The following information provides a snapshot of the career of Generale Designato d’armata Pietro Gazzera.
Pietro Gazzera
Born: 11 December 1879 in Bene Vagienna
Died: 30 June 1953 in Ciriè
Promotions
Sottotenente: 20 July 1899 (Sen. 19 October 1898)
Tenente: 28 October 1900
Capitano: 31 August 1910 (Sen. 1 October 1910)
Maggiore: 16 September 1915 (Sen. 1 September 1915)
Tenente-colonnello: 25 February 1917 (Sen. 1 Mar ch1917)
Colonnello: 11 October 1917 (Sen. 16 August 1917)
Brigadiere generale: 12 December 1918
Generale di brigata: 1 February 1923
Generale di divisione: 12 March 1928
Generale di corpo d’armata: 31 July1930
Generale comandante designato d’armata: 2 July 1933
Assignments
20 February 1919 – 22 June 1919: Commanding Officer, “Messina” Infantry Brigade
22 June 1919 – 24 July 1920: Deputy Commandant, War School
24 July 1920 – 1 April 1921: Commanding Officer, “Basilicata” Infantry Brigade
1 April 1921 – 30 November 1921: Transferred to the reserve
30 November 1921 – 1 December 1921: President, Special Military Tribunal of Torino
1 December 1921 – 7 October 1923: at disposition for inspection
May 1923 – June 1923: President of the Italian commission in charge of resolving the dispute relating to the
French base in Fiume
7 October 1923 – 3 February 1924: President of the Allied Commission for the delimitation of the borders of Albania
3 February 1924 – 15 February 1926: Transferred to the reserve
15 February 1926 – 17 August 1928: Commandant, War School
17 August 1928 – 30 September 1928: at disposition
1 Oct 1928 – 24 Nov 1928: General Officer Commanding, Military Territorial Division of Genova
24 November 1928 – 12 September 1929: Under-Secretary, Ministry of War
12 September 1929 – 22 July 1933: Minister of War
22 July 1933 – 12 August 1938: Transferred to the reserve
12 August 1938 – 6 July 1941: Governor of Galla and Sidama, Ethiopia
1940 – 23 May 1941: concurrently General Officer Commanding, 24th Colonial Division
23 May 1941 – 6 July 1941: concurrently Acting Governor-General, Italian East Africa
6 July 1941 – 20 Dec 1943: Prisoner of War
20 December 1943 – 13 April 1944: President of the Central Commission for Army promotion
13 April 1944 – June 1945: Commissioner for Prisoners of War
Awards & Decorations
Cavaliere di Gran Croce Ordine militare di Savoia: 19 July 1941
Cavaliere dell’Ordine militare di Savoia: 27 June 1918
Gran cordone dell’Ordine dei S.S. Maurizio e Lazzaro: 30 December 1929
Gran cordone dell’Ordine della Corona d’Italia: 3 January 1932
Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’Ordine Coloniale della Stella d’Italia
Commendatore dell’Ordine coloniale della Stella d’Italia: 3 March 1930
Commendatore dell’Ordine della Corona d’Italia: 8 August 1920
Ufficiale dell’Ordine dei S.S. Maurizio e Lazzaro: 21 June 1925
Ufficiale dell’Ordine della Corona d’Italia: 29 December 1918
Cavaliere dell’Ordine dei S.S. Maurizio e Lazzaro: 14 September 1917
Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Corona d’Italia: 11 November 1915
Medaglia d’argento al valore militare
Medaglia commemorativa della guerra Italo-Turca
Croce d’oro per anzianità di servizio
Distintivo d’onore
Croce al merito di guerra
Croce di guerra (Francia)
Medaglia commemorativa della guerra italo-austriaca 1915 – 1918 (4 anni di campagna)
Medaglia interalleata della Vittoria
Medaglia a ricordo dell’Unità d’Italia
Medaglia Mauriziana al merito di 10 lustri di carriera militare
Croce d’oro per anzianità di servizio (40 anni)
Croce d’argento per anzianità di servizio (25 anni)
Medaglia commemorativa italiana della vittoria
Cavaliere della Legione d’onore (France): 1 February 1919
Croce dell’Ordine dei S.S. Michele e Giorgio (U.K.): 1 February 1919
Cavaliere ufficiale dell’Ordine di Leopoldo (Belgium): 1 February 1919
Croce dell’Ordine Aquila Bianca (Serbia): 1 February 1919
Croce dell’Ordine del Sol Levante (Japan): 1 February 1919
Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’Ordine di Sant’Alessandro (Bulgaria): 24 January 1931
Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’Ordine dell’Imperatore Menelik II (Ethiopia)
Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’Ordine di Scanderbeg (Albania)
Cavaliere di Gran Croce di I classe dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Austriaca (Austria)
Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica di Ungheria (Hungary)
Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’Ordine di Sant’Agata (San Marino)
Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’Ordine di Gediminas (Lithuania)
Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella di Romania
Cavaliere di VI Classe dell’Ordine del Sole Nascente (Japan)
Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 con palma di bronzo (France)
Additional Notes
Pietro Gazzera attended the Military Academy of Turin, graduating on 20 July 1899. He was appointed Senator on 12 December 1933. Member of the Commission for the Affairs of Italian Africa from 17 April 1939 – 28 January 1940. Gazzera was captured by Belgian forces on 6 July 1941, and handed over to the British,. He was imprisoned in Kenya, India and then in the United States. Gazzera repatriated to Italy after the signing of the armistice in September 1943.
Sources:
Bollettino ufficiale delle nomine, promozioni e destinazioni negli ufficiali e sottufficiali del R. esercito italiano
e nel personale dell’amministrazione militare
Senato della Republica
OpenDocument
Wikipedia
