MOVM recipients

The Gold Medal of Military Valour (Medaglia d’Oro al Valor Militare, MOVM) is the highest military decoration in the Italian armed forces. In November 1945, the Minister of War suggested that the Commission tasked with deciding about the award of decorations should examine with criteria of just strictness, “for obvious considerations”, the proposals about decorations for the men who had fought in Sicily.

Twelve individuals were awarded the MOVM for actions during the battle for Sicily; all but one, posthumously. Here they are listed in alphabetical order, with the motivation for the medals.

Luigi Adorno, Second Lieutenant of the 146th Coastal Regiment. He was in command of a coastal stronghold, surrounded for hours by an overwhelming number of Allied paratroopers and later attacked by Allied columns; having been ordered to resist to the last, he did so, and kept fighting while his platoon suffered heavy losses and inflicted others on the attackers. Repeatedly wounded, he died after shouting “Long live Italy”.

Vincenzo Barone, Second Lieutenant of the 243rd Coastal Battalion. He had volunteered for the Army; after being wounded during an air raid, he was offered a desk job, but he refused it to return to his men. On 10 July 1943, he was in command of a few men on the beach of Marzamemi Pachino; following the orders he had received, he kept his position and encouraged his men to resist against overwhelming landing forces. Nearly all of his men were killed, and his automatic firearm ran out of ammunition; he still tried to stop the attackers with hand grenades, but was killed by a burst of machine gun in his face.

Curzio Castagnacci, Lieutenant Commander in command of the 5th Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla (with motor torpedo boat MS 66 as flagship). In the night of 21 July 1943, he twice attacked a section of two British destroyers off Capo Campolato; upon seeing the other MTB of his section under heavy enemy fire, he drew the attention of the enemy on his MTB, fighting against the destroyers with his machine guns. When the MTB was seriously damaged, and he was mortally wounded, he successfully disengaged and brought back his MTB section to the base; he died of his wounds before his MTB reached the port.

Giovanni Cattaneo, Sergeant of the 34th Infantry Regiment. On 29 July 1943, he was in command of a machine gunner squad, attacked by preponderant Allied forces. He stopped the attackers for over three hours; when all of the machine gunners were killed, he personally manned the machine gun and kept firing, forcing the attackers to retreat. He was twice wounded but kept on firing, until he was killed by a grenade.

Enrico Francisci, Major General of the MVSN (Blackshirts). He asked and obtained command of the forces (177th Bersaglieri Regiment and 161st Self-Propelled Guns Group) tasked with launching a counterattack against the American forces that had landed in Licata. The counterattack took place between Favarotta and Campobello di Licata, at dawn on 11 July 1943; Francisci personally led it on board the leading SPG, and in doing so he was beheaded by a shell fired by a tank.

Guido Moccia, Major of the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment. A war maimed, he nonetheless volunteered for command of a Bersaglieri battalion, which he led against preponderant Allied forces for three days (near Naro-Favara, Agrigento, between 11 and 14 July 1943). During the action he was wounded six times, lost his right arm and suffered a grievous wound to the face; he kept leading the fighting until he exhausted his energies and ceded command to the last surviving captain of the battalion. This was the only MOVM awarded to a living soldier for the Sicilian campaign.

Mario Mona, Colonel in command of the 33rd Infantry Regiment. Already a veteran of three wars, he led the Italian counterattack in the battle of Gela and initially managed to push back the American forces; they were then attacked by armoured forces, ad Mona resisted with the few survivors of the leading battalion till they ran out of ammunition. On the following night, they evaded capture; Mona refused to be replaced in the defense of the rear units. When he received the order to withdraw, he stayed behind with the rearguard to make sure that all of his men would safely retreat; in doing so, he was killed in action on 13 July 1943, between Gela and Butera. His remains were never found.

Gino Alberto Priolo, Flight Lieutenant in command of the 208th Fighter Squadron. Though exempted from active service following the loss of one eye, caused by an illness, he required and obtained to be assigned again to air force units as pilot. In command of the 208th Fighter Squadron, equipped with Reggiane Re 2002, he took part in an attack against Allied naval forces off Eastern Sicily, on 19 July 1943; after dropping his bombs, he attacked and shot down a enemy plane that had attacked one of the aircraft in the formation. He was then attacked in turn by preponderant enemy planes, and he fought back until he was shot down and killed.

Antonio Santangelo, Second Lieutenant of the 40th Artillery Group. In command of an artillery section, he took part for three days in bitter fighting near Solarino; he then required and obtained to be employed in anti-tank role. His stronghold was finally surrounded by armoured forces but kept resisting; when the artilleryman manning last surviving gun was seriously wounded, he replaced him and kept firing until he was mortally wounded by a burst of machine gun, on 13 July 1943. He died after encouraging his few surviving men to resist.

Guido Signorelli, Lieutenant of the 216th Autonomous 75/27 Artillery Group of the “Napoli” Division. In command of a section of 75/27 mm guns, he led the fighting against overwhelming Allied forces; during the following withdrawal, near the Canicattini Bagni-Floridia crossroads (on 10 July 1943), when his unit was threatened with encirclement by armoured forces, he led them in fighting their way out. Though wounded by a burst of machine gun in the chest, he kept fighting with hand grenades until he was hit again and mortally wounded; he died while encouraging his men to keep resisting.

Luigi Scapuzzi, Second Lieutenant of the 233rd 47/32 Tank Destroyer Battalion. Serving in a depot, he repeatedly required, and finally obtained, assignment to a battalion of 47/32 self-propelled anti-tank guns. He assumed command of his company after its commander had been captured; on 22 July 1943 he was tasked with helping in the defense of heavily engaged units during bitter night fighting. He carried out several offensive thrust to contain the attackers’ pressure; when his SPG ran out of ammunition, Scapuzzi, rather than retreat, kept fighting with a submachine gun until he was hit in the chest and killed.

Erminio Sommaruga, Lieutenant Colonel of the 287th Coastal Regiment. Fighting near Marsala, on 23-24 July 1943, when his artillery group ran out of ammunition, he assumed command of a coastal stronghold, armed with a few machine guns, attacked and encircled by Allied forces. When the few remaining men surrendered, Sommaruga decided to keep fighting and die on the spot; he manned the last surviving machine gun, fired the last rounds, then bared his chest and shouted to the attackers “Here is a good target for you”. He was immediately gunned down.