Ettore Muti
Ettore Muti | |
---|---|
Secretary of the National Fascist Party | |
In office 31 October 1939 – 30 October 1940 | |
Leader | Benito Mussolini |
Preceded by | Achille Starace |
Succeeded by | Adelchi Serena |
Personal details | |
Born | Ravenna, Kingdom of Italy | 2 May 1902
Died | 24 August 1943 Rome, Kingdom of Italy | (aged 41)
Political party | National Fascist Party |
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
Ettore Muti (2 May 1902 – 24 August 1943) was an Italian aviator and
World War I and Fiume
Born in Ravenna, Romagna, Muti was banned from any school in the country at age 13, after punching one of his teachers. The next year, he ran away from home in order to fight in World War I, but was recovered and returned by the Carabinieri. At 15, a new attempt was successful, and Muti joined the famed Arditi.
On the front, Muti distinguished himself through feats of audacity. His
Between the world wars
During this time, Muti met Benito Mussolini, for whom he developed a lasting fascination. A Fascist as soon as the Fiume episode came to an end, he was arrested on several occasions. On 29 October 1922, he was head of the squad that occupied Ravenna City Hall during the March on Rome. After the taking over of the state, Ettore Muti made a career in the Blackshirts, organized as the "Voluntary State Security Militia" (Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, MVSN).
His life remained adventurous: a womanizer and entertaining host, Muti cruised in speeding cars or on his
He joined the
In 1936 he returned to Italy, but left soon after as a
In World War II
Upon his return, Muti was awarded the PNF party secretary position replacing
. However, his hasty departure from his party secretary position made him lose the friendship of both Ciano and Mussolini.In 1943, Muti joined the military
Following an investigation into major irregularities in the administration of a state-associated entity, during which the implication of the ex-secretary of the dissolved fascist party, Ettore Muti, has become apparent, the Carabinieri military corps proceeded in Muti's arrest at Fregene, near
), on the night of 23–24 August. As they led him to their barracks, the escort was shot at with several rounds from the forest. In the momentary disturbance, he attempted to run away, but, after being shot at and wounded by the Carabinieri, he died.
The major irregularities mentioned were never clarified, nor were the identities of shooters in the forest. In the dramatic gunfight, Muti was the only one hit: his cap displayed two holes, one in the back of the head, the other in front. Other circumstances point as well towards a political execution, with Ettore Muti as the first victim in the violence that engulfed Italy for the next two years. Pietro Badoglio, the leader who had deposed Mussolini, defined Muti as "a menace" in a letter he had previously sent to the head of the local police: it is likely[3] that Muti was informed about the role of Badoglio in the catastrophic Italian defeat of Caporetto, a role that Badoglio in the years after World War I had tried to hide.
After his death, Muti became the main hero of Italian Fascist regime (revived in northern Italy with help from Nazi Germany, as the Italian Social Republic). His name was given to an autonomous Police Legion stationed in Milan and to one of the most feared Black Brigades units.
References
- ^ "Fernanda Mazzotti".
- ^ "In the Air: Daily Damage". Time. 4 November 1940.
- ^ Quirico, Domenico (2006). "I vinti". Generali. Mondadori.
- Augias, Corrado (2005). I segreti di Roma. Milan: Mondadori.