Alfredo Dallolio

Alfredo Dallolio
Minister for Arms and Munitions
In office 16 June 1917 – 14 May 1918
Monarch	Victor Emmanuel III
Prime Minister	Paolo Boselli, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Vittorio Italico Zupelli (acting)
Senator of the Kingdom of Italy
In office 1917–1952
Personal details
Born	(1853-06-21)21 June 1853 Bologna, The Papal States
Died	20 September 1952(1952-09-20) (aged 99) Rome, Italy
Education	Turin Military Academy
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Italy
Branch/service	Artillery Corps, Royal Italian Army
Years of service	1870–1923
Rank	Lieutenant General
Battles/wars	Italo-Turkish War
Awards	Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy Commander of the Military Order of Savoy Military Service Cross Commemorative Medal for the Italo-Turkish War 1911-1912 Army Distinguished Service Medal (United States)

Alfredo Dallolio (21 June 1853 – 20 September 1952) was an Italian general and politician who served as the Minister of Munitions during the First World War.

Biography

He graduated from the Turin military academy as a second lieutenant in 1872. Promoted to colonel in 1905, he served as artillery commander of the Padua army corps and was promoted in 1910 to major general for special merit. In 1911 he became inspector general of artillery and engineering and in 1914 promoted to divisional lieutenant general.

From July 1915 he served as undersecretary for Armaments and Munitions in the Ministry for War in the second Salandra government. From June 1916 he was first undersecretary and then, from 1917, an independent Minister of Arms and Munitions of the Kingdom of Italy in the Boselli and Orlando governments. He was appointed senator of the kingdom in 1917 by the king Victor Emmanuel III. He created a ‘central committee for industrial mobilization’ and a network of regional committees representing both arms industry manufacturers and workers. In 1918 he resigned because of corruption allegations. Afterwards he served as inspector general of artillery until 1920, when he was placed in reserves.

After being called back into service by the Mussolini government and promoted to corps lieutenant general on 1 February 1923, he was head of the General Commissariat for War Production continuously until 28 August 1939, when he resigned in tacit protest against the imminent Italian entrance into World War II for which the essential means were lacking. His resignation made an impression in the military circles of the time because it was unequivocal testimony to the unpreparedness of the Army, but it did not lead to any practical consequences in the General Staff. He was not a member of the National Fascist Party and was exonerated in 1946 by the High Court of Justice for Sanctions against Fascism.

Bibliography

• Ruggero Zangrandi, Il lungo viaggio attraverso il fascismo. Milano, Feltrinelli, 1976
• Media related to Alfredo Dallolio at Wikimedia Commons