Marshal of Italy

Marshal of Italy
Maresciallo d'Italia (Italian)
Army rank flag
Marshal of Italy sleeve rank insignia (1933–45)
Country Kingdom of Italy
Service branch Royal Italian Army
 Regia Aeronautica
Formation4 November 1924
Abolished18 January 1947
Next higher rankFirst Marshal of the Empire
Next lower rankArmy general
Equivalent ranksGrand admiral
Marshal of the air force

Marshal of Italy (Italian: Maresciallo d'Italia) was a rank in the Royal Italian Army (Regio Esercito). 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. The rank was the highest in the Italian Army prior to the creation of the rank of First Marshal of the Empire in 1938. The rank of Marshal of Italy was abolished in 1946 with the creation of the Italian Republic. The equivalent Royal Navy (Regia Marina) rank was Grand admiral (Grande Ammiraglio), while the equivalent Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) rank was Marshal of the Air Force (Maresciallo dell'Aria).[1]

The rank was formally abolished on 18 January 1947 by the Provisional Head of State Enrico de Nicola.[2]

List of the Marshals of Italy

Portrait Name Date of promotion Military Notes
Luigi Cadorna
(1850–1928) 		4 November 1924  Army
Armando Diaz
(1861–1928) 		4 November 1924  Army
Paolo Thaon di Revel
(1859–1948) 		4 November 1924[citation needed]  Navy
Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta
(1869–1931) 		25 June 1926  Army
Pietro Badoglio
(1871–1956) 		25 June 1926  Army Succeeded Mussolini as Prime Minister in 1943, following the fall of the Fascist regime
Enrico Caviglia
(1862–1945) 		25 June 1926  Army
Gaetano Giardino
(1864–1935) 		25 June 1926  Army
Guglielmo Pecori Giraldi
(1856–1941) 		25 June 1926  Army
Italo Balbo
(1896–1940) 		13 August 1933  Air Force Co-leader of the 1922 March on Rome. Marshal of the Royal Italian Air Force; died in 1940 in a friendly fire incident over Tobruk
Emilio De Bono
(1866–1944) 		16 November 1935  Army Co-leader of the 1922 March on Rome
Rodolfo Graziani
(1882–1955) 		9 May 1936  Army After the Armistice of Cassibile, commanded the National Republican Army
Ugo Cavallero
(1880–1943) 		1 July 1942  Army
Ettore Bastico
(1876–1972) 		12 August 1942  Army Governor-General of Italian Libya. Commander-in-chief of Axis forces in the North African campaign; promoted to have rank equal to field marshal Erwin Rommel
Umberto, Prince of Piedmont
(1904–1983) 		29 October 1942  Army Later King Umberto II
Giovanni Messe
(1883–1968) 		12 May 1943  Army
  • Social Republic
    Social Republic
  • 1945–47[3]
    1945–47[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Page Archived 2007-12-23 at the Wayback Machine of the Italian Army (Esercito Italiano) home site - www.esercito.difesa.it.
  2. ^ "DECRETO LEGISLATIVO DEL CAPO PROVVISORIO DELLO STATO 18 gennaio 1947, n. 66 - Normattiva". www.normattiva.it. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  3. ^ "Le Insegne di grado dal 1945 al 1972". esercito.difesa.it (in Italian). Italian Army. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2022.