Annibale Bergonzoli (1 November 1884 – 31 July 1973) was a Lieutenant-General of the Royal Italian Army during the Spanish Civil War and World War II.
Biography[]
Annibale Bergonzoli was born on 1 November 1884 in Cannobio, Piedmont, Italy. Bergonzoli joined the Royal Italian Army in 1911 and was a veteran of the Italo-Turkish War, Pacification of Libya, and the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, where he distinguished himself during the capture of the Abyssinian city of Neghelli. During the Spanish Civil War, Bergonzoli led the Assault Division Littorio, being nicknamed "Electric Whiskers" (barba elettrica) during the conflict. In 1940, he took over the Italian XXIII Corps and fought against the United Kingdom in World War II. Bergonzoli escaped the capture of Bardia, but on 7 February 1941 he was captured. He was released in 1946 and died back in Cannobio in 1973.