The Italian Armed Forces encompass the Italian Army, the Italian Navy and the Italian Air Force. A fourth branch of the armed forces, known as the Carabinieri, take on the role as the nation's military police and are also involved in missions and operations abroad as a combat force. Despite not being a branch of the armed forces, the Guardia di Finanza is organized along military lines. These five forces comprise a total of 340,885 men and women with the official status of active military personnel, of which 167,057 are in the Army, Navy and Air Force. The President of the Italian Republic heads the armed forces as the President of the High Council of Defence established by article 87 of the Constitution of Italy. According to article 78, the Parliament has the authority to declare a state of war and vest the powers to lead the war in the Government.
The Silver Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal for gallantry.
The Gold Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers.
Giuseppe Dezza was an Italian general and patriot.
Ernesto BurzagliCB GCMM GOA was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of Italy during the early 20th century. During a lifetime career in the Italian Royal Navy, he rose to the rank of admiral and chief of staff. In 1933, King Victor Emmanuel III appointed Burzagli as a senator in Rome.
The Bronze Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal for gallantry.
The Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal, originally established as a Sardinian award. It is awarded to military personnel, units above the level of company, and civilians for exceptional valor in the face of the enemy.
Alessandro Guidoni served as a general in the Regia Aeronautica. Guidonia Montecelio, the small town and comune where he died while testing a new parachute, was named after him in 1937.
The Italian Military Information Service was the military intelligence organization for the Royal Army of the Kingdom of Italy from 1925 until 1946, and of the Italian Republic until 1949. The SIM was Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini's equivalent to the German Abwehr. In the early years of the war, the SIM scored important intelligence successes. Rommel’s successful military operations in North Africa in 1942 were substantially facilitated by the SIM through the securing of the U.S. Black Code used by Colonel Bonner Fellers to communicate plans for British military operations to his Headquarters in Washington.
The muntaz was a military rank of the Italian colonial troops, equivalent to the rank of corporal in the Italian Royal Army Regio Esercito.
The War Merit Cross is an Italian military decoration. It was instituted by King Victor Emmanuel III during World War I on 19 January 1918. The award received major changes during World War II and currently is issued by the Italian Republic as well.
The Italian honours system is a means to reward achievements or service to the Italian Republic, formerly the Kingdom of Italy, including the Italian Social Republic.
The 19th Armored Battalion "M.O. Tumiati" is an inactive armored battalion of the Italian Army, which was based in Florence in Tuscany and last operationally assigned to the Mechanized Brigade "Friuli". The unit's lineage traces back to the World War II XIX Tank Battalion M15/42, which was formed in 1942 in Siena by the depot of the 31st Tank Infantry Regiment. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile the battalion fought against German forces in Piombino, but due to a lack of ammunition and an overwhelming number of German forces the battalion destroyed its vehicles and its personnel dispersed on 11 September. In 1960 the battalion was reformed and assigned to the Infantry Brigade "Friuli". In 1975 the battalion was renamed 19th Armored Battalion "M.O. Tumiati". In 1991 the battalion was disbanded and its flag transferred to the Shrine of the Flags in the Vittoriano in Rome.
Raffaele Aversa was an Italian soldier and Resistance member, most notable for having carried out the arrest of Benito Mussolini after his dismissal as Prime Minister of Italy on 25 July 1943.
Emilio Ferreri was an Italian admiral during World War II. After the war, he was Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy from 1948 to 1955.
Riccardo Moizo was an Italian aviation pioneer in the early part of the 20th century and a general during World War II. He was Commander-General of the Carabinieri from 1935 to 1940 and the last High Commissioner of the Province of Ljubljana in 1943; from 1939 to 1943 he was also a member of the Italian Senate.
Fernando Silvestri was an Italian Air Force general during World War II.
Ugo Cei was an Italian general and politician, who particularly distinguished himself during the First World War as brigade commander. In February 1935 he was appointed extraordinary Commissioner for honors for those who had died in war in Italy and abroad, and on March 25, 1939 he was made a Senator of the Kingdom. His decorations included the Knight Grand Cross and Officer of the Military Order of Savoy, three Medals of Military Valor and the War Cross of Military Valor.
Count Gustavo Mazè de la Roche was an Italian general and politician. He was a senator of the Kingdom of Italy and Minister of War in the third Depretis government.
The Cross for Length of Military Service is a military medal created by the Kingdom of Italy which then passed to the Italian Republic. Created in 1900 and updated or reformed in 1953, 1966, 1972, and 2010, it is a seniority award which recognizes lengthy honorable service in the Italian armed forces.
