- Ettore Muti
Ettore Muti (
May 2 1902 —August 24 1943 ) was an Italian Fascist politician, secretary of theNational Fascist Party (PNF) from October 1939 until shortly after Italy's entry intoWorld War II .World War I and Fiume
Born in
Ravenna ,Romagna , Muti was banned from any school in the country at age 13, after punching one of his teachers. The next year, he ran away from home in order to fight inWorld War I , but was recovered and returned by the "Carabinieri ". At 15, a new attempt was successful, and Muti joined the famed "Arditi ".On the front, he distinguished himself through feats of audacity. His detachment of 800 men was ordered to build a bridge under enemy fire: it managed to do so, but was only left with 23 members at the end of the day.
Gabriele D'Annunzio benefitted from Muti's services during his seizing of Fiume in September 1919-January 1921; he gave Muti the lastingmoniker "Gim dagli occhi verdi" ("Green-Eyed Jim"). In fact, Muti was rarely involved in fighting over Fiume, being more likely to engage in flamboyant stunts. On this, D'Annunzio has told Muti: "You are the expression of Superhuman values, an impertus without thinking, an offer without measure, a fistful ofincense over coal, the scent of the pure animal".Between the World Wars
During this time, Muti met
Benito Mussolini , for whom he developed a lasting fascination. A Fascist as soon as the Fiume episode came to an end, he was arrested on several occasions. OnOctober 29 1922 , he was head of the squad that occupied Ravenna City Hall during theMarch on Rome . After the taking over of the state, Ettore Muti made a career in theBlackshirts , organized as the "voluntary statemilitia " ("Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale", MVSN).His life remained adventurous: a womanizer and entertaining host, Muti cruised in speeding cars or on his
Harley Davidson . In 1926 he married the daughter of a banker, and, in 1929, fathered his only child Diana. He escaped an assassination attempt carried out by aleft-wing activist on September 13 1927, but was shot twice in his abdomen and arm. His survival was uncertain for long, and he was left with a 20 cm scar.He joined the "
Regia Aeronautica " (Italianair force ), developing a passion for aircraft - he accepted to be demoted tolieutenant , according to the practical requirements of the service. He flew during theSecond Italo-Abyssinian War in 1935-1936, where his skills as a pilot earned him a silver medal (notwithstanding the obvious lack of evenly-matched adversaries).In 1936 he returned to Italy, but left soon after as a volunteer on
Francisco Franco 's side in theSpanish Civil War , fighting under thepseudonym "Gim Valeri". He led asquadron ofbomber s over Republican ports, winning several silver medals, and, in 1938, a gold one. He returned with the new moniker "Cid alato" ("The WingedEl Cid ") and the prestigious Military Order of Savoy. Later in 1938, he left for Italian-influencedAlbania , staying on through its full occupation by Italians in 1939 (and winning yet another medal).In World War II
Upon his return, Muti was awarded the PNF position on the intervention of his friend
Galeazzo Ciano . However, Muti disliked this inactive duty, and profited from the outbreak of the war to return in the military, as alieutenant colonel inFrance , and in theBattle of Britain . His hasty departure made him lose the friendship of both Ciano and Mussolini.In 1943, Muti joined the military
intelligence service . OnJuly 25 , the day of the pro-Alliedcoup d'état in theGrand Council of Fascism , Muti was in Spain, trying to obtain theradar of aUnited States aircraft that had crashed on neutral territory. He returned to Rome on July 27, and remained in his private villa. On the night of August 23-24, a group of "Carabinieri" entered his residence and placed him under arrest. They all left through a pine forest surrounding the area, and the following moments are still mysterious. The official communiqué stated:Following an investigation into major irregularities in the administration of a state-associated entity, during which the implication of the ex-secretary of the dissolved fascist party, Ettore Muti, has become apparent, the" Carabinieri "military corps proceeded in Muti's arrest at Fregene, near Fiumicino (then part of the "
comune " ofRome ), on the night of August 23-24. As they led him to their barracks, the escort was shot at with several rounds from the forest. In the momentary disturbance, he attempted to run away, but, after being shot at and wounded by the" Carabinieri", he died.The major irregularities mentioned were never clarified, nor were the identities of shooters in the forest. In the dramatic gunfight, Muti was the only one hit: his cap displayed two holes, one in the back of the head, the other in front. Other circumstances point as well towards a political execution, with Ettore Muti as the first victim in the violence that engulfed Italy for the next two years.
Pietro Badoglio , the leader who had deposed Mussolini, defined Muti as "a menace" in a letter he had previously sent to the head of the local police.After his death, Muti became the main hero of Mussolini's régime (revived in northern Italy with help from
Nazi Germany , as theItalian Social Republic ). His name was given to one of the most fearedBlack Brigades units.References
*cite book|last=Augias|first=Corrado|title=I segreti di Roma|publisher=Mondadori|location=Milan|year=2005
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