Antonio Sorice

Antonio Sorice (3 November 1897 – 14 January 1971) was an Italian general during World War II, Undersecretary for War from February to July 1943 and Minister of War from July 1943 to February 1944.

Biography

He was born in Nola on November 3, 1897 and after completing his studies at the Nunziatella Military School in Naples, he attended the Royal Military Academy of Artillery and Engineers in Turin, graduating as artillery second lieutenant on May 30, 1915, a few day’s after Italy’s entrance into the First World War. He fought during the war, and was captured on the Karst Plateau in 1917. After the end of the war he completed his studies in Turin and then attended the Army School of War in Civitavecchia, subsequently serving in the military garrisons of Genoa and of Ancona.

During 1933 he was transferred to Rome to serve at the Ministry of War, initially attached to the Military Secretariat (in this period he supervised the preparations for the invasion of Ethiopia) and from April 1936, with the rank of colonel, as Deputy Head of Cabinet of the Minister (who at the time was Benito Mussolini himself).

The next day Sorice, along with General Carboni, organized an attempt to replace the head of government Badoglio with Marshal of Italy Enrico Caviglia, who had been summoned to the capital for this purpose. Following a brief telephone contact with Victor Emmanuel III, Marshal Caviglia decided to assume the role of head of government and commander of the military forces during the defense of Rome, so as to be able to negotiate the disarmament of Italian troops and the proclamation of Rome as an "open city" with Field Marshal Albert Kesselring.

Sorice retired from the Army in September 1966 after reaching the age limit, and he died in Rome on January 14, 1971.