Sebastiano Visconti Prasca
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Sebastiano Visconti Prasca (27 February 1883,
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, ...
– 25 February 1961, Monte Porzio Catone) was an Italian
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
. A veteran of 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 ...
of 1911–1912 and he led the initial offensive of the
Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian campaign in Greece, Italian invasion of Greece, and War of '40 in Greece, took place between Italy and Greece from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. This conflict began the Balk ...
in 1940 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 ...
, but was relieved of his command after two weeks for incompetence and relieved by General Ubaldo Soddu.


Biography


Early life and ancestry

Sebastiano Visconti Prasca was born 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, ...
on 27 February 1883. He was a member of the
noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...
family of the House of Visconti, patricians of
Alessandria Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, ...
.


Career


Early career and World War I

Visconti Prasca joined the
Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army () (RE) 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 Manfredo Fanti signed a decree c ...
and began studies at the Royal Military Academy of Infantry and Cavalry in
Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) 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 Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...
, from which he graduated in 1904. He was commissioned with the rank of ''sottotenente'' () on 5 September 1904. Promoted to ''tenente'' () on 5 September 1907, he participated in 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 ...
of 1911–1912, for which he received an award of the
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 ...
. He was promoted to ''capitano'' () on 31 December 1914. Italy entered
World War I 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 ...
in May 1915, and during the war he served on the Italian front from 1915 to 1918, receiving a promotion first to ''maggiore'' () and then on 1 November 1917 to ''tenente colonnello'' (). He also received a second award of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor, as well as the
War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross () was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit Cross was reissued in 1957 ...
.


Interwar period

Visconti Prasca attended the Turin Army War School, then was attached to the Army
General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...
on 20 October 1919. In January 1920 he went to
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
as a member of the
Inter-Allied Commission The term Military Inter-Allied Commission of Control was used in a series of peace treaties concluded after the First World War (1914–1918) between different countries. Each of these treaties was concluded between the Principal Allied and A ...
for
Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...
. In 1921 he returned to Italy, where on 21 April 1921 he left the general staff and began duty in the Ministry of War. This duty ended when he was attached to the Army Council on 26 October 1922. On 3 March 1924, Visconti Prasca became
military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...
at the Embassy 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 ...
in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which was renamed the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
in 1928. He remained there for six years, during which time he was promoted to ''colonnello'' () on either 26 December 1926 or 9 June 1927, according to different sources.
Prime Minister of Italy The prime minister of Italy, officially the president of the Council of Ministers (), is the head of government of the Italy, Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is established by articles 92–96 of the Co ...
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
developed a special regard for him, reflected in notes made in 1931 by General Pietro Gacchera. Visconti Prasca was recalled to Italy on 20 April 1930 after the Government of Yugoslavia bluntly accused him of
espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...
.Vento (2010). He returned briefly to the general staff while awaiting orders, then assumed command of the 36th Infantry
Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
on 1 October 1930. He relinquished command of the
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
on 16 January 1933, when he was attached to the Army of Bologna, in which he led the military administration of the city of
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
, Italy. On 10 October 1933, Visconti Prasca was appointed to the office of the Chief of the Army General Staff, General
Pietro Badoglio Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino ( , ; 28 September 1871 – 1 November 1956), was an Italian general during both World Wars and the first viceroy of Italian East Africa. With the fall of the Fascist regim ...
. That same month, he published a book on
military strategy Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired Strategic goal (military), strategic goals. Derived from the Greek language, Greek word ''strategos'', the term strategy, when first used during the 18th ...
under the title ''Guerra decisiva'' (), in which he developed the theory of what was known in Germany as ''
blitzkrieg ''Blitzkrieg'(Lightning/Flash Warfare)'' is a word used to describe a combined arms surprise attack, using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with ...
'' (),Minniti (1994), p. 101. Mussolini himself read the book, which may have decisively influenced many of the events that led to the outbreak of 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 ...
of 1935–1936. In April 1934, as an envoy of Badoglio, Visconti Prasca made a
reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
visit to the Colony of Eritrea. After his return to Italy, he drew up a report which helped to organize the operational plans for the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, which were implemented in 1935.Minniti (1994), p. 108. Visconti Prasca received a promotion to ''generale di brigata'' () for "exceptional merit" on 18 October 1934, but Badoglio decided to remove him from his general staff duties in 1934, as he was suspected of disclosing a secret agreement that Badoglio had concluded with the French general
Maurice Gamelin Maurice Gustave Gamelin (; 20 September 1872 – 18 April 1958) was a French general. He is remembered for his disastrous command (until 17 May 1940) of the French military during the Battle of France in World War II and his steadfast defence of ...
. According to one source, Visconti Prasca was assigned to the general staff "for special duties" as of 18 October 1934, serving in this capacity until 11 September 1935. On 12 December 1934, Visconti Prasca took command of the Italian expeditionary corps in the
Territory of the Saar Basin The Territory of the Saar Basin (, ; ) was a region occupied and governed by the United Kingdom and France from 1920 to 1935 under a League of Nations mandate. It had its own flag (adopted on 28 July 1920): a blue, white, and black horizontal t ...
, occupied under a
League of Nations mandate A League of Nations mandate represented a legal status under international law for specific territories following World War I, involving the transfer of control from one nation to another. These mandates served as legal documents establishing th ...
, in a move related to a
League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
requirement for the supervision of local elections there. He served in the Saar either until January 1935 or 5 March 1935, according to different sources. Either in January 1935See Greek Wikipedia at :el:Σεμπαστιάνο Βισκόντι Πράσκα for this claim and its sourcing. or on 11 July 1935, according to different sources, Visconti Prasca became an honorary
adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...
to
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Victor Emmanuel III Victor Emmanuel III (; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. A member of the House of Savoy, he also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941 and King of the Albani ...
. Sources differ on his subsequent assignments, claiming both that on 16 September 1935 he either assumed command or became deputy commander of the 5th Infantry Division "Cosseria" and that he was attached to the Ministry of War on 18 October 1935 before becoming deputy commander of the division at a later date. He remained in command of the division until 20 July 1937. Sources again differ on his assignments later in the 1930s. Some claim that he became military attaché at the Italian embassy
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
on 20 July 1937, another that he assumed command of the 2nd Cavalry Division "Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro" in December 1937 and did not become military attaché at Paris until 1938.Gin (2012), p. 26. On 9 September 1937 he was promoted to the rank of ''generale di divisione'' (
divisional general Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...
), with seniority from 1 July 1937, and on 31 March 1938, by royal decree, he was granted the title of ''conte'' (). Once he became the military attaché he followed the deterioration of relations between Italy and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
after
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
occupied
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
in September 1938. He was still in Paris when
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 ...
began with the German
invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
on 1 September 1939. Always considered a
Francophile A Francophile is a person who has a strong affinity towards any or all of the French language, History of France, French history, Culture of France, French culture and/or French people. That affinity may include France itself or its history, lang ...
, he declared a few months after the outbreak of the war that it was inevitable that 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 ...
would defeat Germany.Cervi (1965), p. 54. Visconti Prasca was recalled to Italy on 15 December 1939, when he was appointed to the Ministry of War for "special duties." Sources differ on his next assignments: Some claim he detached from his Ministry of War duties on 1 March 1940 and then was placed at the disposal of the army chief of staff until 5 June 1940, while another claims that for short time in early 1940 he commanded III Army Corps on the Italian border with FranceKnox (1982), p. 107. as Italy made preparations to enter the war on the side of the
Axis powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...
. Sources also disagree on the date of his promotion to the rank of
army corps general An army corps general or corps general is a rank held by a general officer who commands an army corps. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. Normally, the rank is above the divisional gene ...
(), giving it as 15 October 1939, with seniority from 1 July 1939, as 1 June 1940, and as 15 October 1940.


Greco-Italian War

On 26 May 1940,Pearson (2006), p.7. following a suggestion by the
Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
,
Galeazzo Ciano Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari ( , ; 18 March 1903 – 11 January 1944), was an Italian diplomat and politician who served as Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister in the government of his father-in-law ...
, and the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Army, General Ubaldo Soddu, Visconti Prasca was appointed to replace General
Carlo Geloso Carlo Geloso (20 August 1879 – 23 July 1957) was an Italian general during the Second World War. In 1939, he assumed command of the Italian forces in Albania. In 1940, he served as commander of the 11th Army during the Greco-Italian War. He w ...
as commander-in-chief of the Italian armed 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 ...
, which Italy had invaded and occupied in April 1939. During his introductory meeting with Mussolini, which took place at the
Palazzo Venezia The Palazzo Venezia (; "Venice Palace") or Palazzo Barbo, formerly Palazzo di San Marco ("Saint Mark's Palace"), is a large early Renaissance palace in central Rome, Italy, situated to the north of the Capitoline Hill. Today the property of the ...
in Rome, there was no discussion of war with
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 ...
or Yugoslavia.Cervi (1965), p. 55. Upon his arrival in Albania, he took command on 5 June 1940 of Higher Forces Command Albania (XXVI Army Corps), a reinforced
corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...
of approximately 100,000 men created on 1 December 1939 by the merger of the Higher Forces Command Albania () and the Albania Army Corps Command (). His command included five Italian
divisions Division may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...
— the 3rd Alpine Division "Julia", 19th Infantry Division "Venezia", 23rd Infantry Division "Ferrara", 53rd Infantry Division "Arezzo", and
131st Armored Division "Centauro" The 131st Armored Division "Centauro" () was an armored division of the Royal Italian Army (1940–1946), Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed in April 1939 by expanding the I Armored Brigade (). The division's name came fro ...
— as well as auxiliary units and Albanian divisions which numerically corresponded to the equivalent of approximately two more divisions. Upon assuming his duties as a commander in Albania, Visconti Prasca was directly active in the formation of certain Albanian irregular forces under the command of Jaffer Bey Ipi and Kazim Bey Kokuli. On 10 June 1940, Italy entered World War II, invading France during the
Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
in a campaign that resulted in France's capitulation and an Italian armistice with France that went into effect on 25 June 1940. On 1 July 1940, Visconti Prasca became commander-in-chief in Albania. According to one source, he also became a ''generale designato'' () that day, although another source claims this did not take place until 9 November 1940. During July 1940, Mussolini, pushed by Ciano, decided to attack a
neutral country A neutral country is a sovereign state, state that is neutral towards belligerents in a specific war or holds itself as permanently neutral in all future conflicts (including avoiding entering into military alliances such as NATO, Collective Sec ...
without consulting with
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
first in order to compensate for
Marshal of Italy Marshal of Italy () was a rank in the Royal Italian Army (''Regio Esercito''). Originally created in 1924 by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and jo ...
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 ...
's hesitance to invade
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
from
Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
and to compete with the military successes of the German ''
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
''. He selected the
Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece (, Romanization, romanized: ''Vasíleion tis Elládos'', pronounced ) was the Greece, Greek Nation state, nation-state established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally ...
as the target in the belief that the Greeks lacked a desire for war and that an Italian conquest of Greece would be easy. The Italian Army General Staff proceeded to organize an invasion plan, which was known as "''Esigenza'' G" or "''Emergenza'' G." Following an order from Mussolini, General Geloso drew up the initial operational plan after his return from Albania. It provided for the invasion of the Epirus region using an Italian force of 11 divisions, two
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
regiments, and a
grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was historically an assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when ...
regiment, but also required the
Bulgarian Army The Bulgarian Army (), also called Bulgarian Armed Forces, is the military of Bulgaria. The commander-in-chief is the president of Bulgaria. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for political leadership, while overall military command is in ...
to attack
Western Thrace Western Thrace or West Thrace (, '' ytikíThráki'' ), also known as Greek Thrace or Aegean Thrace, is a geographical and historical region of Greece, between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country; East Thrace, which lie ...
, forcing part of the Greek forces to withdraw from the Epirus front.Cervi (1965), p. 56. The next plan provided for the use of 20 Italian divisions and their logistical support, all of which would already be in Albania before the start of hostilities. On 11 August 1940Knox (1982), p. 171. Ciano summoned Visconti Prasca to Rome, where Ciano informed him of the decision to invade the Chameria region, as well as the
Ionian Islands The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...
, instructing him to prepare for the start of operations before the end of August 1940. Visconti Prasca returned to
Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...
, Albania, where he worked for a long time to draw up a plan for the invasion of Greece, which presupposed the use of four ''divisione binaria'' (), i.e. divisions composed of only two
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
regiments each, which would carry out an attack along a front of approximately . On 13 October 1940, Mussolini made the official decisionKennedy (2007), p. 462. to attack Greece and conveyed it to Badoglio during a summit meeting attended by Mussolini, Badoglio, Ciano, and Francesco Giacomoni di San. Savino, with the date for the start of military operations set for 26 October 1940. On 14 October 1940,Knox (1982), p.172. Badoglio, after learning of Ciano's meeting with Visconti Prasca, ordered Visconti Prasca to obey only the orders that came from the Italian Army General Staff. The start of military operations was postponed from 26 to 28 October 1940, but on 28 October 1940, as the winter season approached, the Italian troops launched their attack along the steep and dangerous mountainous terrain that formed the Epirus front, encountering little resistance during their advance, with the result that Visconti Prasca sent a
telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...
to Rome to report Italian forces were advancing at a "rapid pace." However, due to the adverse weather conditions, as well as the beginning of
Greek Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches of the Hellenic Armed F ...
counterattacks ordered by the chief of the general staff of the Greek Army,
Alexandros Papagos Alexandros Papagos (; 9 December 1883 – 4 October 1955) was a Greek military officer who led the Hellenic Army in World War II and the later stages of the subsequent Greek Civil War. The only Greek army career officer to rise to the rank of Fie ...
, the Italian advance was halted on 8 November 1940.Kennedy (2007), p. 463. Visconti Prasca's personal assurances that the initial forces under his command would prove sufficient, and that the Italian invasion would meet feeble Greek resistance, had helped to convince Mussolini to launch the invasion and was one of the factors leading to the disaster. Overly confident in Greek weakness and the perfection of his invasion plan, Visconti Pracsa had done little to prepare his troops for combat and failed to ensure their
logistical Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption according to the needs of customers. Logi ...
support, even neglecting such basic requirements as the provision of
mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey, and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two ...
s to carry supplies through the mountains, leaving the Italians not only in danger of failing to conquer Greek territory but of losing territory in Albania. Mussolini, outraged at Visconti Prasca's handling of the invasion, removed him from command of the troops on 8 November 1940, the same day the initial Italian advance halted, replacing him with General Ubaldo Soddu. Upon arriving in Albania, Soddu deemed the initial attack a failure and ordered Italian forces to shift immediately to a defensive stance. On 9 November 1940, Visconti Prasca became commander of the 11th Army, which was created that day by a merger of the Higher Forces Command Albania (XXVI Army Corps), VI Army Corps, and VIII Army Corps (formerly the Chameria Army Corps), deployed along the southern sector of the front along a belt stretching from the
Pindus The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; ; ; ) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly long, with a maximum elevation of (Smolikas, Mount Smolikas). Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epiru ...
mountain range to the
Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...
. He criticized Soddu's defensive provisions, and on 16 November 1940 was relieved of command of the 11th Army. Visconti Prasca returned to Italy, where he was placed at the disposal of the Ministry of War. On 10 December 1940, he was transferred to the reserve and retired from the army.


Later life

After Italy surrendered to 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 ...
on 8 September 1943, Visconti Prasca joined the
Italian resistance movement The Italian Resistance ( ), or simply ''La'' , consisted of all the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social Republic during the Second World War in Italy ...
against the German occupation forces in Italy. On 24 October 1943 he was arrested, and subsequently he was
sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...
. His sentence was commuted to imprisonment on German soil, where he was a
prisoner-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
at ''Offizierslager'' 64/Z () in
Skoki Skoki () is a town in Poland, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Wągrowiec County, with 4,003 inhabitants (2010). It is located about 40 km north of Poznań. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Skoki. History Establ ...
(),
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
,Trionfi (2014), p. 563. from which he was released in AprilTrionfi (2014), p. 550. or May 1945 along with a number of senior
officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...
of the Soviet
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
. He subsequently witnessed the entry of Soviet troops into
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
during the
Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula–Od ...
. World War II ended in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
with Germany's surrender to the Western Allies on 8 May 1945 and to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
on 9 May. After his return to Italy in October 1945, Visconti Prasca published his
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...
under the title ''Io ho aggredito la Grecia'' () (Rizzoli, 1946), a contrived effort on his part for personal rehabilitation in which he tried to diminish his personal responsibility for the defeat of the Italian army on the Greek front and justify his personal errors in command. On several occasions after the war he tried unsuccessfully to return to active duty, asking the
President of Italy The president of Italy, officially titled President of the Italian Republic (), is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that Politics of Italy, Italian politics comply with the Consti ...
,
Luigi Einaudi Luigi Numa Lorenzo Einaudi (; 24 March 1874 – 30 October 1961) was an Italian politician, economist and banker who served as President of Italy from 1948 to 1955 and is considered one of the founding fathers of the 1946 Italian institutional ...
, to reconsider his appeal against the decision to retire him in 1940, but he never returned to active service.


Personal life

Visconti Prasca was married to Angelica Zoppi, the sister of ''generale designato'' () and
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
Octavio Zoppi. Visconti Prasca was Grand Master of the Synodal Military Order of the Knights of Omonia. From 1951 until his death, he was Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of St. George of Carinthia.


Death

Visconti Prasca died in Monte Porzio Catone, Italy, near Rome, on 25 February 1961.


Honors and awards

SOURCE *
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 ...
(two awards) *
War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross () was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit Cross was reissued in 1957 ...
* Commemorative Medal for the Italo-Turkish War 1911–1912 * Commemorative Medal of the Expedition to Albania * Commemorative Medal for the Italo-Austrian War 1915–1918 (four years of campaign) * Commemorative Medal of the Unity of Italy * Allied Victory Medal * Knight of the
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, a ...
(5th Class) * Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (4th Class) (21 October 1930) * Commander of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (3rd Class) (16 May 1940) * Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (2nd Class) (15 April 1940) * Knight of the
Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...
* Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy * Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy (Royal Decree of 13 January 1924) * Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy (2 May 1935) Visconti Prasca received his first Bronze Medal of Military Valor for his actions in 1912 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 ...
, the citation reading, "Responsible for conveying orders and briefings to the various military units, despite being slightly wounded at the start of the fighting, he continued his work with courage and bravery throughout the day. Merkeb, January 27, 1912." His second award of the bronze medal for Military Valor was for his actions from 1915 to 1917 on the Italian front during
World War I 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 ...
, the citation reading, "During more than two years of war, in a number of different situations, he carried out daring
reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
missions along the front, while as an officer he relayed orders between the different military units, displaying determination and ignorance of danger. ''Medio Izontso'', May 1915 - September 1917."


References


Sources


Books

* * * * * * * * * * *


Periodicals

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Visconti Prasca 1883 births 1961 deaths Military personnel from Rome Sebastiano Prasca Nobility from Rome Italian Army generals Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Italian military personnel of World War I Italian military personnel of World War II People of the Greco-Italian War Italian resistance movement members Italian prisoners sentenced to death People condemned by Nazi courts Recipients of the War Merit Cross (Italy) Grand Officers of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy) People from Monte Porzio Catone