Romolo Polacchini

Romolo Polacchini
Admiral Polacchini in Bordeaux in 1942.
Born	(1897-05-20)20 May 1897 La Spezia, Ligury, Italy
Died	16 October 1968(1968-10-16) (aged 71) Venice, Veneto, Italy
Allegiance	Kingdom of Italy
Service/branch	Regia Marina
Years of service	1911–1946
Rank	Contrammiraglio (Rear Admiral)
Commands held	N 3 (submarine) H 1 (submarine) 69 PN (torpedo boat) X 2 (submarine) F 19 (submarine) Tito Speri (submarine) Argonauta (submarine) Otaria (submarine) Taranto Submarine Group X 2 (submarine) Des Geneys (submarine) Santorre Santarosa (submarine) Venice Naval Base Luigi Cadorna (light cruiser) Naval Command for Traffic with Albania Pola Submarine School BETASOM Palermo Naval Command Livorno Naval Command
Battles/wars	World War I Adriatic Campaign Spanish Civil War World War II Battle of the Mediterranean Battle of Calabria Battle of the Atlantic Operation Achse
Awards	Silver Medal of Military Valor War Cross for Military Valor (twice) War Merit Cross (six times) Military Order of Savoy Iron Cross first class Iron Cross second class Cross of Military Merit (Spain)

Romolo Polacchini (May 20, 1897 – October 16, 1968) was an Italian admiral during World War II.

Romolo Polacchini was born in La Spezia in 1897 and attended the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno from November 6, 1911 to June 7, 1914, graduating as an Ensign. His first assignment was on the protected cruiser Etna; he then served on the battleships Dante Alighieri and Andrea Doria during World War I, receiving his first a War Merit Cross. In 1918, with the rank of sub-lieutenant, he became the executive officer of the submarine H 3, taking part in some missions in the Adriatic Sea. He remained in the submarine branch after the war; in 1923 he received his first command, the submarine N 3. In 1924 he was assigned for a year to the La Maddalena naval base; then, as a lieutenant, he was the commanding officer of the submarine H 1 and then (for four months) of the coastal torpedo boat 69 PN. In the following year, after promotion to Lieutenant Commander, he was given command of the minelaying submarine X 2; in 1929 he commanded the submarine F 19.

Between 1930 and 1931 Polacchini was the commanding officer of the submarine Tito Speri; in 1931 he was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of Ismail by the King of Egypt Fuad I, and in 1932 he was promoted to Commander. For some time he was given shore assignments in the Taranto Naval Department and the Castellammare di Stabia Naval Command. In 1933 he served as deputy chief of staff on the light cruiser Alberto di Giussano and then on its sistership Giovanni delle Bande Nere. He then commanded the submarines Argonauta, Otaria and the Taranto Submarine Group, after which he participated in some clandestine missions during the Spanish Civil War in command of the submarines Des Geneys and Santorre Santarosa. In 1936 he was promoted to captain and appointed commander of the Venice Naval Base.