Raffaele Cadorna, Jr.

Infobox Military Person
name=Raffaele Cadorna, Jr.
caption=
born=1889
died=1973
placeofbirth=Pallanza
placeofdeath=Rome
nickname=
allegiance=Italy
branch=Italian Army
serviceyears=1909-1948
rank=General
unit=
commands=Armoured division Ariete (1943), "Gruppo volontari per la liberta" (1944-5)
battles=
awards=
relations=Luigi Cadorna, Raffaele Cadorna
laterwork=Senator

Raffaele Cadorna, Jr. (1889 in Pallanza , 1973 in Rome) was an Italian general who fought during World War I and World War II. He is famous as one of the commanders of the Italian Resistance against German occupying forces in north Italy after 1943. [ Monanelli, Cervi "Storia d'Italia" Rcs Quotidiani 2003 ]

Early life

Cadorna was born in Verbania in 1889, the son of the First World War Field Marshal Luigi Cadorna and grandson of General Raffaele Cadorna. In 1909 he was named Sub-Lieutenant, becoming part of the Italian troops that fought the Italo-Turkish War. During the First World War, he was a Lieutenant and later promoted to Captain. In the early years of the 1920s, he was part of the Allied comission for the new border of Germany. He was later named military attaché to the Italian embassy in Prague.

In 1935 he opposed the decision of Benito Mussolini to invade Ethiopia. Two years later he was promoted to the rank of colonel as commander of Italy's 3rd Cavalry Regiment, the "Savoia Cavalleria".

Second World War

During the early years of World War II, he took part in some actions against France, and was then named commander of the school of cavalry in Pinerolo. In September 1943, he was named commander of the rebuilt Armoured division "Ariete" one of the strongest divisions of the Regio Esercito. After the Armistice of Italy, division Ariete was stationed around Rome but soon collapsed. [ [http://digilander.libero.it/lacorsainfinita/guerra2/ordinamenti/arietecavalleria.htm Ariete II div.cor.di cavalleria ] ]

In 1944 he was named "Military commander" of the Gruppo volontari per la liberta ("Group of Volunteers for Freedom"), with Ferruccio Parri, and deputy commander Luigi Longo, in north central Italy. In April 1945, he was a member of the partisan delegation that tried to reach an agreement with Mussolini in the archibishop palace of Milan.

On July 1945 he was named chief of staff of the Italian Army. In 1948 he resigned from this post due to different points of view with the Minister of Defence.

Later life

From 1948 to 1963 he was a senator of the Christian Democracy party. He died in Rome in 1973.

ee also

*Italian Social Republic

References

Persondata
NAME=Cadorna, Raffaele Jr
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=General, Italian resistance leader 1944-5
DATE OF BIRTH=1889
PLACE OF BIRTH=Pallanza
DATE OF DEATH=1973
PLACE OF DEATH=Rome