Enrico Pitassi Mannella

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Enrico Pitassi Mannella
19th Infantry Division Venezia
XXII Army Corps
Battles/wars
Awards

Enrico Pitassi Mannella (Cerignola, 31 May 1882 – Rome, 1948) was an Italian general during World War II. An artillery specialist, he was known among his colleagues as the "King of Artillerymen".

Biography

He was born in Cerignola, in the

Jesuit college in Mondragone, in the province of Caserta. At age nineteen, on 3 November 1901, he entered the Royal Military Academy of Artillery and Engineers in Turin, graduating with the rank of artillery second lieutenant, on 21 August 1904. He was promoted to lieutenant after attending the Application School in Turin, and was then assigned to the 24th Field Artillery Regiment; from 14 July 1910 he was assigned to the central artillery school in Nettuno.[1]

He took part in the

First World War with the 1st Heavy Field Artillery Regiment, with the rank of captain and later major, being awarded three bronze medals of military valor for actions on Monte Cengio in May and September 1916 and on the heights near Monfalcone on 12 May 1917.[1]

From 30 May 1920 to 15 November 1921, he served as instructor at the central artillery schools of Nettuno and Civitavecchia. After being promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1925, from 24 October 1926 he returned again to the central artillery school, authoring a manual on shooting techniques for artillery officers. In the same year he accompanied Colonel Alessandro Pirzio Biroli on a mission at the military academy of Ecuador and held a series of lectures on technical subjects of artillery in various foreign countries, especially in Spain.[1]

After promotion to

19th Infantry Division Venezia.[1]

At the end of April 1939, Pitassi left for

61st Infantry Division Sirte, the other divisions having been transferred to other formations.[1][2][3]

During the British offensive known as Operation Compass Mannella was given command of the defence of Tobruk; on 22 January 1941 he was captured in the British assault on the town, along with three other generals (Umberto Barberis, Vincenzo della Mura and Adolfo de Leone), Rear Admiral Massimiliano Vietina and over 20,000 of his men. He was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Yol, British India and remained in British captivity until after the war, being finally released in 1946. After returning to Italy, he was briefly president of the military court of Rome, and died in Rome in 1948.[1][4][5][6][7][8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Biography of Lieutenant-General Enrico Pitassi-Mannella (1882 – ), Italy". Generals.dk. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  2. ^ Andrea Santangelo, Operazione Compass. La Caporetto del deserto, pp. 42-44
  3. ISBN 9788852049019
    . Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  4. ^ Andrea Santangelo, Operazione Compass. La Caporetto del deserto, pp. 90-91
  5. ^ "La Battaglia di Tobruk (21-23 gennaio 1941) - Difesa Online" (in Italian). Difesaonline.it. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  6. ^ "Le Operazioni In Africa Settentrionale Vol I Sidi El Barrani - Parte Seconda By Biblioteca Militare". Issuu. 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  7. ISBN 9780521401579
    . Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  8. ISBN 9781473847460
    . Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  9. ISBN 978-1-78289-558-9
    .
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