Piero Mannelli

Piero Mannelli born in San Romano on August 8, 1896. He was served as a lieutenant in Italian alpine unit during WW I and joined with Italian hero and poet Gabriele D’Annunzio army which tried to bring Fiume under Italy rule. He was among Fascist members who taking part to the March on Rome in 1922.

A party activist, Mannelli hold some positions in fascist militia and Italian army during 1920s to 1930s. He was participated during Mussolini campaign against Ethiopia in 1936, and later joined with Italian expedition forces in Spanish Civilian War and invasion of Albania. Then he led an MVSN Legions Group in Benghazi, Libya, in 1941.

When Italy surrendered in September 1943, Mannelli take a side with Mussolini’ RSI. After served as a propagandist among Italian population in southern France, he joined with the Waffen-SS in March 1944 and got Waffen Brigadeführer and Generalmajor der Waffen-SS rank. He was appointed as an Inspector to Enlistments in the Italian Voluntary Legions, which later became the Italian SS Legion.

In final days of the war, Mannelli was captured by Italian anti-fascist partisans. Tried by a military tribunal, he got a long preventive jail sentences. He died in Rome in the early 1970’s.