Background on Generale d’armata Italo Gariboldi
The following information provides a snapshot of the career of Generale d’armata Italo Gariboldi.
Generale d’armata Italo Gariboldi (R) on the Russian Front.
Born: 20 April 1879 in Lodi
Died: 9 February 1970 in Rome
Promotions
Sottotenente: 19 October 1898
Tenente: 2 June 1902
Capitano: 27 August 1912
Maggiore: 27 April 1916
Tenente-colonnello: May 1917
Colonnello: 6 January 1918
Generale di brigata: 15 September 1931
Generale di divisione: 1 January 1935
Generale di corpo d’armata: 1 July 1937
Generale d’armata: 29 Octpber 1942
Assignments
2 December 1926 – 15 December 1928: Commanding Officer, 26th Infantry Regiment
15 December 1928 – 15 September 1931: Director of Senior Officer Application Course, War School
15 September 1931 – 24 September 1933: Commanding Officer, 5th Infantry Brigade
24 September 1933 – 7 January 1936: Commandant, Royal Infantry & Cavalry Academy
7 January 1936 – 1 June 1936: awaiting orders, at disposition of the Ministry for the Colonies
1 June 1936 – 30 June 1936: General Officer Commanding, 30th Division Sabauda
30 June 1936 – 1 January 1937: at disposition of Ministry for the Colonies
1 January 1937 – 1 January 1938: Chief of Staff, Viceroy of Italian East Africa
1 July 1938 – 1 September 1939: General Officer Commanding, Army Corps of Trieste (V)
1 September 1939 – 30 September 1939: assigned to Ministry of War for Special Duties
30 September 1939 – 16 February 1941: Commander-in-Chief, 5th Army
2 July 1940 – : concurrently Deputy Commander in Chief, North Africa
25 November 1940 – 23 December 1940 concurrently Acting Commander-in-Chief, 10th Army
25 March 1941 – 19 July 1941: Governor-General of Libya & Commander in Chief, Italian North Africa
19 July 1941 – 1 April 1942: Transferred to the reserve
1 April 1942 – 10 September 1943: Commander-in-Chief, 8th Army
Awards & Decorations
Cavaliere dell’Ordine Militare di Savoia: 19 September 1918
Ufficiale dell’Ordine Militare di Savoia: 17 May 1919
Commendatore dell’Ordine Militare di Savoia: 12 November 1936
Commendatore dell’Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro
Grande ufficiale dell’Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro: 16 January 1941
Commendatore dell’Ordine della Corona d’Italia: 31 October 1925
Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Corona d’Italia: 3 June 1916
Commendatore dell’Ordine Coloniale della Stella d’Italia
Gran cordone dell’Ordine della Corona d’Italia: 11 January 1940
Medaglia d’argento al valore militare
Croce al merito di guerra
Medaglia commemorativa delle Campagne di Libia
Medaglia commemorativa della guerra italo-austriaca 1915 – 18 (4 anni di campagna)
Medaglia commemorativa dell’Unità d’Italia
Medaglia commemorativa italiana della vittoria
Ritterkreuz: 1 April 1943
Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (U.K.)
Additional Notes
Generale d’armata Italo Gariboldi entered the Military College of Milan at the age of 12. Four years later, he transferred to the Military College of Rome. Gariboldi enlisted in October 1896 and attended the Royal Military Academy of Infantry and Cavalry of Modena, graduating on 19 October 1898. He served as a German Prisoner of War from 15 Sep 1943 – 1944. He was handed over to the government of the Republic of Salò and condemned to 10 years of solitary confinement as a traitor in January 1944. Gariboldi managed to escape before the end of the war. His son, Generale di corpo d’armata Mario Gariboldi, served as Deputy Chief of Staff of NATO European Command in the post-war Italian Army.
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
Wikipedia
Treccani
Augusto
