15 Facts About Inigo Campioni

Inigo Campioni was an Italian naval officer during most of the first half of the 20th century.

Inigo Campioni served in four wars, and is best known as an admiral in the Italian Royal Navy during World War II.

Inigo Campioni was later executed by the Italian Social Republic for refusing to collaborate.

Inigo Campioni entered the Italian Naval Academy at Leghorn in 1893.

Inigo Campioni graduated in 1896 as a guardiamarina and received a promotion to sottotenente di vascello in 1898 and then to tenente di vascello in 1905.

Early in the war, Inigo Campioni served aboard the battleships Conte di Cavour and Andrea Doria.

Inigo Campioni was promoted to capitano di corvetta corvette captain in 1916 and became commanding officer of the destroyer Ardito, which under his command escorted numerous convoys to the Adriatic Sea and served with distinction in a naval engagement in the northern Adriatic in September 1917.

Inigo Campioni achieved flag rank in 1932, being promoted to contrammiraglio, and was promoted again to ammiraglio di divisione.

Inigo Campioni was promoted to ammiraglio di squadra in 1936 and in 1938 he assumed the post of Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy.

Inigo Campioni did become a Commander of the Military Order of Savoy for his achievements from June 1940 through July 1941.

On 15 July 1941, Inigo Campioni was appointed governor of the Italian Aegean Islands and made commander of all Axis armed forces operating in that area.

Inigo Campioni thereafter refused to collaborate with the Axis Powers and oversaw Italian armed resistance to the German conquest of the Aegean Islands that immediately followed the armistice.

Inigo Campioni refused repeated offers to collaborate with the Italian Social Republic.

Inigo Campioni based his decision on his view that the Italian Social Republic government was illegal and that Italys legitimate government remained the Kingdom of Italy, which controlled the southern part of the country and had switched sides and joined the Allies.

Inigo Campioni is buried in the military cemetery at Bari, Italy.