Aldo Cocchia
| Aldo Cocchia | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
30 August 1900 Naples, Campania, Italy |
| Died | 12 December 1968 (aged 68) Naples, Campania, Italy |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Italy
|
| Service/branch |
 Regia Marina Marina Militare
|
| Years of service | 1916–1963 |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
Aldo Cocchia (August 30, 1900 – December 12, 1968) was an Italian naval officer during World War II.
Cocchia was born in Naples in 1900 and attended the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno, graduating in 1916 with the rank of Ensign. During World War I he served on board the battleship Conte di Cavour. In the 1930s he participated in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and the Spanish Civil War, commanding MAS, submarines and torpedo boats.
When Italy entered World War II Cocchia, with the rank of Commander, was the commanding officer of the submarine Luigi Torelli; he commanded the boat during its first mission in the Atlantic Ocean, after which he was assigned to BETASOM base in Bordeaux as Chief of Staff.
After his promotion to Captain, he was repatriated, and in May 1941 he led the motley flotilla that carried and landed near Sitia (on the eastern coast of Crete), during the German invasion of the island, an Italian regiment sent as reinforcement to the German troops engaged in the battle. He was then appointed military commander of the island of Leros, a role he held until April 1942, when he was replaced by Captain Luigi Mascherpa.
In April 1942 he was given command of the destroyer Nicoloso da Recco and the 16th Destroyer Squadron; in the subsequent months, he was the escort leader in numerous convoys carrying supplies from Italy and Greece towards North Africa, facing many attacks by British aircraft and submarines, with changing fortunes.
...
Wikipedia