Annibale Bergonzoli, "the General of the Electric Chin

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by orlando lorenzini » Mon Mar 26, 2007 9:21 am

GENERALE ANNIBALE BERGONZOLI
One of the most famous Italian generals of the Spanish Civil War was the Generale Annibale Bergonzoli known as "electric chin";he wasn´t a great strategic,but he was a valiant general and he knew to inspir in his troops confidence and faith in the victory.

"The day October 16 I was called to the Headsquartes of the Generalísimo Franco,he wanted to see me.Franco received me in his room of work and he was with the General E. Mola;they were very serious and they were worried.The Generalísimo said me that five Soviet merchan cargo ships came from to the Black Sea,they had arrived to the Alicante port and they carried out fifty tanks and 14 oficials and two hundred crew tanks,furthermore also these ships desembarked aircrafts air personal.And others ten ships were prepared for to unloud weapons.In Alicante in the night of October 14,the local republican autorities had offered a dinner to the Russian officers.The Generalísimo finished with thes words: "Not only I have to face me to the Red Spain,furthermore I have also in front to Soviet Russia;we must to face this situation in whole,I ask you that you tell to the Italian Goverment all my words,I hope the support of Italy,and I have the support of Germany.Franco bid two destroyers and two submarines,furthermore he asked also tanks and anti-tanks weapons,aircrafts,specially fighters.Evindently I sent this petition to Roma inmediatly";(this text is a part of the letter of Generale Faldella to Bergonzoli).

When the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in Saturday 18 July 1936,Italy had sent weapons to the General Franco´s Army;the first weapons were sent to Spain were aircrafts;the Italian aircrafts formed the Aviazione Legionaria and her comander in chief was Colonel Ruggero Bononi,and the Aviazione Legionaria had a bomber flight Savoia S81,a flight of reconnaise with biplanes of coopertation of Army Romeo Ro-37 bis and one fither fligjht of Fiat CR-32,this flight of fighters was known as La Cucaracha;all this aircrafts had had a fundamental paper for to pass the African Spanish Army from Spanish Morocco to the Peninsula across to the Gibraltar Strait and afterwards the advance over Madrid of the motorized troops of Franco.Also there was a small unit of tanks and artillery formed by light tanks Fiat-Ansaldo L3 and guns of 65´17 mm (cannone of 65mm.),the tanks unit was led by Capt. Fortuna and the artillery unit was led Capt. Terlizi;the unit of artillery was formed by 13 officiers,102 Italian soldiers and other 200 Spainish soldiers,and the first battle went into this unit was the battle of Navalcarnero (near of Madrid).Mussolini wanted to help to General Franco´s troops,in the other hand the Spanish Republic was receiving great support to the France and Soviet Union,specially one great volunteer unit known as International Brigade and his commander in chief was André Marti.Mussolini decided to send great quantity of weapons for the Nacionalist cause for to fight to the Bolchevism in Spain;Mussolini wanted to send to Spain aircrafts,warships and soldiers of the Italian Army;the first Italian soldiers came to Spain were volunteers of the Milizia Volontaire Sicurezza Nazionale (MVSN);in Italy began to recruit Black Shirts in the Fascist Party,and severals miles of men were to fight to Spain.The first Italian soldiers arrived to Spain was to Cadiz harbour,to Cadiz arrived 3000 Italian soldiers,therfore the Italian soldiers December 22,1936;from this moment to Spain came great quantity of Italian soldiers,therfore the Italian troops stayed separated of teh rest of the General Franco´s Army;tyhe first volunteers formed a Brigade led by Generale Edmondo Rossi;this unit participated in the battle of Málaga.As the fluency of Italian soldiers were great then were created others two divisions of Black Shirts,furthermore also the Regio Essercito sent a one unit,one division called "Littorio Division"· and this division was commanded by the Generale Annibale Bergonzoli,"Electric chin".

Bergonzoli was born in Novara near of the Great Lake,November 1,1884. When Bergonzoli was a boy,he acrossed this lake swinning with seven years old,he was very vasliant and hardy;he did Bachelor in the Institute,and after he went into the Military Academy of Modena;he obtained the degree of sub-leutenant in 1907,and he was destinated to the 53 Regiment Infantry;in 1908 he studied in the Padua´s School Military and afterwards he studied in the High School War.In 1911 began the Italy-Tukey War Italy conquisted Tripolitania,Cirenaica and the Egean Sea Islands,as leutenant,Bergonzoli desembarked with troops in Derna (Lybia),he took part in all operations,and he ever was mentioned for his chiefs of the V Division for his gallantry;when the end of the War between Italy and Turkey,Bergonzoli ascended to Captain and he backed to Italy,he was destinated to the Staff of IX Division.When Italy went into the Great War 1914-18,Bergonzoli fought in Salonika,there he gained Silver Medal Military by the engagement in Agra Coast,also he was condecorated with the bronze medal by the defence of the Arco de Cerna and he also awarded with the Military Cross by the battle of Rovegno Mount.Bergonzoli was ascended to Mayor in 1917,he was link officer in the High Command of the Allied armies in the Middle East.Bergonzoli was a soldier of the first line of fire,therefore to Bergonzoli didn´t like to have post in the Staff,he wanted to fight against the enemy.He was ill and he was in the hospital in Italy,but the Italian defeat in the battle of Caporetto provocated that Bergonzoli left the hospital and he was sent to first line for to fight;he was destinated to the XIII Army,the XIII Army was deployed in the low Piave;there he gained his second Silver Medal Military: Bergonzoli led a "Arditi " unit,and he attacked in the night to the enemy,he gave a daring bump over the enemy but he was wounded in the abdomen,notwithstandoing he came back with his troops to the own lines,he had to swin for to across the river.When Bergonzoli recovered of his wounds,he was destinated to the command of the First Assault Division,with this division he took part in the battle of Vittorio Veneto,when the Great War finished,he was ascended to Lieutenant-Colonel.When the Great War finished he was sent to Lybia,as ever to first line,for to fight the tribesmen revolt in Tripolitania,and afterwards he was named Commander in Chief of the Staff of the XXV Division in Lybia.In 1920 he backed to Italy and he was sent to the command of the XVII Division and also he led ther Historic Sercice of the Staff;with the degree of Colonel he commanded three regiments: 77,56 and 73 Regiments;the 73 Regiment was "Lupi di Toscana".

Pedro-Manuel Ruíz "Orlando Lorenzini"
TO BE CONTINUED

 

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by orlando lorenzini » Tue Mar 27, 2007 9:47 am

PART II:
In 1919 in the Italian Army great part of his units were disbanded,and two Italian Ministers of War (Nitti and Bonomi) created several disposals that weaked the Army;"the democratic regime wanted to reduce the Italian Army because the Army was seen as menace" said a fascist writer.Now the discipline was low,and the troops destinated in Albania they refused to obey to their officiers and they excited rebelion,in that time Italy was divided in politics fightings and constantly the order public was broken,the differents goverments of Italy were unable to recover the orther public,therefore the bulk off the chiefs of Army saw with hope to the Fascist Party of Benito Mussolini.

When Mussolini took over the politic power in Italy,Il Duce gave the Minister of War to the Genrale Diaz and the Minister of Navy to Admiral Tahon de Ravel;these militaries were very prestige into the Army and the Navy,therefore much militaries were obeyed to the Fascist autorities;and they served to the Fascist regime with glad,the Generale Diaz gave great prestige to the Army while he was commanding to the Minister of War;with his command the Army had the same spirit that he had had in the Piave during the Great War.In January 1923 the Genrale Diaz imposed severals disposals called it "Ordinamiento Mussolini" that they served for to modernize to the Italian Army.Afterwards,when Mussolinji took over the command of the Army,he gave news disposals known "Ordinamiento Mussolini",with this disposals Mussolini augmented his power very much.With Mussolini the Italian Army was strenghtened very much,the Regia Marina,the Regia Aeronautica and the Army were strenghtened,this fact did to the Italians militaries obedients and loyalty with Mussolini and the Fascist Regime.Bergonzoli wasn´t politic,he was a professional military,notwitstanding he was surpraised and wonderfuled by the great efforts that the Fascist regime made for to strenghten the Italian Army;therefore he was loyal to Mussolini and the Fascist regime.In the first years 1920s,Bergonzoli led the Military School of Subofficiers in Palermo;few time afterwards he was destinated to command the first motorized units in the Army,and he led II Brigade "Celere",Bergonzoli was Generale di Brigatta.

During much years in the limits of the Italian colonies of Eritrea and Somaliland with Abyssinia Empire had occurried severals fightings,skirmish between Italian troops and Ethiopian troops;this bumps were frecuency,furthermore also some Italian explorers and missioners were murdered in Ethiopia;this problems between Italy and Ethiopia were increasingly and in 1935 in the wells of Val Val had strong fighting between Ethiopian troops and Italian troops;in the order hand Mussolini wanted to overrun Ethiopia and the incident of Val Val was the best excuse;Il Duce said "with Ethiopia we have had patience during forty years,but now not" (England and France) didn´t make nothing for to avoid the War,only the Nations Society took some disposals for to punish to Italy,specially economist measures.Few weeks before of the outbreak the War between Italy and Ethiopia,the General A. Bergonzoli had embarked in the ship in Genova harbour with his unit II Brigade Celere,the ship that transported the Celere unit arrived to Italian Somaliland.The Celere unit desembarked in ASomalia;during the War,Gen. Bergonzoli led the operations in the Dolo area,and also he led a motorized column and conquisted in fast and daring movements Uaddara,Malca,Guba,Uocille,Hebe;Gen. Bergonzoli moved in difficult ground without roads and bad comunications with own rearguard;in South front of Ethipia the Italian commanding in chief was Gen. Rodolfo Graziani later ascendedd to Marshall of Italian Army.The Gen. Bergonzoli ever marched in first line,in vanguard and the Italian askaris said to him: "Il Generale Bergonzoli stare carro armato";this wanted to say that the Gen. Bergonzoli was ever in the strongest spot in the battle for to fight the enemy;in the battle of Neghelli he defended the position in the Dunun Ridge May 26,1936 and in this battle Bergonzoli was wounded;the Ethipian troops had counterattacked,Bergonzoli put in vanguard in a danger position,he took a rifle and shot but he was hit by splinter shell and he had some wounds in his body,notwithstanding he followed fighting with hardy and he didn´t want to be evacuated to the hospital for to recover of his wounds,when Bergonzoli was hit in the battle of Dunun Ridge he exclamated; "You have destroyed the best rifle of my life".By this engagement,Bergonzoli was awardded with Medal of the Military Order of Savoia.Bergonzoli came back to his motherland,and after recovered of his wounds,he was destinated to command to the II Brigade Celere in Ferrara.Being in Ferrara began the Spanish Civil War,Saturday 18 july 1936.

Franco had desembarked his troops in Andalucía,he led the Spanish African Army;these troops advanced in motorized columns over Madrid by Extremadura;the advance was very fast,but the Spanish Republican troops stopped the advance of the Franco´s troops in Madrid.Madrid was strenghtened by the International Brigade,this unit was a volunteer corps recruited by the Comunist Party in France;furthermore the Spanish Republican troops were led by Spanish professional militaries as Gen. Miaja and afterwards Gen. Vicente Rojo Lluch;Rojo was ascended to General;when the outbreak of the Civil War,Rojo was Major of Spanish Army,he was an officier of Staff Spanish Army.Rojo was named chief of operations under the command of Gen. Miaja;to the orders of Gen. Rojo were severals Russian generals as: Zhukov,Voronov (commander of the Russian artillery) and Chuikov;much lessons learned in the battle of Madrid,these Russian generals afterwards they applyed in the Stalingrad battle.Franco failed in his assault over Madrid owed to the arrived to Spain to the Soviet weapons,the action of International Brigades and the Gen. Rojo,therefore the Italian troops attemped one assault over Madrid from Northeast,attacking over Guadalajara.To Mussolini this idea liked very much;where Franco has failed,the Italian troops will win;for Italy this victory in Madrid was a prestige question;the Italian Army of the Fascist Italy was invencible.Owed to great quantity of Italian troops sent to Spain,was created the C.T.V. (Corpo di Truppe Volontaire);great part of this troops were Black Shirts,but also in C.T.V. had a regular troops of the Italian Army.

Pedro-Manuel Ruíz "Orlando Lorenzini"

TO BE CONTINUED

 

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by orlando lorenzini » Wed Mar 28, 2007 9:42 am

PART III:
The C.T.V. was led by Gen. Mario Roatta and his chief of staff was the Colonel Emilio Faldella;the C.T.V. was formed by four divisions,three of them were Black Shirts recruited by the Fascist Party,and the fouth division was of the Army and she was led by Gen. Annibale Bergonzoli and the name of this division was "Littorio",all soldiers of the "Littorio Div." were volunteers;the Littorio Div. was created in Spain,not in Italy,the Littorio Div created with officersw and soldiers arrived to Spain from Italy,and all belonged to differents units,in Littorio Div. had Italian settlers that they went to East Africa;when the Littorio Div. was formed all soldiers and officers of this division participated as extras actors in the film "Escipion the African" and the Gen Bergonzoli protested saying that his men were soldiers not actors of Roman films;the soldiers of Littorio Div were clothed of Roman style.The Gen Bergonzoli got ot make of his men true soldiers,and soldiers of the contribution to the victory of Gen Franco´s Army was decisive.Bergonzoli transformed in few time to his men (much of them were married men and with sons,old men loaded with great needs) in soldiers with good trained discipline and high spirit for the battle;Bergonzoli in a letter said: "I transformed to the legioners of Littorio,few to few,in soldiers,in warriors for to make of them heroes,I never used the violence with them for this,I only attrated to me;the fact that convinced to the I talian soldiers for to fight against the Spainsh Republican troops was the attack of the Republican troops to the Catholic Church,the Republicans murdered Catholic clekrs,burned all Catholic churches of Spain were a good and valiant soldiers,they were ever in first line of fire,between the Italian troops had very few desrtions,great part of the Italian soldiers were Catholics and Cristians,there were not renegades in the C.T.V.,and the Italian captives never renuncied to be proud to be Italian soldiers.When the Spanish Civil War was finished twenty Italian soldiers were caught prisioners in Cataluña by teh Republican troops,and the Italian prisioners were executed in Can Tretze near the Figueras;this fact was a crime of War.

Pedro-Manuel Ruíz "Orlando Lorenzini"

TO BE CONTINUED

 

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by pg » Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:09 am

But he didnt exactly cover himself in glory during WW2 did he?!!!

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by orlando lorenzini » Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:44 am

Hello PG:
First one salute from Spain.Yes,Gen. Bergonzoli in 2WW had few fortune in the battles of North Africa,but he was a great Italian soldier.
Pedro

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by orlando lorenzini » Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:39 am

PART IV:
In the Guadalajar battle puts in practise the thactical of the fast war (Italian version of the German blitzkrieg),this was the first battle in which experimented the new thactical,therefore is possible that the Italian troops had mistakes,the Italians understimated the power of the Republican troops,they believed their enemies were easy objetive due to the facility with they took over Málaga.The Italians commanders were very young and they had few experience in the first line of fire;furthermore the Italians troops were bad training and they had bad weapons;the Italian commanders gave few importance to the advance by the flanks,for they most important was the speed,fast advance;furthermore the bad wheater provokated that the Nacionalist aircrafts couldn´t help to them.In Guadalajara battle the Italian troops hadn´t air support,this question was decisive for the final outcome of the battle.The Gen. Bergonzoli went into the battle in the last phase it,he led Littorio Div.,this was the most difficult moment because the Black Shirts divisions were withdrew in certain desorder,the Black Shirts were pursuited by the furious Republican troops;the Republicans had superiority in troops and weapons.Bergonzoli deployed to Littorio Div. in a solid ddefensive line,through this line Black Shirt could withdraw furthermore in the defensive line occupied by the Littorio Div. the Republican troops crashed without good outcome.This defensive line sasved to whole C.T.V. of the destruction.The Gen. Bergonzoli led to his troops in first line,he gave exemple with own valour,he also launched small counter-attacks over the Republican troops with success;the Littorio Div. stopped an attack with Russian´s tanks and motorized troops;the Italian soldiers sang the Giovinezza and they shot over the Republican troops,they faced a great assault over the Italian positions.After the Guadalajara battle all Italians generals were replaced by others less the Gen Bergonzoli;Bergonzoli followed commanding the Littorio Division,he was popular and famous between the Italian troops,in that time his troops began to name as "Electric chin",he was proud with this nickname,and Mussolini named to him Electric chin,and he mentioned his great gallantry.

After the Guadalajara battle,the C.T.V. was led by Genrale Ettore Bastico;the first measure that Bastico took for to change C.T.V. was to augment the training of troops,this hard work was commended to Gen Bergonzoli,and he faced it with enthuasiasm.The Littorio Div. took part in conquist of Santander with the rest of C.T.V.´s units and the Castilla and Navarra Brigades;in the campaign of North,the Black Shirts suffered much and they had several causalties;Bergonzoli was in first line and he forwarded to his troops and he went into the ground´s enemy,and he brought a rifle in his hands,in the territory enemy,Bergonzoli stayed isolated,by this action Bergonzoli awarded with Medal Gold to Value Military.Bergonzoli was ascended to General Division by normal course,he took part in the great ofensive in Aragón,in this frot the Littorio Division led by Gen Bergonzoli exploted the success with a fast advance towards Alcañiz and Gandesa;in this fighting Bergonzoli was wounded in a leg and therefore he was evacuated to the hospital,four days later he scaped of the hospital against the opinion of the doctors,and he took over the command of the Littorio Division.In the Aragón front the Italian troops had to fight against the best Republican troops commanded by Generals Líster and Tagüeña;the ground in which the Italian Black Shirts had to fight was very difficult;the main objetive in this fighting of the Italian troops was to fix to the enemy in one point for to let to the Nacionalist columns advance towards to the Mediterranean Sea by tjhe village of Vinaroz.After in a flank movement the Italian "Celere columns" advanced over Tortosa,thos town was situated in the left bank of the Ebro River.After of these hard fightings the Italian troops were retired to Zaragoza for to rest.

Afterwards the C.T.V. participated in the Levante battle,here in the very hards fightings in the village of Sarrión,the Lt.-Col.Tullio Giannotti (he led the first regiment of the Littorio Division) was killed.The ofensive in Levante ws cut by the great ofensive launched by the Republican Army in the Ebro River.In the Ebro River battle there wasn´t Italian infantry,but the Italian aircrafts od teh Aviazione Legionaria and the Italain units tanks were presented in the Ebro River battle.Few time before the final ofensive over Barcelona,the Gen. Bergonzoli received to order to coma back to his motherland;his soldiers saluted to him kindly,and he awarded by teh Spainsh Nacionalist Army is in impoirtance the second medal most important of the Spanish Army,the first is the "Laureada de San Fernando";these medals only give in engagements of War).The Gen. Bergonzoli fought in Spain during twety-one months.

Pedro-Manuel Ruíz "Orlando Lorenzini"
TO BE CONTINUED

 

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by orlando lorenzini » Fri Mar 30, 2007 12:07 pm

PART V:
In Italy after of the small rest,the Gen Bergonzoli was destinated to Tripolitania (Lybia),there he led the XXIII Army Corp during the World War Two;Bergonzoli led Italian troops in the Italian ofensive over Egypt in 13-16 September 1940;in this ofensive the Italian troops advanced towards Sidi Barrani,and in Sidi Barrani they stopped and they built several fortified camps strongly defended with minefields,trenches,positions of field artillery and anti-tank artillery and barbaed wire.Notwithstanding the Italian troops had of enemy to the British Army;the British Army in Egypt named Desert Western Froce,and this small force (but very efficient) was led by the British generals.Sir Archibald Wavell and Sir Richard O´Connor (the best generals of the British Army).The British attack of the Western Desert Force led by Gen O´Connor and formed by the "7 Tank Division" and "4 Indian Division" attacked to the Italian troops in Sidi Barrani,the British force used the infantry tank Matilda Mk II with an armoured of 80 mm. impossible to destroy for the Italian anti-tanks guns of 47 mm;there were 50 Matildas,and furthermore in the air the RAF had monoplane fighters Hawker Hurricane armed with eight machine-guns 7´7mm;against Hurricanes nothing could do the biplane fighters CR-42 and CR-32;the Italian troops in Sidi Barrani were defeated and captured;albeit Gen Bergonzoli scaped with troops;he organized the resistence of Bardia harbour;Bardia was a stroghold,Bergonzoli strenghtened the earht defenses of Bardia with trench anti-tank,minefield and barbed wire,but his effort was unable;in the final assault over Bardia participated an Australian infantry division that she had sustituted to the 4 Indian Division led Gen Beresford-Peirse which had been sent to Sudasn for to prepare the offensive against Eritrea in East Africa.When the Australian troops entered in Bardia harbour after to break the Italian defences,the Gen Bergonzoli scaped accopained with others militaries.The Gen Bergonzoli led the great withdraw of the Italian Army in Cyrenaica,for to go to Tripolitania;in the battles of Sidi Barrani,Bardia and Tobruk the Italian Army had lost one part of his strenght,but the Italian Army still wasn´t destroyed.One great column retreated from Bengasi towards Tripolitania;this great column was led by Gen Bergonzoli;when this Italian column was in Beda Fomm (near of the Sirte Gulf) her way was cut by the British tanks of the 7 Tank Division led Gen Combe named Combe Force.Bergonzoli tried to break the British line that cut the pass to Italian troops in their retreat;Bergonzoli launched medium tanks M13/40 and after launched Bersaglieri (selected infantry troops),all attemps for to break the British line were unable and the Italian troops surredered there and the Gen Bergonzoli was captured in Beda Fomm battle the British soldiers shot and killed to one Italian officier Alessandro Pugnetti,he belonged to the Gen Bergonzoli´s staff.

Pedro-Manuel Ruíz "Orlando Lorenzini"
TO BE CONTINUED

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by orlando lorenzini » Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:48 am

PART VI:
The Gen Bergonzoli was captured in the Beda Fomm battle by the British troops;he was transferred to the prisionner camp of Dehra-Dum (India);few time before he was prisionner in El Cairo (Egypt);in India he was suffered very much;when U.S.A. entered in the war after the Japanesse attack over the naval base in Pearl Harbour (Honolulu,Hawai) in December 7,1941;the Gen Bergonzoli was sent as prisionner of war (P.O.W.) to prisionners camp of Monticello (Arkansas,USA).The U.S.A. Goverment fell after the Allied desembark in Sicilia (July,1943) and Mussolini was substituted as Prime Minister by Marshall Pietro Badoglio,the Northamerican authorities offered to Gne Bergnzoli to colaborate with Allied forces against the Axis and the Italian fascist regime,but Bergonzoli refused this offer;therefore the Northamericans put to him very hard measures as POW,they named to him "The chief of the not";in U.S.A. the actitude of the Gen Bergonzoli was bad seen;Bergonzoli was isolated in a hospital of Long Island.When the war finished,the Gen Bergonzoli was sent to his motherland,and in Italy the democratic authorities didn´t want to him because they thought that he was Fascist.In the Italian Goverment after the war was formed by some old members of the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War as: Pacciardi (he was Minister of War),Nenni,Longo,D´Onofrio,Sandro Pertini,etc;all they were anti-fascist.Notwithstanding the Gen Bergonzoli was a popular military in Italy and specially he was very popular in the Italian Army,and even his own enemies respeted to him,therefore he was ascended to Generale di Corpo di Essercito in November 1947.The Gen Bergonzoli passed to the reserve.

The Gen Bergonzoli went to live to his village,Cannobio,there he brought a quiet life;he was respeted and wondered by his old soldiers that they had fought to his orders in Abyssinia,Spain and North Africa.In October 1970 the old Gen Bergonzli traveled to Spain accompained by a group of the old Black shirts and familiar of the Italian soldiers fallen in the grounbattles of Spain during the Spanish Civil War 1936-39.Bergonzoli was in the "Valle de los Caídos" near of Madrid where today were the graves of the General Francisco Franco and José Antonio Primo de Rivera (chief of the Falange Española,the Spanish fascist party);Bergonzoli also was in the Monasterio de San Antonio in Zaragoza,cemetery of "Puerto del Escudo",in the Alcázar de Toledo and the towns of Snatander and Burgos;in Burgos the Spanish authorities gave to him a reprodution of teh Cid´s sword.He presided the asociation of the old Italian soldiers of the Spanish Civil War named: "Associazione Nazionale Ex Combatenti Italiani in Spagna".

In the Spanish Civil War the Gne Bergonzoli was attacked roughtly by the Republican Press,in several occasions the Republican newspapers said that the Gne Bergonzoli was killed in teh groundbattle;he was hated by the Republicans,and his head had a prize: 500.000 pesetas by his capture,5000 pesetas by his dead.In the Republican zone,the Gen Bergonzoli was object to the constans jocks specially by his great white chin.

The Gen Annibale Bergonzoli died in his village,Cannobio,in June 31,1973.To his funeral assisted great quantity of Italian authorities and several high chiefs of the Italian Army,and also there his old soldiers were present.

Pedro-Manuel Ruíz "Orlando Lorenzini"

Note:
This work is dedicated to the memory of my very loved mother died the Wendsday 7,2007.
R.I.P.