Francesco Antonio Arena

Francesco Antonio Arena (27 March 1889 – 28 January 1945) was an Italian general during World War II, most notable for having commanded the 132nd Armoured Division Ariete during the second battle of El Alamein.

Biography

He was born in Pizzoni, Calabria, on March 27, 1889, the son of Vincenzo Arena and Clementina Scandale. In 1909 he enlisted in the Royal Italian Army as a volunteer officer cadet in the 20th Infantry Regiment "Brescia", and in 1910 he was commissioned as infantry second lieutenant. In 1911 he fought in Cyrenaica with the 79th Infantry Regiment during the Italo-Turkish War, earning a Silver Medal of Military Valour for his behaviour during the Battle of the Two Palms in March 1912. In 1914, after promotion to lieutenant, he was stationed in Somalia, assigned to the Royal Corps of Colonial Troops, and in 1915 he was promoted to captain.

In April 1916 he was repatriated and assigned to the 2nd Infantry Regiment, fighting on the Italian Front during World War I. On 24 May 1917 he was wounded on Mount San Marco, near Gorizia, during the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo, and awarded another Silver Medal for Military Valor. He was later promoted to major and in late October 1918 participated in the battle of Vittorio Veneto; for the taking of the heavily defended village of Alano di Piave he was awarded the Bronze Medal of Military Valour.

After attending a two-year course at the Turin Army School of War between 1920 and 1921, Arena was assigned to the command of the Staff Officer Corps; in 1926 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In January 1933 he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the Military Command of Sicily. The following year he was transferred to the Army Command of Naples, where he remained until 1935; after promotion to colonel in 1936, he assumed command of the 51st Infantry Regiment "Alpi".