Italo Balbo

Italo Balbo (born with Ferrare the June 6th 1896, died with Tobrouk the June 28th 1940) is a Politician, soldier and aviator Italy N. he was Minister for aeronautics and governor of Libya.

Biography

Before the First World War

Italo Balbo is born in Quartesana, hamlet of the commune of Ferrare, it June 6th 1896, wire of Camillo Balbo and Malvina Zuffi, both elementary professors. The father is of origin Piedmontese, whereas his/her mother is romagnole. It is a middle-class family where reign the absolute respect for the Monarchie and the army.

After the birth, the family lives in Ferrare. The Balbo young person takes an active part in the political discussions which tiennebt in the Milano coffee, seat of the dialectical arguments between monarchists and republicans. In family, contrasts are accentuated because Balbo, enthusiast republican faces the ideology of his/her father. In 1911, It flees of the house to join the military forwarding organized by Ricciotti Garibaldi which must release the Albania control of the Turkey in a flight return ticket of Rome with Chicago; the crossing approaches the American continent by Cartwright with the Canada, then Montreal and finally Chicago. The governor of the Illinois, the mayor and the city reserve to the aviators a reception triumphal, one gives the name of a street to Balbo which still exists near the Lake Michigan, the Balbo avenue (ex- 7th which occurred ). The Sioux present at the Exposure of Chicago appoints it Indian chief with the name of “chief of the flying eagles” . At that time the relationship between Italy and the USA is cordial and a company of this type was very followed and regarded as extraordinary.

The flight of return passes by New York where in their honor large a ticker-slap is organized parades, second Italian after Armando Diaz has to be acclaimed in the streets of New York where one of the avenues is renamed Balbo. The president Roosevelt receives it like guest.

Of return in Italy, it is named marshal of the Air. After this episode, the word balbo becomes of common use to describe any formation of group of planes.

Libya

Later the same year, Mussolini removes with the new marshal of the Air the load of Minister for Aeronautics and excludes it from the government, it entrusts to him the load of general governor of the Libya where it goes year January 1934. At the time when it joined the maximum of popularity, Balbo attracts itself the enmities within the party because of the jealousy and its individual behavior. In Libya, it carries out projects of public works and the construction of highway networks in particular the littoral road which skirts the Mediterranean on hundreds of kilometers and which in its honor was called via Balbia . He seeks to attract colonists Italian and he pursues a policy of integration and pacification with the Moslem populations .

After the German invasion of the Poland in September 1939, Balbo, in visit in Rome, expresses in a repeated way its dissatisfaction and its concern for alliance with Germany and the policy pursued by Mussolini on the internal plan and the international plan. Remainder, its dissensions towards the Duce increased always more since 1938 when on several occasions, it expressed its contrariety with the promulgations of the racial laws.

Death

June 28th 1940 Italo Balbo is killed whereas it is of return of a reconnaissance flight on Tobrouk, its plane (a S.M.79) is cut down by an Italian anti-aircraft gun. The day after the bulletin of the armed forces gives the following report:

day 28, flying in the sky of Tobrouk, lasting an action of enemy bombardment, the apparatus controlled by Italo Balbo is precipitated in flame. Italo Balbo and the members of the crew perished. The flag of the Armed forces of Italy is inclined as a sign of homage and of high honor to the memory of Italo Balbo, alpine volunteer at the time of the world war, Quadrumviro of the Revolution, aviator of the Ocean, Maréchal of the Air fallen to the station fight

The crew was composed of Ottavio Frailich, Enrico Caretti, Lino Balbo, Claudio Brunelli, Nello Quilici, Gino Cappannini, Cino Florio and Giuseppe Berti.

The next day, an English plane parachute on the Italian camp a ticket in the name of the English army:

the British forces express their more sincere regrets for the death of the Marshal of the Air Italo Balbo, large a Condottiere and a valorous aviator whom I knew personally and whom the destiny put in the opposing side….Air Officer-Order-in-Chief British Royal Air Force… Sir Arthur Laymore

The government of Rome supported that the incident was with a friendly Tir, but the widow of Balbo, Emanuela Florio, denounced an intentional assassination of Mussolini.

comments of the contemporaries

Benito Mussolini, at the time of the dark days of the Italian Social republic will say:

Balbo. Beautiful alpine, a large aviator, an authentic revolutionist. The only one which would have been able to kill me| Benito Mussolini

Galeazzo Ciano the June 29th will note in its newspaper:

Balbo did not deserve this end, it exuberant, was agitated, it liked the life in all its forms. He had not wanted the war and he had been opposed there until the end. The memory of Balbo will remain a long time in the spirit of Italian, because it were especially, Italian with their great defects and great qualities of our race | Galeazzo Ciano

Publications

Diario 1922 , Mondadori, Milan, 1932.

See too

Arditi del Popolo

Note

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