Ugo Brusati

Ugo Pio Enrico Natale Brusati, GCVO was an Italian General who participated in the First Italo-Ethiopian War and World War I. He gained notability for his service at the Battle of Adwa as well as being the First Adjudant General of Vittorio Emanuele III on June 2, 1902 until October 23, 1917 when Luigi Cadorna forced him out of the office.

Ugo Brusati
GCVO
Ugo Brusati photographed by Mario Nunes Vais
First Aide-de-Camp to the King
In office
2 June 1902 – 23 October 1917
MonarchVittorio Emanuele III
Prime MinisterVittorio Emanuele Orlando
Preceded byFelice Avogadro di Quinto
Succeeded byArturo Cittadini
Senator of the Kingdom of Italy
In office
17 March 1912 – 19 January 1934
Prime MinisterBenito Mussolini
Personal details
Born(1847-06-25)June 25, 1847
Monza, Lombardy–Venetia, Austria
DiedNovember 4, 1936(1936-11-04) (aged 89)
Rome, Lazio, Italy
SpouseBice Pedotti
RelationsRoberto Brusati (brother)
Military service
Allegiance Italy
Branch Royal Italian Army
Years of service1866–1917
Rank General of the Army
Battles/warsThird Italian War of Independence
First Italo-Ethiopian War

World War I

Early Military Career

Brusatiwas born in Monza on June 25, 1847, the eldest son of Giuseppe and Teresa Aman and in a household with strong nationalism. Determined to undertake a military career, he attended the Military College of Florence to enter the Royal Academy of Turin on June 2, 1864. In 1866, at the time of the Third Italian War of Independence, he obtained the appointment as second lieutenant. He soon proved to be an excellent officer of the general staff, from 1870 he attended the War School of Turin, of which he later became a professor. Between December 20, 1887 and on March 10, 1891, he held the position of military attaché at the Italian Embassy in Vienna.[1] He was then promoted to the rank of colonel on August 23, 1891 and assumed command of the 71st Infantry Regiment. During his service, he wrote some literary works about his military services, intended for use by officers of the General Staff.

Adwa and the early 20th-century

During 1895, while carrying out the post of Chief of Staff of the XI Army Corps, he was assigned to the expeditionary force which, under the leadership of General Oreste Baratieri,[2] had to face the war with Ethiopia. Landing in Massawa on January 2, 1896 , he was given the command of the 2nd African Infantry Regiment,[3] framed in the 1st Brigade under the command of General Giuseppe Arimondi.[4] As soon as he took office, he immediately brought back a very negative impression of the colonial environment, which seemed to him dominated by arrival and a guilty underestimation of the enemy forces. His fears were confirmed during the Battle of Adwa,[2] which took place on March 1, 1896.[2] The regiment under his command was engaged in combat on unknown terrain[5] and was completely unfavorable,[5] against an enemy superior in number,[6] being practically destroyed. He was one of the few surviving officers of the battle, escaping death thanks to his energy. For his behavior during the battle, he was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Savoy. Returning to Italy on March 1, 1897,[7] exactly one year after the battle, he gave a conference in Turin, entitled Impressions and memories of Africa, in which he spoke about the causes of the defeat with extreme frankness.[7] On August 29 of the same year, he was promoted to the rank of major general and appointed commander of the "Friuli" Brigade. The following year, he assumed the post of first aide-de-camp to the crown prince, HRH Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, Prince of Naples. On the death of King Umberto I, he continued to serve his successor, Vittorio Emanuele III, as an effective general aide-de-camp. On June 2, 1902, he assumed the post of first adjutant general to the King. This position was extremely important as at the time the sovereign still had a direct interference in the daily life of the Royal Italian Army and the Royal Italian Navy, especially in promotions to the highest military ranks. The delicacy of this assignment was evident, and he always maintained an innate reserve, as well as a strict reserve but over time, complaints were submitted to him from time to time. On March 17, 1912, he received the appointment as Senator of the Kingdom of Italy, swearing on the 27th of the same month. On May 25 of the same year, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.

World War I

Italy's entry into the war on May 24, 1915, made his position more important, but also extremely delicate, as his brother Roberto was the commander of the 1st Army and engaging at the Italian front. The subsequent "torpedoing" of his brother [8] by General Luigi Cadorna, Chief of Staff of the Italian Army, which took place on May 8, 1916 and the subsequent press campaign against him marked the beginning of his misadventures. During the course of the war, he always followed the king in every inspection of the lines or departments. Another of the king's aides, Lieutenant Colonel Luciano degli Azzoni Avogadro described him as intelligent, very active, cordially attached to the King and courteous with everyone.[9] On October 23, 1917, on the eve of the Battle of Caporetto,[10] General Cadorna removed him from the position of First Aide-de-Camp. In fact, he attributed the fact to Cadorna's enmity for having immediately asked for explanations on the dismissal of his brother.[8] The official reason given was that Brusati had reached the age limit for active service,[10] but it had not been relied on for many other generals who were then dismissed. He shut himself up in absolute silence, but maintained a close correspondence with his brother, a fact that testifies how much this cost him. He followed with disdain at first, and then with melancholy, the subsequent events of Italy during the First World War . He always fought for the complete rehabilitation of his brother, which took place in 1919.[11] With the advent of Italian fascism, in 1925, he was promoted to general in the army to an auxiliary position to be immediately retired for seniority. During the war, his wife, Countess Bice Pedotti, was suspected by the Reserved Office of the Ministry of the Interior of espionage for the Austro-Hungarian Army despite no evidence emerging from this accusation.

Awards

Foreign Awards

Works
  • Breve studio sull'ordinamento dello Stato Maggiore, Rome, 1879.
  • Ordinamento dell'esercito germanico, austriaco, francese e italiano, Torino, 1883.
  • Ordinamento dell'esercito svizzero, Rome, 1885.

References
  1. Vento 2010, p. 58.
  2. Montanari 1996, p. 4.
  3. Montanari 1996, p. 5.
  4. Montanari 1996, p. 7.
  5. Montanari 1996, p. 10.
  6. Montanari 1996, p. 8.
  7. Rochat 1973, pp. 57–59.
  8. Thompson 2010, p. 177.
  9. degli Azzoni Avogadro & degli Azzoni Avogadro Malvasia 2011, p. 188.
  10. Frassati 1979, p. 183.
  11. Vento 2010, p. 132.
  12. The London Gazette, issue 27560, p. 3525
  13. "From The London Gazette, Tuesday, June 2. Chancery of the Royal Victorian Order, St James's Palace, April 7". Official Appointments and Notices. The Times. No. 37097. London. 3 June 1903. col D, p. 10.

Bibliography
  • Biagini, Antonello Folco (2012). L'Italia e le guerre balcaniche. Rome: Edizioni Nuova Cultura. ISBN 978-88-6134-838-7.
  • Boine, Giovanni (1979). Amici della «Voce» - Vari (1904-1917). Rome: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura. ISBN 88-8498-753-9.
  • Cadorna, Luigi (1921). La guerra alla fronte italiana. Vol. 1. Milan: Fratelli Treves editori.
  • degli Azzoni Avogadro, Luciano; degli Azzoni Avogadro Malvasia, Gherardo (2011). L'amico del re. Il diario di guerra inedito di Francesco degli Azzoni Avogadro, aiutante di campo del Re Vol.2 (1916). Udine: Gaspari editore. ISBN 978-88-7541-234-0.
  • Ferrari, Paolo; Massignani, Alessandro (2010). Conoscere il nemico. Apparati di intelligence e modelli culturali. Milan: Franco Angeli s.r.l. ISBN 978-88-568-2191-8.
  • Frassati, Luciana (1979). Un uomo, un giornale: Alfredo Frassati, vol. II. Rome: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura. ISBN 88-8498-753-9.
  • Gaspari, Paolo (2011). Le bugie di Caporetto. Udine: Gaspari Editore. ISBN 978-88-7541-179-4.
  • Montanari, Mario (May 1996). "Adua 1896". Storia Militare. No. 32. Parma: Ermanno Albertelli Editore. pp. 4–10. ISSN 1122-5289.
  • Rochat, Giorgio (1973). Il colonialismo italiano. Torino: Loescher.
  • Segato, Luigi (1935). L'Italia nella guerra mondiale. Vol. 1. Milan: Fratelli Vallardi editori.
  • Thompson, Mark (2010) [2009]. La guerra bianca. Vita e morte sul fronte italiano 1915-1919. Milan: Il Saggiatore s.p.a. ISBN 978-88-6576-008-6.
  • Vento, Andrea (2010). In silenzio gioite e soffrite: storia dei servizi segreti italiani .dal Risorgimento alla Guerra Fredda. Milan: Il Saggiatore s.p.a. ISBN 978-88-428-1604-1.
  • I generali italiani della Grande guerra, atlante biografico A-B (Collezione La Nuova Storia militare ed.). Udine: Gaspari Editore. 2011. ISBN 978-8875412159.
  • Sergio Pelagalli (August 2011). Ermanno Albertelli Editore (ed.). Esoneri dal comando nella Grande Guerra. Parma: Storia Militare. pp. 17–23. ISSN 1122-5289.
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