| Pietro Maletti | |
|---|---|
| May 24, 1880 – December 9, 1940 (aged 60) | |
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| Place of birth | Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy |
| Place of death | Nibeiwa, Egypt |
| Allegiance | .svg){kind=small} Italy |
| Service/branch | _crowned.svg){kind=small} Royal Italian Army |
| Years of service | 1898-1940 |
| Rank |  Major General |
| Commands held | 2nd Colonial Brigade 28th "Aosta" Infantry Division The "Maletti Group" |
| Battles/wars | World War I Libyan resistance movement Second Italo-Abyssinian War World War II
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Pietro Maletti (24 May 1880 – 9 December 1940) was an Italian military officer who participated in World War I, the subjugation of Italian North Africa, the Italo-Abyssinian War, and World War II. He was killed in action during the early stages of the North Africa Campaign.
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Early life
Pietro Maletti was born in Castiglione delle Stiviere, Province of Mantua, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy.
In 1898, Maletti volunteered for the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito). In 1904, he was admitted to the Military Academy in Modena.
In 1909, Maletti was promoted to Lieutenant (Tenente) and, in 1914, he was promoted to Captain (Capitano).
World War I and Libya
Maletti participated in World War I but, in August 1917, he was sent to Libya. With only a few brief postings elsewhere, Maletti remained in Italian North Africa (Africa Settentrionale Italiana, or ASI) until 1934 to quell Libyan resistance there. In 1926, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel (Tenente Colonnello) and, in November of that year, Maletti returned to Italy for a short period of time. In 1931,may be after his participation in the campaign aiming Kufra under Rodolfo Graziani in January that year, he was promoted to Colonel (Colonnello).
Ethiopia
In May 1934, Maletti again returned to Italy. But, in January 1935, he was transferred to Italian Somaliland for the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. He fought throughout the campaign on the "southern front" under the overall command of General Rodolfo Graziani. Maletti earned a promotion to Brigadier-General (Generale di Brigata).
After Ethiopia was defeated, Maletti stayed in Italian East Africa (Africa Orientale Italiana, or AOI) until April 1937. He assumed the command of the 2nd Colonial Brigade.
World War II
In June 1938, Maletti was promoted to the rank of Major General (Generale di divisione). In 1939, he was intended to assume command of the 28 Infantry Division Aosta.
On 10 June 1940, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini declared war on Britain and France. On 22 June, France fell and signed an armistice. British-occupied Egypt became the focus of the Italian forces in Libya. Maletti was diverted from his intended command and returned to North Africa (Africa Settentrionale). In Libya, he took command of a special ad hoc grouping of motorized infantry and tanks which was called the "Maletti Group" (Raggruppamento Maletti).
In September 1940, Maletti commanded this ad hoc group during the Italian invasion of Egypt. After being lost initially making his way to the staging area, he advanced into Egypt and occupied fortified positions near Sidi Barrani.
On 9 December 1940, Maletti was killed in action at the fortified Nibeiwa Camp when British forces counterattacked during the early stages of Operation Compass. Writer Ian W. Walker describes the destruction of Maletti Group in his book Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts. The following is quoted from a review of that book:[1]
The initial British assault would fall on Nibeiwa Camp, where the only available Italian armoured unit was based, and it achieved complete surprise. Raggruppamento Maletti, or Maletti Group, under General Maletti, was an ad hoc formation consisting of 2,500 Libyan soldiers and 2 Armoured Battalion, with thirty-five M11/39 medium tanks and thirty-five L3/35 light tanks. It was earmarked for early destruction in the assault, which commenced at 05:00hr with what appeared to be no more than another raid on the eastern side of the camp. At 07:00, however, forty-eight Matilda tanks suddenly appeared from the opposite side of the camp. They struck twenty-three unmanned M11/39 tanks of the Maletti Group, which had been deployed to guard the unmined entrance to the camp. The Italians were caught completely off guard and many did not even reach their tanks, including General Maletti, who was killed emerging from his dugout. They were slaughtered and their vehicles destroyed by the British in less than ten minutes. The Italian artillery fought on valiantly, firing on the Matildas and recording many hits, some at point-blank range - but none penetrated their 70 mm of armour. The remaining Italian tanks were captured intact, and the Libyan infantry, left practically defenceless, quickly surrendered. The British had captured Nibeiwa and destroyed the only front-line Italian armoured unit in less than five hours.
Walker's indication that none of the Italian artillery were able to penetrate the armour of the Matilda tanks contrasts with research by Sadkovich, who affirmed that the Maletti Group's anti-amour guns were able to destroy 35 out of 57 Matildas prior to their own destruction.[2]
See also
Notes
References
- Sadkovich, James. J. (1991). "Of Myths ad Men: Rommel and the Italians in North Africa". The International History Review XIII: 284–313. http://www.sfu.ca/ihr/index.htm.
- Walker, Ian W. (2003). Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts : Mussolini's elite armoured divisions in North Africa. Marlborough: Crowood. ISBN 1-86126-646-4.
Further reading
- Barker, A.J. (1968). The Civilizing Mission: A History of the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935-1936. New York: Dial Press. pp. 383 pages.
- Barker, A. J.. The Rape of Ethiopia 1936. Ballentine's Illustrated History of the Violent Century, Battle Book Number 4. Ballantine Books.
- Jowett, Philip. The Italian Army 1940-45 (2): Africa 1940-43. Men-at-Arms. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-865-8.
- Macksey, Major Kenneth. Beda Fomm: Classic Victory. Ballentine's Illustrated History of the Violent Century, Battle Book Number 22. Ballantine Books.
- Sbacchi, Alberto (1997). Lagacy of Bitterness; Ethiopia and Fascist Italy, 1935-1941. Lawrenceville: The Red Sea Press Inc. ISBN 0-932415-74-1.
External links
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