The following information provides a snapshot of the career of Generale d’armata Alessandro Pirzio Biroli.
Generale d’armata Alessandro Pirzio Biroli
Born: 23 July 1877 in Bologna
Died: 20 May 1962 in Rome
Promotions
Sottotenente: 20 October 1895
Tenente: 29 December 1898
Capitano: 1 July 1909
Maggiore: 28 October 1915
Tenente colonnello: 5 November 1916
Colonnello: 26 July 1917
Brigadiere generale: 6 January 1919
Generale di brigata: 1 February 1923
Generale di divisione: 1 March 1928
Generale di corpo d’armata: 1 January 1933
Generale d’armata: 23 May 1936
Assignments
September 1918 – 1 May 1919: Commanding Officer, 7th Bersaglieri Brigade
1 May 1919 – February 1921: Inspector of “Black Flames”
February 1921 – 9 September 1927: Head of the Italian Military Mission to Ecuador
9 September 1927 – June 1928: at disposition
June 1928 – 1 January 1932 : Inspector of Fast Troops
1 January 1932 – 23 January 1933: General Officer Commanding, Military Territorial Division of Udine
23 January 1933 – 2 July 1933: at disposition
2 July 1933 – 27 March 1935: General Officer Commanding, Army Corps of Trieste (V)
27 March 1935 – 1 June 1936: General Officer Commanding Eritrean Corps
1 June 1936 – 15 December 1937: Governor of Amhara, Ethiopia
15 December 1937 – 17 April 1941: at disposition
17 April 1941 – 29 April 1941: Commandant of Montenegro and the Cattaro district
23 April 1941 – 1 July 1941: Commander-in-Chief, 9th Army
1 July 1941 – 1 December 1941: Commander-in-Chief, High Command of Armed Forces in Albania
3 October 1941 – 13 July 1943: concurrently Governor of Montenegro
1 December 1941 – 1 July 1943: Commander-in-Chief, General Headquarters Montenegro
Awards & Decorations
Commendatore dell’Ordine Militare di Savoia: 26 March 1945
Cavaliere dell’Ordine Militare di Savoia: 24 February 1918
Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’Ordine dei SS. Maurizio e Lazzaro: 1 June 1940
Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine dei SS. Maurizio e Lazzaro: 28 January 1937
Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine della Corona d’Italia: 25 October 1932
Commendatore dell’Ordine dei SS. Maurizio e Lazzaro
Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia
Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare
Croce al merito di guerra
Medaglia commemorativa delle operazioni militari in Africa orientale (ruoli combattenti)
Medaglia commemorativa della guerra italo-austriaca 1915 – 18 (4 anni di campagna)
Medaglia commemorativa dell’Unità d’Italia
Medaglia commemorativa italiana della vittoria
Medaglia Mauriziana al merito militare di dieci lustri: 8 December 1938
Medaglia commemorativa della 9ª Armata
Libia 1913-14
Croce per anzianità di servizio
Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’Ordine dell’Aquila Tedesca (Germany)
Additional Notes
Alessandro Pirzio Biroli is a nephew of Generale di corpo d’armata Luigi Nelson Pirzio Biroli. He graduated from the Military Academy of Modena on 20 October 1895. In 1908, he won a team silver medal in fencing at the London Olympic Games. Pirzio Biroli was dismissed from his post as Governor of Amhara following a revolt brought on by being too repressive. He remained sidelined until 1941. Offered the post of Minister for National Defence in the government of the Italian Social Republic of Salò, he turned it down. On 18 October 1944, he was recalled to temporary service and became president of the single military commission for the concession and loss of decorations of military valor. Pirzio Biroli was placed on absolute leave in 1954.
Sources:
Bollettino ufficiale delle nomine, promozioni e destinazioni negli ufficiali e sottufficiali del R. esercito italiano
e nel personale dell’amministrazione militare
Annuario militare del Regno d’Italia
Gazette
La Stampa
Treccani
Wikipedia
