partisans