Gen. Riccardo Bignami

[K.Kocjancic]

He was married to Slovene (Ilka Devetak-Katra), who was Partisan informant. According to Partisan sources she got most of the info from his friends. Does anyone have any more info on this?

Regards,
Klemen

[Klemen L.]

General Riccardo Bignami, born in Salussola on 28th may 1891. Died in (Salussola?) in 1965.
- Comandante della Scuola Allievi Ufficiali di Complemento Alpini di Bassano del Grappa.
- Comandante della Scuola Battaglione Bolzano.
- Comandante della 1° Reggimento Paracadutista (1.IV.1941)
- Vice Comandante della Divisione Paracadutisti " Folgore " sul Fronte di El Alamein.

Bignami was at first second-in-command of the Parachute Division "Folgore" The actual commander was Major-General Enrico Frattani until he was promoted to the command of the XXX. Corps. Bignami replaced him as commander of the "Folgore" and commanded the division during the El-Alamein battle. Both Frattani and Bignami were captured during the El-Alamein battle.

Bignami was later transported as POW to United States.

As far as his wife is concerned... It seems that her intelligence work came to an abrupt end. If my Italian translation of the lower excerpt is of any good then it says that she was sent to a concentration camp in Germany where she perished (the link says she was from Triest) [*]. They did not have any children with General Bignami and the old general spent his last years with his brother Gino (ex-pharmacist) in their native village of Salussola, where, I presume, he died in 1965.

[*] = Ce se ne motim tudi sama knjiga, kjer si dobil tale podatek o Bignamiju in Devetakovi omenja, da je umrla kasneje v nemskem koncentracijskem taboriscu.

Salussola - Lapidi sulla casa natale del gen. Bignami

" Ebbi la fortuna di conoscere il generale Bignami negli anni 50 per essermi accompagnato più di una volta a Lui, nel tratto di strada che separa il paese dalla stazione ferroviaria al Borgo Monte. Il generale Bignami al suo rientro dalla prigionia in USA, soggiornò per un po’ di tempo presso il fratello dottor Gino (ex farmacista) in via Teologo Macchioli, dopo aver perso la consorte d’origine triestina in campo di concentramento (Germania). Non aveva figli. I colloqui avuti col generale Bignami sono sempre stati molto aperti e cordiali sul quotidiano, ma strettamente concisi quanto telegrafici in particolare se la conversazione coinvolgeva il suo trascorso militare. Timidamente ho chiesto in più di un’occasione com’era stata l’ultima battaglia in Libia, quando al comando della Divisione Folgore ricevette l’ordine di bloccare l’avanzata delle truppe inglesi, quindi il suo contingente fu paracadutato in prima linea.La risposta del generale è sempre stata quella riferita ai suoi ragazzi poco più che ventenni che in quell’inferno si sono battuti da eroi, continuava a ripetere “ non potevo chiedere di più, eravamo decimati, sfiniti, al limite delle forze, senza viveri da giorni, senz’acqua, senza munizioni, in campo eravamo solo noi … soli … il resto delle truppe si erano già ritirate, non ci restava altro che la resa “. Poi dopo un lungo silenzio aggiunse “ ne siamo usciti in pochi, laceri, feriti, quasi irriconoscibili … quindi la lunga prigionia “. L’impressione è sempre stata che il generale Bignami non volesse dividere con altri quella triste pagina della nostra storia di cui era stato protagonista su un campo di battaglia già segnato dall’avverso destino.Le sue parole lasciavano sempre trasparire la sicurezza e l’orgoglio di aver servito la Patria sino in fondo, senza riserve, al di sopra di ogni pensiero di parte, quali possano essere le virtù di un uomo d’armi abituato solo ad obbedire ".

Link: http://www.salussola.net/salussolesi/ri ... gnami.html

[K.Kocjancic]

Thanks!

Any info on his circle of friends?

Regards,
Klemen

[FB]

Just a minor correction here: Folgore CO name was Frattini and not Frattani.

Best regards

[K.Kocjancic]

After the marriage, they lived in Milano. After Bignami was sent to Africa, Ilka (code-name Katra) moved back to home - Tolmin/Tolmino/Tolmein. Already in 1941, she started to give money for OF. Local Italian commander, general Luigi Masini, was Bignami's good friend and so Ilka spent quite some time with him and also with Italian general in Idrija (no name given). During these meetings with both generals she came to sensitive information, regarding planned actions against partisans. In February 1943 she brought information, that several Italian generals (including both her "sources") are planning to overthrow the government (with knowledge and support of the King and Pope); the day of the coup would be the Fall of Tunis. When real coup/capitulation came in Sept. 1943, she informed her contact several days before. Some days before the 9th Sept., partisan functionar came to Tolmin and made an arrangement with him regarding capitulation (they would left weapons for partisans, and they wouldn't stop their retreat to Italy). Under german occupation, she continued with her intelligence work. In March 1944 she was arrested by Gestapo, sent to Gorica and then to Auschwitz, where she died on 16.12.1944.

[NBrotz]

In the interest of keeping all biographical information about this man in the same thread, I apologize in advance for necromancy. Anyway, this might be a dumb question:

Is this man the same Richardo Bignami that as a Colonnello, commanded Raggruppamento Bignami around Sceleidima during the Battle of Beda Fomm?

I was under the impression that all the senior field officers of 10ª armata were killed/captured by the end of Operation Compass, but the name and rank match up, so I'm curious.

[LColombo]

I think the Bignami you are talking about is probably Mario Bignami, who was indeed captured on 7 February 1941. However it seems that he was a Brigadier General and not a Colonel:

http://www.generals.dk/general/Bignami/Mario/Italy.html