Prince Pallavicini - MIA Western Desert (?) 1940

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Andreas
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Prince Pallavicini - MIA Western Desert (?) 1940

#1

Post by Andreas » 07 Aug 2006, 11:04

Morning

I would like to get some info on a story I heard yesterday about the Prince Pallavicini. What I was told was that he was born a French national, married into the Pallavicini family, and changed his nationality. He then became an officer in the Italian army, and fought during the summer 1940 campaign against the French army, in which his father (Maquis de Courtavel, I believe) served. Prince Pallavicini then served in Africa, and fell while on a patrol in Tunisia, maybe in 1943.

Question - can someone confirm that this is what actually happened, and could someone fill in some more detail on his military service, and in particular which unit he was in, and the circumstances of his death?

Thanks a lot in advance.

All the best

Andreas
Last edited by Andreas on 07 Aug 2006, 18:09, edited 1 time in total.

FB
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#2

Post by FB » 07 Aug 2006, 17:47

He shloud have been one of the (very!) many descendants of the Rospigliosi Family.

In particular:

1d) Cte Guglielmo de Pierre de Bernis (b.Paris 14 April 1914; killed and missing in war 1 August 1940); adopted 1936 by his great-uncle, Don Giulio Cesare (below); assumed the surname "Pallavicini de Pierre de Bernis de Courtavel", with the titles of Principe di Gallicano, Marchese di Colonna etc., by Royal Decree of the King of Italy 28 April 1937; he m.at Venaria Reale, nr Turin 23 Apr 1939 Elvina dei marchesi Medici del Vascello (b.Genoa 22 Jan 1914)

(from this site: http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha ... liosi.html)

As you can see, though, he is given as MIA Aug, 1, 1940

His father was: Comte Armand de Pierre de Bernis who married Maria Carolina dei Marchesi Misciatelli.

You'll find him towards the end of the page I linked.

Best regards


Andreas
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#3

Post by Andreas » 07 Aug 2006, 18:08

Thanks a lot FB. Great digging. That is definitely him. Thanks for the correction on the date as well!

You would not by any chance know anymore about his rank, assignment, the circumstances of his presumed death?

All the best

Andreas

FB
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#4

Post by FB » 08 Aug 2006, 08:58

Your wellcome :D

Now, digging again in genealogy sites as they are often a very good source of informations when nobility is involved, I probably found some othe infos.

What I found is:

Count Pallavicini was indeed MIA (and not KIA) in 1940. He was officially declared dead (dichiarazione di morte presunta = presumed dead declaration i.e. the official statement that a Court issues not earlier than 10 year after the last certain proof of existance in life of a missing person) by a Court in 1950. That's from a sentence of our highest Court (Corte Costituzionale) dated 1962 (N° 16 of 1962).

He was born as Guillaume de Pierre de Bernis de Courtarvel in Paris in 1914. His father was Armand de Pierre de Bernis de Courtarvel, Marquis de Courtarvel de Pezé.

He was a pilot: as he is reported as MIA on Aug, 1, 1940 "disperso nel Mediterraneo a seguito di combattimento aereo = missing in the Med following an air fighting".

I'll see if I can find something else about his service

Best regards

Andreas
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#5

Post by Andreas » 08 Aug 2006, 09:22

FB - thanks a lot. To reciprocate, here are two pictures from Chateau de Courtavel, in Baillou, Loir et Cher, France, and one of the renaissance village church, where the family would worship.

All the best

Andreas
Attachments
Image-25F55192264011DB.jpg
Chateau Courtavel
Image-25F55192264011DB.jpg (94.75 KiB) Viewed 3547 times
Image-25F6292A264011DB.jpg
Entrance
Image-25F6292A264011DB.jpg (99.29 KiB) Viewed 3548 times
Image-25F4A436264011DB.jpg
Church
Image-25F4A436264011DB.jpg (97.84 KiB) Viewed 3545 times

FB
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#6

Post by FB » 08 Aug 2006, 14:15

Thanks Andreas, very interesting.

I wonder who inherited (in France I mean), as Guglielmo/Guillaume was the only child of his parents (he himself gave birth to a doughter, Maria Camilla, born after his death).

No luck, untill now, about Count Pallavicini's service, I'm afraid.

Best regards

Andreas
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#7

Post by Andreas » 08 Aug 2006, 14:30

The property is owned today by Camilla, Princess Pallavicini - she inherited the belongings and the title. I

All the best

Andreas

FB
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#8

Post by FB » 08 Aug 2006, 15:02

Thank you :)

Maria Camilla married (but later divorced) Armando Diaz 3rd Duke of the Victory (= Duca della Vittoria, i.e. the title that King Vittorio Emanuele III bestowed on General Armando Diaz, CIC of Regio Esercito after Cadorna, during WWI. An ereditary title as you see). They have two sons, Sigieri and Moroello (and these are indeed very unusual names indeed!).

Best regards

bdmalta
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Re: Prince Pallavicini - MIA Western Desert (?) 1940

#9

Post by bdmalta » 29 Jul 2015, 18:12

I found your question re Prince Pallavicini while searching for info on him for my website www.maltag70.com - a daily diary of WW2 on the Island. A telegram was sent to the Governor and C in C Malta on 14 August 1940 asking for information on the whereabouts of Prince Pallavicini and General Cagna. It states that their aircraft was brought down by HM ships on 2nd August and suggests they were taken prisoner. However, further research suggests that they did not survive. For the full story see the maltagc70 entry for 14 August 1940.

Dili
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Re: Prince Pallavicini - MIA Western Desert (?) 1940

#10

Post by Dili » 30 Jul 2015, 00:46

Seems the title should be changed for Western Mediterranean - Baleari Islands. Against Operation Hurry

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefano_Cagna

"di cui faceva parte il colonnello Nello Capanni e il sottotenente Guglielmo Pallavicini."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hurry

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