Gazzana-Priaroggia, Gianfranco

Date of birth:: August 30th, 1912 (Mailand, Italy)
Date of death:: May 23rd, 1943 (Atlantic Ocean)
Nationality:: Italian

Biography

Gianfranco Gazzana-Priaroggia entered the Naval Academy in Livorno in 1931. He graduated in 1936 and received the rank of Sottotenente di Vascello.
During the Second World War he served as submarine commander with the Italian Navy. In these functions he sank a total of 90.601BRT.
He was killed in action on May 23rd, 1943 when the ship he served on, the "Leonarde da Vinci", was sunk by H.M.S. Active and H.M.S. Ness near Cape Finisterre.

Promotions:
1935: Guardiamarina;
1936: Sottotenente di Vascello;
?: Capitano di Corvetta.

Career:
?: "Amerigo Vespucci";
?: "Cristoforo Colombo";
?: "Trento";
?: "Trieste";
?: "Millelire";
?: "Scirè";
?: "Balilla";
?: "Malachite";
?: "Durbo";
June 1940: "Malachite";
?: "Tazzoli";
February 22nd, 1942: Commodore "Archimede";
August 1st, 1942: Commodore "Leonarde da Vinci"

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Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Capitano di Corvetta (Lieutenant Commander)
Unit:: Commodore "Leonarde da Vinci"
Awarded on:: May 26th, 1943

The following newspaper article (dated 26.05.1943) describes why Gazzana received the Knight’s Cross…

“Knight’s Cross for Captain Gazzana - Successful Italian commander:

… Korvettenkapitän Gazzana has sunk 12 enemy merchant ships as captain of the Italian submarine ‘Archimedes’. He and his crew also torpedoed a North American ‘Pensacola’ class cruiser. Gazzana is a bold, focused and decisive commander who also had a share in the sinking of 11 ships (with 67728 GRT) while serving as a watch officer aboard the Italian submarine ‘Tazzoli’.”

Awarded posthumously.