Giorgio Carlo Calvi, Count of Bergolo (Athens, 15 March 1887 – Rome, 25 February 1977) was an Italian general during World War II and the husband of Princess Yolanda of Savoy, the eldest daughter of King Victor Emmanuel III.
Biography
Born into a family of the Piedmontese nobility, he pursued a military career as a cavalry officer. He participated in the First World War as a bombardier officer, fighting on the Karst Plateau and earning a Silver Medal of Military Valor, three Bronze medals and War Cross for Military Valor. After the end of the war, he taught horse riding (of which he had been a champion in his youth) at the Royal Cavalry School in Pinerolo.
On 9 July 1923 he married Princess Yolanda of Savoy, eldest daughter of King Victor Emmanuel III, against the wishes of old Queen Mother Margherita, who would have preferred arrange a higher match for her granddaughter (Queen Margherita had hoped to marry her to the Edward, Prince of Wales). The marriage was held in the Pauline Chapel; they had four children, Maria Ludovica (born in 1924), Vittoria Francesca (born in 1930), Guja Anna (born in 1930) and Pier Francesco (born in 1933).
In 1935 he was appointed inspector of cavalry in Libya, and from 1937 to 1940 he commanded the Regiment "Nizza Cavalleria" (1st). In June 1940, after Italy's entry into World War II, he was given command of the Libyan Cavalry Group; he was promoted to brigadier general on 1 October 1940, and in February 1941 he became chief of staff of the liaison office with Panzer Army Africa, a post he held for a year. On 1 March 1942 he replaced General Gavino Pizzolato at the command of the 131st Armored Division "Centauro" (then stationed in Piedmont), which he led during the Tunisian campaign from late 1942 (when he was promoted to major general) to April 1943, earning success at the battle of Kasserine Pass in February 1943; in a later incident he temporarily assumed command of a German battalion who had been left without commander and was awarded the Iron Cross. On 7 April 1943, after the division had suffered heavy casualties in the battle of El Guettar and most of its surviving units had been attached to other Italian and German divisions, Calvi di Bergolo was repatriated.
After the fall of Fascism on 25 July 1943, Calvi di Bergolo was given command of the 136th Armored Legionary Division "Centauro", formerly the 1st CC.NN. Armored Division "M", stationed near Tivoli. This Division was composed of hand-picked fanatical Blackshirts, that had been trained by Waffen-SS instructors and were equipped with German armored vehicles, such as Panzer IIIs, Panzer IVs, and Stug IIIs. Calvi di Bergolo, who replaced MVSN General Alessandro Lusana, was tasked with "defascistizing" the Division, replacing its most fanatical Fascist officers with officers loyal to the Badoglio government. Nevertheless, when on 2 September 1943 he was summoned by General Giacomo Carboni and asked about the reliability of his unit in the event of a change of sides, he replied that it was unlikely that his men would accept it. Disappointed with the response, Carboni decided to prepare for the replacement of Calvi di Bergolo with his deputy, General Oscar Gritti. On 7 September, when the Armistice of Cassibile had already been secretly signed, Carboni again asked the same question to Calvi di Bergolo, who decided to ask his officers directly; they confirmed that they would never take up arms against the Germans. At that point Bergolo was replaced with Gritti.