Marshal of Italy () was a rank in the Royal Italian Army (Regio Esercito). Originally created in 1924 by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini for the purpose of honoring generals Luigi Cadorna and Armando Diaz, the rank was granted to several other general officers from 1926 to 1943. The rank was the highest in the Italian Army prior to the creation of the rank of First Marshal of the Empire in 1938. The rank of Marshal of Italy was abolished in 1946 with the creation of the Italian Republic. The equivalent Royal Navy (Regia Marina) rank was Grand admiral (Grande Ammiraglio), while the equivalent Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) rank was Marshal of the Air (Maresciallo dell'Aria).Page of the Italian Army (Esercito Italiano) home site - www.esercito.difesa.it.
The rank was formally abolished on 18 January 1947 by the Provisional Head of State Enrico de Nicola.
List of the Marshals of Italy Portrait Name Date of promotion Military Notes Chief of the General Staff Chief of Staff Luigi Cadorna4 November 1924 Armando Diaz Paolo Thaon di Revel Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta25 June 1926 Pietro Badoglio Succeeded Mussolini as prime minister in 1943, following the fall of the Fascist regime Enrico Caviglia Gaetano Giardino Guglielmo Pecori Giraldi Italo Balbo 13 August 1933 Co-leader of the 1922 March on Rome. Marshal of the Royal Italian Air Force; died in 1940 in a friendly fire incident over Tobruk Emilio De Bono 16 November 1935 Co-leader of the 1922 March on Rome Rodolfo Graziani 9 May 1936 After the Armistice of Cassibile, commanded the National Republican Army Ugo Cavallero 1 July 1942 Ettore Bastico 12 August 1942 Governor-General of Italian Libya. Commander-in-chief of Axis forces in the North African campaign; promoted to have rank equal to field marshal Erwin Rommel Umberto, Prince of Piedmont 29 October 1942 Later King Umberto II Giovanni Messe 12 May 1943
Gallery
See also Marshal (Italy) – an intermediate rank between sergeants and officers. First marshal of the empire Military ranks of the Kingdom of Italy Italo Balbo – Marshal of the Air Force Paolo Thaon di Revel – Grand Admiral
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