Ettore Bastico (9 April 1876 – 2 December 1972) was an Italian military officer before and during World War II. He held high commands during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War (Ethiopia), the Spanish Civil War, and the North African Campaign.
Ettore Bastico was born in Bologna, Italy. When he came of age, Bastico joined the Italian Army and fought in World War I. In 1928, Bastico was promoted to General. At that time, the Italy was ruled by dictator Benito Mussolini.
In this role, Bastico was a target of Giulio Douhet in Recapitulation (published with the infamous work The Command of the Air). Douhet devotes many pages to critically examining six "basic theories" put forth by Bastico and how they relate to the future of an Independent Air Force's role in future wars.[1]
In 1935, Bastico commanded the 1st Blackshirt Division (23 Marzo) during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. In 1936, Bastico was promoted to commander of the III Corps in Ethiopia. From 1936 to 1937, he was the commander of the II Corps.
In 1937, during the later stages of the Spanish Civil War, Bastico replaced Mario Roatta as the Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Corps of Volunteer Troops (Corpo Truppe Volontarie, or CTV) in Spain. The CTV was sent to help the Spanish Nationalists side in the war. From mid-1937, Bastico's force fought in the Battle of Santander, a decisive victory for the Nationalists. In late 1937, Bastico was replaced by Mario Berti and, in February 1939, the Italian volunteers left Spain.
In 1939, Bastico was named senator. He was then assigned to command a reserve division in the Po River area. When Italy entered World War II, he was Governor-General of the Italian Dodecanese Islands. On 19 July 1941, Bastico was named commander over all Axis forces in North Africa. In 1942, he was reduced to the command of troops in Libya. Ugo Cavallero became the commander of all forces further east in North Africa. Despite this, Bastico was promoted to Marshal of Italy (Maresciallo d'Italia) on 12 August 1942. However, the loss of Libya left him without a command for the rest of the war.
Bastico died in Rome after spending his later life studying history.
References
- ^ Douhet, Giulio; The Command of the Air, book three (Recapitulation), pp. 263-269; Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C.
External links
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Italo Garibaldi |
Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa and Governor-General of Italian Libya 19 July 1941—2 February 1943 |
Succeeded by Giovanni Messe |
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