- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Generale d’Armata Aerea
- Unit:
- Forze Armate dell'Africa Orientale Italiana, Regio Esercito
- Awarded on:
- 1941
"Senior Commander of the Armed Forces of Italian East Africa, during eleven months of bitter struggle, isolated from the Motherland, surrounded by an overwhelming enemy in terms of means and strength, he showed the already experienced capacity of a sagacious and heroic leader. As a very daring aviator and tireless source of inspiration of his troops, he guided them everywhere, on land, on the sea and in the sky, in victorious offensives, in tenacious defenses, engaging significant enemy forces. Besieged in the narrow foyer of the Amba Alagi, at the head of a host of warriors, he resisted beyond the limits of human capacities, in a titanic effort that imposed itself upon the admiration of the enemy himself. [He is a] faithful continuer of the warrior traditions of the Savoy family and a pure symbol of the Roman virtues of imperial and fascist Italy. Italian East Africa, 10 June 1940-18 May 1941 "