Here is an excerpt taken from the manuscript, The Silent Victims: Forgotten Crimes of the Allies in WW2, Chapter Italy: Tragedy of the Roman Epurazione
The First Victim
Ettore Muti was born on March 22nd 1902 in Ravenna. At the tender age of 14, he tried to enlist in the Italian army during the First World War with no luck, of course. Nonetheless, Muti joined the free-corps of the soldier-poet d’Annuzio who in 1919, planned a mini coup d'état at the Yugoslavian city of Fiume (today Rijeka) to annex it to Italy1. At the age of 17, Muti fought and fought well he was. After that, he was going to be one of the very first members of the new Fascist Party. Muti participated in the famous ‘March to Rome’ and when the fascists were in power, he entered the air force academy to realize his adolescent dream; to fly. Like his hero, d’Annunzio, Muti’s would be a highly-decorated pilot. Indeed, he was one of the best graduates from the academy. Muti was also a centurione of the Blackshirts and in the 30s; he would rise to the position of the general secretary of the Fascist Party which made him the second ranking fascist leader after Mussolini. But Muti’s soul will always be a warrior one who prefers soldier’s life to desk job or high society’s saloons, therefore he return to the Italian air force in time to participate in the Abyssinian campaign and also the Spanish Civil War where he earned the highest Spanish decoration for bravery.
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During the Second World War, Ettore Muti commands the elite air corps, 41th Autonomous Group of the aerosiluranti (torpedo aircraft) where it operates at the Aegean Sea in 1942 as a lieutenant colonel. The aerosiluranti pilots flew the Savoia-Marchetti SM79 and SM84 torpedo aircrafts sinking or damaging many Allied ships including Royal Navy capital ships such as HMS Kent, HMS Glasgow, HMS Liverpool, HMS Manchester, HMS Fearless, HMS Barham and HMS Nelson, earning them prestige as the best Italian air force unit. They launched many audacious raids at the British harbors of Gibraltar and Alexandria and after 1942, at the North African harbors of Oran, Algiers and Bougie. Ettore Muti was nicknamed the ‘most beautiful chest of Italy’ as he was the most decorated Italian soldier with one Golden Medal of Military Valor (equivalent to the German’s Knights Cross) ten Silver Medal of Military Valor, four Bronze Medal of Military Valor, five War Crosses, German Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class, Spanish decorations, the Sciarpa Littoria of the March to Rome and numerous campaign medals. Muti is the ace of the aces of the Italian air force, a living legend in fascist Italy, a soldier who had fought courageously with honor and loyalty for Italy and a man who does not shriek from his ideals and principles. Indeed, few days after the arrest of Mussolini, Muti declared in the presence of a lady companion that he would liberate Mussolini if nobody does.
By declaring so, Muti has signed his own death warrant. The lady companion, a famous actress, was also an informer for the Italian military intelligence service. Informed by it, Badoglio sent the following note3 to Senise, the chief of police in Rome;
“August 20th 1943
Marshal of Italy
Pietro Badoglio del Sabatino
Duke of Addis Ababa
For YOU, Senise,
Muti is always a threat. The success will be possible only after meticulous work of preparation. YOU had understood me perfectly.
Pietro Badoglio.”
The word YOU in capital letters indicate clearly the criminal responsibility that Badoglio delegates to Senise. To arrest Muti directly would provoke the anger of the Italian air force. Therefore it is decided that Muti had to be murdered in the most discrete way. By August 8th, Muti felt something was not right. Some of his friends told him to beware and watch out and there are rumors which mentioned him. Therefore Muti telephoned Senise, telling him that he expected he was going to be arrested and that he wanted to come to Rome to sort things out. Senise was afraid as it clearly shows the suspicions of Muti even before there are any formal order from Badoglio and it has to be muffled. What if Muti had the idea of seeking the protection from the soldiers of the air force? Or would he storm the police headquarters at Rome as a preventive strike? In fact, when Muti was on leave and were in his home out from Rome, Badoglio disrupted the Italian Air Force because of the armistice. Subsequently, Senise denied Muti his request and acted surprise as though nothing were wrong and assured Muti that it was only rumors. The following description of the crime of Muti’s murder had been told and published in the newspaper II Corriere della Sera of Thursday, 6th July 1944 after an interview with Antonio Contieri, a carabinieri4 who had witnessed the crime.
During the night of 23rd to 24th August 1943 at 3.00 in the morning, three men in plainclothes presented themselves at the carabinieri’s post in Maccarese. One of them showed an identification card purportedly as Lieutenant Taddei of the carabinieri (may be a false name). Together with him were a sergeant-major of the carabinieri and a civilian wearing a khaki suit armed with submachine guns. They asked the commander of the post whether he knew the road to Fregene where Muti lives. The commander knew and he asked two carabinieri from his unit, Antonio Contieri and Salvatore Frau to accompany them. At the road, they found a group of 15 carabinieri men obviously waiting for Lieutenant Taddei. Contieri recognized among them a carabinieri corporal from the local unit, Baralot. As this group of armed men reaches Muti’s house, they knocked at the door and Muti in pyjamas, answered the call. Showing his card, Taddei ordered Muti to follow him. Muti wanted to dress and was accompanied by Taddei to wear his uniform. Taddei objected that since Muti was going to be arrested, it would better to not to wear uniform but civilian clothing but Muti insisted for his uniform.
Contieri heard Taddei spoke;
“Better wear a civilian suit, because now your medals are worth nothing,’
“Lieutenant, I remind you that I am a colonel!” answered Muti.
They went outside in the middle of the night and started walking. At the head was Muti accompanied by the sergeant-major, the civilians in khaki suit and carabinieri Salvatore Frau of the Maccarese post. The rest followed including Taddei, Contieri and Barolat some 20 meters back. At about 100 meters in front there was a turning to the left and the head of the column stopped. Taddei yelled as to enquire what was happening and the sergeant answered that it was ok. Then Taddei emitted a flash from his torchlight and a flash were returned from ahead. Suddenly, there were three short burst of submachine gun. Back at the end, Taddei went to the ground as if protecting himself and everyone in the group follow suit. Then Taddei threw two hand grenades as if he was fighting back against somebody. During this moment, Contieri was convinced that they were under attack till he saw Taddei threw the hand grenades to the right whereas the shots came from the left. Contieri begin to think that something is wrong as they stood up and went ahead. Muti’s body lay lifeless as the sergeant major declared that they were under attack and his Excellency Muti was killed. Preposterously Taddei asked for a minute of silence to honor the corpse of Muti, the hero. After the minute of silence, the civilian in khaki suit kicked the corpse of Muti and Taddei glanced at him coldly.
Taddei left four of his men to watch the corpse and return to Rome straight away with his accomplices. Meanwhile, back at the Maccarese, Contieri answered a phone call from a captain at the carabinieri headquarters, purportedly asking to speak to Lieutenant Taddei. Contieri said that Taddei was on his way to Rome. The captain asked him if everything was ok and puzzled, Contieri answered back that nothing has happened. “How could that be, nothing has happen?!!” yelled the captain. Stunned, Contieri replied that they had been attacked but they are no casualties. The captain did not ask about Muti and straight away slams the phone. On the second day, there was nothing about Muti on the newspaper and the carabinieri Frau told Contieri that he had been unable to sleep as it was the sergeant-major that answered with the flashlight. Then the civilians in khaki suit shot Muti with a burst at the neck. Both of them started to shoot everywhere to simulate the attack. The four carabinieri who stayed to watch over Muti’s body mutilated it and left it at around the pinewood forests of Fregene. The corpse will be discovered some months later and buried in Ravenna on February 19th, 1944 during a huge ceremony organized by the RSI authorities. The Roman epurazione had begun and Ettore Muti was the first victim.
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