Giovanni Frignani

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Giovanni Frignani
Lieutenant Colonel
Battles/wars
Awards

Giovanni Frignani (8 April 1897 – 24 March 1944) was an Italian soldier and

Resistance member, most notable for his role in the arrest of Benito Mussolini after his dismissal as Prime Minister of Italy on 25 July 1943, in the arrest and death of Ettore Muti, and in the Roman Resistance after the Armistice of Cassibile
.

Biography

He was born in Ravenna on April 8, 1897, the son of Angelo Frignani and Gemma Salini. With the entry of the Kingdom of Italy into World War I, on 24 May 1915, he volunteered in the Royal Italian Army, joining the 52nd Battalion of the National Corps of Volunteer Cyclists. On the following year he was admitted to the officer cadet course at the Royal Military Academy of Modena, graduating with the rank of second lieutenant and being assigned to the 28th Infantry Regiment of the Pavia Infantry Brigade. After promotion to lieutenant, in June 1918 he distinguished himself in the Second Battle of the Piave River, earning a Bronze Medal of Military Valor. After the Armistice of Villa Giusti, he was made commander of garrison of Dambel.[1][2][3][4]

In November 1919 he was transferred to the

vote of no confidence against Mussolini by the Grand Council of Fascism, he oversaw the arrest of Mussolini, on the orders of King Victor Emmanuel III.[1][2][5][4]

Less than a month later, on 23 August 1943, Frignani was ordered to arrest Fascist leader

Fregene. The arrest was carried out in the night between 23 and 24 August by a squad of a dozen Carabinieri, led by Lieutenant Ezio Taddei; shortly after being arrested, however, Muti was killed in mysterious circumstances, supposedly during an escape attempt. Some historians believe that Muti was deliberately executed on the orders of the new head of government, Marshal of Italy Pietro Badoglio; others have pointed to a possible involvement of Frignani's brother Giuseppe, member of the Italian Parliament, former State Undersecretary for Finance and former Federal Secretary of the Fascist Party for Ravenna, and longtime enemy of Muti (the two had been bitter rivals for the leadership of the Ravenna section of the National Fascist Party in the 1920s).[6][7][8][9][4]

After the

Fosse Ardeatine massacre. In his last letter written before execution, he had written: "I served my unfortunate Fatherland like a good soldier, and I only hope in the justice of God, not that of men". He was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor.[1][2][10][11][12][13][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c "FRIGNANI Giovanni". January 24, 2015. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Donne e Uomini della Resistenza: Giovanni Frignani". ANPI.
  3. ^ ""Ho servito come un buon soldato". Giovanni Frignani dalle trincee del Piave alle Fosse Ardeatine". istoricora.it. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  4. ^ a b c d http://www.carabinieri.it/editoria/il-carabiniere/la-rivista/anno-2016/dicembre/le-medaglie-d-oro [dead link]
  5. ^ http://www.carabinieri.it/editoria/il-carabiniere/la-rivista/anno-2004/agosto-settembre/militaria/approfondimenti [dead link]
  6. ^ "Claudio Perra, carabiniere resistente". June 12, 2020. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  7. ISBN 9788852012938
    – via Google Books.
  8. ISBN 9788829711789. Archived
    from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Google Books.
  9. ISBN 9788868654245
    – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare alla Memoria". www.carabinieri.it. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-10-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "Addio a Gianni Borgna, l'assessore intellettuale di Roma". February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  13. ^ "Le vittime". Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
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