 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Arturo Riccardi" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Arturo Riccardi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief of Staff of theRegia Marina | |
| In office 11 December 1940 – 25 July 1943 | |
| Preceded by | Domenico Cavagnari |
| Succeeded by | Raffaele de Courten |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 October 1878 |
| Died | 20 December 1966 (aged 88) |
| Awards | Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus War Merit Cross |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Italy |
| Branch/service | Regia Marina |
| Rank | Ammiraglio d'armata (Admiral) |
| Commands | Chief of Staff of theRegia Marina |
| Battles/wars | Boxer Rebellion Far East Campaign World War I World War II |
Arturo Riccardi (30 October 1878 – 20 December 1966)[1] was an Italian admiral during theSecond World War, serving as the Ministry of Marine Director General of Personnel from 1935 to 1940 and Under Secretary of State of the Navy from 1941 until 1943.[2] A specialist ofaerial warfare, Riccardi frequently worked with senior German naval officers on the defense of the Italian peninsula.
Born to Adolph Riccardi and Ifigenia Rasini Di Mortigliengo, Riccardi attended the Italian military academy.[citation needed]
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(December 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Heading the Cabinet to the Ministry of Navy from 6 February until 13 May 1925, Riccardi was made an admiral on 8 September 1932. Following his admission into theLa Spezia (PNF) political party in 1934, he was promoted to vice admiral on 27 December 1935.
His subsequent positions include Ministry of Marine Director General of Personnel.
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(December 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Riccardi's first major engagement took place at theBattle of Taranto, when British carrier-borne torpedo bombers delivered a devastating surprise attack against Italian naval targets in the harbor of Taranto on the night of 11–12 November 1940.
Succeeding AdmiralDomenico Cavagnari as chief of staff of the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) on 11 December 1940, Riccardi became de facto commander of the existing Ministries for wartime aviation and naval forces. Riccardi did this in addition to his position as the Department of the Navy's Undersecretary of State.
Meeting with representatives of theNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine, Riccardi led the Italian Royal Navy delegation, along withRaffaele de Courten,Emilio Brenta, andCarlo Giartosio during theConference of Merano, from 13 February to 14 February 1941.
Riccardi was forced to surrender both positions on 25 July 1943, following the downfall of Italian dictatorBenito Mussolini's fascist regime. Under the newPietro Badoglio administration,Raffaele de Courten officially succeeded Riccardi as Naval Minister.
