Mario Roatta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mario Roatta (1887–1968) was an Italian general, Mussolini's Chief-of-Staff, and head of the military secret service.
Roatta was born in Modena, Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy in 1887.
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[edit] Spain
In December 1936, Roatta was made the Commander-in-Chief of the Corps of Volunteer Troops (Corpo Truppe Volontarie, or CTV), the Italian expeditionary force that fought alongside Franco's forces in the Spanish Civil War. Luigi Frusci became his Deputy Commander.
In early 1937, Roatta led Italian forces in the Battle of Málaga, a decisive Nationalist victory. However, he later played a leading role in the planning for the Battle of Guadalajara, a decisive Republican victory and Italian defeat.
By 1938, Roatta was replaced as Commander-in-Chief of the CTV by Ettore Bastico and, instead, commanded the Flechas Division.
[edit] Yugoslavia
During the Second World War Roatta was commander of the 2nd Italian Army in Yugoslavia and to suppress the mounting resistance led by the Partisans adopted tactics of "summary executions, hostage-taking, reprisals, internments and the burning of houses and villages" [1], for which after the war the Yugoslav government sought unsuccessfully to have him extradited for war crimes. He was, however, credited with saving the lives of large numbers of Jews in his command area [2], regarding discrimination against the Jews as "incompatible with the honour of the Italian army" [3]. It is said that he even went so far as to refuse to evict Jews from their homes to make room for the TODT organisation [4].
[edit] Rome
As head of the army's general staff, Roatta was in charge of the defence of Rome from the Germans after the armistice in September 1943, and escaped a German attempt to capture him at his headquarters at Monte Rotondo, fleeing to Brindisi [5].
[edit] Trial and death
In early 1945, Roatta was tried for his Fascist connection, for abandoning the defence of Rome, and for his involvement in the murders of brothers Carlo and Nello Rosselli [6] and sentenced to life imprisonment [7], but this was overturned in 1948.
Roatta died in 1968.
[edit] References
- ^ IngentaConnect General Roattas war against the partisans in Yugoslavia: 1942
- ^ 50 ITALIANS: The men who saved 50,000 Jewish lives
- ^ The Public Eye : Website of Political Research Associates
- ^ Nora Levin - The Holocaust
- ^ General der Fallschirmptruppe Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke
- ^ "Trial of Errors" - TIME
- ^ A Duke Departs - TIME
