Vincenzo Velardi (10 September 1894 – 5 June 1965) was an

Italian Air Force The Italian Air Force (; AM, ) is the air force of the Italy, Italian Republic. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, King Victor Emmanuel III as the ("Royal Air Force ...

general during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, in which he commanded the

Aviazione Legionaria The Legionary Air Force (, ) was an expeditionary corps from the Italian Royal Air Force that was set up in 1936. It was sent to provide logistical and tactical support to the Nationalist faction after the Spanish coup of July 1936, which mar ...

, and

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 Macerata on 10 September 1894. After enlisting in 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 ...

as an

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

officer, he was transferred to the aviators battalion, as an airplane observer, shortly after 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 ...

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 ...

, on 24 May 1915. He distinguished himself on Mount Vodice in July 1915, being promoted to the rank of

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 ...

on 9 September of the same year. On 2 July 1915 he was assigned to the 1st Artillery Support Air Squadron, which on 15 April 1916 became the 41st Squadron. He took part in the conquest of Gorizia in July 1916, being decorated with a bronze medal for military valor. On 10 October 1917, 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 ...

, Velardi commanded the 118th Squadron, and at the end of the war he was a pilot of a Hanriot HD.1 Section attached to the 48th Squadron.Ordine Militare d'Italia 1911-1964, Roma, Ufficio Storico dell'Aeronautica Militare, p. 189 After the war he joined the newly established

Regia Aeronautica The Royal Italian Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') (RAI) was the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Regio Esercito, Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was ...

; in 1931 he was Lieutenant Colonel and from 3 October to 11 June 1932 he commanded the 21st Wing, after which he held various posts, including that of commander of the 3rd Territorial Air Zone, of the Gorizia air base in 1933, and, between April 1935 and January 15, 1936, of the 1st Ground Fighter Wing. Between 15 January and 15 May 1936 he commanded the 6th Ground Fighter Wing, based at the

Gorizia Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...

airport and later transferred to the Ghedi airport. On 15 May 1936 he assumed command of the newly established 53rd Ground Fighter Wing, based at the Mirafiori airfield in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

and equipped with Fiat CR.32 biplanes. On 28 December 1936, after promotion to Air Brigade General (

air commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

), he replaced Lieutenant Colonel Ruggero Bonomi at the command of the

, supporting the

Francoist Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

forces in the

. He led his units during the battle of Malaga in February 1937 and the

battle of Guadalajara The Battle of Guadalajara (March 8–23, 1937) saw the victory of the Spanish Republican Army (''Ejército Popular Republicano'', or EPR) and of the International Brigades over the Italian and Nationalist forces attempting to encircle Madrid dur ...

in March, but shortly afterwards he came into conflict with the commander of the

Corpo Truppe Volontarie The Corps of Volunteer Troops () was a Fascist Italian expeditionary force of military volunteers, which was sent to Spain to support the Nationalist forces under General Francisco Franco against the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil ...

, General

Mario Roatta Mario Roatta (2 February 1887 – 7 January 1968) was an Italian general. After serving in World War I he rose to command the Corpo Truppe Volontarie which assisted Francisco Franco's nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War. He was the d ...

, due to the constant interference of the latter on the use of aviation during war operations; on 6 May 1937 he wrote a letter on the matter to the Chief of Staff of the Regia Aeronautica, General Giuseppe Valle, but his message was also transmitted to Roatta, who reacted violently and on 30 April ordered him to give him a complete copy of the message he had sent to Rome. In May 1937 he was then dismissed and replaced by General Mario Bernasconi at the head of the Aviazione Legionaria, assuming command of the Italian air units stationed in the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

. Between 17 and 18 March 1938 Velardi led his bombing squadrons in a series of air raids on Barcelona, aimed at terrorizing the civilian population and weakening support for the

Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII. It was dissol ...

, causing heavy damage and civilian casualties to the Catalan capital. After returning to Italy, on 6 July 1939 he assumed command of the 1st Ground Fighter Division "Aquila", based in

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

and belonging to the 2nd Air Fleet of General Gennaro Tedeschini Lalli. At the head of the unit, after the Kingdom of Italy entered

on 10 June 1940, he took part in the initial stages of the war with

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 ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. In December 1941 he assumed the direction of the Special Air Services Command, which he held until April 1943, when he was replaced by General Attilio Matricardi. On 1 March 1942 he participated in a meeting that took place at the General Staff of the Regia Aeronautica, which was also attended by Generals Giuseppe Santoro, Umberto Cappa and Simon Pietro Mattei, and by Colonel Mario Porru-Locci, in which Lieutenant Colonel Amedeo Paradisi was chosen as pilot of the Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 that would fly from Italy to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and back. After the end of the Second World War he retired to private life; he was one of the founding members of the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

of Macerata, and died in Rome on June 5, 1965.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velardi, Vincenzo 1894 births 1965 deaths Italian military personnel of World War II Italian military personnel of World War I Aviazione Legionaria personnel Italian Air Force generals Italian aviators Recipients of the Bronze Medal of Military Valor