Emilio De Bono (March 19, 1866 – January 11, 1944) was an Italian
GeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is simply called general.-All general officer...
,
fascistFascism, , comprises a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology and a corporatist economic ideology developed in Italy. Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in...
activist,
MarshalMarshal of Italy was a rank in the Italian Royal Army . Originally created in 1924 by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini for the purpose of honoring Generals Luigi Cadorna and Armando Diaz, the rank was granted to several other general officers from 1926 to 1943...
, and member of the Fascist Grand Council (
Gran Consiglio del Fascismo). De Bono fought in the
Italo-Turkish WarThe Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica...
,
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, and the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
De Bono was born in
Cassano d'AddaCassano d'Adda is a town and commune in the province of Milan, Lombardy, Italy, located on the right side of the Adda River. It is on the border between the province of Milan and the province of Bergamo-History:...
. He entered the
Italian Royal ArmyThe Regio Esercito was the army of the Kingdom of Italy from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946...
(
Regio EsercitoThe Regio Esercito was the army of the Kingdom of Italy from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946...
) in 1884 as a
Second LieutenantSecond Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.In British English the rank is pronounced second /lɛf'tɛnənt/ , while in American English it is pronounced second /lu'tɛnənt/ ....
and had worked his way up to General Staff by the
Italo-Turkish WarThe Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica...
of 1911. De Bono would later to go on to fight in World War I, where he distinguished himself against the
AustriansAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
in
GoriziaGorizia is a town in northeastern Italy, at the foot of the Alps and bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin town of Nova Gorica has developed on the other side of the Italian-Slovenian border...
in 1916 and Monte Grappa in October 1918.
Emilio De Bono (March 19, 1866 – January 11, 1944) was an Italian
GeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is simply called general.-All general officer...
,
fascistFascism, , comprises a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology and a corporatist economic ideology developed in Italy. Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in...
activist,
MarshalMarshal of Italy was a rank in the Italian Royal Army . Originally created in 1924 by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini for the purpose of honoring Generals Luigi Cadorna and Armando Diaz, the rank was granted to several other general officers from 1926 to 1943...
, and member of the Fascist Grand Council (
Gran Consiglio del Fascismo). De Bono fought in the
Italo-Turkish WarThe Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica...
,
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, and the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
Early life
De Bono was born in
Cassano d'AddaCassano d'Adda is a town and commune in the province of Milan, Lombardy, Italy, located on the right side of the Adda River. It is on the border between the province of Milan and the province of Bergamo-History:...
. He entered the
Italian Royal ArmyThe Regio Esercito was the army of the Kingdom of Italy from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946...
(
Regio EsercitoThe Regio Esercito was the army of the Kingdom of Italy from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946...
) in 1884 as a
Second LieutenantSecond Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.In British English the rank is pronounced second /lɛf'tɛnənt/ , while in American English it is pronounced second /lu'tɛnənt/ ....
and had worked his way up to General Staff by the
Italo-Turkish WarThe Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica...
of 1911. De Bono would later to go on to fight in World War I, where he distinguished himself against the
AustriansAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
in
GoriziaGorizia is a town in northeastern Italy, at the foot of the Alps and bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin town of Nova Gorica has developed on the other side of the Italian-Slovenian border...
in 1916 and Monte Grappa in October 1918. In 1920, he was discharged with the rank of
Major GeneralMajor General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General...
.
Fascist
During the early 1920s, De Bono helped organize the
National Fascist PartyThe National Fascist Party was an Italian party, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of fascism...
. In 1922, as one of the four
QuadrumvirsThe quadrumvirs were a group of four leaders that led Benito Mussolini's March on Rome in October 1922. They were all actively involved in the Fascist party under Mussolini and had been actively been involved in politics and/or war for many years leading up to the Fascist dictatorship.- Members...
, he organized and staged the "
March on RomeThe March on Rome was a march by which Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party came to power in the Kingdom of Italy...
." This event signalled the start of the Fascist regime in Italy.
In the period following the march, De Bono served as Chief of Police and Commander of the Fascist Militia.
De Bono was tried for his role in the 1924 death of the leftist politician
Giacomo MatteottiGiacomo Matteotti was an Italian socialist politician. On 30 May 1924, he openly spoke in the Italian Parliament alleging the Fascists committed fraud in the recently held elections, and denounced the violence they used to gain votes...
. He refused to implicate his superiors and was surprisingly acquitted in 1925. In that same year, De Bono was appointed as the Governor of
TripolitaniaTripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya, situated alongside Cyrenaica and Fezzan...
in
LibyaLibya , officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , is a country located in North Africa...
.
In 1929, De Bono was appointed the Minister of Colonial Affairs (also referred to as the Minister of Colonies). In 1932, King Victor Emmanuel and De Bono visited Eritrea and, according to them, found a peaceful, loyal, and contented colony.
Abyssinia
In 1935, De Bono continued to play an active part in the military and became the
Supreme CommanderA commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the...
of the Italian operation against
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. In addition, he was the
Commander-in-ChiefA commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the...
of the forces invading from Italian-held
EritreaEritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast. The east and northeast of the country have an extensive coastline on the Red Sea, directly across from Saudi Arabia and Yemen...
on what was known as the "northern front." De Bono had under his direct command a force of nine divisions in three Army Corps: The Italian I Corps, the Italian II Corps, and the Eritrean Corps.
On October 3, forces under De Bono's command crossed into Ethiopia from Eritrea. On October 6, his forces retook Adowa, officially avenging the humiliating 1896 Italian defeat. Soon thereafter, De Bono entered the
historically significant cityThe Aksumite Empire or Axumite Empire , , was an important trading nation in northeastern Africa, growing from the proto-Aksumite period ca. 4th century BC to achieve prominence by the 1st century AD. Its ancient capital is found in northern Ethiopia. The Kingdom used the name "Ethiopia" as early...
of
AxumAxum or Aksum is a city in northern Ethiopia which was the original capital of the eponymous kingdom of Axum. Axum was a naval and trading power that ruled the region from ca. 400 BC into the 10th century...
riding a white horse. After these initial triumphs, De Bono's advance slowed appreciably.
On November 8, the I Corps and the Eritrean Corps captured
Mek'eleMek'ele is a city and woreda in northern Ethiopia. Located in Enderta which is in the Debubawi Zone, Mek'ele is the capital of the Tigray Region and home to the headquarters of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea...
. This proved to be the limit of how far the Italian invaders would get under the command of De Bono. Increasing pressure from the rest of the world on Mussolini caused him to need fast glittering victories. He was not prepared to hear of obstacles or delays from De Bono.
On November 16, De Bono was promoted to
Marshal of ItalyMarshal of Italy was a rank in the Italian Royal Army . Originally created in 1924 by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini for the purpose of honoring Generals Luigi Cadorna and Armando Diaz, the rank was granted to several other general officers from 1926 to 1943...
(
Maresciallo d'Italia). But Mussolini continued to grow impatient with his slow progress and, by December, De Bono was relieved of his command. On 17 December, De Bono received State Telegram 13181 (
Telegrama di Stato 13181) which indicated that, with the capture of Mek'ele, his mission was accomplished. His place was taken by
MarshalMarshal of Italy was a rank in the Italian Royal Army . Originally created in 1924 by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini for the purpose of honoring Generals Luigi Cadorna and Armando Diaz, the rank was granted to several other general officers from 1926 to 1943...
Pietro BadoglioPietro Badoglio, 1st Duca di Addis Abeba, 1st Marchese del Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...
. De Bono was appointed the Inspector of Overseas Troops.
World War II
In 1940, De Bono commanded a southern defense corps headquartered in
SicilySicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an autonomous region of Italy. Several much smaller islands surrounding it are considered to be part of Sicily....
and was opposed to the Italian entry into
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. But he kept a low profile and, in 1942, he was appointed
Minister of StateMinister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
.
On July 24 and July 25, 1943, De Bono was one of the members of the Fascist Grand Council who voted to oust Benito Mussolini when
Dino GrandiDino Grandi , Conte di Mordano, was an Italian Fascist politician, minister of justice, minister of foreign affairs and president of parliament.- Early life :...
carried out a
coup d'étatA coup d'état , or coup for short, is the sudden unconstitutional deposition of a legitimate government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military...
, in collaboration with
Pietro BadoglioPietro Badoglio, 1st Duca di Addis Abeba, 1st Marchese del Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...
and King Victor Emmanuel III. This led to the dictator's downfall, arrest, and imprisonment.
Later in 1943, Mussolini was rescued during the Gran Sasso raid and returned to power by
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
. He was set up in northern Italy by the Germans as the "Duce of the Nation" of a new
Italian Social RepublicThe Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini. The RSI exercised official sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
(
Repubblica Sociale Italiana, or RSI). Upon his return to power, Mussolini had De Bono and others who voted against him arrested. He then had
Alessandro PavoliniAlessandro Pavolini was an Italian politician, journalist, and essayist, notable for his involvement in the Fascist government during World War II and also for his cruelty against the opponents of fascism....
try them for
treasonIn law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife...
at
VeronaVerona is a city in Veneto, northern Italy, one of the seven provincial capitals in the region. It is one of the main tourist destinations in north-eastern Italy, thanks to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient...
in what became known as the "Verona trial." De Bono was convicted in a trial where the outcome was known prior to its start.
On January 11, 1944, De Bono was executed by firing squad at Verona. He was shot along with
Galeazzo CianoGian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari , was Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Benito Mussolini's son-in-law.-Early life:Ciano was born in Livorno, Italy, in 1903...
, Luciano Gottardi,
Giovanni MarinelliGiovanni Marinelli was an Italian Fascist political leader.Marinelli was born in Adria, Veneto.A wealthy man, he contributed to Fascist success by financing the March on Rome. Secretary of the National Fascist Party , he created the Ceka, a secret police established on the model of the Soviet Cheka...
and Giuseppe Pareschi. Ciano was the
Italian Minister of Foreign AffairsAs in most countries, in Italy the Minister of Foreign Affairs is one of the most important ministerial positions.-Kingdom of Italy:-Italian Republic:...
and Mussolini's son-in-law. Gottardi was the former president of the Fascist Confederation of Industrial workers. Marinelli was the former chief of the Fascist militia. And Pareschi was the former Agriculture Minister. The only person on trial who escaped from capital punishment was
Tullio CianettiTullio Cianetti was an Italian fascist politician who was well known for his work with the syndicates....
, the Minister of Corporations. Cianetti was sentenced to thirty years by the RSI judges.