Luigi Frusci
| Luigi Frusci | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 January 1879 Venosa |
| Died | 1949 |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Italy
|
| Service/ |
 Royal Italian Army
|
| Commands held | General of Italian Army; Governor of Eritrea and Amhara |
| Battles/wars |
Second Italo-Abyssinian War Spanish Civil War Italian conquest of British Somaliland East African Campaign |
Luigi Frusci (16 January 1879 – 1949) was an officer in the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito) during the Italian conquest of Ethiopia and World War II. He was even Governor of Eritrea and Amhara (Ethiopia).
Luigi Frusci was born in Venosa in 1879 and soon enlisted in the Italian Army. He fought during World War I and -after Benito Mussolini took control of Italy- he enrolled in the National Fascist Party.
Frusci fought on the southern front for General Rodolfo Graziani during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. In April 1936, during the Battle of the Ogaden, Frusci commanded the center column of three columns attacking the Ethiopian "Hindenburg Wall". Later Frusci was the commander of the Italian "volunteers" of the 2nd CCNN Division "Fiamme Nere" in the Corps of Volunteer Troops (Corpo Truppe Volontarie) during the Spanish Civil War in 1937 and 1938.
In 1939 Frusci become Governor of Amhara in northern Ethiopia, and later governor of Italian Eritrea until 1941.
During World War II, Frusci was the main military commander in the Italian Eritrea Governorate. As a Lieutenant-General, he commanded Italian forces fighting in Eritrea during the East African Campaign. He fought in the Italian conquest of British Somaliland, conquering the capital Berbera.
In mid-1940, Frusci oversaw the initial Italian attacks into the Sudan, conquering Kassala. Later in 1940, even when ordered to do so, he chose not pull out of the Sudan. Instead, he rebuffed the initial efforts of British and Commonwealth forces to retake the border towns. In November, an assault on Gallabat was stopped short of its goals, the attacking force was hit hard from the air, and the position was re-taken by Italian ground forces.
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Wikipedia