Tullio Tamburini (22 April 1892 – 1957) was an Italian soldier, adventurer and

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

official.

Life

Born in

Prato Prato ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city lies in the north east of Tuscany, at the foot of Monte Retaia, elevation , the last peak in the Calvana chain. With more than 200,000 i ...

, Tamburini had been a schoolteacher in Florence but was sacked from his job. He then made his way as a petty criminal before serving in the Italian Army during the First World War without distinction. Philip Rees, '' Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890'', 1990, p. 385 Attached to the 'mopping-up units' after the war, he was accused of

looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

whilst in the course of his duties. He joined the ''fascio'' in Florence in 1922 and was appointed consul in the local militia the following year. From early on he was associated with the ''intransigenti'' tendency within fascism, favouring the violence of the squadrons as a means to achieve fascism. As a squadron leader he garnered a reputation for extreme violence and in October 1925 he was dismissed and sent to

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 ...

for this reason. At the time Florence had become a by-word for the excesses of fascist violence and as a result Mussolini removed a number of leading party men in the city as he sought to normalize Italy under his control.Farrell, ''Mussolini'', p. 171 He was brought back in September 1926 as part of a delegation to the League of Nations before being given command of the '' Milizia Nazionale Forestale'', an arm of the Blackshirts devoted to forestry. Back in favour, Tamburini was given the role of

prefetto Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

Avellino Avellino () is a town and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

in 1936, switching to the same position in Ancona in 1939, then Trieste in 1941. Following the establishment of the

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...

Tamburini was appointed chief of police on 1 October 1943. Tamburini was unable to leave his old ways behind in his new position and in January 1944 he was charged with illicit enrichment, a charge that led to his dismissal in April. Tamburini soon became a figure of suspicion for the Germans, who believed him to be in secret contact with the Allies, and in February he was sent to

Dachau concentration camp , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...

by General

Karl Wolff Karl Friedrich Otto Wolff (13 May 1900 – 17 July 1984) was a German SS functionary who served as Chief of Personal Staff Reichsführer-SS (Heinrich Himmler) and an SS liaison to Adolf Hitler during World War II. He ended the war as the Supre ...

. In the end Tamburini was only briefly in Dachau and soon returned to Italy, although he was then sent to prison in his homeland for his involvement in the fascist regime. He was amnestied in September 1946 and emigrated to Buenos Aires the following year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamburini, Tullio 1892 births 1957 deaths Italian fascists Italian military personnel of World War I Italian police officers Dachau concentration camp survivors Italian emigrants to Argentina People from Prato