Ruggero Tracchia

Italy's African colonies

Senussi rebels, being wounded in action and awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor in December 1913. In 1916 he participated in the Senussi campaign, and later returned to Italy and fought on Monte Grappa in the final stages of World War I, with the rank of Major, earning another Silver and a Bronze Medal for his role in the fighting in January and June 1918. He continued his career after the war, and in 1930 he was appointed commander of the 30th Infantry Regiment "Pisa".^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Scioa. Among them were Abebe Aregai and the Kassa brothers – Wondosson Kassa, Aberra Kassa, and Asfawossen Kassa – who from Selale supplied weapons to the guerrillas. The Arbegnoch operated near the road that connected Addis Ababa with the Gojjam, threatening the flow of supplies to the capital; the intensification of the actions of Aregai's men led the Italian command in to planning Operation F, aimed at capturing Fiche in order to secure the roads to Addis Ababa, but by early December 1936 nothing had been done, therefore Tracchia decided to take the matter into his own hands and act with the troops he had at his disposal. On 9 December he occupied Mendida, which he found deserted; nevertheless, he set fire to the buildings and crops of Aregai's family and his supporters. Immediately afterwards he occupied Dannebo, where he was joined by a column led by Colonel Amedeo Tosti. On December 13 the Italian troops occupied the villages of Abdella and Dirma, where they clashed with the Arbegnoch; 88 guerrillas were killed in action and twenty-three were executed after capture, and the two villages were razed. Altogether, from 9 to 15 December Tracchia's troops killed 126 Arbegnoch in battle and shot 72 more after capture, and captured a heavy machine gun, nine light machine guns and 1,557 rifles. Italian losses amounted to ten askari.^{[1][6][7][8][5]}

Blackshirt Colonel Ferruccio Gatti as commander of the Debre Berhan garrison, taking over that of the garrison of Gur Sellassiè. Following the attempt on Viceroy Graziani’s life in Addis Ababa on 19 February 1937, Tracchia received the order to carry out a reprisal against the monastery of Debre Libanos, but the action was postponed till May and ended up being carried out by General Pietro Maletti instead. Tracchia was awarded a further two Silver Medals of Military Valor for his role in the conquest of Ethiopia.^{[14][15][16][5]}

Sollum; following the start of the British counteroffensive in December 1940, the Marmarica Division was withdrawn to Bardia. On 3 January 1941 Commonwealth troops launched their assault on Bardia, which fell after two days of fighting. On 4 January Tracchia and General Alessandro De Guidi, commander of the 63rd Infantry Division "Cirene" , rejected a surrender offer by a British delegation, aimed at avoiding further bloodshed, but on the following day they were taken prisoner at their headquarters. Tracchia was transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp in Egypt and later to India, remaining in British captivity until 1944, when he was released following the signing of the Armistice of Cassibile.^{[17][1][18][19][20][21][5]}

Ethiopian government, but was never prosecuted. He died in Rome in 1955.^{[1][14][22][5]}